Ephesians 4 Verses 1 to 6 A Walk That Is Worthy February 16, 2025, Lesson 7 The Immeasurable Love of Christ Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

• Isaiah 40:31 (NASB95)

Yet those who wait for the LORD

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

• 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NASB95)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

• John 1:12 (NASB95)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

Main Idea:

• We should live our lives in a certain way because of our new birth.

Study Aim:

• To understand that every step we make takes us toward our destination of becoming more like Jesus.

Create Interest:

• Before we begin this chapter, let us again remind ourselves that the central thought of the letter is that Jesus has brought to a disunited world the way to unity. This way is through faith in him, and it is the Church’s task to proclaim this message to all the world. And now Paul turns to the character the Christian must have if the Church is to fulfil her great task of being Christ’s instrument of universal reconciliation between man and man, and man and God within the world.

Lesson in Historical Context:

• Chapter 4 begins what often is referred to as the ethical or practical section of the epistle. If chapters 1–3 provide the theological basis for Christian unity, then chapters 4–6 contain the practical instruction for its maintenance. Unity has been established (the indicative); now it becomes the duty of the believers to strengthen and maintain unity in their fellowship (the imperative).

• This generalization does not mean that chapters 4–6 are devoid of theological content. The division of the epistle into such broad categories is somewhat misleading, because, as in the case of Colossians, the apostle throughout his epistles frequently combines theological and ethical statements. In Ephesians, the moral teaching is based upon what has been said in the earlier chapters (1–3) but also grows out of new theological concerns, particularly with respect to the unity of the church.

• It has been suggested that the main theme in Ephesians is unity—a unity that has been affected by the reconciling work of Christ who has united all things in heaven and earth (1:10) and who has brought Jews and Gentiles together into the church. The apostle now exhorts his readers to maintain that unity in their personal, domestic, social, and ecclesiastical lives.

• In the opening exhortation (4:1–3), he immediately draws attention to his main concern: The readers need to manifest those virtues characterizing their new life in Christ that “keep the unity of the Spirit” (4:3). This admonition is followed by a list of all the unifying elements of the church (4:4–6), which, in turn, are given further application throughout the remaining chapters.

• Christian doctrine and deeds are inseparable.

o What we believe affects the quality and character of our lives as believers.

o What we do becomes an expression of what we believe.

• Earlier in the letter Paul had taught that redemption had been made available to all people though Christ. Thereby, each believer became a new person.

• Paul considered what that meant when applied to personal living. He began, however, not with individual application but with the implications living for Christ had on group relationships. The body—the church—is made up of individuals in relationship to one another.

o If the body is to be united in nature, purpose, and function, those who make up the body need to be accepting of one another, make concerted efforts to guard and maintain the unity of the fellowship, and continue to build on the oneness of God through whom they have become one.

• Unity is not uniformity. Unity comes from within and is a spiritual grace, while uniformity is the result of pressure from without. Paul used the human body as a picture of Christian unity (1 Cor. 12), and he adapts the same illustration here in this section (Eph. 4:13–16). Each part of the body is different from the other parts, yet all make up one body and work together.

Bible Study:

Ephesians 4:1–4 (NASB95)

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

• Without chapters 1–3, chapters 4–6 lead only to frustration, legalism, and rebellion. That’s why Paul uses the word therefore. “In light of all you have, in light of all that’s been done, in light of all you are in Christ Jesus,” he says, “Walk worthy.”…………. How?............… Read on.

• Vs. 1: I, therefore. In view of the great and glorious truths which God has revealed, and of the grace which he has manifested towards you who are Gentiles. (See the previous chapters). The sense of the word “therefore”—οὖν—in this place, is,

o “Such being your exalted privileges; since God has done so much for you; since he has revealed for you such a glorious system; since he has bestowed on you the honor of calling you into his kingdom, and making you partakers of his mercy, I entreat you to live in accordance with these elevated privileges, and to show your sense of his goodness by devoting your all to his service.”

o The force of the word “I,” they would all feel. It was the appeal and exhortation of the founder of their church—of their spiritual father—of one who had endured much for them, and who was now in bonds on account of his devotion to the welfare of the Gentile world.—

• The prisoner of the Lord. It means, that he was now a prisoner, or in confinement in the cause of the Lord; and he regarded himself as having been made a prisoner because the Lord had so willed and ordered it. He did not feel particularly that he was the prisoner of Nero; he was bound and kept because the Lord willed it, and because it was in his service

• The word “implore” indicates that God, in love, urges us to live for His glory. He does not say, as He did to the Old Testament Jews, “If you obey Me, I will bless you.” Rather, He says, “I have already blessed you—now, in response to My love and grace, obey Me.” He has given us such a marvelous calling in Christ; now it is our responsibility to live up to that calling.

