Ephesians 4:1-16
In the first three chapters of Ephesians, we have studied
who we are and what we have in Christ. This week we will be looking at our
walk. Have you ever observed someone who knows they are truly, unconditionally
loved vs someone who does not have that knowledge? The way they live their
lives are very different, aren’t they? Imagine how your walk would change if
you truly, 100% really believed the things that God says about you in these
first three chapters of Ephesians.
This is a quote from Kay Aurthur’s 40 minute study on
Ephesians:
“In the first
three chapters of Ephesians, Paul reminds “the saints who are at Ephesus” of
their position in Christ. Now his letter takes a turn from doctrine to duty,
from position to performance.
How are those
who have been saved by grace to live? Does grace give us license to live any
way we want? Or does it give us the power to walk as we ought to walk? How
crucial is it that our walk matches our talk if we bear the name “Christian”?
And what if it doesn’t?”
Day One
As you read Ephesians
4-6 aloud, did you hear any repeated words?
Called
One
Fill/fullness…Empty
Body
Walk
Lay aside
According to
Grace
Anger/wrath
Darkness/
Light
Wisdom/foolish
Heart
Subject
Own (5:28-29)
Stand firm
Against
All
truth
How would you divide
this chapter into paragraphs? What were the themes for these paragraphs?
1-3: Walk worthy of your calling
4-6: Unity
of the body in the Spirit
7-13: Gifts
given for the equipping of the Body
14-16: Growth of the Body
Chapter 4 starts out with a “Therefore”.
What is it there for?
The Gentiles
have been included in a new administration and have been granted _____________
(so many things!). Therefore, they should walk worthy of the calling to which
they have been called.
All of these teachings are for the glory of the church (3:20) and for a unified Body (4:3).
Verse 7 has a term of contrast. What is
happening in this section?
Unity of the
Body, but still individually given grace
Memory Verse:
Ephesians 4:1-3
Day Two: Word Studies
1. weighing,
having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much
2. befitting,
congruous, corresponding to a thing
3. of
one who has merited anything worthy
1. both
in a good and a bad sense
Think about phrases we use today, such as, "the weight of the world on their shoulders", "weight of responsibility", "worth their weight in gold", "their opinion carries weight".
- the having a humble opinion of one's self
- a deep sense of one's (moral) littleness
- modesty, humility, lowliness of mind
1. not rising far from the ground
2. metaph.
1. as a condition, lowly, of low degree
2. brought low with grief, depressed
3. lowly in spirit, humble
4. in a bad sense, deporting one's self abjectly,
deferring servilely to others
1. the midriff or diaphragm, the parts of the heart
2. the mind
1. the faculty of perceiving and judging
mildness
of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness
This word has such great depth of meaning, that just cannot be captured in the English language. Read a little more about gentleness in Vine's:
an eariler form, denotes "meekness." In its use in Scripture, in
which it has a fuller, deeper significance than in nonscriptural Greek
writings, it consists not in a person's "outward behaviour only; nor yet
in his relations to his fellow-men; as little in his mere natural
disposition. Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the
exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God. It is that temper of
spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore
without disputing or resisting; it is closely linked with the word tapeinophrosune [humility], and follows directly upon it, Eph 4:2; Col 3:12; cp. the adjectives in the Sept. of Zep 3:12,
"meek and lowly;"... it is only the humble heart which is also the
meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God and more or less
struggle and contend with Him. This meekness, however, being first of
all a meekness before God, is also such in the face of men, even of evil
men, out of a sense that these, with the insults and injuries which
they may inflict, are permitted and employed by Him for the chastening
and purifying of His elect" (Trench, Syn. xlii). In Gal 5:23 it is associated with enkrateia, "self-control."
The meaning of prautes
"is not readily expressed in English, for the terms meekness, mildness,
commonly used, suggest weakness and pusillanimity to a greater or less
extent, whereas prautes does nothing of the kind. Nevertheless,
it is difficult to find a rendering less open to objection than
'meekness'; 'gentleness' has been suggested, but as prautes
describes a condition of mind and heart, and as 'gentleness' is
appropriate rather to actions, this word is no better than that used in
both English Versions. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that
the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the
fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is
because he cannot help himself; but the Lord was 'meek' because he had
the infinite resources of God at His command. Described negatively,
meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is
equanimity of spirit that is neither elated nor cast down, simply
because it is not occupied with self at all.
