Ephesians Chapter 4

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

The Ephesians were "called" by the gospel to be partakers of God's promise in Christ. When he says to "walk worthy of the vocation" it would be like the "workman" of 2 Timothy 2:15 who "needeth not to be ashamed." It implies the judgment seat of Christ, where the believer's work will be tried, "of what sort it is." There is no condemnation there, however a believer will either suffer loss or he will receive a reward based on his work as a saved individual.

Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

To forbear carries the idea of holding up or bearing with one another. It means to endure and the love he refers to is the love of God in Christ. Paul says Romans 13:10 that love worketh no ill to his neighbor and therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. That could also be what Paul refers to when he says that the law is fulfilled IN US, not by us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

Notice next the sevenfold unity:

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Notice he says that our endeavour should be to KEEP the unity of the Spirit, not try to make it. The unity of the Spirit is already made for the body of Christ. It is our job to keep it.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

The one body is a reference to the church, the body of Christ, and there is only one. These Ephesians have become members of THE SAME BODY that already was in existence during the time of the book of Acts which is referred to in Ephesians 1:12 as "we who first trusted in Christ.

The one Spirit is a reference to the holy Spirit and it is by the Spirit that all believers are baptized into the one body. The one hope of your calling is the hope of eternal life which God promised in Christ before the world began. Eternal life is in Christ. To have life you must have Christ. You must trust him as your only Saviour.

Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

The one Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and he is the Lord and the Saviour of the church which is his body.

The one faith is HIS faith, the faith OF Christ. Paul said that the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

The one baptism is the baptism BY the Spirit into the body of Christ. It is not the baptism WITH the Holy Ghost which Christ did in Acts chapter two, but it is the baptism BY the Spirit himself. Paul told the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:13 that after they believed they were "sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."

Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The one God is the true and the living God who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and he is OUR father.

So these seven things Paul refers to here are the UNITY he speaks of: One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God.

Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

All believers today have been given grace. THIS grace Paul speaks of was given to him and he calls it the dispensation of the grace of God, given to him for YOU Gentiles. He says that unto him was THIS grace given that he might preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make all men see what is the FELLOWSHIP of the mystery which in time past had been HID IN GOD.

We are saved by grace today and not of works and we are also told to walk in the same way:

Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

When you received Christ Jesus the Lord you received him by grace through faith. In other words we are saved by the grace of God through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to walk in the same way.

Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

The only way to be "stablished in the faith" is by the doctrine committed to Paul and found in his 13 epistles of Romans through Philemon. It is the "things that thou hast heard of me" that establish people in their faith today. To try to go back to the law, or to try to live according to the gospel of the Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John does not establish people. Paul told Timothy to charge some that they teach "no other doctrine" and he said also:

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Notice he doesn't say "the things you have heard of US." Peter, James and John do not teach the same things that were committed to the Apostle Paul.

2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Notice that he says to consider what I say, not what WE say. There again, the message committed to the 12 is not the same message committed to Paul.

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

According to MY gospel, that is Paul's gospel, Jesus Christ was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justifcation. According to Paul's gospel God has put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body. You just simply do not find that anywhere in Hebrews through Revelation.

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Ephesians 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Ephesians 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

"He led captivity captive" is not a reference to a teaching that when Christ ascended that he emptied out Abraham's bosom and took all the old testament saints to heaven. That should be plain from at least TWO clear verses.

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

The verse clearly says that no man has ascended up to heaven except one: The Son of man which is IN heaven. The verse should not be in red letters, indicating that it is the words spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus. The conversation with Nicodemus ended with verse 12. The fact that some bibles have the verse in red letters is someone's opinion. Red letters were never inspired. Now here is the other verse:

Acts 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, THE LORD SAID UNTO MY LORD, SIT THOU ON MY RIGHT HAND,

So we see that NO MAN is ascended into heaven and we see also for sure that David is not ascended into heaven. Only one has, and that occurred in Acts chapter one:

Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

The phrase "took captivity captive" then would be a reference to the fact that in death Jesus Christ defeated him who had the power of death, that is the Devil. In the book of Revelation Jesus Christ proclaims that he has the keys of hell and death. Hell is in the heart of the earth and there are locks with keys. Jesus Christ has them. That's why he told Peter in Matthew 16 that the "gates of hell shall not prevail" against that church he spoke of there. Hence, once the 12 Apostles were baptized with the Holy Ghost they had no fear of death. Jesus Christ had already been there and had made a way to get them out, as in Revelation 20:4.

