The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 10NOV

Erik M Sink

Ephesians ABF • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Notes

Transcript

Handout

Welcome

Admin

Any Marines in the room? Happy Birthday.

Scriptures for today on whiteboard

Eph 4:1-3

Eph 4:4-6

Leviticus 19:2

Eph 2:8-10

Titus 3:3

Rom 5:5

1 Corin 12:13

Zech 14:8-9

Last week -

Finished up Paul’s intro

Fundamental salvation truths

Trinitarian activity

Man contributes nothing to his own salvation — a work of God

ALL saved souls in Christ are equal, there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile

…this week…

The Mystery of Redemption and its Revelation

Paul’s Exhortation to Unity in Love (4:1–6)

The exhortation proper (4:1–3)

The worthy walk (4:1c–2a)

Patient endurance in love (4:2b)

Zeal for the church’s unity in peace (4:3)

The basis of the exhortation (4:4–6)

PRAY (ask someone)

***2 x Readers: 1-3 // 4-6

Ephesians 4:1–6 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Some overall observations and how 1-6 fits in the larger setting of the letter…

@ first blush, what’s this section about?

Unity

Command for church unity in light of the unity in the Godhead and the unity in God’s design of salvation (soteriology)

Transition + setting within v1-16

Coming out of theological exposition and prayer, into exhortation

It’s a little not right to disconnect it from v7-16, but time waits for no man so I had to!

1-6 lays a foundation for 7-16, the two are certainly connected in one main theme of unity.

Dustin will walk us through 7-16 next week.

Style…did you notice that Paul’s segments of thought got shorter and a bit more straightforward???

compare 1:3-6 and 4:1-3

More conversational, more informal, less complication, shorter word groupings…Why?

Parents, if you give a super long diatribe/discourse to your kids on the all the ethical and physical merits and pitfalls of eating their broccoli…are they going to eat their broccoli?

Maybe. But, they’re likely to get lost in the word salad. Sometimes, we need simple, direct commands. Paul knows this.

He’s already given the most magnificent, DEEP explanation of the core tenants of Christianity in the first 3 chapters!

The “why” has been covered, now it’s time for the “do this”.

A) The Exhortation Proper (4:1-3)

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

Textual comments…

The Worthy Walk (4:1c-2a)

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

“therefore”, connects ch1-3 to what’s going to follow —> a clear implication of the doctrinal realities laid bare to us in the first two months of our study.

closer connection : holiness of a life well-lived <—> necessary for the body of Christ, individually and corporately (seek study serve share)

*** READER ***

Leviticus 19:2 ““Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

the command to follow from Paul flows from this Levitical command

Remember 1:13-14,19-20 : the power of God UNLEASHED within a soul leading to holiness

*** READER ***

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

“I…a prisoner for the Lord” : 3:1

“urge you” / “exhort you” / “strongly urge you” : parakaleo

occurs over 50 times in Paul’s epistles!

Almost always marking a transition to an exhortation (a command).

A “superior” speaking to an “inferior” —> concept of authority.

ego : “I” — think back to 3:1-13, where Paul digressed (before his prayer), where he made it clear that his imprisonment in Christ was for THEIR sake, emphasizing his justification for giving the following commands. His imprisonment, for the gospel, was for their glory.

“to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”

You have been called…to what? A: TO Christ!

The calling is…

irrevocable — Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

upward — Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

holy — 2 Timothy 1:9 “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”

brings hope — Ephesians 1:18 “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

“walk” : peripateo — used frequently, both literally (walking as in movement) and figuratively (referring to behavior, as it’s used here)

“worthy of the calling” … what does this mean?

Our sealed, heavenly, holy, hopeful call to God Himself, demands a physical/outward LIKE image of the call itself.

Be holy, for I am holy, says Yahweh.

Ephesians Commentary

Paul opens with mention of the believer’s calling, because he or she is not called to be alone in a cell but to enter the church of Christ

v2 “with all humility and gentleness”

belongs with v1

a first indication of how to walk, some first details of what obedience to the exhortation looks like

VERY interesting that Paul leads off his first practical explanation of his command to be humble and gentle…why??

Paul, and more importantly the Spirit who superintended Paul’s writing of this letter, KNOWS OUR HEARTS.

In Greco-Roman culture, humility was NOT a positive attribute. It was considered a “humiliation” or “debasement”

Instead, public honor and pride and self-focus is what was valued and prized.

