Modern Bible Commentary on Ephesians 4:1-32

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1-2, WEB).”

To reiterate, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus during his two year imprisonment in Rome around 60 A.D. He is using his circumstances to symbolize who really is in charge of his life–the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s why he calls himself a prisoner of the Lord, because God is His protector, sustainer, and ultimate authority. Moreover, Paul exhorts his audience to walk worthily of the calling with humility, patience, love–eager to keep the bond of peace.

These positive attributes reflect the character of God. They are the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:23) that we are to emulate in our lives, showing the world that God is worthy of worship and respect. Additionally, Christians ought to reflect humility. The term humility comes from the Latin word humilitas, which means “grounded” or “from the earth.”

As humans created in the image of God, we were “created” from the dust of the earth–which is a reminder of our dependence upon God, our frailty, and mortality. Humility partners well with patience. When one is patient, they are demonstrating a humble attitude. How are you personally doing with these spiritual disciplines?

⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in us all (Eph. 4:4-6).”

What a powerful verse. The apostle Paul is declaring a one-minded unity within the body of Christ. When we accept the Lord as our Savior, we are grafted into the family of God. The Holy Spirit, who is our comforter and teacher, unites us into one faith so we are able to conform into the image of Jesus. Finally, baptism represents our death to the old life, burial to our sins, and raised to new life in Christ our redeemer!

Isn’t it amazing how God has uniquely designed us to worship Him? God equips us to be united with Him through the love of the Father. The Father sends his Son to become our substitutionary atonement and righteousness. And The Holy Spirit convicts, sanctifies, teaches, rebukes, and fills us with the holiness of God.

⁷ But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. ⁸ Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.” ⁹ Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things (Eph. 4:7-10).”

This verse teaches that the Lord is sovereign over all creation. He has ascended on high, showing his victory over death and Hell. When Jesus rose from the dead, he demonstrated to the world that He came to set the captives free. He also revealed to the underworld, to Satan, and the fallen angels, that He has conquered them as well.

There is a constant hope for all who turn from their sins and trust in Christ. Similarly, there is a constant proof that whoever rejects the Living God will be judged and destroyed for their disobedience. Consequently, believers should be adamant in sharing the good news that God saves sinners to the entire world. That’s why He has called us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature!

¹¹ He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds^[a] and teachers; ¹² for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).”

I love this passage! God has uniquely gifted all of us to become part of his great orchestra. We may not all play the same instruments, but we are called to serve and use our gifts for the betterment of his Kingdom. What unique role do you believe God has called you to?

The definition of an apostle is one who is sent on a mission. Our mission is to share Jesus with as many people as we can, letting them know that salvation is a free gift. By grace we are saved through faith, and it’s not of works (Eph. 2:8-9). Our mission is not only this, but to encourage one another to holiness and love.

Moreover, God calls some to be prophets and evangelists. A prophet uses their mouth as a proclamation of the glory of God. In biblical times, a prophet was known to bring judgment and rebuke to a rebellious generation. A prophet, of course, would be telling the truth in love–being honest and convicting people of their sins is better than telling them what they want to hear.

An evangelist is one whose primary goal is to plant the seed of God’s truth in as many places as possible. Then, the shepherds and pastors come along and nurture those seeds, making sure they are cultivated properly and growing accordingly. They, along with the Holy Spirit, teach believers how to live and thrive in their communities so that God’s kingdom can make a cultural impact for a world in dire need of Him.

The goal for all ministerial positions, whether an apostle, prophet, pastor, or teacher, is to grow in the Lord and become mature in the faith. Ultimately, heaven is knowing God. That is the point of going to heaven, so we can continue seeking out the beauty of the Lord–in this life, as Christians, that’s what we are called to do. Isn’t this a wonderful truth?

¹⁴ that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error; ¹⁵ but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love (Eph. 4:14-16).”

As Christians, it’s vital that we do not get deceived by false doctrine. How do we accomplish this? By knowing God’s word, meditating on Scripture, and praying for the Holy Spirit to guide us along the path of righteousness. We can’t be immature in our faith–other wise we will be tricked and deceived by false prophets and teachers.

Moreover, not only should we be teaching the truth and focusing on accuracy, but doing so with love and gentleness. People need to logically understand God’s Word, but there is also an emotional connection that is vital to the Christian life. So we want to make sure that both are accomplished in order to increase the building up of the Church. That is our goal in the Christian life.