Ephesians 4:1-6:9

Notes compiled from my BSF group


Ephesians 4:1–8


To “live a life worthy of our calling”...


- Be humble and gentle; be patient with love for one another (Ephesians 4:2)


- Keep the unity of the Spirit through peace (Ephesians 4:3)


- Understand that there is only one body, one faith, one baptism, one God, and be united with fellow Christians in living that knowledge (Ephesians 4:4-6)


- Know that we are alive because of the Grace of God, given through Jesus Christ


There is only one body, one faith, one baptism, one God, and be united with fellow Christians in living that knowledge.


More specifically, I think this can be applied to our society in two ways: 1) There are many denominations in the Christian Church. Despite these denominations, all Christians should stand together, as opposed to fighting each other; 2) There are many different religions in the world. Jesus warned us against false prophets and taught us to discern. More importantly, Jesus told us to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sin. Taken together, despite the numerous religions and the society stressing everything needs to be politically correct, as Christ’s disciples, we have responsibility to tell people the Truth.


In terms of denominations within the Christian Church, I encourage sisters and brothers in Christ stand strong together. For non-Christians, they use denominations as proof to show that no one can understand the Bible correctly, and therefore there are so many different "translations" of the Bible. “Even the Christians themselves cannot all agree on what the Word of God says," they would argue. In response to such comments, I agree and I disagree. We are human. We are flawed. We are not perfect. Just because we are Christians doesn’t make us perfect like Christ. It is unfortunate that people pounce on our mistakes but never give us a pat on the back when we do something great. Despite that, as Christians, our main goal is to keep our eyes on Christ. No matter the issue, our eyes and heart need to always be focused on Christ. And the best way to do that is through studying the Word and prayers. Incomplete understanding of the Word leads to misinterpretations and misunderstandings, and I believe this is the main reason why there are so many denominations. Each denomination takes a preferred view of theology and separated themselves from other Christians. WHY DO WE DO THAT? We read the same Bible, we have the same God, we have the same King, Jesus of Nazareth. Certain passages in the Bible are not explained fully. For example, many theologians would argue about when the Rapture would occur. Disagreeing on the “when” is okay. Why? The obvious reason is the Bible does not tell us the exact time. We can only infer the when from the Bible, and this is where "different interpretations" come to light. There are a couple of important points about this: 1) These "differences in theology" do not affect our salvation; 2) Instead of getting caught up with these differences, we should always refer back to the Bible and see what the Bible says FOR OURSELVES. Extending the example of WHEN the Rapture could occur, Jesus himself told us that we may know the seasons but only the Father knows the exact time and date. Therefore, when we hear other people predicting the exact date, we can try and understand their reasoning, but Jesus has the final say, and Jesus says we don't know the time. For Christians to be divisive about this, honestly, puzzles me. One God, one Bible. Logically, it doesn't make any sense to have so many different denominations that fight against each other. Personally, when I come across these differences, I go back to the Bible and hear what God Himself says about the issue. Because at the end of the day, what matters is what God says. It doesn't matter other people think God says. And if God doesn't say, THEN GOD DOESN'T SAY. Sure, speculate if you'd like, but don't force everyone to believe you are "right." I thus encourage sisters and brothers in Christ to stand united in the fundamentals of the Bible and converse harmoniously about the things that God has not yet revealed to us through the Bible.


In order to do that, we must all diligently study the Bible. It is not enough to just attend Church once in a while. We are supposed to each have a personal relationship with God. This cannot be achieved with going to Church once in a while. Jesus is the Word made flesh. If we want to get to know Jesus, we need to get to know the Word.


Now, I’m not naïve, and I understand denominations are formed with deeper differing views of theology than the examples I've offered. I may not understand the details of why each denominations exist, but here’s what I do know: Division is the act of Satan. There is nothing Satan wants more than to tear the body of Christ apart. I also know that Jesus wants us to be united in Him. Being a Christian is not about who has the “better” interpretation of the Bible. It’s about KNOWING the Word of God. We should not be divided among ourselves but come together and work together toward a united understanding of the Word. We should work together and resolve our differences, not put up fences among ourselves, creating divisions when there ought not be any.