• Paul exhorted them to walk (live a life) worthy of their calling.

o Thus on the basis of what Paul wrote in chapters 1–3 he implored them to walk worthily. The word “worthy” (axiōs) means “equal weight”; one’s calling and conduct should be in balance.

o “The calling” refers not only to believers’ salvation (cf. Rom. 1:5–6; 1 Cor. 1:9) but also to their union in one body.

o Therefore a Christian’s conduct concerns both his personal life and his responsibility to other believers in the church.

• I have found that most Christians believe they are the initiators in spiritual life, feeling that if they can just pray enough, do enough, and be enough, God will love them and bless them. So they try to walk worthy—but sooner or later, they fail and throw in the towel.

• Our Christian walk is not something we do to try to earn God’s favor or merit His love. Rather, it is a response to how He loves us, what He’s done for us, and how good He’s already been to us.

o We love Him, the apostle John said, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). He is the Initiator, we the responders. We don’t love Him so He’ll love us. We love Him because He first loved us.

• Any parent who would try to teach his child to walk before the child learned to sit would be headed for frustration. So, too, if you try to get your kids to walk spiritually before they understand where they are seated in Christ, they’ll rebel.

• But if you remind your kids what the Lord has done for them and how He loves them—that they are seated with Him in heavenly places, and that there’s nothing they can do to make Him love them less—watch and see how they will begin to walk with Him

What did Paul urge the Ephesians to do? (4:1)

Thought to Soak on the “calling” in Verses 1 and 4.

• He isn’t referring here to the specific ‘calling’ or ‘vocation’ that different Christians have—this one to be a teacher, that one to run a small business, someone else to be a nurse, and so on.

o He is referring to the even more basic ‘calling’ of the gospel itself, summoning people to believe in Jesus as the risen Lord and king and to give him complete and undivided allegiance for the rest of their lives.

• A key part of this calling is the Christian hope, which works like this.

o Because King Jesus has conquered death itself, all who give him their faithful allegiance are assured that the same victory will be theirs as well.

o This is the ‘calling’ to which they must ‘live up’. At every moment, in every decision, with every word and action, they are to be aware that the call to follow Jesus the Messiah, and give him their complete loyalty, takes precedence over everything else.

• In particular, this must lead them back again and again to celebrate their unity, to maintain and guard it. They are, after all, members of the same body and sharers in the same spirit. They possess the same hope. Above all, they have the same Lord, the same faith, the same baptism, and the same God—the true God, the sovereign one, who stands over against all other gods and goddesses as the rising sun does to man-made candles and torches.

• Without God’s calling, without His choosing us, our choosing Him would be futile. In fact, if God did not call men to Himself no man would want to come to Him, because the natural man—every natural man—is at enmity with God (Rom. 8:7).

• The marvelous truth of the gospel is that God not only sent His Son to provide the way of salvation (Rom. 5:8) but that He sent Him to seek the lost in order to save them (Luke 19:10). God was not content simply to make salvation available. He has called the redeemed elect to Himself.

• That is why our calling is a high calling, a “heavenly calling” (Heb. 3:1), and “a holy calling” (2 Tim. 1:9). And that is why the faithful, responsive Christian is determined to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

Ephesians 4:1–4 (NASB95)

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

• Vs. 2: If we are going to preserve the “unity of the Spirit,” we must possess the necessary Christian qualities. Let’s look at each and soak on what we learn privately evaluating ourselves and asking God to develop those qualities within us.

Humility

• The first of the Christian qualities/virtues is humility comes from self-knowledge. Bernard said of it, “It is the virtue by which a man becomes conscious of his own unworthiness, in consequence of the truest knowledge of himself.”

• To face oneself is the most humiliating thing in the world. Most of us dramatize ourselves. And true humility comes when we face ourselves and see our weakness, our selfishness, our failure in work and in personal relationships and in achievement.

• Christian humility comes from setting life beside the life of Christ and in the light of the demands of God.

• God is perfection and to satisfy perfection is impossible. So long as we compare ourselves with second bests, we may come out of the comparison well. It is when we compare ourselves with perfection that we see our failure.

o The Christian standard is Jesus Christ and the demands of God’s perfection—and against that standard there is no room for pride.

o Christian humility is based on the sight of self, the vision of Christ, and the realization of God.

