Ephesians 4.1a-Paul Describes Himself as a Prisoner Because of the Lord's Will
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday October 19, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:1b-Paul Exhorts and Encourages the Recipients of the Epistle to Live in a Manner Worthy of Their Calling
Lesson # 193
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore, I myself, the prisoner because of the Lord’s will, exhort and encourage each and every one of you as a corporate unit to live your lives in a manner worthy of your effectual calling with which each and every one of you as a corporate unit have been effectually called. (Lecturer’s translation)
In Ephesians 4:1, the referent of the accusative second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ) as has been the case throughout this epistle is the recipients of this epistle who Paul describes here in Ephesians 2:11 as Gentile Christians.
The word not only refers to them as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions or in other words, it not only refers to them as a corporate unit but also as individuals.
The verb parakaleō (παρακαλέω) contains two ideas.
The first is “to encourage” since it pertains to causing someone to be encouraged either by verbal or non-verbal means in the sense of filling someone with courage or strength of purpose suggesting the raising of someone’s confidence especially by an external agency such as a teacher.
The second is “to exhort” in the sense of authoritatively training the body of Christ through instruction in the sense of communicating the gospel message to them so as to compel obedience in every area of one’s life.
Therefore, this verb parakaleō (παρακαλέω) expresses the idea of “encouraging” the recipients of this epistle by the Spirit inspired contents of this epistle in the sense of filling them with courage or strength of purpose and the raising of their confidence in God.
It also expresses the idea of “exhorting” them in the sense of authoritatively training each of them through the Spirit inspired teaching of this epistle so as to compel obedience in every area of their lives.
Therefore, this verb parakaleō (παρακαλέω) is expressing the idea of the recipients of this epistle receiving exhortation and encouragement from the Spirit inspired contents of this epistle from the apostle Paul.
They would receive encouragement in the sense that they would be filled with courage or strength of purpose so as to raise their confidence in their relationship with God through the Spirit inspired contents of this epistle from Paul.
Also, they would receive encouragement in the sense that he is writing to the recipient of this epistle in a friendly manner by persuading them to a course of action as revealed by the Spirit contents of this epistle and inspiring courage in them to follow this Spirit inspired course of action.
They would receive exhortation in the sense that their hearts would receive training or instruction through the Spirit inspired contents of this letter from Paul so as to compel obedience in every area of their lives in order that they might live their lives in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called.
Exhorting has the idea of “coaching” someone in the sense of urging the recipients of this letter to accept sound doctrine by faith which results in obedience to sound doctrine which produces godly conduct and character.
This authoritative training through instruction would also involve reproving, rebuking, and warning of danger.
This authoritative training through instruction in the Word of God would include teaching, conviction, rebuking, correcting and training with regards to living out in one’s life the righteousness of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 4:2).
The verb peripateō (περιπατέω) is used in a figurative sense with reference to the lifestyle of the recipients of this epistle.
It is modified by the adverb of manner axios (ἀξίως), which pertains to having a relatively high degree of comparable merit or worth expressing the idea of the recipients of this epistle living their lives “in a manner worthy” of God.
Thus, it denotes the proper way of living one’s life as a Christian.
Throughout the New Testament there is a concern for the Christian’s lifestyle or conduct and the verb peripateō (περιπατέω) appears often in the New Testament with reference to the lifestyle or conduct of the believer (cf. 1 Cor. 7:17; 2 Cor. 5:7; 10:3-4).
This verb appeared in Ephesians 2:2 with regards to the unregenerate lifestyle of the recipients of this epistle.
It also appears in Ephesians 2:10 in relation to the lifestyle of the recipients of this letter as Christians or regenerate people of God.
