In the first three
chapters of Ephesians Paul has set forth the believer’s position
with all the blessings, honors, and privileges of being a child of
God. In the next three chapters he gives the consequent obligations
and requirements of being His child, in order to live out salvation
in accordance with the Father’s will and to His glory. The first
three chapters set forth truth about the believer’s identity in
Christ, and the last three call for the practical response.
Ephesians 4:1
"I
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith ye are called,"
“I therefore …
beseech you”: In view of all that God’s grace has done for the
readers (as seen in Ephesians chapters 1-3), Paul urges them to “walk
worthy of” their “vocation”, they are to live in a manner
befitting the divine call or invitation (vocation) which summoned
them to salvation.
Paul by mentioning
his imprisonment gently reminds his readers that he knows the worthy
Christian walk can be costly and that he has paid considerable cost
himself because of his obedience to the Lord.
“Therefore”
marks the transition from doctrine to duty, principle to practice,
and position to behavior. This is typical of Paul.
The "I",
in the verse above, of course, is Paul. Paul never once forgot that
he was the captive of the Lord Jesus Christ. The high calling of
these Ephesians was to become Christians and thereby become sons of
God.
“The prisoner of
the Lord”: By mentioning his imprisonment again, see 3:1, Paul
gently reminded Ephesian believers that the faithful Christian walk
can be costly and that he had paid a considerable personal price
because of his obedience to the Lord.
Paul had the ability
to see everything in the light of how it affected Christ. He saw
everything vertically before he saw it horizontally. His motives were
Christ’s, his standards were Christ’s, his objectives were
Christ’s, his vision was Christ’s, his entire orientation was
Christ’s.
We know that
salvation is a free gift of grace from God to all who will accept it.
Note, with me, that is not the end of the subject. When we accept the
Lord Jesus as our Savior, that is just the first step. There is a job
to do. The called of God are to walk in the salvation they have
received.
“Walk … worthy”:
“Walk” is frequently used in the New Testament to refer to daily
conduct. It sets the theme for the final 3 chapters. “Worthy” has
the idea of living to match one’s position in Christ. The apostle
urged his readers to be everything the Lord desires and empowers them
to be.
They should produce
other believers by their walk. "To walk worthy" means
living the salvation that you received, not turning back to the
sinful life. True salvation brings a brand new life to the believer.
It is a life filled with good works, not because the works are
required, but because good works follow the new life.
Walk is frequently
used in the New Testament to refer to daily conduct, day by day
living and it is the theme of the last three chapters of Ephesians.
"Vocation":
In the verse, above means calling or invitation. This is not a job
chosen to make a living by, but to make a life by. Christianity is a
way of life.
“Calling”: This
refers to God’s sovereign call to salvation, as always in the
epistles.
The believer who
walks in a manner worthy of the calling with which he has been called
is one whose daily living corresponds to his high position as a child
of God and fellow heir with Jesus Christ. His practical living
matches his spiritual position.
Verses 2-3:
These verses begin to spell out what constitutes the worthy walk of
verse 1. Such noble conduct includes humility, patience toward
others, and bending over backward to maintain “unity,” or
harmony, among God’s people.
Ephesians 4:2
"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing
one another in love;"
“Lowliness”
means humility which is not found in the Latin or Greek vocabularies
of Paul’s day. The Greek word apparently was coined by Christians,
perhaps even by Paul himself, to describe a quality for which no
other word was available. This “humility” is a compound word that
literally means to think or judge with lowliness, and hence to have
lowliness of mind.
Humility, the most
foundational Christian virtue (Jas. 4:6), is the quality of character
commanded in the first beatitude (Matt. 5:3), and describes the noble
grace of Christ. (Phil. 2:7-8).
We cannot even begin
to please God without humility, just as our Lord Himself could not
have pleased His Father had He not willingly “emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond servant and humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”.
This is a short
description of the way a true Christian conducts his life. This is
still describing the worthy walk in verse one. A Christian should
pattern his life after his leader, Christ. In fact, a Christian is a
follower of and a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Meekness”:
(another word is gentleness), an inevitable product of humility,
refers to that which is mild spirited and self controlled (Matt. 5:5;
11:29; Gal. 5:23; Col. 3:12).