In terms of the number of religions, this is a tougher subject. This is tough for two main reasons. First, say the word “religion,” and people assume "Oh, it's a bunch of nuts believing in different gods." They generally lump all the religions together and think the gods of religions are all made up. None of it is real, so it’s just a matter of opinion which one is "your favorite god." Second, many people don’t want to hear the truth. They would rather hear comforting lies than convicting truths. A lot of religions talk about Hell, and people don't like the idea of Hell. So, instead of finding out the TRUTH about (Does it exist or not?), they'd rather remain in the dark about it, because it makes them feel better.


Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is the Truth. Truth can be substantiated by historical, archeological, and scientific evidence. God's Word has a tremendous amount of this evidence. Furthermore, the Word of God is prophetic. ALL prophetic events have been fulfilled PERFECTLY. No human doing could have made that even remotely possible.


Thinking there is no Truth and not wanting to hear the Truth are two obstacles to hearing the Word, because people close their minds, close their ears, and harden their heart.  Pastor Chuck Missler said that the greatest obstacle to discovering the truth is to ASSUME WE ALREADY HAVE it. Because if we think we have it, then we will no longer look for it. Closed mind. Closed eyes. Closed and hardened heart.


So, to the people who say there is no God, HOW DO YOU KNOW? Any proof? To the people who say ALL religions are true, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? Do you have any proof? 


That has to be the question we all ask ourselves when we choose to believe anything. WHY do you believe in God? Why don’t you believe in God? Why do you believe there are many gods?


Honestly, if there is no God, all this would be a ridiculous exercise. We would be no different than children with their imaginary friends. And honestly, if there is no God, why waste time with any religions at all? It would indeed be all make-believe. What a waste of time!


Here’s the thing though: How do you know there is no God UNLESS you have done your homework and researched the issue? Let's get a dialogue going, based on FACTS, not on feelings. Let's promote understanding, not ignorance.


Don’t be prideful and say, "I don’t care." It is irresponsible. It’s like a teenager who does drugs and thinks he is on the top of the world, that he is a tough guy and can do whatever he wants, and who dares to stop him.


There are consequences to every decision we make. Stupid decisions are made often based on pride and ignorance or the laziness to research the answer, to ask, to learn. Wise decisions are made based on humility and knowledge, the will to ask question, to learn, to research.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Eph 4:3 keep the unity. Which God produced through the reconciling death of Christ (see 2:14-22). It is the heavy responsibility of Christians to keep that unity from being disturbed.


There is only one Truth. For example, fire burns. We would never let a baby play with fire no matter how much we love the baby and want to make that baby happy. We would never lie to him and tell him fire doesn’t burn just to make him happy. If we did, the baby would take our word for it and get hurt. So, we have to tell him the truth. Lying causes only more harm. The baby may not like what he hears, but he needs to know.


People nowadays are so concerned about being politically correct, they are willing to compromise the truth to remain popular. In other words, they’d rather have the baby burn himself and lie to make the baby happy than to tell the baby the truth. This is wrong.


On a side note, people who say we should all be accepting of all religions deeply trouble me. Let's just start with their assumption and say all religions are true. Well, the Biblical God says there is only one God. In fact, idolatry, the worship of gods other than God, is often the core reason why nations and peoples are judged (pride being the other). So, we are told to accept this. Okay. Let's accept this. Then how do we accept other religions that talk about other gods? Logically, this doesn't make any sense at all. Christianity says there is only one God. Hinduism says there are multiple gods. What does "accept" mean? Clearly, we can't accept BOTH as being true. It's either one or the other. The only way, then, to "accept" all religions is to  think none of it is real. Because if none of it is real, then it doesn't matter what any of it says. So, people who say we should be accepting of all religions deeply trouble me. They inherently think none of it is real.


A subgroup of those people troubles me even more. For example, people who claim they are Christians but still promote this idea. They obviously have no clue what God means when He says there is only ONE God (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; just to name a few). Or worse, they know what He means but choose to ignore His sovereignty anyway. Neither scenario speaks well of their logic or their spiritual being. I am just as troubled by Hindus or people of other religions tell me they also promote this idea. What they are really saying is, they either have no idea what their religion is promoting, or they choose to ignore facts, or they do not take those fact seriously. Again, none of these scenarios paint a pretty picture of their logic or their spiritual purity. I worry more for this subgroup because they aren't ignorant. They are heretical.


The core of it all is that they do not have the Truth. They believe because they want to believe, but they do not know whether what they believe is the Truth. This is a problem. This is like people who refused to believe the Earth is round hundreds of years ago. Seek the Truth. Leave the touchy feely stuff to the religious nuts.