Gentleness/Meekness

• The second of the qualities is “gentleness”. The Greek noun is praotēs, the adjective praus, and these are beyond translation by any single English word.

• Here “humility” or “meekness” marks the peacemaker who, in the face of contention, must try to soothe the bruised community relationships. Such humility in the face of potential adversity recalls Jesus’ actions (e.g., Matthew 11:29; cf. Matthew 21:5 [ praus]; 2 Corinthians 10:1). The same thought of “gentleness” in the face of potential trial is repeated in 1 Peter. Even a defense of the gospel must be done in “gentleness” (3:15)

o The man who is praus is the man who is always angry at the right time and never angry at the wrong time.

 To put that in another way, the man who is praus is the man who is kindled by indignation at the wrongs and the sufferings of others but is never moved to anger by the wrongs and the insults he himself must bear.

 So, then, the man who is (as in the Authorized Version), meek is the man who is always angry at the right time but never angry at the wrong time.

o The man who is praus is the man who has every instinct and every passion under perfect control. It would not be right to say that such a man is entirely self-controlled, for such self-control is beyond human power; but it would be right to say that such a man is God-controlled.

 Here then is the second great characteristic of the true member of the Church. He is the man who is so God-controlled that he is always angry at the right time but never angry at the wrong time.

Patience or Long-suffering

• THE third great virtue of the Christian is patience (makrothymia), a word sometimes used of steadfast endurance of suffering or misfortune (as in Jas 5:10) but more often, as is the case here, of slowness in avenging wrong or retaliating when hurt by another.

o James 5:10 (NASB95)

As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

o It is used of God’s patience with humanity (Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 3:15), and the corresponding and consequent quality that the Christian should show towards others (1 Cor. 13:4; Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 4:2).

• Patience is the spirit which bears insult and injury without bitterness and without complaint. It is the spirit which can suffer unpleasant people with graciousness and fools without irritation.

• While Paul’s instructions in verse 2 are easy to understand, they are not always easy to practice! That is why he says, in verse 3, that we must be “diligent” in this matter of Christian unity.

What three virtues foster unity among Christians? (4:2)

Tolerance in Love

• VS. 2: THE fourth great Christian quality is love. Christian love was something so new that the Christian writers had to invent a new word for it; or, at least, they had to employ a very unusual Greek word—agapē.

• In Greek there are four words for love. There is erōs, which is the love between a man and a maid and which involves sexual passion. There is philia which is the warm affection which exists between those who are very near and very dear to each other. There is storgē which is characteristically the word for family affection. And there is agapē, which the Authorized Version translates sometimes love and sometimes charity.

• The real meaning of agapē is unconquerable benevolence. If we regard a person with agapē, it means that nothing that he can do will make us seek anything but his highest good. It is God’s love for us.

• “Love” as it is used here is a word not unique to the New Testament, but distinct in definition, agapē lies at the heart of the Christian faith. In the New Testament it expresses a love that wills to initiate a relationship and show kindness and self-sacrifice regardless of whether the object of the love is worthy or even likable. Thus, it is a love that does not depend on emotional response. Rather, it is an expression of the nature and character of the one who loves.

• Because agapē reaches out to the needy, feeds the hungry, and clothes the naked, the word was later used of this kind of charity as well. But the New Testament agapē stands at the center of Christian existence. Regardless of what may happen in this life, these remain: faith, hope, and love. “But the greatest of these is agapē” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

o Though a person injure us and insult us, we will never feel anything but kindness towards him. That quite clearly means that this Christian love is not an emotional thing.

o This agapē is a thing of the will. It is the ability to retain unconquerable goodwill to the unlovely and the unlovable, towards those who do not love us, and even towards those whom we do not like.

o Agapē is that quality of mind and heart which compels a Christian never to feel any bitterness, never to feel any desire for revenge, but always to seek the highest good of every man no matter what he may be.

• Tolerating/Forbearing one another in love is the practical outworking of a patient spirit in which we go on loving and respecting others despite their faults and weaknesses.

o The main intention of Paul’s discussion of these virtues is not to set forth a pattern of behavior toward men in general. He is concerned with the inevitable tensions and conflicts which arise in the Christian community. Beare concludes, “The harmony within the fellowship, which is the forerunner of universal harmony, can be maintained only in the measure that all Christians practice the virtues mentioned.

here.”

How should Christians conduct themselves toward each other? Why? (4:2–6)

Ephesians 4:1–4 (NASB95)

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

Peace

• Vs. 3: These four great qualities of the Christian life-humility, gentleness, patience, love-issue in a fifth, peace. It is Paul’s advice and urgent request that the people to whom he is writing should eagerly preserve “the sacred oneness” which should characterize the true Church.

