Ephesians 4:1-10 Foundations of a Worthy Walk Pt1

Review

Chapter 1:

Choosing: The Plan of the Father Ephesians 1:4-6 The Eternal Plan

Redeeming: The Work of the Son Ephesians 1:7-10 The Present Grace

Blessing: Ephesians 1:11-12 The Future Hope

Sealing: Ephesians 1:13-14 The Current Proof

Note the attitude behind all that God has done for us!

-Chosen “in love”

-Adopted into His family according to the “kind intention of his will

-Grace Lavished on us Abundently

Paul’s expressed his desire, that his prayer to God for them, was that God would give them a deeper knowledge of Himself so that they would have a greater appreciation of their Salvation, that they would understand the hope of God’s calling them, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and the surpassing greatness of His power toward them as believers.

Chapter 2

He began chapter 2 by pointing to the Work of God the Father in Salvation. They, Jew and Gentile alike, were dead in their sins and God made them alive together with Christ. They were not only resurrected but also exalted. God made them His workmanship, created them in Christ Jesus for Good works. The purpose was still the same, they were to bring glory to God as He displayed His Grace in kindness towards them in Christ Jesus.

Unity of Salvation

Same Need of Salvation - dead in trespasses and sins

Same Way of Salvation - made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)

Same Goal of Salvation - put the grace of God on display; created for good works, which God prepared beforehand

Ephesians 2:11-22

Emphasis shifts from the work of the Father to the Work of the Son, from what God did Spiritually to what Christ did physically to obtain the spiritual blessings

The Work of Christ: Unity - brought about a reconciliation with God and a reconciliation between bitter enemies, Jews and Gentiles.

The Past Separation vs 11-12,

The Reconciliation in Christ vs 13-18

The Holy Temple: The Church in verses 19-22.

Chapter 3

Paul began chapter three desiring to pray for them but took a detour to explain his Imprisonment on their behalf.

Paul’s Stewardship and the Mystery of Christ:

Mystery: Unity of Jew and Gentile in the Church

Revealed to Paul and the Holy Apostles and Prophets

Proclaimed to the Gentiles

Purpose: Put the Manifold wisdom of God on Display before the rulers and authorities in the Heavenly Places

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians:

For strengthening, indwelling Christ, Comprehension of the greatness of God’s love for them, that that they would become more like Christ

Paul’s Doxology of Praise:

Paul’s prayer would be answered because of the greatness of the Power of God.

God will do abundantly more than we can ask or think.

To Him belongs the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

Paul’s Purpose in 1st Three Chapters:

God’s Greatness, Power and Love: Throughout this letter Paul has pointed the thoughts of the Ephesians to the greatness, power and love of God.

Full & Correct Understanding of Salvation: All of the truth that Paul has set forth in these first three chapters was meant to give the Ephesians a correct understanding of their salvation and their standing in the church.

The first three chapters should have led us to a deeper understanding of our salvation, of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Those truths that we covered are a great comfort and encouragement and should lead us to stand in awe of God, to praise Him for Who He is and thank Him for what he has done.

Introduction

Ephesians 4:1-10 Foundations of a Worthy Walk Part 1: Unity

Response to Truths / Practical Instruction Chp 4-6: Strive for Unity / Changed Behavior:

Throughout those first three chapters Paul was setting forth the truths of salvation to show that Jew and Gentile were one in Christ. And as we move into the practical section of the letter Paul will call on the Ephesians to respond to the truths he has just written about.

In the coming chapters, Paul will call for the Ephesians to strive for actual unity in the church, to change their behavior from what it was to what it should be.

Paul will give practical instruction for the relationships in the church, in the home and in the world.

Worthy Walk

Today we will cover Ephesians 4:1-10. In our text Paul will lay the Foundations for a Worthy Walk:

Right Attitude in verses 1-2a

Right Goal in verses 2b-3

Right Understanding of Unity in verses 4-10.

Ephesians 4:1–10 NASB95

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

Transition: Explanation to Exhortation

The first verse of chapter four is a transition. Having laid down the truths in chapters 1-3, Paul says, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you...” Chapter four begins with an plea, a call to live in a way that matches who they are in Christ.

Ephesians 4:1 NASB95

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

Pauls calls them to walk in a certain way. What does it mean when scripture speaks of “walking”?

Outward life. Outward Actions

Calling - Foremost Foundation of their worthy walk

Paul mentions their “calling” here. What is he referring to?

Back in Ephesians 1:13 Paul said,

Ephesians 1:13 NASB95

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

They had been called with the Gospel of their salvation and were saved. Throughout the first half of the letter, Paul exalted this salvation.

It was a salvation conceived by God the Father in eternity, had been provided for by the worthy sacrifice of God the Son and had been made effective in their very hearts by God the Holy Spirit who had been given them as a pledge of their inheritance, a downpayment.