We have to tell the truth. We should be loving and welcoming and supportive when we tell the truth. We should not be pushy and mean about it. If people refuse to listen and still want to play with fire, that’s their choice to make. At least we didn’t lie. At least we gave them the chance to make the right decision based on the correct information.


Organic unity is being united in life. We are united because our eyes and heart are all on Jesus. We follow the one and only Jesus of Nazareth, and because we are all connected to the Jesus, we are all connected to each other, contributing to the whole with our individual talents. Jesus said we are all different body parts of the same body. We all bring something different to the table; we are all just as important.


Organizational conformity is often being united in knowledge. Man’s knowledge can be flawed because man is flawed. When we read the Bible and do not seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can easily draw the wrong conclusions. Different denominations arise because of this, and this is very sad to see. Each denomination usually has certain rituals that have to be done, certain rules that have to be followed. This is just like what the Pharisees did back in Jesus’ day. And what did Jesus tell them? Be circumcised of the HEART, not of the flesh. Jesus came and fulfilled the Law. He showed that there are no rules or rituals that stand between us and Jesus. We just have to open our heart to Jesus, and we will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, who will seal our salvation and our eternal life with God. That is it. No rules. No rituals. Organizations that demand this and this should be careful that they are not falling to heresy. Jesus did it all on the cross. “It is done,” He said. To add anything to what Jesus has already finished, that’s prideful and worse, heretical.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_unity
Organic Unity is the idea that a thing is made up of interdependent parts. For example, a body is made up of its constituent organs, or a society is made up of its constituent social roles.


http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080616181412AALn54G
Organizational conformity
To me, it means that workers tend to conform to the prevailing culture of the corporation for which they work. Even if the practices and principles seem to be somewhat nefarious, but lawful, workers will tend to conform to those corporate mores, as long as that check keeps rolling in. And, they can rationalize their conformity by ruminating that they are supporting the overall good of the group, even though their personal ethical tenets are compromised to a degree.


We should be united in Jesus of Nazareth. We may differ about the details that the Bible do not directly address, but we need to be united. We needed because our enemy is not each other. Our enemy is Satan.




Ephesians 4:4-6
Christians should be united in the following ways: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Eph 4:4 one hope. Has different aspects (e.g., 1:5, 10; 2:7), but it is still one hope, tied to the glorious future of Christ, in which all believers share.




Ephesians 4:9–16
Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.


The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers help build up the body of Christ so that 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 (Ephesians 4:11-13).


Everyone is given his/her own talent to accomplish his/her mission that Jesus place upon them.


1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.


We are unique because we each bring something different to the body of Christ. When we work together to the glory of God, we are one in the body of Christ. Some may be better at teaching, some may be better at doing, some may be better at administering. Whatever we are good at, whatever talent we have, we received from Jesus. It is our mission to use our talent to do God’s work.


The first thing we should do is discover what that talent is. And then, though we will be challenged, we can move forward confidently knowing that God will not give us over to challenges that we cannot handle.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Eph 4:11 It was he who gave. The quotation from Ps 68 has its ultimate meaning when applied to Christ as the ascended Lord, who himself has given gifts. apostles. Mentioned here because of their role in establishing the church (see 2:20). For qualifications of the initial group of apostles see Ac 1:21-22; see also notes on Mk 6:30; Ro 1:1; 1Co 1:1; Heb 3:1. In a broader sense, Paul was also an apostle (see 1:1).prophets. People to whom God made known a message for his people that was appropriate to their particular need or situation (see Ac 11:27; 1Co 12:10 and notes).evangelists. See Ac 21:8; 1Co 1:17. While the other gifted people helped the church grow through edification, the evangelists helped the church grow by augmentation. Since the objective mentioned in v. 12 is "to prepare God's people for works of service,: we may assume that evangelists, among their various ministries, helped other Christian in their testimony. pastors and teachers. Because of the Greek grammatical construction (also, the word "some" introduced both words together), it is clear that these groups of gifted people are closely related. Those who have pastoral care for God's people (the image is that of shepherding) will naturally provide "food" from the Scriptures (teaching). They will be especially gifted as teachers (cf. 1Ti 3:2).




