Ephesians 4.17-The Contents of Ephesians 4.17 Presents an Inference from the Contents of Ephesians 4.7-16
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday May 27, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:17-The Contents of Ephesians 4:17 Presents an Inference from the Contents of Ephesians 4:7-16
Lesson # 251
Ephesians 4:17 Therefore, at this particular time I am communicating, specifically, at this particular time I am solemnly and earnestly making a request on the basis of the Lord’s sovereign authority. Namely, that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to no longer make it your habit of conducting your lives as in fact the Gentiles are conducting their lives by means of the futility produced by their thinking. (Lecturer’s translation)
Chapter four is divided into three major sections:
(I) Manifesting unity experientially in the body of Christ (4:1-16).
(A) Exhortation for the recipients of the epistle to maintain unity experientially with each other through the practice of the command to love one another (4:1-3).
(B) Seven essential, fundamental elements or spiritual realities which define Christian unity in a positional sense (4:4-6).
(II) Diversity of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ (4:7-16).
(III) Church age believers living godly lives in contrast to the ungodly lives of unregenerate people (4:17-32).
Ephesians 4:17 begins a section, which is completed in Ephesians 5:5.
In Ephesians 4:17-32, Paul exhorts the recipients of this letter to conduct their lives in a godly fashion in contrast to the ungodly lives of the members of unregenerate humanity.
This section is broken out into five parts.
The first is in Ephesians 4:17-19, which discusses the ungodly state of unregenerate humanity.
The second is in Ephesians 4:20-22, which discusses church age believer’s education about the truth in Jesus.
The third part of this section is in Ephesians 4:23-24 which exhorts the believer to lay aside the old Adamic sin nature and instead put on the new nature of Christ they received through regeneration at the moment of justification.
The fourth part of this section is in Ephesians 4:25-5:5, which concerns itself with the manifestations of laying aside the old Adamic sin nature and putting on the new nature of Christ instead.
Now, Paul’s solemn and an earnest request in Ephesians 4:17 that the recipients of this letter no longer conduct their lives as the unregenerate members of the human race conduct their lives presents an inference from the contents of Ephesians 4:7-16.
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 12 for the purpose of equipping the saints for performing the work of service in order to ultimately build up the members of Christ’s body 13 until each and every one of us as a corporate unit attains to experiencing the unity produced by obedience to the one and only Christian faith. Correspondingly, until all of us without exception attains to the unity produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son. Until each and every one of us as a corporate unit attains to experiencing a mature man. Until all of us without exception attain to experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character. 14 In order that each of us as a corporate unit would no longer be children. Specifically, those who are tossed back and forth by waves so as to be carried about from place to place by means of every wind, that is teaching by means of the trickery produced by certain members of the human race because of craftiness according to their program which is characterized by that which produces deception. 15 Instead, on the basis of each and every one of us as a corporate unit making it our habit of practicing the truth by means of the practice of divine-love, let all of us without exception grow with respect to every area of our character into the state of being like Him, namely, Christ, who is the head. 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)
So therefore, in Ephesians 4:17, Paul’s solemn and earnest request that the recipients of this epistle continue to no longer make it their habit of conducting their lives as the unregenerate members of the human race are conducting their lives presents an inference from the contents of Ephesians 4:7-16.
However, many excellent commentators such as Hoehner, Best, Larkin, Lincoln and Merkle believe that the inferential conjunction oun (οὖν) in Ephesians 4:17 is resumptive meaning Ephesians 4:17 is resuming Paul’s thought from Ephesians 4:1-3.
Others like Arnold contend that the word links the entire section which begins in Ephesians 4:17 with immediate preceding context as well as the entire first half of the letter.
However, I believe there is a clear connection between the contents of Ephesians 4:7-16 and the contents of Ephesians 4:17-32.
I believe that the conjunction oun (οὖν) is indeed inferential introducing a solemn, earnest request of the recipients of this epistle, which presents an inference from the contents of Ephesians 4:7-16.
As we noted, Paul solemnly and earnestly requests in Ephesians 4:17 that the recipients of this epistle continue to no longer make it their habit of conducting their lives as the unregenerate members of the human race are conducting their lives.
On the other hand, Ephesians 4:7-16 teaches that, with the exception of the gift of evangelism, the communication gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching were given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual growth of the individual members of the body of Christ.
Consequently, the spiritual growth of the individual members of the body of Christ would result in the spiritual growth of the body of Christ as a corporate unit.
Therefore, the request in Ephesians 4:17 is derived from the spiritual truths presented in the contents of Ephesians 4:7-16.
Thus, Paul’s solemn and earnest request is based upon the fact that the communication gifts were given to the church in order that the individual members of the body of Christ could grow to spiritual maturity with the result that this body would grow to spiritual maturity as a corporate unit.
The implication is that by reverting back to their preconversion lifestyle would hinder their spiritual growth as individuals and as a corporate unit and which spiritual growth is the purpose for which the Lord generously gave them the communication gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching.
