In this chapter the Apostle Paul urges us (the Church) to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus and gives us specific instructions on how we can do this. He also insists that the Church should walk on the road to Christian maturity so that we, the Church, can reach unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace! This bond of peace of course is th peace that we have in Christ Jesus!
John 14:27 (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ through the Holy Spirit
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
In verse 1 above Paul again refers to himself as a prisoner of the Lord just as he did in the first verse of chapter 1. He also urges (or exhorts us or summons us) us to live our lives in a manner worthy of our calling!
Now what does Paul mean by living a life worthy of our calling?
Well, the Amplified Bible puts it so perfectly like this, “that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behaviour—a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation.” In other words, we must be imitators of Christ and His lifestyle!
Ephesians 5:1 (NLT)
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
Paul also says a similar thing in the first chapter of his letter to the Philippians. This emphasises the importance of the Church, as individuals, living our lives in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus – in a manner that is worthy of the price He paid for our sins – death of the cross!
Philippians 1:27 (NIV)
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel
(For more information to what Paul means by being a prisoner for the Lord, see my blog on Ephesians 2 on the following link: https://rayskilton.blogspot.com/2023/05/unpacking-ephesians-chapter-2.html
In verse 2 above Paul instructs us to be humble, gentle, patient and bearing with each other in love. This strongly suggests that we should accept each other in the same way that Jesus accepts us, as we are, with all our flaws. It is the Holy Spirit that will change us to conform to the image of Christ and lead us in our walk to Christian maturity! God gives unlimited grace to the humble but turns his face to the proud!
James 4:6 (AMP)
But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty (Proverbs 3:34), but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].”
And don’t forget that if we do not clothe ourselves with the agapé love of God then we are just empty vessels making an annoying noise!
1 Corinthians 16:14 (NIV)
Do everything in love.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
In verses 4-6 above Paul paints us a magnificent picture of the absolute sovereignty of God the Father and the way He is in, and over all things!
- There is one body – the body of Christ, which is the Church, the body of born again believers.
- There is one Spirit – the Holy Spirit.
- There is one hope when we are called – which is our salvation in Christ Jesus – the way to eternal life.
- There is one Lord – Jesus Christ.
- One water baptism (Christening or infant baptism is not Biblical and therefore is not New Testament water baptism) – our public statement of faith in Christ Jesus, a symbolic washing away of our sins.
- There is one God and Father of all – The Lord God Almighty – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father has given all authority to the Son, Jesus.
Matthew 28:18 (AMP)
Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
In verse 7 above Paul tells us that each one of us, each born again believer, as God’s children have been given God’s grace or undeserved favour through Christ Jesus. And in verse eight below he tells us why.
8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”(Psalm 68:18)
This verse in Psalm 68 refers to the war culture that was prevalent in King David’s time whereby, after a battle, a victorious king would lead the way home with a trail of captives—soldiers and civilians alike—following behind him. These captives were considered spoils of war. So, the phrase "captives in your train" is symbolic of the line of captives following behind the conquering leader to display before all his subjects.
In the context of Ephesians 8, Paul uses this to illustrate that when Jesus ascended to heaven, he led a host of captives with him. The Lord’s captives of course is His Church and His train is the Holy Spirit who resides in each and every born again Christian. This is why in Ephesians 3 and at the beginning of this Chapter, Paul refers to himself as a prisoner or slave or bondservant of Christ.
The prophet Isaiah tells us of a wonderful vision he had that epitomises the Lord and his train. Train in these cases means something that follows behind someone or something, not a choo, choo train!
Isaiah 6:1 (NIV)
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 (AMP)
16 Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?
1 Peter 2:4-5 (AMP)
4 Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. 5 You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
In Christ Jesus we are chosen people a royal priesthood. He has called us out of darkness (the world) and into His marvelous light – the Kingdom of God!
1 Peter 2:9-10 (AMP)
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
In verses 9-10 above Paul reminds us that Jesus came down from heaven to earth to do the work of God the Father and after his death and resurrection, He ascended higher than all the heavens and fills the whole universe at the right hand of the Father!
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
In verses 11-13 above Paul explains what the gifts are that Jesus himself gives us. There are five of them, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and they are commonly known as the five-fold ministry in many Christian circles today.