Building Up Other Christians
Always be encouraging and supportive. We are all human, and we make mistakes. Sometimes, we fall. And when we do, it hurts enough that we have fallen, we really don’t need other people pointing fingers at us, making us feel even worse. What we need is a helping hand. A hand to help us get up, a hand to help us move forward, a hand to help guide us back to God.


It is very easy for us to judge. It is very easy to compare other people to ourselves and take delight in how much better we are than other people. When we see other people do something wrong, it is very easy for us to go, “That is just unacceptable. I am a much better person because I would never do something like that.” People who think like that generally don’t see themselves making mistakes ever. They never stop to think, "Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe I do things that people would look at me and judge me for it." Or, if they DO think about these things, they usually wave it away by saying, “Well, they are stupid and judgmental. They obviously don’t know what a great person I am, and they are stupid for jumping to conclusions.”


Bottom line, prideful people see only other people’s mistakes and never their own. And if they do make mistakes, they never apologize for it, because they always blame it on other people. “I only made this mistake because you didn’t do this and that.”


The problem is, this isn’t helpful for anyone. It makes everyone else around that prideful person miserable. People who are still faltering can’t get up, and the prideful people aren't helping nor are they growing. We should therefore be willing to just be out there and be encouraging. Help people up, and help them move forward. Jesus never scorned people. Never. He always helped. He was always just there to love and to support. He still is.




Ephesians 4:13-14
The goal of each Christian is to be united in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. To not just know Jesus but to mature until we are like Jesus. Once we attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, we will be able to stand strong in our believes, no longer like infants who cannot withstand thrashing waves and winds. We will also be able to discern the deceptions of Satan and evil man and stand strong against their tricks.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Eph 4:13 until. Expresses not merely duration but also purpose. unity. Carries forward the ideal of vv.1-6. in the faith. Here "faith" refers to the Christians' common conviction about Christ and the doctrines concerning him, as the following words make clear (cf. also "the apostles' teaching" in Ac 2:42). knowledge of the Son of God. Unity is not just a matter of a loving attitude or religious feeling, but of truth and a common understanding about God's Son. mature ... fullness of Christ. Not the maturity of doctrinal conviction just mentioned, nor a personal maturity that includes the ability to relate well to other people (cf. vv. 2-3), but the maturity of the perfectly balanced character of Christ.


* Eph 4:14 infants. Contrast the maturity of v. 13 (cf. 1Co 3:1).tossed. The nautical imagery pictures the instability of those who are not strong Christians (cf. Jas 1:6). teaching. Then, as now, there were many distorted teachings and heresies that would easily throw the immature off course. cunning ... craftiness ... deceitful scheming. Sometimes those who try to draw people away from the Christian faith are not innocently misguided but deliberately deceitful and evil (cf. 1Ti 4:1-2).




Colossians 2:4-8
We should continue to live in Jesus, to be rooted in Jesus, and to mature in the likeness of Jesus.


When we stand in front of God on Judgment Day, God isn’t going to measure us against other people. He isn’t going to say, well, you are better than 80% of the people, so you will get this and this. No. He will measure you against yourself. He will say, I have given you this much talent, and He will look at how much you were able to do with that amount of talent (Matthew 25:14-30).


In God’s eyes, it is not enough to be better than other people. The only thing good enough is perfection, and frankly, NO HUMAN IS PERFECT. Only Jesus was. This is why only through Jesus, are we declared righteous. So, stop comparing ourselves with other people. Who cares? God doesn’t. Compare ourselves against Jesus. Jesus is God’s only measure of perfection. And if God is the judge, then we’d better use His standards.


How to speak the truth
Always pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my choice of words. I need to speak the truth, but I need to do it in a loving and supportive way. I should not be impatient or judgmental, but I need to speak the truth so that those who hear it can make the right decision based on the correct information.


How to speak the truth in love
We need to know that God is the only one who is perfectly just and righteous to judge. Our sins are forgiven, but we are still sinners. It’s always easier to point fingers at other people than to point those fingers at ourselves. So, before we readily say, “Well, you are a horrible person,” we need to remember how Jesus died on the cross. He didn’t say to us, “You humans are such imperfect beings. You are disgusting and hateful. I have committed no crime, and yet, you are ready to crucify me just because you don’t like to hear what I have to say.” No. Instead, Jesus PRAYED for us. He prayed that God would forgive us because we know not what we were doing. And that’s the heart we should have when we are sharing the Truth with others. We are not here to condemn. We are simply here to tell the Truth. We tell the Truth because we love the people, and we want to see them be safe. That’s what Jesus did for us. And that’s what we should do for others.