[* by Hogg and Vine, pp. 294, 295.]
- patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance
- patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs
Lucia shared from a commentary, "smooth seas don't make skillful sailors". Rough seas are how you learn! This comment reminded us of Isaiah 40:31 and Hebrews 6:19, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,"
- to hold up
- to hold one's self erect and firm
- to sustain, to bear, to endure
Ephesians 4:1-3
Therefore, I, the
prisoner of the Lord implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with
which you have been called,
With all humility and
gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
Being diligent to preserve
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Exercise: In
your own words, rewrite the above passage to reflect your responsibility
as a child of God to maintain unity in the body of Christ.
This is my own rewrite, replacing the words with the
meaning as I understand it from Strongs and Vines:
Walk with an awareness of the weight of your calling, in ALL
ways, have a sense of one’s littleness, being un-interested in self, slow to
avenge wrongs, bear with one another in love. Get over yourself!
Day Three
List your
observations from Ephesians 4:1-6 regarding what truths that unite us in the
Spirit.
1.
we are all called (4:1) in one hope of your
calling (4:4)
2.
Putting others before ourselves (4:2)
3.
Be diligent to preserve unity in the bond of
peace (4:3)
4.
One body
5.
One Spirit
6.
One Lord
7.
One faith
8.
One baptism
9.
One God and Father of all
One Body: What does
Ephesians say about this body?
1:22;4:15;5:23 Christ is head of the body
1:23 The church is His body
The church is the
fullness of Him:
Vines: The body as the filled receptacle
of the power of Christ
Strongs: The body of believers, as that which is filled with the
presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ.
3:6 The Gentiles are fellow heirs
and members of the body
The body is a partaker of the promise
in Christ Jesus through the gospel
4:4 There is one body- unified
4:11-12 There are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers
4:12 The body is equipping (putting
right) saints to build up others in the body
4:16 With Christ as the head, the
whole body can work together
When each individual
part works properly, the body grows
The growth of the body
builds itself up in love
5:23 Christ is the Savior of the body
5:24 The church (body) is subject to
Christ
5:25-27 Christ loved the church
gave Himself up for
her
sanctified her
cleansed her by the
washing of water with the word
presented her to Himself without spot
or wrinkle, holy and blameless, in all her glory
5:29-30 Christ nourishes and cherishes us
because we are members of His body
5:32 Just
as a husband and wife become one flesh, so also, Christ and the church become
one
After all your study on the body, list five words that best describe the One Body Paul is talking about. Here is what one group shared:
- Christ is the head (1:22; 4:15; 5:23)
- The fullness of Him (1:23)
- Jews and Gentiles (3:6)
- Gifted for growth (4:16)
- Heirs (3:6)
One Spirit: What does
Ephesians say about the Spirit?
1:13 After salvation, we are sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise
1:14 The HS is given as a pledge of
our inheritance
2:18 Through Christ, we have access
to the Father through the Spirit
2:22 We are being built together into
a dwelling of God in the Spirit
3:5 The Spirit reveals the mystery
of Christ to His holy apostles and prophets
3:16 The Spirit strengthens the inner
man with power
4:3 Walk in a manner worthy of the
calling, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
4:4 There is one Spirit
4:30 We are not to grieve the Holy
Spirit
Holy Spirit seals us
for the day of redemption
5:18 We are to be filled with the
Holy Spirit instead of wine
5:19 Spirit filling us allows us to
speak psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another
Spirit filling us allows
us to make melody in our heart to the Lord
6:17 God’s Word is the sword of the
Spirit
6:18 Pray at all times in the Spirit
What did you learn in our cross-references
about the Spirit and His relationship to believers? John 7:38-39: HS referred to as rivers of
living water
John 14:15-17,25-26
The Father
gives a Helper (Spirit of truth)
This helper
will be with us forever
The world
cannot receive the Spirit because they do not see or know Him.
The Spirit dwells
with you and will be in you.
