Walking Worthy. In v.1 Paul exhorts the Ephesians to walk worthy of the position, the hopes, and the relationships into which we have been called. There are three spheres that we need to “walk worthy” in, and they are taken up successively in the remaining chapters of the epistle: in the assembly (Eph. 4:1-16), in the Christian testimony (Eph. 4:17 – 5:21), and in our natural relationships (Eph. 5:22 – 6:9). Paul takes these three spheres up in the order of closeness to God Himself (see vv.4-6), the closest circle being the assembly, or “body of Christ”. Paul addresses the need for unity in the assembly first, then the issue of ministry. In order to help us to walk worthy in the assembly sphere, Christ has given gifts to the Church, which we need to appreciate.

Walking Worthy of Our Calling (4:1-3)

¶ *I*, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you therefore to walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye have been called, v.1 The need to walk worthy. Paul refers to himself as a prisoner “in the Lord”. The term “in Christ” is used in the first half of the epistle, but in the second half it almost disappears, and in its place we have the term “in the Lord” found five or six times. It is always connected with an exhortation based on the Lordship of Christ. Paul is speaking as a “prisoner”, as one who had lived out these truths and suffered for them. He exhorts us to “walk worthy” (in our practical conduct) of the “vocation” wherewith we have been called; namely, as Christians we compose both the body of Christ and the house of God.

 

2 ⁽¹⁾ with all lowliness and meekness, ⁽²⁾ with long-suffering, ⁽³⁾ bearing with one another in love; 3 ⁽⁴⁾ using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. vv.2-3 How to walk worthy. Knowledge has the tendency to puff up (1 Cor. 8), and therefore several things are needed to regulate our walk. In vv.2-3 we are given four things that need to characterize our walk. Notice that they have as much to do with our attitude as they do our doctrinal position.

1. Humility. Characterized by two virtues: “lowliness”, which is not taking offense, and “meekness”, which is not giving offense. Both these characteristics were displayed perfectly in the life of the Lord Jesus on earth (Matt. 11:29; 2 Cor. 10:1).
2. Patience. Characterized by “long-suffering”, which is showing kindness, even when trespassed against over and over again.
3. Love. As we “forbear” with one another, we are not to slip into a spirit of pride or contempt for our brother, but always act and live in a spirit of “love”.
4. Unity. We are to maintain practical unity, “the unity of the Spirit”, by individually submitting the mind of God as revealed in His Word. “The uniting bond of peace” is the practical fellowship that believers enjoy with one another when submitting to the Spirit of God. The bond itself also contributes to unity.

We are to “use diligence” to practically display the unity of the Body in the earth. It takes grace and much effort. The flesh, the world, and the Devil are going to oppose it. The first ones to break this unity were Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5).

 

The Unity of the Spirit. The unity of the Spirit is the practical unity that will result among believers if they are kept in the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14). The Son came into the world to glorify the Father, and the Spirit came into the world to glorify the Son (John 16:14). The saints are on earth for the same reason; i.e. to glorify Christ. When the saints are aligned with the Spirit in this purpose, there is a unity that is kept. Rather than follow our own wisdom, we are to take direction from the Spirit of God, who forms the body of Christ and inhabits the house of God. The “therefore” in v.1 refers to what was previously mentioned. Since Ephesians 3 is a parenthesis, the previous topic was the house of God (Eph. 2:21-22) and before that, the body of Christ (Eph. 2:13-18). There is a unity of the body and an order of the house. The body gives us the activity and ministry of the Church, and the house gives us the order and the government of the Church. The unity of the Spirit is displayed in both the oneness in ministry and the oneness in government that ought to characterize the Church of God, which is here for the glory of Christ. It is not something we need to manufacture by setting up new institutions. The eccumenical movement is the effort of man to manufacture unity through compromise, and it is nothing to be triumphant about.¹ The true Christian unity has already been formed on the day of Pentecost, when they were all with one accord in one place. But we need to keep or maintain it, by submitting ourselves to the Word, the revealed mind of God. The center of the unity is Christ, because the Spirit’s object it the glory of Christ (John 16:14). Who else could be at the center of a unity formed by the Spirit of God? See Ephesians 1:10. We cannot do anything in the name of unity if we are not recognizing the authority Christ. The unity of the Spirit is not unity at the expense of holiness. We endeavor to “keep” this unity by obeying the Word of God and submitting to the Lordship of Christ. Another good definition of the unity of the Spirit is: that which the Spirit of God is forming in this world to give expression to the truth of the unity of the Church. Paul exhorts us to publicly maintain this unity. We are not merely to content ourselves that church is hopelessly divided, nor are we to treat the unity of the assembly as an abstract truth. It requires “diligence” to practice to collectively keep the unity of the Spirit.

