Page 427 - Demo

EPHESIANS 
4Unity in the Body.
1* I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner
a2
worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love,b 3striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:c 4* one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call;d 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism;e 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.f
Diversity of Gifts. 7But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.g 8Therefore, it says:
“He ascended* on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.”h
9What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? 10The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might ll all things.
11* And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,i 12to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,* for building up the
body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity
of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,* to the extent of the full stature of Christ,j 14so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.k 15Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head,l Christ,* 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.m
4:1
Theology and practice must never be separated. After speaking of the sublime love of God, Paul turns to the lives of Christian believers. How do we respond to the extraordinary love of God? Through humility, gentleness, patience, unity, and peace. Our unity with each other ows from the unity of God.
Fotolia © orisvo
*
[4:1–16] A general plea for unity in the church. Christians have been fashioned through the Spirit into a single harmonious religious community (one body, Eph 4:4, 12; cf. Eph 4:16), belonging to a single Lord (in contrast to the many gods of the pagan world), and by one way of salvation through faith, brought out especially by the signi cance of baptism (Eph 4:1– 6; cf. Rom 6:1–11). But Christian unity is more than adherence to a common belief. It is manifested in the exalted Christ’s gifts to individuals to serve so as to make the community more Christlike (Eph 4:11–16). This teaching on Christ as the source of the gifts is introduced in Eph 4:8 by a citation of Ps 68:18, which depicts Yahweh triumphantly leading Israel to salvation in Jerusalem. It is here understood of Christ, ascending above all the heavens, the head of the church; through his redemptive death, resurrection, and ascension he has become the source of the church’s spiritual gifts. The “descent” of Christ (Eph 4:9–10) refers more probably to the incarnation (cf. Phil 2:6–8) than to Christ’s presence after his death in the world of the dead (cf. 1 Pt 3:19).
[4:4–6] The “seven unities” (church, Spirit, hope; Lord, faith in Christ [Eph 1:13], baptism; one God) re ect the triune structure of later creeds in reverse.
* [4:8–10] While the emphasis is on an ascension and gift-giving by Christ, there is also a reference in taking prisoners captive to the aeons and powers mentioned at Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12.
* [4:11] Concerning this list of ministers, cf. 1 Cor 12:28 and Rom 12:6–8. Evangelists: missionary preachers (cf. Acts 21:8; 2 Tm 4:5), not those who wrote gospels. Pastors and teachers: a single group in the Greek, shepherding congregations.
* [4:12] The ministerial leaders in Eph 4:11 are to equip the whole people of God for their work of ministry.
* [4:13] Mature manhood: literally, “a perfect man” (cf. Col 1:28), possibly the “one new person” of Eph 2:15, though there anthrōpos suggests humanity, while here anēr is the term for male. This personage becomes visible in the church’s growing to its fullness in the unity of those who believe in Christ.
* [4:15–16] The head, Christ: cf. Col 1:18 and contrast 1 Cor 12:12–27 and Rom 12:4–5 where Christ is identi ed with the whole body, including the head. The imagery may derive from ancient views in medicine, the head coordinating and caring for the body, each ligament (perhaps the ministers of Eph 4:11) supporting the whole. But as at Eph 2:19–22, where the temple is depicted as a growing organism, there may also be the idea here of growing toward the capstone, Christ.
*
a. [4:1] 3:1; Col 1:10.
b. [4:2] Col 3:12–13.
c. [4:3] Col 3:14–15.
d. [4:4] Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 10:17; 12:12–13.
e. [4:5] 1 Cor 8:6.
f. [4:6] 1 Cor 12:6.
g. [4:7] Rom 12:3, 6; 1 Cor 12:28. h. [4:8] Ps 68:19; Col 2:15.
i. [4:11] 1 Cor 12:28.
j. [4:13] Col 1:28.
k. [4:14] 1 Cor 14:20; Col 2:4, 8; Heb 13:9; Jas 1:6.
l. [4:15] 1 Cor 11:3; Col 1:18; 2:19.
m. [4:16] Col 2:19.
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