“Longsuffering”
is another word for patience. The Greek word for patience literally
means long tempered and refers to a resolved patience that is an
outgrowth of humility and gentleness.
“Forbearing one
another in love”: Humility, gentleness and patience are reflected
in a forbearing love for others that is continuous and unconditional
(1 Peter 4:8).
All of the above
mentioned character traits go with a humble servant of the Lord. We
know that the "love" spoken of here, and the charity in the
following Scriptures in 1 Corinthian both stem from the word agape,
which is the unselfish type of love that God has.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
"Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up," "Doth not
behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;"
1 Corinthians 13:7
"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things." This is not only the unselfish love that
Christ has, but His true followers have, as well.
Ephesians 4:3
"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace."
The ultimate outcome
of lowliness, meekness, long-suffering and forbearing is the
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The unity of the
Spirit, here, is the Holy Spirit. We are one with Christ in this
Spirit, as He is one with the Father.
“Unity of the
Spirit”: The Spirit-bestowed oneness of all true believers has
created the bond of peace, the spiritual cord that surrounds and
binds God’s holy people together. This bond is love (Col. 3:14).
This should be the diligent and constant concern of every believer.
The church’s
responsibility, through the lives of individual believers, is to
preserve the unity by faithfully walking in a manner worthy of God’s
calling, verse 1, manifesting Christ to the world by oneness in Him.
"Endeavoring"
means that we are going out of our way to make this unity work. We
know that on the day of Pentecost, they were in one accord. There
were no divisions and God visited them. Jesus is the King of Peace.
The bond that
preserves unity is peace, the spiritual belt that surrounds and binds
God’s holy people together. It is the bond that Paul described in
Philippians as “being of the same mind, maintaining the same love,
united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (2:2).
The only real peace
in this life is the peace that He gives you from within. That is the
peace that the world does not understand. It is peace that you can
have in the midst of the storm.
Humility gives birth
to gentleness, gentleness gives birth to patience, patience gives
birth to forbearing love, and all four of those characteristics
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. These virtues
and the supernatural unity to which they testify are probably the
most powerful testimony the church can have, because they are in such
contrast to the attitudes and the disunity of the world.
Verses 4-6: This
passage elaborates on the “unity of the Spirit” verse 3.
Everything that relates to salvation, the church and the kingdom of
God is based on the concept of unity as reflected in Paul’s use of
seven one’s in these three verses.
This oneness among
Christians refers to having:
(1) One body – The
one body of Christ, the Christian church;
(2) One “Spirit”
– The same Holy Spirit who imparts the same spiritual life to all
believers;
(3) “One hope” –
All Christians share the same future certainty and are headed toward
the same heavenly destination;
(4) “One Lord” –
All submit to the same divine ruler, Jesus;
(5) “One faith”
– All believers have placed the same trust in Christ for salvation;
(6) “One baptism”
– Holy Spirit baptism at the time of salvation (1 Cor. 12:13); and
(7) “One God and
Father” – All believers in Christ have the same God and heavenly
Father.
Verses 4-6: In these
three verses, Paul lists the particular areas of oneness, or unity.
Paul focuses on the Trinity, the Spirit in v.4, and the Son in v.5
and the Father in verse 6. His point is not to distinguish between
the persons of the Godhead but to emphasize that, although they have
unique roles, they are completely unified in every aspect of the
divine nature and plan.
Ephesians 4:4
"[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in
one hope of your calling;"
“One body” - The
church, the body of Christ, is composed of every believer since
Pentecost without distinction, by the work of the “one Spirit”,
(See 1 Cor. 12:11-13).
“One Spirit” –
The Holy Spirit of God, who is possessed by every believer and who is
therefore the inner unifying force in the body. Believers are
individual temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17) that are
collectively “being fitted together and are growing into a holy
temple in the Lord, being built together into a dwelling of God in
the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22).
“One hope”: This
is the pledge and promise of eternal inheritance given each believer
(1:11-14) and sealed to each believer by the one Spirit, verse 13.