 

Union ≠ uniformity ≠ unity. Three words are carelessly used as synonyms, but they are quite different: union, uniformity, and unity. An example is helpful to illustrate the difference. You could take five cats and tie their tails together, and they would have union but not unity. You could purchase five identical cats, and they would have uniformity but not unity. True unity requires submission of our will to the mind of God. Without the subjection of the will, there cannot be unity. Every Christian has union with each other because they are all in the body of Christ, but not all are walking in unity because not all are following the leading of the Spirit.

 

The Unity Principle: Three Concentric Spheres (4:4-6)

vv.4-6 Why are these three concentric spheres brought in? It is to establish the unity principle: namely, God works in unity to form unity. Every time God works, whether to form the body, the public testimony, or the universal creation, there is One Mind at work with a purpose to produce an orderly, unified result. And God is always the center! Whenever gift is brought in as a subject, it has the tendency to bring individuals into prominence, rather than the whole body. It was important therefore, to show that while God uses individuals, He has the whole body in mind, and that all ministry flows from one heavenly Source.

 

4 There is one body and one Spirit, as ye have been also called in one hope of your calling; v.4 The Sphere of Reality. This first circle is the circle of reality. Everyone in it has genuine faith in Christ. There is only “one body“, the assembly as a living organism on the earth for the purpose of expressing the mind of Christ the head. There is only “one Spirit” indwelling each true believer and the house of God. There is only “one hope of our calling“, that is, a common prospect for every believer, the eternal enjoyment of all our blessings when we are in the glorified state (Eph. 1:18, Rom. 5:2, 8:30).

 

The Body of Christ.

The body of Christ is a figure used in the New Testament to describe the assembly of God. The body of Christ was formed on the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God was sent down to the earth, and indwelt the believers present, linking them to Christ in heaven. Believers on earth who have the Spirit indwelling them are members of the body (Rom. 12:5). Christ in heaven is the head of the body (Col. 1:18). Christ's mind is to be displayed by His body on earth. The Holy Spirit is the One who directs the members of the body; similar to how the nervous system in the human body works. The Church on earth is not an organization, it is a living organism. It is important to understand that the body is not a mere concept. It is a reality!

Read more…

 

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; v.5 The Sphere of Profession. This second circle is the circle of profession. All in it make an outward profession of Christ. There is only “one Lord”, that is, only one Christian profession, even though it is outwardly divided. All of Christendom marches under the same banner; the professed Lordship of Christ, although not all are real (Matt. 25:11). There is only “one faith”, one common Christian faith (not individual faith). And there is only “one baptism“ which is the door of entrance into the Christian profession. This is why it doesn’t matter who baptized you, when it was done, or what denomination you were affiliated with… there is only one baptism and it doesn’t need to be repeated twice.

 

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all. v.6 The Sphere of Creation. This third circle is the broadest of all, it is the circle of creation. All people, regardless of their religious associations, are in this circle. Note that it doesn’t say that all is God; which it the blasphemous belief of the universalists. God is over all. There is only “one God and Father of all”. All creation is not in relationship to the Father in the Christian sense, but in the sense of creation (Acts 17:28). God the Father has many types of paternity, but His being the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, His eternal intra-Trinitarian relationship is why he is called “the Father”. Read more… Here is His being the progenitor of all creation that is in view. It is like what we have in ch.3; “of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,” (Eph. 3:15). Only Christians have been brought to share the Son’s relationship with His Father. God is “over all“ in that He has control over all circumstances. His will is done “through all” circumstances. In the last phrase of the verse Paul comes back to the indwelling Spirit in believers (Circle #1), by saying God is “in us all”! ²

 

An Ascended Christ is the Source of Gifts (4:7-10)

7 But to each one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ. v.7 Christ the giver. Having established the fact that God works in unity, Paul turns to what is true of us as individuals. In order for us to walk worthy of our vocation in the assembly, we will need special gifts from the Lord to help us. Accordingly, “each one” of us has been given “grace”, or enabling power in a special line of service (Eph. 3:7). It is called “grace” here because, rather than focus on the individual, the emphasis is on the grace of the Head to supply every need of the body. It is regarded as a gift from One who loves His Church and cares for each member.³ This is one thing Christ does to help us keep the unity of the Spirit. In this verse “each of us” has been given “grace” which refers to the way every member is a joint of supply (v.16) in the body. The point is that “the measure” is according to the gift of Christ. He is the Giver, and He will see that our needs are met.

