◄ Ephesians 4 Devotional Commentary ►
Ephesians 4:1
The manifold riches of God's grace towards His children sparkle like a myriad of shining stars throughout the book of Ephesians, reaching into the heavenlies as, verse by verse, we are shown more of the gracious provision that God has poured out, without measure, over the heads of all who trust in the Lord Jesus as Saviour.
For three whole chapters, Paul rehearses all the amazing benefits that God has, in His grace, showered on read more...
Ephesians 4:2
Having spent three wonderful chapters on our position in Christ and our Christian calling as children of God, Paul exhorts us to walk worthy of that great calling. He beautifully balances doctrinal truth with the duty and responsibility we have of being in Christ.
Having detailed the wealth of our spiritual blessings, which God has freely bestowed upon all who are in Christ, we are beseeched by Paul to walk worthy of that calling read more...
Ephesians 4:3
Paul knew that unity in the Body of Christ can be threatened from without and destroyed from within. False doctrine and distorted scriptural truths can invade the Church, and trivial dissensions and petty disputes can also be a destructive element that causes disunity. Christ earnestly prayed for unity (note: not uniformity) before He died: "That they may be one..."
Paul calls us all to be like-minded, having unity in the read more...
Ephesians 4:4
In His final High Priestly prayer, the Lord Jesus prayed that we would be one, even as He and His Father were One - united together with a single focus and a singular resolve, joined as one in our fellowship with God and with one another, and standing firm on the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ.
It is those that are walking worthy of their calling in Christ who are lowly of heart, gentle in spirit, long suffering in body, read more...
Ephesians 4:5
The first three chapters in the book of Ephesians, should fill our hearts with joy and cause us to break forth into songs of praise for they outline our divine election and our secure position in Christ, while the last three chapters give an overview of godly living and examine what should be our practice in the Lord.
It is here in the early verses of chapter 4, that Paul makes an appeal for Christian harmony and the fellowship of read more...
Ephesians 4:6
As members of the Church, we are to live a life that is worthy of our calling. We are to clothe ourselves in humility before God our Father, and we are to walk in the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace. And in this passage, we are given the many elements of unity that are ours in Christ Jesus - our one and only Lord and Saviour.
The universal Church of believers is one Body which is in-dwelt by the same Holy Spirit of God. read more...
Ephesians 4:7
As God's blood-bought children we are called into union with Christ, identified with His righteousness, seated with Him in heavenly places, and exhorted to live and walk in a manner that is worthy of the divine calling with which we have all been called.
Our behaviour should be such that it honours God and gives credit to the position of read more...
Ephesians 4:8
We read in this passage that when Jesus rose from the dead: "He ascended into the heaven of heavens on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men." There are a number of interpretations of this passage from good Bible teachers and each have merit, and each give glory and honour to Christ.
Every good expositor read more...
Ephesians 4:9
Paul is a good teacher, in that he not only encourages and corrects those he is teaching but also reiterates important facts for emphasis and seeks to clarify Old Testament quotations. He explains the meaning of hard words or phrases and provides clarity when giving instruction or when something may be misinterpreted, ambiguous, or difficult to understand.
The apostle was writing to the Ephesian believers from his prison cell and read more...
Ephesians 4:11
Having spent three glorious chapters outlining who we are in Christ, Paul turns His attention to grounds for unity within the Church. He reminds us that there is one Body of believers (the Body of Christ), one Holy Spirit Who indwells and seals each believer, one hope of our calling which is reserved for us in heaven, and one Lord, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
There is also one faith with a settled body of doctrine that is clearly read more...
Ephesians 4:12
How clearly and logically Paul sets out his epistle to the Ephesians. For the first three chapters, he praises God for our redemption through the shed blood of Christ. He rejoices in the spiritual blessings we have received, through faith in Him. He reminds us that our salvation is an act of God's goodness and grace, and that we are God's workmanship - created in Christ Jesus to do the good works that He has prepared for us to do.
read more...
Ephesians 4:13
It only takes a single moment to be justified in the sight of God. It happens when we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ our Saviour, but from that moment onwards, we begin the lifelong process of progressive sanctification.
Christian re-birth happens as a onetime event which takes place in a moment of time. However, the process of sanctification will not cease: "Until we all come to the harmonious read more...
Ephesians 4:15
Paul explains that the gifts of the Spirit should not be abused for self-satisfaction, nor should they be used to indulge in ungodly, emotional experiences. The gifts of the Spirit are given to help equip other believers in their spiritual service, to edify the Body of Christ, and to help to perfect each member of the Church for the particular ministry to which God has called them.
He adds that the ultimate goal is to bring all read more...
Ephesians 4:16
Paul lays out a clear picture of the make-up and function of the Body of Christ in his epistle to the Ephesians. He discusses the unity of the saints and the importance of thinking of others as better than ourselves. We are to speak the truth in love and hold fast to the Word of God.
Paul talks about the great diversity within the Body of Christ and the spiritual gifts and graces that each believer receives... according to the read more...
Ephesians 4:18
As children of God and joint heirs with Christ, the conduct that is expected of all members of the Body of Christ, is clearly laid out in the later chapters of Ephesians, and Paul implores us to walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called.