However, for the Christian…

BECAUSE of Paul’s explanation of how salvation works in ch2, we OUGHT not be prideful in our stature with God, because HE’s the one who elected, predestined, called, justified, adopted —> SAVES.

BECAUSE Christ was humble and gentle, BECAUSE Christ lived so that the Father would be GLORIFIED

And the believer in Christ is being remade into the image of Christ

Brothers and Sisters in Christ —> Humility and gentleness is fundamental to our walk.

Patient endurance in love (4:2b)

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

“with patience, bearing with one another in love”

in Gk, the “with patience” belongs with the thought “bearing with”

“bearing with” is another command…why does Paul give this command? What everyday dealings is Paul giving direction on, commanding us to bear with one another?

A: Dealing with disagreements!

Do we encounter disagreements among the body of believers? ABSOLUTELY.

Anyone have any examples they’d like to share?

Is it OK that we have disagreements? ABSOLUTELY. To a point…

When it comes to core doctrine (who God is, the trinity, what the Bible is, the Gospel) we ought to stand for truth. However, there are A LOT of other matters of faith and practice that we ought to bear with one another in love in, not letting disagreement damage the unity in the church.

How do we know what core doctrine is? I think applying the 5 Solas is a great initial tool

Can anyone name them?

Sola Gratie

Sola Fide

Sola Christus

Sola Scripture

Sola Dei Gloria

The Reformer’s description of salvation, championed by Luther, Melancthon, Calvin.

the unadulterated, pure, orthodox Gospel.

“Bearing with” doesn’t mean “tolerate begrudgingly”

with PATIENCE in LOVE is how we are to deal with one another

Zeal for the church’s unity in peace (4:3)

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

“eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”

“eager” : def - to be zealous, and especially conscientious, in discharging an obligation

It’s an active command, wants us to actively think about and outwardly take action to —> maintain unity

We arrive at the end of his purpose statement, what the “walk” is supposed to look like

After Ch2 and 3, may we not be surprised that it’s UNITY [2:13-22 / 3:4-6]

“unity” : henotes : very unique word, used only here and in 4:13

Two-fold meaning or use of this word…can y’all identify them?

Ability - we are able to “eagerly” pursue unity because the indwelling Spirit empowers it in the believer

Descriptor - in light of v4-6, and v3 saying “unity in the Spirit” Paul’s describing the unity in the Godhead

Primary usage.

and why Paul calls the church to “maintain” unity, vice “create” unity, confirmed in final v3 words…

“in the bond of peace”

There is perfect peace, perfect love, binding together the 3 persons of the Godhead

Application comments…

Some interesting irony employed…

Paul calls himself a prisoner of Christ (later in 6:20, “an ambassador bound in chains”

Here, in v3, he uses similar words, “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”

Typically, when we think of prisoners bound with chains, it’s to restrain evil, restrain violence…not peace

Not just wordplay

Peace is necessary in the Church for their unity

What do the opposites of peace (hostility, strife, jealousy, envy, gossip, etc.) lead quickly to? Division.

These actions arise out of hatred and divide the Church

*** READER ***

Titus 3:3 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.”

The opposite of what PJ has been preaching and teaching us from 1 John! (faith — love of brother connection)

Let’s think back to what Ephesus was like…

Major city, influential, melting pot

Rivalries between other cities (Smyrna, Pergamum)

fighting for standing before the Roman Empire

active Imperial Cult, fighting to earn favor and “honor” and special treatment from the ruling power (Rome)

Looking ahead…

Revelation 2:1–4 ESV

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

Paul’s call for unity in love and peace here, in light of what’s to come in Revelation, seems a bit more pointed than a simple general appeal than what he write to the Church at large

Let this be a warning to us, here in 2024: peace, unity, oneness (which we’re about to cover) is paramount, because it answers the mail on living out our command to 1 John 3:23 “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”

B) The Basis of the Exhortation (4:4-6)

Ephesians 4:4–6 ESV

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Textual comments…

Are there any commands or exhortations in this conclusion? No

I view these closing verses as: one big “!” // a SEAL on Paul’s exhortation to unity.

“There is one body and one Spirit”

Paul begins with a metaphor

Can anyone flesh out this metaphor for us?