“Hope …
calling”: Our calling to salvation is ultimately a calling to
Christ like eternal perfection and glory. In Christ we have different
gifts, different ministries, different places of service, but only
one calling, the calling to “be holy and blameless before Him”
(Eph. 1:4) and “to become conformed to the image of His Son”
(Rom. 8:29), which will occur when we see the glorified Christ (1
John 3:2). It is the Spirit who has placed us in the one Body and who
guarantees our future glory.
Jesus Christ is the
only hope that any of us have. He said Himself, no man cometh to the
Father, but by me. Our hope is in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Ephesians 4:5
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism,"
There is One Lord
Jesus Christ, who is our all in all. You can not be the servant of
more than one person. Your Lord is your master. His wishes are your
desire to fulfill. You cannot serve two masters.
Paul told the
Galatians, “Even thought we or an angel from heaven, should preach
to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let
him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8).
“For the same Lord
is Lord of all abounding in riches for all who call upon Him”
(Romans 10:12).
Luke 16:13 "No
servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Faith is in One, as
well. Wherever your heart is, lies your faith. Our faith lies in
Jesus Christ. This baptism, here, is speaking of the one mentioned in
Matthew 28:19.
"Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"
In true Christianity
there is only one faith, “the faith which was once for all
delivered to the saints” and for which we are to contend (Jude 3).
“One
baptism”: Spiritual baptism by which all believers are placed into
the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:11-13 is implied). This is the baptism
to new life in Jesus. We are buried with Him in the watery grave, to
rise to new life in Him.
Ephesians 4:6
"One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all,
and in you all."
We know that the
Father is the supreme Father of Jesus and of all the believers in
Christ. We are sons of God, and Jesus is His only begotten Son. Our
sonship is by adoption.
“One God” is the
basic doctrine of God taught in Scripture (see Deut. 4:35; 6:4;
32:39; Isa. 45:14; 46:9; 1 Cor. 12:11-13).
1 Corinthians 8:6
"But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all
things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all
things, and we by him."
Because there was
none greater, God swore by Himself. He is above all the earth.
1 John 4:13 "Hereby
know we that dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of
his Spirit."
Romans 11:36 "For
of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be]
glory for ever. Amen."
God dwells within
every believer, molding their lives the way He would have them. The
tabernacle of God is with men.
Revelation 21:3 "And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God."
The basic doctrine
of Judaism has always been, “The Lord is our God, the Lord is One!”
(Deut. 6:4).
God the Father is
often used in Scripture as the most comprehensive and inclusive
divine title, though it is clear from many New Testament texts that
He is never separated in nature or power from the Son or the Holy
Spirit.
Paul’s point here
is not to separate the Persons of the Godhead but to note their
unique roles and yet focus on their unity in relation to each other
and in relation to the church.
Ephesians 4:7
"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the
measure of the gift of Christ."
“But” draws a
sharp contrast with the preceding “unity” of verse 3 expressed in
the sevenfold “one” of verses 4-6 and in the fourfold “all”
of verse 6. The contrast in verses 7-16 shows that there is diversity
within Christian unity: while the church is one, there is a variety
of spiritual gifts within, given for the church’s benefit.
“But unto every
one”: This could be translated “in spite of that,” or “on the
other hand,” contrasting what has just been said with what is about
to be said, moving from the subject of the unity of believers (“all”
in verse 6) to that of the uniqueness of believers (“each one”).
“Grace” is a
single word definition of the gospel, the good news of God’s
offering salvation to sinful and unworthy mankind. God is the God of
grace because He is a God who freely gives, His giving has nothing to
do with anything we have done, but is unmerited, unearned, and
undeserved.
“Grace” is a
spiritual gift. “Every one of us” has been granted some spiritual
capability to serve God and contribute to the church’s growth. The
nature of grace is giving and the bible tells us much more about
giving than getting, because God’s nature is to give.
God is a God of
grace because He is a God who freely gives. It has nothing to do with
anything we have done or have failed to do; it can only be received.
God owes nothing to sinful men except judgment for their sin. He does
not owe men the smallest blessing or favor. Yet in His grace He has
given us the blessing of all blessings, the immeasurable blessing of
intimate shared life (2 Peter 1:3-4).