Now notice the gifts here and take note of the fact that the Lord GAVE these gifts AFTER he ascended. The gifts are TO the church, the body of Christ. This is not a reference to the 12 apostles that God the Father gave to Jesus Christ, as in Isaiah 8:16-18 and John chapter 17.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

All of the body of Christ does not have present day apostles. Some of the body of Christ did. Some had prophets. Today there are no apostles and there are no prophets. There is no need for them. All revelation from God is complete. It has been told and written down. Paul said in 2 Timothy that "all scripture is given." So the saying is "if it is true then it is not new, if it is new then it is not true."

But notice what the gifts were for:

Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Saints need to be perfected. They need to be prepared for the work of the ministry. That ministry is for the edifying of the body of Christ. In other words the "building up" of the body. The word of God's grace is able to build you up. Anything else tears down. Today we have evangelists, pastors and teachers to help perfect the saints for the work, the edifying of the body of Christ. So we see then that these are not doing the same work as the work of the 12 apostles. Their's was a different work and was not related to the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

It is the purpose of the ministry today to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery. God would have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. That knowledge comes from preaching and teaching and from studying the rightly divided word of truth.

Ephesians 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Paul called the Galatians "my little children" and he referred to the Corinthians as "babes in Christ." But believers need to grow up and not be tossed to and fro, carried about with "winds of doctrine." We are to teach no other doctrine than the doctrine committed to Paul for the church today. He calls it the "wholesome words of the Lord Jesus Christ." He says that it is "the things that thou hast heard of me." He tells the Phillipians:

Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

An ensample would be like a pattern and Paul is the first and the pattern of salvation today.

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Now notice these other Gentiles:

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

These other Gentiles are like the ignorant idolaters of Acts chapter 17. They are like those at Ephesus in Acts chapter 19. They are religious. They do religious things and they worship religious things. But Paul says their heart is blind.

Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

This is what people like this do:

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Jesus Christ said that "God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Paul said that God is not worshipped with men's hands. So the things that religion does and the things they build for themselves to worship is not the worship of God. The God of the bible is the LIVING God, as opposed to all those things in religion that have no life in them.

Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

Ephesians 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Now Jesus never went to Ephesus to teach, so how is it that Paul refers to "hearing Jesus?" It is because Christ SPOKE through Paul, notice:

2 Corinthians 13:3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.

2 Corinthians 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

Notice also in Galatians:

Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

Galatians 1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

So the Son of God, Jesus Christ was IN Paul and spoke through Paul. Paul's doctrine had been delivered to the Ephesians...hence they had heard Christ...through the words committed to Paul.

Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Ephesians 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

The "old man" is corrupt, just like those "other Gentiles" he warned about. He may very well be religious but his heart is darkened and he is alienated from the life of God through his ignorance. Paul says to put him off, be renewed in the spirit of your mind and to put on the new man. The new man is created. He is that "new creature" in Christ. He is created in righteousness. Not his own, but the righteousness of God himself, which is put to his account the moment he trusts Jesus Christ as his Saviour. Paul says put HIM on.

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

These are practical instructions for saved people. These are not things to do in order to get saved or to stay saved. These are instruction for people who are saved.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

The seal of the holy Spirit put these Ephesians IN Christ and they are sealed there unto a future day. That is the day in which our vile bodies will be changed and make like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are already saved from the penalty of sin. These practical instructions help us through the leadership of the Spirit to be saved from the power of sin, and one day, we will be saved from the very presence of sin.

Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.