Church = the body. Already established in the letter…1:22-23 / 2:21 / 3:6

Just as 1 human has 1 body :: 1 human has 1 spirit

THEREFORE…1 Church has 1 Spirit, the Holy Spirit

The HS unifies the Church into 1 body, functioning together

HS brings access to the Father to all. see 2:18

Important to note: The individual doesn’t get erased or washed away by the 1 Spirit, rather…

we are tied mysteriously together in union with Christ by the Spirit poured out in our hearts

*** READER ***

Romans 5:5 “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

The “common pouring”, resulting in union in Christ, resulting in union with one another.

“just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call”

Paul’s bringing back the term “call” here from v1

What’s a call, or calling again? And, why is Paul reminding us of it?

Reminding Ephesians (and us) that…

Before God the Spirit called us to faith in Christ (after having predestined us and elected us), we were HOPE-LESS.

Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

The CONTENT of that calling is faith in Christ

as Redeemer, Savior, and Lord

resulting in eternal life and eternal union with Christ forevermore.

AND, remembering ch2, the call is the same for Jew + Gentile, i.e. ALL

v5 “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”

More detail on the same idea in this verse

*** READER ***

1 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.”

Ephesians Commentary

Note that the church does not create this harmony, but maintains (τηρεῖν, tērein, v. 3) that unity that is founded on the oneness of the Spirit (v. 4), of the Lord Jesus, and of God the Father (v. 6). As already stated, the accent on “one,” occurring seven times in vv. 4–6, binds together the “oneness” (ἑνότης, henotēs; v. 3) Paul urges on his audience.

Ephesians 4:4–6 ESV

One Lord (kyrios)

Jesus. Set above all other rulers, powers, authorities (1:21)

He brings the different nations together to Himself!

Fully realized in the New Jerusalem…

*** READER ***

Zechariah 14:8–9 “On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”

One Faith (pistis)

a “deposit” of truth meant to unify, reform the mind, renew the heart, and be a confession

There isn’t one faith for Jews and one faith for Gentiles

Or, one faith for Buddhists, one for Muslims, one for Atheists (yes, I said Atheists have faith…b/c they do. Everyone worships something!), one faith for universalists, one for Satanists. The list goes one.

NO. There is, quite literally, only ONE FAITH that is real, based on the the One Kyrios. One Lord. Jesus.

One Baptism (baptisma)

There’s a logical progression here

First, the work of Christ the Lord leads to conversion and faith.

Second, faith leads to obedience to Christ, which leads to baptism, and outward sign of a faith wrought heart.

baptisma: It’s about being submerged or immersed by the living water.

John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ””

Almost assuredly built off of Ezek 47:1-12 (no time to read this, but YOGI SUMMARIZE)

The one Spirit. We baptize, in real water, to make a public confession in the One Lord and One Faith of the One Spirit, the living water, immersing us.

“one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Paul caps off his appeal for Church unity with God the Father’s own oneness.

The Shema, a repeated confession: Deuteronomy 6:4 ““Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 6

Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!

There is ONE GOD, a directly combatitive statement against pervasive paganism in Ephesus —> NO DIFFERENT FROM TODAY!

Think 1st Commandment, Exodus 20:3 ““You shall have no other gods before me.”

Paul expands upon this OT understanding here in Ephesians, and ...

1 Corinthians 8:6 “yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

“all” refers to all believers, Jew and Gentile, no discrimination between the two

“over…through…in”

In addition to all of what Paul has taught here in Ephesians, Think back to the waters in that excerpt from Ezekiel

One God in authority over all, One Spirit flowing through/between all, One Spirit indwelling all

Closing

Why does Paul care so much about unity??

Because it’s a FUNDAMENTAL truth of GOD, and is a FUNDAMENTAL truth of the Body of Christ

And, it’s reflective of true, authentic belief in Christ, evidence of salvation.

Ephesians Application and Devotional Implications

But Jesus surprises us in Mark 12:28–34. He was only asked to name the one greatest commandment, but he adds a second unasked: “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31; cf. Lev 19:18). Why the second commandment? Because he knew that it is easy to profess love for the one true God and at the same time to hate one’s neighbor. And not just any neighbor, but even a neighbor who is a brother or sister in Christ. The apostle John has some pointed words on this topic in his first epistle: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20–21).

In Eph 6:1–6 Paul founds the initial, main exhortation section of Ephesians on these same principles. There is only one faith in the one true God through the one Lord and Savior, Jesus (4:5–6). And a Christian life founded on these truths is characterized by humility, gentleness, and, particularly, love toward fellow Christians in the one body of Christ, evidenced by bearing with them (4:2). Love of God means love of neighbor.

Colossians 3:12–14 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.