Ephesians 4.16e-Bellievers Building Up One Another By the Practice of Divine Love
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday April 19, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:16e-Believers Building Up One Another By the Practice of Divine Love
Lesson # 250
Ephesians 4:16 From whom, each and every member of the body does get fitted together, yes does get united together through the function of each and every ligament, which provide support for the purpose of working. Simultaneously, in proportion to each individual part belonging to the body does cause itself to grow for the purpose of building one another up by means of the practice of divine-love. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:16 is composed of two assertions:
(1) ex hou pan to sōma synarmologoumenon kai symbibazomenon dia pasēs haphēs tēs epichorēgias kat energeian (ἐξ οὗ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα συναρμολογούμενον καὶ συμβιβαζόμενον διὰ πάσης ἁφῆς τῆς ἐπιχορηγίας κατ ἐνέργειαν), “From whom, each and every member of the body does get fitted together, yes does get united together through each and every ligament, which provide support for the purpose of working.”
(2) en metrō henos hekastou merous tēn auxēsin tou sōmatos poieitai eis oikodomēn heautou en agapē (ἐν μέτρῳ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου μέρους τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ σώματος ποιεῖται εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ), “Simultaneously, in proportion to each individual part belonging to the body does cause itself to grow for the purpose of building one another up by means of the practice of divine-love.”
Now, the second assertion in Ephesians 4:16 is composed of the declarative statement (ἑνὸς ἑκάστου μέρους τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ σώματος ποιεῖται), “each individual part belonging to the body does cause itself to grow.” It is modified by three prepositional phrases:
(1) en metrō (ἐν μέτρῳ), “Simultaneously, in proportion to”
(2) eis oikodomēn heautou (εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ἑαυτοῦ), “for the purpose of building one another up”
(3) en agapē (ἐν ἀγάπῃ), “by means of the practice of divine-love.”
The prepositional phrase eis oikodomēn heautou (εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ἑαυτοῦ), “for the purpose of building one another up” presents the purpose of each member of the body Christ causing themselves to grow spiritually as a result of serving each other through the function of their spiritual gifts.
As was the case in Ephesians 4:12, the noun oikodomē (οἰκοδομή) is here in Ephesians 4:16 in a figurative sense of the act of bringing something closer to completion and is understood as if assisting in the construction of an incomplete building.
Specifically, the word speaks of building up spiritually the members of the body of Christ in the sense of facilitating their spiritual growth as individuals and as a corporate unit.
The referent of the genitive neuter singular form of the reflexive pronoun heautou (ἑαυτοῦ) is the members of the body of Christ.
It emphasizes the action of the members of the body of Christ building one another spiritually.
It functions as an objective genitive, which expresses the idea of members of the body of Christ receiving the action of building up one another through the function of their gifts, which takes place when they practice the Lord’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved the believer.
This is the fourth time in the Ephesian epistle that the apostle Paul employs the prepositional phrase en agapē (ἐν ἀγάπῃ) for the practice of divine-love by the believer when they obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command to love one another as He has loved them (cf. Eph. 3:17; 4:2, 15).
Here in Ephesians 4:16 this prepositional phrase indicates that the members of the body of Christ build one another up spiritually through the function of their spiritual gifts “by means of the practice of divine-love.”
This is accomplished by obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them.
The noun agapē (ἀγάπη) does not refer to the function of human love but rather is a love which originates in the character and nature of the triune God.
It is manifested in the life of the believer who is obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them.
This word contains the figure of metonymy, which means that divine love is put for the practice of the love of God by the believer as a result of obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them.
Ephesians 4:16 is the eighth time that Paul has employed the noun agapē (ἀγάπη) up to this point in the epistle (Eph. 1:4, 15; 2:4; 3:17, 19; 4:2).
As we noted in our introduction, one of the major themes of Ephesians is the love of God.
Both the attribute of each member of the Trinity and the Lord Jesus Christ’s command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to the church that they are to love one another as He has loved them are referred to in this epistle.
That the love of God is a major theme is indicated by the noun agapē (ἀγάπη) appears 10 times in Ephesians (Eph. 1:4, 15; 2:4; 3:17, 19; 4:2, 15-16; 5:2: 6:23), the verb agapaō (ἀγαπάω) 7 times (Eph. 1:6; 2:4; 5:2, 28, 33; 6:24), the adjective agapētos (ἀγαπητός) twice (Eph. 5:1; 6:21).
Ephesians 4:16 is the fifth time in Ephesians that Paul has used the noun agapē (ἀγάπη) in relation to the recipients of this epistle obeying the Lord’s command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them and he uses this word in order to affirm and commends that the recipients of this epistle were obeying this command.
Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, after I myself heard about the faith among each and every one of you in the one and only Lord Jesus as well as you practicing divine-love, which is on behalf of each and every one of the saints. (Lecturer’s translation)
In Ephesians 3:17, Paul employs the noun agapē (ἀγάπη) but this time in relation to his intercessory prayer for the recipients of this epistle.
It again refers to the Lord’s command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them when using this word.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason, I make it my habit of bending my knees in the presence of the Father 15 from whom each and every family located in the heavens as well as located upon the earth is designated a name. 16 I make it a habit of occupying myself with praying that according to the wealth produced by His glory He would cause each and every one of you as a corporate unit to be given strength by means of power through the personal intermediate agency of His Spirit for the benefit of your inner being. 17 Namely that the one and only Christ’s power would dwell in your hearts through your faith in order that, because each and every one of you are firmly rooted, yes specifically, because all of you without exception are firmly established by means of the practice of divine-love, 18 each and every one of you as a corporate unit would cause yourselves to be able to fully comprehend with each and every one of the saints what constitutes being the breadth, length, height and depth (of Christ’s love for each and every one of you as a corporate unit). (Lecturer’s translation)
In Ephesians 4:2, Paul employs the noun agapē (ἀγάπη) once again but this time in relation to the purpose of the Ephesian epistle.
Obedience to the Lord’s command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them will maintain unity among the recipients of this epistle.
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 2 with the fullest expression of that which characterizes humility resulting in that which characterizes gentleness. Specifically, by each and every one of you as a corporate unit continuing to make it your habit of tolerating one another with that which characterizes patience by means of the practice of divine love. (Lecturer’s translation)
In divine love, there is to be reciprocation between believers in the sense that there is to be a mutual exchange of care and concern among believers for one another.
Believers are to complement one another gracefully and return love for one another.
Divine love involves a reciprocal relationship among believers in the sense of there being a mutual sharing of feelings, actions, responsibilities and attitudes between believers.
It involves reciprocation among believers in the sense that believers are to share together as partners in the needs, burdens, concerns, joys, and blessings for the purpose of encouragement, comfort, challenge or exhortation, praise, prayer and physical help according to the needs and ability (cf. Phil. 1:5 with 1:19; and 2:4 with 1:27; also 4:3; Rom. 12:15; and 1 Thess. 5:11,14,15; Heb. 10:33).
Divine love involves reciprocation among believers because believers share the same eternal life through regeneration and thus the same eternal “relationship” and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28).
It involves reciprocation among believers because they entered into an “active partnership” with each other and through their prayers, friendship and financial support they are to support the communication of the gospel of Christ’s enterprise on earth (Philippians 1:3-7).
Divine love involves reciprocation among believers because they are fellow members of the body of Christ and are responsible to encourage each other and to share the burdens, needs, concerns, and joy of each other.