It was based on this great calling, both the outward call of the gospel and the inward call of the Spirit, it was based on that calling that Paul exhorts them to live accordingly. And as we will see through the rest of this letter, there is much to this worthy walk.

In this transition, Paul calls them to a changed life and points them back to all that he has said to this point as the main foundation, a foundation that was based upon the work of the triune God, based on their salvation in Christ.

Right Attitude vs 1-2a

So what did the believers to whom Paul was writing need to do? How did they need to live in light of the truths that Paul has already taught them? What kind of attitude did they need to have?

Ephesians 4:2 NASB95

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

Foundational Attitudes that they needed to have. Before their outward life could glorify God, their heart needed to be changed by those truths that Paul had taught. And the attitudes of the heart that Paul called them to have make perfect sense based on what he had already taught them.

Humility

We see those attitudes in verse 2. Humility, Gentleness, patience and love.

Humility is translated in other versions of the Bible as lowliness. It is the opposite of pride or arrogance.

Paul says in Romans 12:3 that we are not to think more highly of ourselves than we out to think.

Humility is thinking rightly of oneself. How could they be anything but humble considering that they were dead in their trespasses and sins and God had made them alive together with Christ!

This is a foundational attitude and it is an attitude that should be characteristic of every believer. Every believer who has rightly understood the greatness of their sin and the Greatness of God’s love is led to humility.

Prisoner not Apostle:

It is the very attitude that Paul exemplifies in the first verse of this chapter. Paul, implores them, begs them, to walk worthy. But Paul did not call them to listen to him because he had authority over them as an Apostle. No, instead he exhorted them because he was a prisoner of the Lord. Even in this exhortation Paul made himself an example of what he was calling them to be.

Humility is an Attitude towards self

Gentleness

To humility they were to add gentleness, or meekness.

MacArthur says that “meekness is one of the surest sign of true humility.”

Hendriksen writes, “The meek individual is slow to insist on his rights. He realizes that in the sight of God he has no rights at all that are his by nature. All his rights were secured by grace.”

Another commentator states, “It is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the exercises of it are first and chiefly toward God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing.”

The gentle person then does not insist on rights but accepts the providence of God in his or her life because they humbly acknowledge that they are nothing outside of Christ.

Gentleness/Meekness is an attitude toward God

Patience

Gentleness, an attitude towards God, necessarily affects our attitude toward others. That attitude toward others is “patience” or “long-suffering”. This word has to do with our attitude toward those who provoke us. The one who is patient is one who is not easily irritated, who does not respond with rage or revenge.

The opposite of all of this is the person who is irritated and angered by every wrong done to them whether that wrong is great or trivial. They are quick to demand their rights and tear down others. That of course is because they believe, whether they admit it or not, that they deserve to be treated better. They are prideful and are unwilling to tolerate others and worse they are unwilling to tolerate the situation that God has allowed.

Patience is an attitude toward others

Love

Ephesians 4:2 (NASB95)

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

Paul calls us to a very different attitude. The Ephesians were to show tolerance for one another, not only with humility, gentleness and patience, but also with love. And as we have noted before, this is “agape” love. It is a love that is not mere feeling or sentiment, it is a love of action. It is a feeling of love that leads to acts of love. That is evident here in this text. Paul called the Ephesians to exercise love toward one another.

Right Goal vs 2b-3

Ephesians 4:2–3 (NASB95)

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Passive: Loving Tolerance

Of course all of this was with a goal in mind. Paul called them to have this type of heart attitude so that there would be unity in the body. Paul calls them at the end of verse 2 to “tolerate one another in love” and in verse 3 to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

So on one hand they were to tolerate or put up with one another. That could be somewhat passive, not responding or reacting to wrongs done to us.

Active: Preserving Unity

But they were to go beyond just tolerating, they were also to actively seek unity. It is not something that would be easy but would have to be worked at. They would need to exercise humility, gentleness, patience and love.

As they exercised these attitudes, they would promote peace which is what would bind them together.

Throughout this letter, Paul has made it clear that because they have all come to saving faith in Jesus Christ by the Grace of God that acted upon them, they are truly and actually united in Spirit. However, while all believers are actually one in Christ, it is still something that we must work at to make it a reality in daily life.

Right Understanding of Unity vs 4-10

As Paul moves on, he wants to make sure that the Ephesians had a Right Understanding of the Unity that they were being called to live out.

So in verses 4-6, Paul explains the nature of the unity.

And starting in verse 7 and continuing through verse 16, Paul further clarifies this unity. He explains that unity is not uniformity. Or to state it differently, there would be diversity in their unity. Today we will look at the nature of the unity and then just begin to consider the diversity.

Nature of Unity

Ephesians 4:4–6 NASB95

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

In these verses Paul explains the nature or basis of their unity.

It is a Spiritual unity in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They were all part of one body, the church. Not just the church in Ephesus, but the church universal. They and all other followers of Christ were members of the one and only true church, whether Jew or Gentile, male or Female, slave or free.

