Ephesians 4:1-16 Lesson 373

Ephesians 4:1-16
Lesson 373

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

We are part of one body (church), each part serving the other.

Everyone has a special gift (4:7-13).

This lesson begins a new discussion on
church unity and how Christians should live.
It runs through the end of Ephesians.

Study Tip:

As you read, ask yourself, "what does this passage mean," and "does it teach something I can apply to my life?"

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Ephesians

The King James Bible

Ephesians 4:1-16
Unity in the church

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

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

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

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

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

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;

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

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.

Margin notes:

"Beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation." (4:1) - "Beg you to be worthy of the calling." Be worthy, an important teaching that Paul will repeat in Philippians 1:27.

"Lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering." (4:2) - This means "be humble, gentle, and patient." These are three of the five traits found in the list of virtues (Colossians 3:12).

"Endeavouring to keep unity of the spirit." (4:3) - "Try to keep the unity of the spirit."

"There is one body." (4:4) - There is only one body of Christ or church (Romans 12:5; I Corinthians 12:12-17). See "Today's Question" below.

"One Spirit." (4:4) - The Holy Spirit.

"One hope." (4:4) - Heaven.

"One Lord." (4:5) - Jesus Christ.

"One God and Father of all." (4:6) - There is but one God (1 Corinthians 8:6). He is above everything and in all of us.

"Every one of us is given grace." (4:7) - Here, the word grace has a different meaning than God's saving grace. In this verse, grace refers to the gift or talent that everyone receives to serve God better.

"When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." (4:8) - This verse depicts Jesus as a conquering hero, dispensing spiritual gifts, as foreshadowed by David hundreds of years before the birth of Christ (Psalm 68:18).

"He ascended." (4:9) - After completing His mission, Jesus returned to heaven (Acts 1:9; 1:11; John 3:13).

"He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth." (4:9) - But first, Jesus left heaven to be born a mere man.

"He gave some." (4:11) - "He gave gifts." These gifts were the tools necessary for believers to be effective apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and spiritual teachers.

"Perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry." (4:12) - "Preparing Christians to spread the Gospel."

"For the edifying of the body of Christ." (4:12) - "For the strengthening of the church."

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith." (4:13) - Until we come together in Christian faith and fulfill our life purpose (to know Christ), we cannot enjoy the relationship we were meant to have with God.

"A perfect man." (4:13) - Means "spiritually mature person." A mature Christian prays, studies the Bible, and works to apply God's teachings to their life.

"The measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (4:13) - "Measure up to the standard and fullness of Christ."

"Be no more children." (4:14) - "Don't be immature Christians."

"Tossed to and fro." (4:14) - To be tossed to and fro is to be indecisive, uncertain, and easily lured away by every new doctrine that comes along.

"By the sleight of men." (4:14) - "By the trickery of men."

"Speaking the truth." (4:15) - Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).

"The head." (4:15) - Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18).

"From whom." (4:16) - "From Jesus."

"Compacted by that which every joint supplieth." (4:16) - "Forged together by every believer doing their share (to spread the Gospel)."

"According to the effectual working." (4:16) - "According to the effective working."

"Maketh increase of the body." (4:16) - "Making the body (church) strong."

To learn more about Paul's view of spiritual gifts, see 1 Corinthians 12.

New Living Translation

Ephesians 4:1-16
Unity in the Body

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.

3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

8 That is why the Scriptures say,

  "When he ascended to the heights,
      he led a crowd of captives
      and gave gifts to his people."

9 Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.

10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What does it mean to be "one body?" (4:4)

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Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. To be "one body" is to be unified under the leadership of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). All believers belong to one body (Christian church), and each should serve the other with their God given talents. By doing so, the whole body is strengthened (4:12).

Application thought for the day:

Believers are one in Our unity is experienced in

Body.........................................The fellowship of believers---the church

Spirit.........................................The Holy Spirit, who activates the fellowship

Hope.........................................That glorious future to which we are all called

Lord...........................................Christ, to whom we all belong

Faith..........................................Our singular commitment to Christ

Baptism.....................................Baptism---the sign of entry into the church

God............................................God, who is our Father who keeps us for eternity

Too often believers are separated because of minor differenced in doctrine. But Paul here shows those areas where Christians must agree to attain true unity. When believers have this unity of spirit, petty differences should never be allowed to dissolve that unity.

(The "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; Page 2353).

How are you using your gifts to promote Jesus and church unity?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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