Ephesians 2:1 Now, correspondingly, even though, each and every one of you as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, in other words, because of your sins. 2 Each and every one of you formerly lived by means of these in agreement with the standard of the unregenerate people of this age, which is the production of the cosmic world system, in agreement with the standard of the sovereign ruler, namely the sovereign governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically the spirit who is presently working in the lives of those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience. 3 Among whom, each and every one of us also formerly for our own selfish benefit conducted our lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh. Specifically, by indulging those inclinations which are produced by our flesh, in other words, those impulses, which are the product of our flesh. Consequently, each and every one of us caused ourselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of our natural condition from physical birth. Just as the rest correspondingly caused themselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of their natural condition from physical birth. 4 But because God is rich with regards to mercy, because of the exercise of His great love with which He loved each and every one of us, 5 even though each and every one of us as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of our transgressions, He caused each and every one of us to be made alive together with the one and only Christ. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace! 6 Specifically, He caused each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be raised with Him. Correspondingly, He caused each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be seated in the heavenlies because of our faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus. 7 He did this so that He could display for His own glory during the ages, which are certain to come, the incomparable wealth, which is the product of His grace because of kindness for the benefit of each and every one of us because of our faith in and union and identification with Christ, who is Jesus. 8 Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace by means of faith! In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source. It originated as the gift from God. 9 It does not originate from meritorious actions as a source so that a person cannot for their own glory enter into the state of boasting. 10 For each and every one of us are His creative workmanship. For each and every one of us has been created by means of our faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus in order to produce actions, which are divine good. These God prepared in advance so that each of us would conduct our lives by means of them. (Author’s translation)
Ephesians 4:17 So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (NET)
Ephesians 5:2 and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. (NET)
Ephesians 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; 9 walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth). (NASB95)
Ephesians 5:15 Therefore be very careful how you live—not as unwise but as wise. (NET)
Colossians 1:3 We continue making it our habit of giving thanks to God namely the Father of our Lord, who is Jesus, who is the Christ when we make it our habit of occupying ourselves with praying on behalf of each and every one of you as a corporate unit. 4 We do this because we heard about your faith in Christ, who is Jesus and in addition your love which you continue to regularly demonstrate for the benefit of each and every one of the saints. 5 All of you do this because of the confident expectation which is, as an eternal spiritual truth reserved in the heavens for all of you. All of you heard this by means of the teaching, which is the truth, namely the proclamation of the gospel 6 which all of you continue to appropriate for the benefit of all of you. Just as in fact throughout the entire world, it continues to produce fruit as well as spread so also it continues to produce fruit as well as spread among all of you from the day all of you obeyed. Consequently, all of you acquired an objective experiential knowledge of the grace originating from God by means of the truth. 7 Just as all of you learned the truth from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant who is faithfully serving the Christ on behalf of each and every one of us. 8 The one who also revealed to us your divine-love by means of the Spirit’s power. 9 For this reason also, from the day we ourselves heard about all of you, we never permit ourselves to cease making it our habit of occupying ourselves with praying on behalf of each and every one of you. Specifically, we make it our habit of occupying ourselves with making urgent requests that (God) would cause all of you to be filled with that which is knowing His will experientially by means of a wisdom which is absolute resulting in a discernment which is spiritual. 10 The purpose would be all of you living your lives in a manner worthy of the Lord so as to be fully pleasing to Him. This would result in all of you bearing fruit by means of each and every kind of action which is divine good in quality and character and in addition increasing in knowing experientially God the Father. (Author’s translation)
Colossians 2:6 Therefore, just as all of you accepted the teaching concerning your union and identification with the Christ, who is Jesus, who is the Lord, so all of you continue to make it your habit of living your lives in fellowship with Him. (Author’s translation)
Colossians 4:5 Each of you continue making it your habit of conducting your lives by means of wisdom while interacting with those who are outsiders so that each of you are causing yourselves to make the most of your opportunity. (Author’s translation)
1 Thessalonians 2:10 Each and every one of you as well as this the one and only God are witnesses that each one of us conducted ourselves in a holy, righteous and blameless manner in the presence of and for the benefit of each one of you who are believers. 11 Indeed, just as each and every one of you are well aware of the fact that each one of us trained each one of you like a father does train his own children. 12 Specifically, by each one of us making it our habit of exhorting, encouraging as well as urging each and every one of you in order that each one of you would make it your habit of living in a manner worthy of God who effectually called each one of you into His own glorious kingdom. (Author’s translation)