These gifts of office were given by Jesus himself to build up and edify His Church to become unified in the Holy Spirit and to enable the body (the local congregation) to reach both individual and corporate maturity and to be more and more conformed to His image!
When we look at verse 13 above, we see that the function of the five-fold ministry is not to stop until the Church reaches full maturity and unity as a body which, in all likelihood, will only be when our Lord returns and we are clothed in our imperishable bodies!
Sadly in most Churches, if not all, today not all these gifts of office are evident within the local body and thus they are not firing on all five cylinders and limp along instead of reaching the fulness of the Spirit in power and harmony! Today’s Church is thus unbalanced and not operating in complete unity with the Spirit!
It is important for us to realise that these gifts are different to the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. These gifts are offices or positions given by Jesus to various people in the local body and should be held by men who are recognised as having these gifts and who are filled with the Holy Spirit. In my opinion, based on the verses below, these men should make up part the eldership of any local body.
Titus 1:5-9 (NIV)
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
The gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, however, are given by the Holy Spirit to the Church in general to be used by the members of the local body to build up, edify and encourage each other in our walk to individual spiritual maturity in Christ Jesus.
For a more in depth study of these five gifts please read my blog on the link below:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4109531135915361475/5194888534880253601
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
In verses 14-16 above Paul explains to us that when the five-fold ministry is operating within the local congregation in unity with the Holy Spirit and each other, these things will happen which highlight just how Jesus expects His Church to run or operate!
- As individuals and as a body we will move from being infants feeding on the milk of the Word to Christian maturity feeding on the meat of the Word.
https://rayskilton.blogspot.com/2021/04/from-milk-to-meat-christian-path-to.html)
- We will not be easily deceived by false doctrines and the teachings of false teachers and prophets.
- Speaking the truth in love the Church as individuals and as a body will grow to Christian maturity.
- The Church, each local congregation, will be able to support and build each other up in love to do the works that we were predestined to do in the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of Jesus!
In verses 17-32 below, Paul instructs us on how we should live our lives as true followers of Christ.
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
In verse 17-19 above Paul reminds us of who we once were when we were without Christ as our Lord and Saviour. He instructs us to no longer live as the unsaved do who have no concept of who God is because of their own self-indulgence which has hardened their hearts and are thus separated from God because of their sin. They are slaves to sin and are greedy and embrace every form of impure thinking, concepts, and ideologies. The things of the world have become their idols in whom they trust and worship! The sin of idolatry is manifest in every aspect of their lives!
That is what we used to be like until we became born again and new creations in Christ Jesus, our old self has gone.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
In verses 20-24 above Paul clearly states that we are no longer to live like those who are not born again but to live a life that is worthy of our salvation in Christ Jesus – a lifestyle that is taught to us in the Bible and a lifestyle that can only be lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way only will we bring glory to Jesus!
We are commanded to put off the old self, the way we used to act, behave and speak. We are commanded to allow ourselves to be made new in the attitude of our minds.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will."
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Psalm 1:2 (AMP)
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Our new self in Christ Jesus is to be clothed in His righteousness – this is being more and more conformed to His image. Jesus alone gives us right standing and reconciliation with God!
1 Corinthians 1:30 (AMP)
But it is from Him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], 31 so then, as it is written [in Scripture], “He who boasts and glories, let him boast and glory in the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
In the book of Genesis, we are told that God created us in His image. This is not a physical likeness as God is Spirit, but a likeness of His character. By His Spirit we are given the ability and power to reproduce His character in ourselves in Christ Jesus. This is why Paul continually exhorts us to live life in the Spirit (Romans 8) and be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:12-16 (AMP
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit]— 13 for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever. 14 For all who are allowing themselves to be led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God.
Ephesians 5:18 (AMP)
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.
How a born again Christian should live.
In verses 25-32 below Paul commands us to rid ourselves of a number of sinful actions and attitudes. He starts off verse 25 with the word ‘Therefore’ which means because of the things he us told us in the previous verses of this Epistle, we must now live a life fully submitted to God and change our old ways to the ways that will continually conform us to the image of Christ.
If we don’t put off the things he mentions below, then we are deliberately and willfully sinning and will grieve the Holy Spirit!
Let’s examine these things verse by verse!