Same Spirit & Hope

Their unity was found in the fact that they were all sealed with the one Spirit of God who was given as a pledge of the inheritance that was to come. They all had the same future hope because they all had the same indwelling spirit.

Same Lord & Faith & Baptism

And they were all subject to the same Lord, Jesus Christ in whom they had faith and for whom they had been baptized. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but through Him. There was not a Jewish Faith and Baptism and a Gentile Faith. There is one Faith.

Same God & Father

And it is the fact that they were all adopted into the family of God, the one and only Father that they were unified. They were all united by the one God who is the Father of all believers, the one who is over all, and through all and in all.

Now, this certainly reminds us that there is unity among believers. But it is not just a reminder that there is unity.

It also makes the pursuit of unity that much more important. Listen to what Hodge has to say about the one body and one Spirit.

He says, “There is no teaching in Scripture more clearly revealed than that the Spirit of God dwells in all believers and that his presence is the ultimate ground of their unity as the body of Christ. As the human body is one because it is pervaded by one soul, so the body of Christ is one because it is pervaded by the one Spirit, who dwells in everyone and is a common principle of life. Therefore, all sins against unity are sins against the Holy Spirit.”

It is imperative that we strive for unity for we are unified by God himself. And as I have pointed out already, we see the Trinity in this description of unity. Which is interesting considering what comes next. We see that there is diversity in the roles of the persons of the Godhead and yet not at the expense of unity but to bring about unity. It is because they all had the same Spirit, the Same Lord and Father that they were one.

Unity with Diversity

Ephesians 4:7 NASB95

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

And while believers are to strive for unity because of this, there would be diversity in the body just as there is diversity in the Godhead.

For just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have different roles in the salvation of sinners, so too do individual believers have different roles in the Church.

That is what Paul makes clear in verse 7. Paul says, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s Gift.”

While there is Spiritual unity because they all shared the same salvation in the One God, that did not mean that there would not be diversity among them. According to this verse, the amount of grace given to each person is based on the gift that Christ gives to each individual. We see the same truth in Romans 12 where Paul goes into much greater detail of the different gifts that are given to individual believers.

But the point that Paul is making is that there is diversity in the body. As we will see next week, that diversity is necessary to the unity and growth of the church. That is why Paul makes the point that grace is given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Gifts

Ephesians 4:8 (NASB95)

Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captive a host of captives,

And He gave gifts to men.”

And as Paul continues in verses 8-10, he shows that this giving of gifts was in line with the Old Testament Scriptures. Look at verse 8, “Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.”

Paul is quoting from Psalm 68:18 and applies it to Christ. In His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus had won a great victory and secured the salvation of sinners. And just as the General of a great army would lead a parade of the defeated army and give the spoil of war to his soldiers, so to does Christ distribute gifts to believers.

And to show that the Psalm applies to Christ, Paul continues in verses 9-10 and says:

Ephesians 4:9–10 NASB95

(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

The point that Paul is making is that the one who ascended to heaven must have first come down from heaven.

The one who came down from heaven was Jesus. Jesus is the one who ascended back to heaven after his victory over the grave, sin and Satan and is therefore the one who distributes the spoil, gives gifts to men.

Summary & Application

Work Towards Unity in the Church

The point that Paul is making in our text this morning is that we are to work toward unity in the church. It is a Spiritual unity in the midst of great diversity. It is a unity that will only be preserved as we have a right understanding of ourselves (humility), a right attitude toward others (gentleness, patience and love).

Are you working towards Unity?

So the question that we must ask ourselves is how we are doing in this area. For Paul is not just imploring the Ephesians, but also each one of us. I am imploring each of you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

Are you Humble, gentle & Patient?

We are each to be humble, gentle and patient.

Are you Tolerating Others?

We are to tolerate one another in love and diligently work toward unity. And this is difficult!

Are you easily offended?

There are some who are overly sensitive to any perceived wrong. If that is you, then you need to humble yourself and review the first three chapters of Ephesians and consider the Sovereignty of God, Love of Christ, and the great hope that lies ahead. You were saved at a great cost and for a great purpose. If Christ wrongly suffered without complaint for the glory of God, so can you.

Are you actively seeking Unity?

And for those who deal with these overly sensitive brothers or sisters, we must not only tolerate them but work to keep the unity. If they are offended by us, we too are to be humble, gentle and patient. We are to love them and seek reconciliation even if we technically did no wrong. For we are just as guilty of pride when we get frustrated with them and avoid them.

The unity of the body is a difficult task. It always seems like it would be easier to avoid conflict than to deal with it. But that would not bring glory to God, which is the very reason for which He saved us. Let us not forget how Paul ended Chapter 3.

Ephesians 3:20–21 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

No matter how difficult the task, we can bring glory to God in the church through the power that works within us.