Main Highlights
Believers are called to walk in unity, maturity, and newness of life, equipped with spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ.
Key Verses
- "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called,"— Ephesians 4:1
- "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."— Ephesians 4:4-6
- "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,"— Ephesians 4:15
- "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."— Ephesians 4:29
Related Scripture
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.— Ephesians 4:3
Scholar Insight
"Paul is passionately concerned about the unity of the church. He sees it not as an optional extra, but as an essential mark of genuine Christianity." - John Stott, God's New Society: The Message of Ephesians (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), p. 125."
Theological Analysis
What we learn about God
God is patient, loving, forgiving, and desires unity among believers. God is also the source of spiritual gifts distributed to equip believers for service. "just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)
Christological Connection
Jesus is the source of grace and the standard of maturity for believers. We are to attain "to the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13)
Systematic Theology
Sanctification: The process of being made holy, putting off the old self and putting on the new self in Christ. "and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:24)
Law & Grace
Grace is shown through the spiritual gifts given to each believer, enabling them to serve and build up the body of Christ. The chapter contrasts the futility of the Gentile mind, a lawless and graceless existence, with the transformed life empowered by grace. "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift." (Ephesians 4:7)
Personal Application
Believers should strive for unity, live in humility and love, put off sinful behaviors, speak words that edify, and walk in newness of life. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)