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
We need to stop telling lies generally and in particular stop lying to our ‘neigbour’! Neighbour here means our brothers and sisters in Christ as Paul goes on to say because we are all member of one body – the body of Christ – His Church. The body of born again believers. If we continue to lie to our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are not only sinning but also grieving the Holy Spirit!
26 “In your anger do not sin”[Psalm 4:4]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
In verse 26 we are instructed not to sin when we are angry and to let go of anger as soon as we can. Anger is an emotion so strong that it will lead us into sin if we do not deal with it quickly. Allow yourself to calm down before you act or speak in a sinful manner when responding to a situation that has made you angry.
It’s alright to have righteous anger, as Jesus displayed with those that had turned the Temple (my Father’s house) into a den of iniquity, but we are not to sin in our anger! Let go of anger as quick as you can otherwise a root of bitterness could spring up within you and cripple your Christian walk and your relationship with God. Unresolved anger issues that fester within the root of bitterness allows the devil to get his claws into you and destroy your life!
A root of bitterness in you will not only defile you and prevent you from walking to Christian maturity, but it will also defile many of those around you – we are in a spiritual war, we are not up against flesh and blood but the devil’s spiritual power in evil!
Psalm 4:4 (NLT)
Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Deuteronomy 29:18 (NIV)
Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
- Sport
- Money
- Celebrity worship
- Excessive working that drives you and consumes your life and comes before God and family.
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
Sinful anger that turns into a root of bitterness allows the devil to lead you further and further away from God if you do not deal with it quickly and repent!
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
Verse 28 very much speaks for itself – DO NOT STEAL! Taking something that does not belong to you is stealing. Even a pen or pencil that you take from your employer is stealing – resist the temptation. It may seem a small thing to you, but to God it is stealing and is sinful! A Christian must work and be useful in society so that they are able to share with those who are in need!
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Verse 29 commands us to stop swearing and using foul language and any other words that breaks others down instead of building them up. Do not gossip and break people down with criticism!
In Romans 1:28-32 God places gossips in amongst those that have depraved minds.
Romans 1:28-32 (NIV)
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
The tongue can be a destructive force, use it only to build others up! Your tongue, if not used in a Godly manner, will set you on fire and consume you! We will bear the consequences of what we say – good or bad! Choose GO(O)D!
James 3:6 (NIV)
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Proverbs 18:20-21 (AMP)
20 A man’s stomach will be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth;
He will be satisfied with the consequence of his words.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
In verse 30 Paul gives us another command in “do not grieve the Holy Spirit”! What does this mean?
Well, let’s take a look at the original Greek word for “grieve” which is “lupeó” (loo-peh’-o, Strong’s 3076) and its expanded meaning is to deeply distress someone and cause them deep emotional pain (sadness) and severe sorrow (grief). This is something that is way beyond just upsetting someone! The Holy Spirit is a person and when we willfully and continually sin when we know better, it causes him to grieve.
We can relate this to the state of mankind at the time of the flood when God says:
Genesis 6:3a (AMP)
Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive and remain with man forever, because he is indeed flesh [sinful, corrupt—given over to sensual appetites];
It is the Holy Spirit that seals us (every born again Christian) as belonging to God, God as our Father has ownership of us and our lives. We are sealed as belonging to God for the day of redemption when we will be clothed in our imperishable bodies and will be set free from our sinful nature once and for all even though we are born again!
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
In verse 31 Pauls strongly instructs us to rid ourselves of a number of sinful attitudes and the Amplified version of the Bible expands very nicely the full meaning of what is being instructed!
Ephesians 4:31 (AMP)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
And finally in verse 32 Paul tells us exactly what our attitudes, ways and demeanour should be like as born again Christians – followers of Christ – and being conformed into His image!
And again, the Amplified version of the Bible expands the meaning of this verse very nicely.
Ephesians 4:32 (AMP)
Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.
My dear Readers, let us be doers of the Word and not just readers!
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven
I pray that you would continually fill me with your Holy Sprit and help me to be more and more conformed to the image of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. Help me, Lord, to cast off my sinful nature and embrace the fullness of living a life that is filled with the Holy Spirit and to be a blessing to my brothers and siters in Christ and to be a sweet fragrance in the World that will point the lost to Jesus and their salvation. Help me, Lord I pray, to be a doer of the Word and not just a reader. Amen.
To Jesus belongs all glory honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My word is flawed the Bible is not!