This grace is the
enabling power that makes the special gifts function to the glory of
God. This distinction is clear for the rest of Paul’s statement,
“according to the measure of the gift of Christ”. Enabling grace
is measured out to be consistent with what is necessary for the
operation of Christ’s gift which is linked with the exact
proportion of enacting faith on the part of each believer; and God is
the source of both.
“According to the
“measure of the gift of Christ”: Each believer has a unique
spiritual gift that God individually portions out according to His
sovereign will and design, The Greek term for “gift” focuses not
on the Spirit as the source like the term used in 1 Cor. 12:1, nor on
the grace that prompted it in Rom. 12:6, but on the freeness of the
gift.
Two persons may be
given the same gift, but one may have a greater measure of that gift
than does the other. Each believer is given the measure of grace and
faith to operate his gift according to God’s plan. Add individual
personality, background, education, influences in life and needs in
the area of service and it becomes obvious that each believer is
unique. Believers’ gifts are like snowflakes and fingerprints; each
one is completely distinct from all others.
Thank goodness, He
measures with His measurement, and not with ours. It is not the
amount of grace that we want that Christ gives us, but the amount
that He feels is right for us. The next Scripture gives a little more
insight into this.
When a believer does
not minister his gift properly as God’s steward (1 Pet. 4:10),
God’s work suffers to that degree – because God has not called or
gifted another Christian in exactly the same way or for exactly the
same work. That is why no Christian is to be a spectator. Every
believer is on the team and is strategic in God’s plan, with his
own unique skills, position and responsibilities.
Not to use our gift
is an affront to God’s wisdom, a rebuff of His love and grace and a
loss to His church. If we do not use it, His work is weakened and His
heart is grieved.
Ephesians 4:8
"Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men."
“When he ascended
up on high”: Paul used an interpretive rendering of Psalm 68:18 as
a parenthetical analogy to show how Christ received the right to
bestow the spiritual gifts, verse 7. "Thou hast ascended on
high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for
men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell
among them".
Psalm 68 is a
victory hymn composed by David to celebrate God’s conquest of the
Jebusite city of Jerusalem and the triumphant ascent of God up to Mt.
Zion (2 Samuel 6-7; 1 Chron. 13).
After such a
triumph, the king would bring home the spoils and the prisoners. Here
Paul depicts Christ returning from His battle on earth back into the
glory of the heavenly city with the trophies of His great victory at
Calvary.
This is cited as an
illustration of Christ’s bestowing spiritual gifts on His church.
The Old Testament text pictures God as a victorious warrior returning
to Mount Zion. “(He ascended up on high)” leading Israel’s
defeated foes in triumphal procession (“He lead captivity
captive”); He then distributes to Israel the spoils of war (“gave
gifts unto men”).
Similarly, when
Jesus returned to heaven (“He ascended up on high”), He conquered
Satan and his entire demonic horde (“He led captivity captive”)
This phrase depicts a triumphant Christ returning from battle on
earth back into the glory of the heavenly city with the trophies of
His great victory.
“And having
spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:15).
Jesus is the one who
led captivity captive, when he brought them out with Him from
Paradise. The victory of the Lord Jesus was on the cross. He defeated
sin and the devil on the cross. He descended to preach to those in
Paradise. His other reason for being in Paradise was to take the keys
of hell and death away from Satan.
An Israel king who
won a triumphant victory would bring home the spoils and prisoners to
parade before his people. One feature of the victory parade would be
the display of the king’s own soldiers who had been freed after
being held prisoner by the enemy.
These were often
referred to as recaptured captives, prisoners who had been taken
prisoner again, so to speak, by their own king and given freedom.
The picture if vivid
in its demonstration that God has yet unsaved people who belong to
Him, though they are naturally in Satan’s grasp and would remain
there had not Christ by His death and resurrection made provision to
lead them into the captivity of His kingdom into which they had been
called by sovereign election.
The following
Scripture is printed in red in the Bible, which means that Jesus,
Himself spoke the Words. Revelation 1:18 "I [am] he that liveth,
and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have
the keys of hell and of death."