• Peace may be defined as right relationships between man and man. This oneness, this peace, these right relationships can be preserved only in one way.

o Every one of the five great Christian virtues depends on the obliteration of self. So long as self is at the center of things, this oneness can never fully exist.

o In a society where self predominates, men cannot be other than a disintegrated collection of individualistic and warring units.

o But when self dies, and Christ springs to life within our hearts, then comes the peace, the oneness, which is the great hallmark of the true Church.

• The purpose for walking worthy is onefold—unity. Believers are to work at keeping the peace so that they can stay bound together in the unity of God’s Spirit. Jesus Christ has broken down all walls and barriers existing between men. At his crucifixion, the temple vail was torn from top to bottom!

• Every person is precious in the sight of God. When a person approaches God through Jesus Christ, he comes like everyone else: on the same ground and on the same level. He is no better and no worse than anyone else: he is a man who stands in need of God’s forgiveness; and he, along with everyone else, is bowing before Christ and accepting Him as his Lord and Master.

o Each person, just like everyone else, is subjecting himself to become the servant of Christ. Wealth, position, social status are all forgotten. The only thing that matters is the salvation and life which Christ offers.

• The point is this: when a person comes to Christ in such a spirit, the Spirit of God enters his life and binds the person to all other believers. There is a great spiritual bond of peace wrought by the Spirit of God between all believers. All divisiveness, differences, and prejudices are set aside; and a spirit of love, peace, and unity exists.

• Within the church there is a prevailing spirit of peace wrought by God’s Spirit.

o 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NASB95)

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Ephesians 4:4–6 (NASB95)

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

• There is one body and one Spirit: We have unity because of what we share in common. In Jesus we share one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father.

o As noted before on pages 5-6 of these notes: The “calling” refers not only to believers’ salvation (cf. Rom. 1:5–6; 1 Cor. 1:9) but also to their union in one body.

• Each of these common areas is greater than any potential difference.

• One baptism: Some think that because Paul says there is one baptism that the idea of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a subsequent experience is invalid. But Paul only spoke here of the baptism by water which is the visible token of God’s common work in every believer, and thus a basis of unity. There aren’t separate baptisms for Jew and Gentile.

• The concept of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is spoken of clearly in Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:5 and 11:16. This is considered an initial (and sometimes dramatic) experience one has with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a presence of God’s Spirit throughout a person’s Christian life.

o Hebrews 13:5–6 (NASB95)

5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”

6 so that we confidently say,

“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.

WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

How is Christian unity related to the nature of God? (4:4–6)

In closing I submit the following posted my Dr. Jim Denison in his Daily Article 2-7-2025. He does a great job and giving us parting thoughts to apply our lesson.

• One of the best-known concepts within Christianity is the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in Galatians 5: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

o However, something that often gets lost in translation is that the “fruit” of which Paul writes is singular rather than plural. In English, we use the same word for both, but the Greek is more specific.

• It’s important to understand that when Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, he’s describing a single, unified concept rather than several individual characteristics because, for most of us, some of these qualities come more naturally than others.

o As such, it’s often tempting to think that being faithful and kind can make up for the times when we lack gentleness and self-control.

o By the same token, having joy and peace in the good times does not make up for a failure to love and be patient when our circumstances grow more difficult.

 In short, we can never be good enough at any of these qualities to compensate for a deficiency with others. God expects us to grow in each and to recognize that change is needed when we fail to do so.

• Fortunately, Paul is also clear that these are not the fruit of effort or discipline—though both do play an important part. Rather, he calls them the fruit of the Spirit because it is the Holy Spirit who helps them grow in our lives as we walk with the Lord.

o So how is your walk with God today? Are there any areas where you’ve failed to heed his conviction or tried to compensate for your sins rather than address them?

• Take a moment to ask the Lord to help you understand the real answers to those questions, then respond accordingly.

o Every Christian should exhibit the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that Scripture describes. The Holy Spirit will guide these in your lives if allowed.

Soaking Questions as you go your way:

• What one quality would you like to develop in your character?

• Why did Paul stress the theme of Christian unity to the Ephesians?

• What is God’s prescription for unity among believers?

• How does the Spirit help you maintain the “bond of peace” with others in your church?

• What is your responsibility to help others in the body of Christ?

• How do you need to show humility, gentleness, and patience in dealing with a difficult relationship this week?

• What service can you offer another church member to help build up the body of Christ?