Ephesians 4:11-32 -- Towards Christian Maturity

Verse by Verse Commentary of the Letter to the Ephesians

"Paul now developed implications of the church’s life as the body of Christ. The risen Christ is pictured as giving gifted persons to the church to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…Some are given to the body for special purposes. Who are these gift-persons? Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastor-teachers, and what is their calling? They are to “prepare God’s people for works of service”. Leaders are not to “do” the work of the ministry; leaders are to prepare the laity to minister."

"It is here that we have missed the implications of the body portrait, and developed congregational patterns that deny rather than express what the church is. All too often, leaders are hired by a congregation to do the “work of the ministry”. The pastor is expected to teach, evangelize, counsel, visit the sick, pray with the discouraged, and add members to the church. If the church grows in size, it is taken as an indication that the local congregation is healthy and the minister is “doing his job”. If the church fails to grow or the budget is not met, the one to blame is the minister – he was hired to do a job and appears to be failing."

"How different is this view from the Bible! In a living organism, every cell contributes. The body’s health depends on each member fulfilling its special function. When we miss this…we have lost sight of who we are."

"The first ministry of believers is to other believers. It is vital that we “grow up into Him” if we are to be a valid expression of Jesus in this world. The whole body “grows and build itself up in love, as each part does its work”. This focus on building one another up is not selfish. It is essential. Only as we grow toward maturity together can we respond fully to Jesus as He directs us to serve in the world."   (from Bob Damon’s Ephesians Commentary, pg 20, 21).

The Body is Knit Together for God's Glory

Ephesians 4

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 

¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 

¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

• Christ is seen here actually “giving” certain believers to the church for specific callings. Men throughout history have been raised for the church.
• Philippians 2:1-8   Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross…

¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

• Without knowledge, you will become a victim of deceptive philosophies and false teachings.

¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ

• Truth in love. Truth without love is brutality, Love without truth is hypocrisy.
• Truth unites, lies divide. Love unites, selfishness divides.
• Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

• If we focus on maturing Christians, then work will get done. Sending spiritually immature members to do the job is sending ill-equipped people to do the job! This is greatest failing of the church today – to prepare its members to reach the world for Christ.
• Maturing members of the body to do good works is what ultimately causes the growth of the body. “Well fed sheep multiply”

Serve One Another in Love

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love. In every New Testament passage that teaches that the church is a body, we also find an emphasis on the loving relationships that are to develop between believers. It is through living with one another in love that ministry opportunities are created and ministry takes place."

"(Now, a different view of a healthy church emerges) The Ephesian’s description of a life of love helps us define the characteristics of a healthy local church today. We have already seen that a local congregation must have a biblical understanding of ministry – (that leaders are equippers, each member is a minister, the church pays close attention to maturing and building believers up in Christ, and seeks to help individuals and groups to serve as Christ leads them)." (from Bob Damon’s Ephesians Commentary, pg 22, 23).

¹⁷This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 

¹⁸having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 

¹⁹who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

• 1 Corinthians 3:18-20  Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
• Philosophy ultimately is meaningless; it never prevented a war or made someone holy. “Seekers of truth” never seem to find it, or don’t want to.

²⁰But you have not so learned Christ, 

²¹if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 

²²that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 

²³and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 

²⁴and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

• You have been “re-made”, but it is a choice your mind must make whether to accept this or to return to old habits and thought patterns.

²⁵Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 

²⁶“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 

²⁷nor give place to the devil.

• Don’t be a love-less truth giver. Don’t be a hypocritical truth avoider.
• We are not to ever lie to one another, that means we must be faithful.
• Anger makes room for more sin.

²⁸Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

• Surely I don't steal!  What about delinquent payables? Written off credit card debts? Student loans that were never paid?

²⁹Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

• Let no corrupt word. This may be less than obvious…what about gossip? What about unkind opinions offered? What about jumping to conclusions?
• Jokes in poor taste reveal a Christian’s maturity level.
• If you can grieve something, then it must have “feelings” and must be a Person, therefore the Holy Spirit here is described as a person.

³¹Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 

³²And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Application Questions

• What is the purpose of spiritual gifts? 
• What results from gifted believers who use these gifts to edify the church?
• How should believers speak to one another?
• Should Christians become partners with non-Christians?

Which vices does Paul specifically cite we should get rid of?

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Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.