Unto every believer
is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help. All is given as
seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them,
that he might give to them, a large measure of gifts and graces;
particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere head knowledge,
or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but such as brings
trust and obedience.
The gifts given to
men were through the Holy Spirit of God, and are called the gifts of
the Spirit. He distributes the spoils throughout His kingdom. After
His ascension, came the spiritual gifts empowered by the Spirit, who
was then sent. (John 7:39; 14:12; Acts 2:33).
Early church dogma
taught that the righteous dead of the Old Testament could not be
taken into the fullness of God’s presence until Christ had
purchased their redemption on the cross, and that they had waited in
this place for His victory on that day.
Figuratively
speaking, the early church fathers said that, after announcing His
triumph over demons in one part of Sheol. He then opened the doors of
another part of Sheol to release those godly captives. Like the
victorious kings of old, He recaptured the captives and liberated
them, and henceforth they would live in heaven as eternally free sons
of God.
Verses 9-10:
Jesus’ ascension into heaven signifies that He previously descended
from heaven, verse 9. And the person who cared enough to descend for
man’s redemption is the very same person (namely, Jesus) who was
equally concerned for the church’s well being, so that, upon
returning to heaven, He equipped His church with all the spiritual
gifts prerequisite for her growth, verse 10.
Ephesians 4:9
" Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended
first into the lower parts of the earth?"
“Ascended”:
Jesus’ ascension from earth to heaven (Acts 1:9-11), where He
forever reigns with His Father.
“Into the lower
parts of the earth”: These are in contrast to the highest heavens
to which He afterward ascended (Psalm 139:8, 15; Isa. 44:23). The
phrase here does not point to a specific place, but to the great
depth, as it were, of the incarnation, including Christ’s descent,
between His crucifixion and resurrection beyond the earth, the grave,
and death, into the very pit of the demons, “the spirits in
prison”.
Before the death of
Christ, both the lost and the saved went to Hades (Hebrew Sheol)
although it was divided into the place of torments and the paradise
of God (also called Abrahams bosom, Luke 16:19-31). When Jesus hung
on the cross, He consoled the penitent thief that he would be in
paradise with Christ on that day.
One of the
accomplishments of the Resurrection was to lead “captivity
captive,” that is, to remove Old Testament saints from Abraham’s
bosom (Hades) and lead them to heaven.
When a Christian
dies today, he goes immediately into the presence of God (Phil.
1:23).
Also see Psalm
16:10: “For thou wilts not leave my soul in hell; neither wilts
thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
This is speaking of
the time after Jesus had completed payment of the law on the cross.
Victory was on the cross. There was nothing else to pay. When Jesus
said; it is finished, it meant just that. The law had been completely
fulfilled; there was no more suffering to do.
Jesus deliberately
went into Sheol to preach, and bring out the captives with Him. He
had already defeated Satan, but Satan had to turn over the keys to
hell and death.
This does not refer
to preaching the gospel but to making a triumphant announcement, in
this case Christ’s announcement of His victory over the demons even
while they tried to hold Him in death.
Ephesians 4:10
"He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"
Between Jesus’
death on Calgary and His resurrection in the garden tomb, he was “put
to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” He was
physically dead but spiritually alive. During the three days He was
in that state “He also descended” and made proclamation to the
spirits now in prison.
“That he might
fill all things”: After the Lord ascended, having fulfilled all
prophecies and all His divinely ordained redemptive tasks, He gained
the right to rule the church and to give gifts, as He was then
filling the entire universe with His divine presence, power,
sovereignty and blessing (Phil. 2:9-11).
This is still
speaking of the victorious Jesus. We know in the 1st chapter of Acts,
He ascended into heaven while the apostles gazed at Him.
Acts 1:9 "And
when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight."
Read several more
verses here to get the full impact. Jesus must fill our life, or we
are dead. He is life. He is the One who sent the Comforter. He is,
also, the one who fills us with the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s point in
Ephesians 4:8-10 is to explain that Jesus’ paying the infinite
price of coming to earth and suffering death on our behalf qualified
Him to be exalted above all the heavens, that is, to the throne of
God, in order that He might rightfully have the authority to give
gifts to His saints. By that victory He gained the right to rule His
church and to give gifts to His church, that He might fill all
things.