How to grow up into Christ in all things.
When our heart follows Jesus, we should be changed inside out. Our view of the world starts to change. Before Christ, we may put a lot of emphasis on making money or climbing the corporate ladder. After Christ, we know that our priority is not to build a life of luxury on Earth. By following Christ, our eternal life is sealed in Him, and our glory will be with Him and to rule with Him as kings and priests – So, who cares about earthly goods, anyway? Hence, once we are followers of Christ, we shift from being focused on ourselves to others. We know our mission is to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins, and that is our number one priority in life as a Christian. We do not preach this Truth because we have to or because we are supposed to. We preach this Truth because we share God’s heart. We love the people around us, and we simply cannot see them being taken advantage of by Satan. We preach this truth because we love them so much, we want to pull them away from Satan.


How to be one of the joints of Christ’s body that helps build up the whole
Joints are places where body parts are connected. To be one of the joints of Christ’s body is therefore to be someone who unites as opposed to someone who divides. To promote unity, we should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Always speak the truth, but be supportive and loving in spirit.




Ephesians 4:17–5:21


As Christians, we should put off the following:


- Do not live in the futility of thinking; do not have a hardened heart, for that blinds us from the truth, leading us to ignorance (Ephesians 4:17-18)


- Do not give ourselves over to sensuality, to indulge in impurity with lust for more (Ephesians 4:19)


- Put off our old self that was corrupted by deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22)


- Put off falsehood (Ephesians 4:25)


- Do not sin in our anger; deal with our anger swiftly, and don’t let it sit. Otherwise, this will give Satan to come between us and God, to pull us away from God (Ephesians 4:26-27)


- Stop sinning; instead, do something useful with our hands, to share with those in need (Ephesians 4:28)


- Do not say destructive words (Ephesians 4:29)


- Do not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)


- Forbid sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or greed (Ephesians 5:3)


- Avoid obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking (Ephesians 5:4)


- Let no one deceive us with empty words, because God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Do not be partners with those who are disobedient (Ephesians 5:6-7)


- Avoid darkness (Ephesians 5:11)


- Do not get drunk on wine (Ephesians 5:18)


We should put on the following things:


- Be renewed in our thinking (Ephesians 4:23)


- Put on our new self, created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24)


- Speak truthfully (Ephesians 4:25)


- Speak words that are helpful for building others up as they need it, words that benefit the listener (Ephesians 4:29)


- Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and all forms of malice (Ephesians 4:31)


- Be kind and compassionate; forgive others, just as Christ did for us (Ephesians 4:32)


- Be imitators of God; live a life of love (Ephesians 5:1-2)


- Be thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:4)


- Live as children of light and please the Lord (Ephesians 5:9-10)


- Expose darkness (Ephesians 5:11)


- Be careful how we live; live wisely, making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15-16)


- Understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:17)


- Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)


- Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music in our heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19)


- Give thanks to God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20)


- Submit to others out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21)




Ephesians 5:22–6:9
Every relationship begins with our submission to Christ (Ephesians 5:21). As we follow Jesus, we learn how to love others the way Jesus loved us.


Husbands learn how to lead as Jesus leads; wives learn how to respect and support her husband in a Godly way.
Children learn to obey their parents with respect; parents learn to bring up their children in the Word of God as opposed to leading them down the wrong way.


In the workplace, we are to respect our superiors with sincerity of our heart, just as we would obey Jesus. Even if we don’t like them or think, "They are stupid," we need to remember that God put EVERYONE on Earth. God has a plan for EVERYONE. Therefore, respect everyone because they, too, are children of God. Additionally, be honest in the work that we do. Do our jobs well, even if our superiors are away. Do our jobs wholeheartedly, because we are here to do God’s work, not work of men. Superior is only a term of job position, not personal status. In the eyes of God, all humans are equal. Hence, superiors are to treat their workers as equals.


In regards to Ephesians 5:22-25, I have written the following articles:
http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-iii-men-and-marriage.html
http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2012/02/christian-marriage-iv-respectful-wife.html


If the above principles were kept by all, there will be peace. There will be no power struggle. There will be harmony. There will be love.