Ephesians 4.11d-The Office of Pastor and the Gift of Teaching
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 11, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:11d-The Office of Pastor and the Gift of Teaching
Lesson # 227
Ephesians 4:7 Now, however, to each one of us grace was given corresponding to the incomparable Christ’s proportionate gracious giving. 8 Therefore, it says, “When he ascended to the highest place, he captured captives. He generously gave gifts to certain members of the human race.” 9 In other words, what is the meaning of the statement, “he ascended?” Namely that, he also descended into the lower regions, which are part of the earth? 10 He, the very one who has descended is the one who also has ascended above each and every one of the heavens in order that He would enter into the state of bringing to completion each and every animate and inanimate object. 11 Therefore, on the one hand, He Himself generously gave some to be apostles but on other hand, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors, specifically, teachers. (Lecturer’s translation)
Now, in Ephesians 4:11, the noun poimen (ποιμήν) is a figurative extension of meaning of ποιμήν “shepherd,” which refers to someone who is responsible for the care and guidance of a Christian congregation.
Thus, the word refers to someone in the body of Christ who is a leader.
There are two spiritual gifts, which fall under the category of a pastor: (1) Teaching (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11) (2) Leadership (Rom. 12:8; 1 Cor. 12:28).
Thus, this word poimen (ποιμήν) signifies an office rather than a spiritual gift.
The noun didaskalos (διδάσκαλος) refers to the permanent spiritual gift of teaching, which benefits the members of the body of Christ.
This gift is permanent meaning it has not been discontinued like the gifts of apostleship and prophecy.
The function of this gift provides not only spiritual nourishment for the members of the body of Christ so that they can grow to spiritual maturity and function in their spiritual gifts but also protects them from false doctrine (Eph. 4:12-16).
That the word is being used with reference to believers is indicated not only by the word’s use in the New Testament but also it is used exclusively by Paul in his writings of a gift given to the church (1 Corinthians 12:28, 29; Ephesians 4:11).
The gift of teaching is mentioned in Romans 12:7 and 1 Corinthians 12:28.
Romans 12:7 If service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching. (NASB95)
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. (NASB95)
In error, some expositors have interpreted the Granville Sharpe rule being in effect in the expression tous poimenas kai didaskalous (τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους) here in Ephesians 4:11.
It is incorrect to do so because the rule only applies with personal, singular, and non-proper nouns.
Although the Granville Sharpe rule is not in effect in this expression tous poimenas kai didaskalous (τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους), the articular form of the noun poimen (ποιμήν) and the anarthrous form of the noun didaskalos (διδάσκαλος), which are linked together with the conjunction kai (καί), is significant.
Wallace has the following interpretation, he writes “This text discusses the gifted leaders whom Christ has given to the Church for her maturity. The debate over this text has focused on the issue of whether one gift or two are mentioned. Most commentators have seen only one gift here, but primarily because they erroneously thought that the Granville Sharp rule absolutely applied to plural constructions. Also, against the ‘one gift’ view, there are no clear examples of nouns being used in a plural TSKS construction to specify one group. However, we are not shut up to the ‘entirely distinct groups’ option only.
The uniting of these two groups by one article sets them apart from the other gifted leaders. Absolute distinction, then, is probably not in view. In light of the fact that elders and pastors had similar functions in the NT, since elders were to be teachers, the pastors were also to be teachers. Further, presumably not all teachers were elders or pastors. This evidence seems to suggest that the ποιμένας were a part of the διδασκάλους in Eph 4:11. This likelihood is in keeping with the semantics of the plural noun construction, for the first-subset-of-second category is well-attested in both the clear and ambiguous texts in the NT. Thus, Eph 4:11 seems to affirm that all pastors were to be teachers, though not all teachers were to be pastors.”
Although I agree with Wallace that the nouns poimen (ποιμήν) and didaskalos (διδάσκαλος) are linked together because of the articular construction of the former, this author does not agree with his conclusion of this construction “that all pastors were to be teachers, though not all teachers were to be pastors.”
I believe it is the other way around, namely that all teachers are pastors but not all pastors are teachers.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that the gift of leadership falls under the category of pastor because the concept of leadership fits perfectly with the metaphor of the pastor, i.e., the shepherd because the latter expresses the concept of leadership over others.
Therefore, the conjunction kai (καί), which links these two nouns is epexegetical because it specifies the gift that Paul is referring to which falls under the category of pastor.
This interpretation is indicated by the contents of 1 Corinthians 12:28.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues. (NET)
This verse makes clear that the teachers in Ephesians 4:11 along with the gift of leadership served as the pastors of the church in the apostolic period.
In other words, these two gifts were subsets of the pastor.
The term “pastor” thus signifies an office.
This is indicated in 1 Corinthians 12:28 by two factors.
First, both verses have the same order, namely, the apostles are listed first followed by prophets and then teachers.
However, unlike Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28 does not list the evangelists.
Secondly, unlike Ephesians 4:11, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul does not use the noun poimen (ποιμήν) in relation to the noun didaskalos (διδάσκαλος).
Thus, the term didaskalos (διδάσκαλος), “teachers” here in Ephesians 4:11 is synonymous with the terms episkopoi (ἐπίσκοποι), “overseers” and presbyteroi (πρεσβύτεροι), “elders,” because both required the ability to teach.
This is indicated by a comparison of Acts 20 with 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:9. In Acts 20, the terms episkopoi (ἐπίσκοποι), “overseers” and presbyteroi (πρεσβύτεροι), “elders” are synonymous with each other because they are used interchangeably in Acts 20 and 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:9 required that the overseer have the ability to teach.
There are two reasons why the term poimenas (ποιμένας), “pastors” is used with the noun didaskalos (διδάσκαλος) in Ephesians 4:11 but not in 1 Corinthains12:28.
First, Paul wants to distinguish the gift of teaching as possessing a higher rank than the gift of leadership.
Secondly, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul places the gift of leadership after the gift of teaching indicating that the latter possess a higher rank than the former.
Correspondingly, the reason why Paul employs the noun poimen (ποιμήν) before the noun didaskalos (διδάσκαλος) in Ephesians 4:11 is that he is using the figure of hendiadys, which means that the conjunction kai (καί) is used to connect together these two nouns.
This figure takes place when two nouns are used to express one idea or concept and it literally means “one by means of two” and takes place when the author uses two words but only one idea is intended.
The two words are of the same parts of speech, i.e., two nouns, and are always joined together by the conjunction “and” and are also always in the same case.
One of the two words expresses the thing, and the other intensifies it by being changed (if a noun) into an adjective of the superlative degree, which is, by this means, made especially emphatic.
Therefore, the purpose of Paul employing this figure in Ephesians 4:11 is that he is seeking to identify these two nouns as expressing one concept, namely, to emphasize the spiritual authority of the gift of teaching is greater than the spiritual authority of the gift of leadership and thus possesses authority over the church like the gifts of apostleship and prophecy.
Now, the gift of leadership is mentioned in Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28.
Romans 12:8 Or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (NASB95)
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues. (NET)