Do all things mean
all prophecies, all assigned tasks, and all universal sovereignty?
Surely the answer is yes in regard to each of those aspects. But the
context would dictate that His filling all things primarily has to do
with His glorious divine presence and power expressed in universal
sovereignty. He fills the entire universe with blessing, particularly
His church, as the next verse illustrates.
Ephesians 4:11
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
“He gave some”:
As evidenced by His perfect fulfillment of His Father’s will,
Christ possessed the authority and sovereignty to assign the
spiritual gifts, verses 7-8 to those He has called into service in
His church. He gave not only gifts, but gifted men. Christ not only
gives gifts to individual believers but to the total body.
This verse
identifies some of the spiritual gifts given to the church. These are
the God given abilities enabling some Christians to have functioned
as “apostles”, some as “prophets,” some as “evangelists”.
And still others in the role of “pastors and teachers.”
The Greek
construction for the last mentioned should be rendered
pastors-teachers. This indicates that a pastor-teacher has a dual
function: he pastors in overseeing his parishioners’ spiritual
lives, and he teaches by instructing them in the Word.
“Apostles”: A
term used particularly of the 12 disciples who had seen the risen
Christ (Acts 1:22), including Matthias, who replaced Judas. Later,
Paul was uniquely set apart as the apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.
1:15-17) and was numbered with the other apostles. He too,
miraculously encountered Jesus at his conversion on the Damascus road
(Acts 9: 1-9; Gal. 1:15-17).
Those apostles were
chosen directly by Christ, so as to be called “apostles of Jesus
Christ” (Gal. 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). They were given 3 basic
responsibilities:
To lay the
foundation of the church 2:20.
To receive declare
and write God’s Word (3:5; Acts 11:28; 21:10-11); and
To give confirmation
of that Word through signs wonders and miracles (2 Cor. 12:12; Acts
8:6-7; Heb. 2:3-4). The term “apostle” is used in more general
ways of other men in the early church, such as Barnabas (Acts 14:4),
Silas, Timothy (1 Thess. 2:6) and others (Romans 16:7; Phil. 2:25).
They are called
“messengers (or apostles) of the churches” (2 Cor. 8:23), rather
than “apostles of Jesus Christ” like the 13. They were not self
perpetuating, nor were any apostle who died replaced.
“Prophets”: Not
ordinary believers who had the gift of prophecy but specially
commissioned men in the early church. The office of prophet seems to
have been exclusively for work within a local congregation. They were
not “sent ones” as were the apostle (see Acts 13:1-4) but as with
the apostles, their office ceased with the completion of the New
Testament.
They sometimes spoke
practical direct revelation for the church from God (Acts 11:21-28)
or expounded revelation already given (implied in Acts 13:1). They
were not used for the reception of Scripture. Their messages were to
be judged by other prophets for validity (1 Cor. 14:32) and had to
conform to the teaching of the apostles, verse 37.
Those two offices
were replaced by the evangelists and teaching pastors.
“And some, pastors
and teachers”: The phrase is best understood in context as a single
office of leadership in the church. The Greek word translated “and”
can mean “in particular” (see 1 Tim. 5:17). The normal meaning of
pastor is “shepherd” so the two functions together define the
teaching shepherds.
He is identified as
one who is under the “great Shepherd” Jesus (Heb. 13:20-21; 1
Peter 2:25). One who holds this office is also called an “elder”
and “bishop”, or “overseer”. Acts 20:28; and 1 Peter 5:12
bring all three terms together.
The word
“evangelists” is used only three times in Scripture. Meaning men
who proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to
unbelievers.
Therefore,
relatively little can be concluded about this person’s role.
Philip, who planted churches, is called an evangelist, Acts 21:8, and
Timothy was instructed to do the work of an evangelist, 2 Tim. 4:5.
Some have the gift of evangelism and are given to the church, verse
11. The root meaning of evangelist is to bring good tidings or to
bring the gospel message.
This is spoken of as
the five-fold ministry. A church is really not complete, until God
calls someone to fill all of these ministries in the church. Many
people confuse the apostles and the disciples.