The Helper
is sent by the Father in Christ’s name
The Spirit
teaches believers all things
The Spirit
brings to remembrance all that God has said to believers
John 16:12-15
The Spirit
will guide you into all truth
The Spirit
speaks not on His own authority
The Spirit
will declare things to come
The Spirit
will “take (lay hold of with His hand) what is mine”
The Spirit
glorifies God
I Corinthians 12:13
We were
baptized into one body through one Spirit
We were made
to drink {irrigate, or metaphorically: saturate one’s mind) one Spirit
Romans 8:9,14-17
If the
Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not flesh but spirit
Anyone
without the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him
All who are
led by the Spirit of God are sons of God
You have
received the Spirit of adoptions as sons- NOT the spirit of slavery, fear
The Spirit,
Himself, bears witness with our spirit that we are sons of God
After
all your study on the Spirit, list five words that best describe the One Spirit Paul is talking about. Here is what one group shared:
- God
- Promise/Pledge (1:13-14)
- Access (2:18)
- Helper/Counselor/Comforter (Jn 14:15-17, 25-6)
- Indweller -> Reveals Revelation (Jn 14:15-17, 25-6)
-
What is the connection between the one body
and the one Spirit?
The same Spirit fills us and therefore, we are one body.
One Hope of your calling
After reviewing Lesson 3, Day 2 {pp.34-35},
what makes the hope of our calling a basis for unity?
He had a
plan from the very beginning. He predestined us (all of us) and set aside good
works for us to do. He who calls you is faithful and He will surely do it.
We do not
need to bicker. He is the one who started it, works in us (growth and
sanctification) and He is the One Who will complete it!
Day Four and Five
One Lord: Romans 10:8-13
If you
confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord AND
Believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead
You will be
saved
There is no
distinction between Jew or Greek. They all call on and believe in the same
Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11
Every knee
should bow and every tongue confess…not just Jews or Gentiles
One Faith: Review {pg39}
Faith:
a firm conviction and conduct inspired by surrender
Believe:
to be persuaded of: reliance, place confidence in
We are all
persuaded in the same God, with the same beliefs, and the same convictions and
conduct.
One Baptism: I Corinthians 12:13
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into
one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one
Spirit.”
One God and Father of all who is over all
and through all and in all
Deuteronomy 6:4;32:39
The Lord our
God.
The Lord is
one.
There is no
God besides Him.
Isaiah 43:10
Before me no
god was formed, nor shall there be any after Me.
Isaiah 45:5-6
I am the
Lord and there is no other god.
Mark 12:29
The Lord is
one.
John 5:44
The only God
Romans 3:29-30
God is one –
of the Jews AND Gentiles
I Corinthians 8:6
One God and one
Lord
John 17:20-23
God the
Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all one. This is the model for the
Body of Christ- although many united as one.
Jesus asked
the Father that we might be one. (Jn 17:21)…so that the world will believe that
God sent Jesus Christ.
How does this understand of Scriptural
unity cause you to look at your relationships with other believers with who you
disagree with doctrinally?
Love
Edify the
body
Mature
Be patient,
tolerant
Strive to be
Christ-like
Ask yourself, "Is this a salvation issue?" If not, it is not worth breaking unity over.
“If a person is going to walk in a manner
worthy of his calling as a Christians – or to put it another way, if a person
claims to be a Christian and wants to walk his talk – what would he need to do,
according to what you’ve seen in today’s study?”
grow like
crazy
a mighty
force-instead of a wounded soldier
no pettiness
“If all believers did this, what would this
do for the body of Christ collectively?”
“Are
you maturing and doing your part in the body of Christ, or are you one of those
people who are “tossed here and there” (4:14)? To avoid this experience, what
do need to do – or keep doing?”
Does our body have an auto-immune disease? Our bodies have an immune system, which is a
complex network of special cells and organs that defends the body from germs
and other foreign invaders. At the core of the immune system is the ability to
tell the difference between self and nonself: what's you and what's foreign. A
flaw can make the body unable to tell the difference between self and nonself.
When this happens, the body makes autoantibodies (AW-toh-AN-teye-bah-deez) that attack normal cells
by mistake. At the same time special cells called regulatory T cells fail to do
their job of keeping the immune system in line. The result is a misguided
attack on your own body. This causes the damage we know as autoimmune disease. The
body parts that are affected depend on the type of autoimmune disease. There
are more than 80 known types.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/autoimmune-diseases.cfm#a