 

8 Wherefore he says, “Having ascended up on high, he has led captivity captive, and has given gifts to men.” [Psa. 68:18] v.8 An ascended Christ the source. To establish the fact that Christ is the Giver, and to show His position and the means of giving, Paul applies an Old Testament quotation. It was not on earth, but as an ascended, glorified Christ that He gave gifts to men. Paul quotes from Psa. 68:18, which is prophetic of what Christ will do for Israel in the Millennium. Paul takes the principle of it and applies it here. When a great conqueror is returning home after a victory, before he displays his glory personally, he parades the spoils among his people as evidence that the victory has been won. Christ, having died and been raised and ascended to God’s right hand, now, before His day of glory, has taken those who were Satan’s captives and made them His own captives (willingly), and made them into gifts for the Church. Paul himself is a perfect example of this. He was rushing forward in his opposition to Christ when he was struck down by a voice from heaven and turned around completely, making perhaps the greatest gift Christ ever gave His Church!

 

9 But that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same who has also ascended up above all the heavens, that he might fill all things; vv.9-10 What had to occur before Christ could give the gifts. Two connected points are made in vv.9-10. First, Christ had to descend before He could ascend (v.9). He “descended” from being alive on the earth into the grave (death) to complete the atonement (Rom. 4:25) and put away the sins that once bound us. Second, Christ had to ascend in order to be in a position to give gifts (v.10). When it says He “ascended” it includes the resurrection and ascension of Christ. He rose out of the condition of death into life. Through death He vanquished Satan, Heb. 2:14. Now as an ascended, victorious Christ, He is the source of the gifts. The source is not an earthly organization! He is now “above all, etc.” in His place at the Head of a new creation. He “fills all things” in that all things in new creation bear His image (Col. 3:11b). The glorification of Christ is a vastly important truth in Christianity. The fact that Christ is risen and seated in heaven as a glorified man, along with the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, are the great principles of Christianity. It distinguishes Christianity from Judaism which looked for a Messiah on the earth. Christianity begins on the other side of cloud, and gives us a heavenly object!

 

The Gifts of Christ to the Church (4:11)

11 and *he* has given some ⁽¹⁾ apostles, and some ⁽²⁾ prophets, and some ⁽³⁾ evangelists, and some ^(4a) shepherds and ^(4b) teachers, v.11 The Gifts. Now we get the actual gifts that Christ has given to the assembly. It says “he gave some” which is a limited quantity. Not every Christian is a gift to the Church, but every Christian has a gift. It is interesting that you get all five of these gifts in action in Acts 11:19-29.

1. Apostles are those who were commissioned by an ascended Christ. This does not specifically refer to the twelve apostles, because they received an earthly commission (Matt. 10, Matt. 28, Acts 1) to witness the resurrection, baptize and build up the kingdom. The twelve were commissioned by a Christ on earth. The “apostles” mentioned here are perhaps of a heavenly order, because they were commissioned by an ascended Christ. Paul would have been possibly the first of this order, although it may also include the twelve who received power on the day of Pentecost (Luke 24:49). These apostles were “sent” by the risen Lord to edify the Church. Read more…
2. Prophets are those who received inspired revelations from God (see note). We no longer have these “New Testament” prophets today, because the canon of scripture is complete. Instead we have the writings of the New Testament prophets as part of the completed canon of scripture! However, we do have prophetic gift and ministry today, but is different than prophecy in the sense of revealing the Word of God (see 1 Cor. 12). Read more…
3. Evangelists are those who preach the gospel and bring in converts (Acts 21:8). There is only one person in the New Testament called an “evangelist”, although we know there were others. His name was Philip (Acts 21:8), and we get a beautiful example of the activity of an evangelist in Acts 8, where the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch is recorded. Evangelists are not mentioned in 1 Corinthians because the context there is the functioning of gift in the local assembly, and evangelism is no properly a function of the assembly, although it is the means of souls being added.
4. Pastors and teachers are linked because they are often found in the same person, although not always. Pastors or shepherds are those who discern and minister to spiritual needs of believers. Teachers are those who can intelligently and clearly set forth the truth of God’s Word. It doesn’t refer to one with merely a lot of knowledge, but rather to one who can effectively communicate that knowledge to others; “the word of knowledge” (1 Cor. 12:8). Apollos was one with the gift of teaching, but he himself needed to be instructed “more exactly” (Acts 18:24-28). As a practical note, if a person is either a pastor or a teacher, they can often work effectively with one who has the other gift. This verse shows that the two gifts complement each other!

Sign gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12 we have a number of “sign gifts” mentioned; prophecy, tongues, healings, etc. Those sign gifts are only given for a limited period of time, and 1 Cor. 13:8 says that “prophecies shall fail” and “tongues shall cease”. But in Ephesians 4 the gifts are permanent; i.e. we still have them either in person or in writing, because it says “till we all come” (v.13) which means we will have them until the rapture. The sign gifts were for a witness to the nation of Israel (1 Cor. 1:22), but the other gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12).

 

Reasons for Giving the Gifts (4:12-16)