There was a much
larger group of disciples than there were apostles. All apostles were
disciples, as well. Not all disciples were apostles, however. One of
the requirements for being an apostle was that they had to have
personally seen Jesus. The apostle had to be called directly of
Christ.
The 12 apostles were
chosen by Jesus from the larger group of disciples, after He prayed
all night. Apostle means delegate or ambassador of the gospel. It
indicates {with miraculous powers}. It, also, means a messenger, or
he that is sent.
An ambassador does
not bring his own message, but brings the message of the One who sent
him. "Prophets" are foretellers or inspired speakers.
"Evangelist" is a preacher of the gospel. An evangelist
usually has one message, and that is how to receive salvation.
A pastor differs
from the evangelist, in that after the person is saved, he or she
watches over them to lead them into Christian growth. They may, also,
lead the person to salvation. They are like a good shepherd which
leads the flock.
Teachers in the
sense that we would understand would be like Sunday school teachers
and Bible study teachers. They would keep the Word of God ever before
the people.
Elder emphasizes who
the man is, bishop speaks of what he does, and pastor deals with his
attitude and character. All three terms are used of the same church
leaders, and all three identify those who feed and lead the church;
yet each term has a unique emphasis.
Ephesians 4:12
"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ:"
Verses 12-16 teach
in its most succinct form, God’s plan by which Christ produces
church growth. Matthew 16:18(b) "And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Obviously the
building must be according to His plan and attempting to build the
church by human means only competes with the work of Christ.
“Perfecting”:
This refers to restoring something to its original condition, or it’s
being made fit or complete. In this context, it refers to leading
Christians from sin to obedience. Scripture is the key to this
process.
God has given four
basic tools, as it were, for the spiritual perfecting of the saints.
These are spiritual means, because the flesh cannot make anyone
perfect (Gal. 3:3). The first is His Word, the Bible. The second tool
is prayer. A third tool is testing and a fourth is suffering.
Suffering is also a
means of spiritual equipping. Peter uses this word near the close of
his first letter: “And after you have suffered for a little while,
the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ,
will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1
Peter 5:10).
God “comforts us
in our entire affliction,” he says, “so that we may be able to
comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which
we ourselves are comforted by God. The sending of tests and suffering
are entirely God’s operation, and He gives them to His saints
according to His loving and sovereign will. But the two agents of
spiritual equipping, prayer and knowledge of scripture are the tasks
of the gifted men.
“Saints”: All
who believe in Jesus Christ”.
“For the work of
the ministry”: The spiritual service required of every Christian,
not just of church leaders (1 Cor. 15:28).
This verse discloses
the purpose for the gifted individuals of verse 11. Their
responsibility is “the perfecting of the saints,” that is, to
train and equip the rank and file Christians to do “the work of the
ministry.” The aim of this ministry of Christian service is “for
the edifying of the body of Christ,” that is, to build up the
church numerically and spiritually.
Christianity is a
growing experience in Jesus. It is a way of life. The more we are
taught, the more we grow in the Lord. The object, of course, is the
perfecting of our faith. We either go forward or backwards with the
Lord, we never stand still.
The ministry cannot
really function properly, until these ministry positions are filled.
When there is no one taking care of one of the ministries, it puts an
extra load on the pastor. All of this is to build up the body of
Christ. All of this is to help the Christian in his walk with God.
“For the edifying
of the body of Christ”: The spiritual edification, nurturing and
development of the church (Acts 20:32).
The body is built up
externally through evangelism as more believers are added, but the
emphasis here is on its being built up internally as all believers
are nurtured to fruitful service through the word. The maturation of
the church is tied to learning of and obedience to the holy
revelation of Scripture. Just as newborn babies desire physical milk,
so should believers desire the spiritual nourishment of the Word (1
Peter 2:2).
Ephesians 4:13
"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ:"
“Unity of the
faith”: Faith here refers to the body of revealed truth that
constitutes Christian teaching, particularly featuring the complete
content of the gospel. Oneness and harmony among believers is
possible only when it is built on the foundation of sound doctrine.
The solution to the
divisions in Corinth was for everyone to hold the same understandings
and opinions and to speak the same truth (1 Cor. 1:10). Only a
biblically equipped, faithfully serving and spiritually maturing
church can attain to the unity of the faith. There can never be unity
in the church apart from doctrinal integrity.
As in verse 5, faith
does not here refer to the act of belief or of obedience but to the
body of Christian truth, to Christian doctrine. The faith is the
content of the gospel in its most complete form.
“The knowledge of
the Son of God”: This does not refer to salvation knowledge but to
the deep knowledge of Christ that a believer comes to have through
prayer, faithful study of His Word and obedience to His commands
(Phil. 3:8-10, 12; Col. 1:9-10; 2:2).
“The fullness of
Christ”: God wants every believer to manifest the qualities of His
Son, who is Himself the standard for their spiritual maturity and
perfection.
The edifying of the
church, verse 12, is to continue “till we all come in the unity of
the faith,” that is, until all Christians attain spiritual
maturity. Since new believers are constantly being added to the
church, this objective will not be realized until the Lord returns.
The call to the
ministry is a lifetime call. We should never stop working, trying to
bring unity of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowledge is
accumulated learning, as we have said before. We must learn all we
can about the Word of God. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal
to us the meaning of the Scriptures.
The goal that we set
for ourselves should be to be perfect in Jesus. We will never be
perfect on this earth, but it should be the desire of our heart to be
perfect. With our example being Jesus, we should try to be more and
more like Him every day.
Romans 8:29 "For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to
the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren."
As individuals, we
should desire to become more like Jesus every day. The entire body of
Christ {all believers} should be working toward being like Jesus. We
are to radiate and reflect Christ’s perfections.
Verses 14-15:
Two results occur when Christians reach spiritual maturity.
(1) Negatively, they
will no longer be “children,” that is, immature believers easily
deceived by “every wind of” (false) “doctrine” and
(2) Positively, they
will “grow up into him,” that is, fully grown in “all”
aspects of Christian living; doctrine, conduct, service, and so on.
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up” may be read “by
lovingly teaching the truth, we will grow up.”
Christian maturity
is attained, in part, by thorough instruction in sound doctrine given
in a loving manner.
Ephesians 4:14
"That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,
[and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"
“Carried about
with every wind of doctrine”: Spiritually immature believers who
are not grounded in the knowledge of Christ through God’s Word are
inclined to uncritically accept every sort of beguiling doctrinal
error and fallacious interpretation of Scripture promulgated by
deceitful, false teachers in the church.
They must learn
discernment (1 Thess. 5:21-22). The New Testament is replete with
warnings of such danger (Acts 20:31-31; Rom. 16:17-18; Gal. 1:6-7; 1
Tim. 4:1-7; 2 Tim. 2:15-18; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
The immature
Christian is gullible; and in the history of the church no group of
believers has fallen into more foolishness in the name of
Christianity than has much of the church today.
Despite our
unprecedented education, sophistication, freedom and access to God’s
Word and sound Christian teaching, it seems that every religious
huckster can find a ready hearing and financial support from among
God’s people. The number of foolish, misdirected, corrupt, and even
heretical leaders to whom many church members willing give their
money and allegiance is astounding and heartbreaking.
Just as many
families today are dominated by their children, so are many churches.
It is tragic when the church’s children, spiritually immature
believers (1 John 2:13-14) who change their views with every wind of
doctrine and continually fall prey to men’s trickery and Satan’s
craftiness and deceitful scheming, are found among its most
influential teachers and leaders.
When we are brand
new Christians, we have to be fed on milk and honey. When we get
stronger in our walk with Christ, we feed on the meat of the Word.
When you are a new Christian, you are easily persuaded, and might
fall for false doctrines. The strong Christian, grounded in the Word
of God, is like a big oak tree that cannot be blown over with every
wind of doctrine. We are told that in the end time nearly everyone
will be deceived.
Mark 13:22 "For
false Christ’s and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs
and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect."
Matthew 24:24 "For
there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible,
they shall deceive the very elect."
The only way to keep
from being deceived is to be fully grounded in the Word of God study
to show thyself approved of God the Father.