We are to walk in unity of spirit and humility of heart... with gentleness and patience. We are to endeavour to pursue the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace, and are read more...
Ephesians 4:19
For the first part of his book, Paul lays out the secure position in Christ of a believer. He praises God for our blessings and gives thanks to the Lord for His supernatural power in our lives, which is manifest in our great salvation.
He rejoices in our positional union in Christ and details the mystery of the Church, which had been hidden for ages and generations, but which the Lord permitted him to share with believers, which read more...
Ephesians 4:21
Paul frequently contrasts what we were before we were Christians, to what we have become since we first believed. He reminds us that although we were children of darkness, we are now children of light. Although we were dead in our sins, we are now alive in Christ.
Because we were taught the mystery of the gospel and believed in Christ Jesus as our Saviour, our position in Christ and our eternal inheritance is secured for us in read more...
Ephesians 4:22
Becoming a Christian does not simply mean we changed our minds, but changed our entire citizenship and way of living. When we are born again, the Spirit makes us totally different beings with a new and beautiful focus. We were freed from the eternal slavery of a system that had corrupted us by means of deceitful lusts, and which promised unattainable joy. We are changed from being dead in sin to being made and alive in Christ. We are given into the glories of read more...
Ephesians 4:23
Like begets like, flesh begets flesh, and Spirit begets spirit. When we were born of fallen Adam, we were born of the flesh and received a fallen and fleshly nature. When we were born of the Holy Spirit, we received a holy and spiritual nature. When we first believed in Christ, we received a new nature, the nature of Christ. We were born into newness of life and given a regenerated spirit, a new life in Christ.
The former nature read more...
Ephesians 4:24
Having believed the truth of the gospel of Christ for salvation, an outward demonstration of a holy life should be the result of that inward regeneration through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Having been renewed in the spirit of our mind, the inner fruit of that new life in Christ should, through God's almighty power, be made manifest by a life that is righteous and holy.
The new sinless self is not a patching up of read more...
Ephesians 4:25
For three whole chapters, Paul sets out the privileges of being in Christ. He reminds us of the eternal glories that are kept in heaven for all who are in Christ Jesus, and admonishes us against living our lives in the lust of the flesh, like the unsaved Gentiles who are slaves to sin and without God in the world.
Paul calls to our remembrance that now we are children of the light who are to live our lives as unto the Lord, in read more...
Ephesians 4:26
The first three chapters of Ephesians remind us of our position in Christ and the many promises and privileges that are ours in Him, while the last three call us to live responsible lives worthy of our calling, to walk as children of the light, and to function in spirit and truth as beloved children of God and fully fledged member of the Body of Christ.
Paul calls us to spirituality, unity, and maturity, while warning against read more...
Ephesians 4:27
It is encouraging to read through the privileges and promises that are ours in Christ Jesus in the first three chapters of Ephesians, and know God is able to do abundantly above all we ask or think. But with great privilege comes great responsibility, and in chapter 4, Paul goes through the responsibilities of believers and what our daily practice should be.
At first, he makes an appeal for Christian unity in every sphere of read more...
Ephesians 4:28
Paul begins to offer practical advice on living the Christian life from the start of Ephesians, chapter 4. The previous section presents us with a panoramic understanding of who we are in Christ and the tremendous privileges that are ours by faith in Him, but once we arrive at this section, he instructs us on the correct response all believers should have to the amazing grace bestowed on us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We read more...
Ephesians 4:29
We are not simply to read God's Word and study its content in order to expand our knowledge of Scripture. We have a positive responsibility to obey His Word and apply it in our everyday life, for when we walk in the unity of the Spirit and live in holiness of heart, we mature in the faith, grow in grace, and produce the fruit of humility, patience, gentleness, and love.
From the moment we are regenerated, the old self-life is to read more...
Ephesians 4:30
Paul tells us early in Ephesians that whoever believes in Christ as Saviour, is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise when we first believe. And he builds on this truth when he tells us that we are sealed permanently until the day of redemption.
What an assurance to know that God the Holy Spirit has sealed us and will keep us sealed until Christ comes to claim us as His own. A seal is an official stamp on an important document. read more...
Ephesians 4:30
We have been bought with a price and received the life of Christ, but too often we allow the old sin nature to surface in our lives, and Paul warns that allowing sin to take control in our hearts rather than the new life in Christ, causes the indwelling Spirit (Who has sealed us unto the day of redemption), to be grieved and distressed.
Paul lists those things that grieve God: lying, anger, stealing, corrupt speak, and bitterness. read more...
Ephesians 4:31
One of the most pervasive sins which too often feeds our fleshly attitudes and appetite is bitterness. Bitterness is often the root of many emotional outbursts and is too often birthed by a smothering resentment against the injustice or unfairness of another or due to problematic circumstances. Some of these circumstances may be real while others may be perceived, some of these circumstances may have been avoidable, and others unavoidable.
read more...
Ephesians 4:32
Forgiveness is a matter that is dear to the heart of our compassionate God – and forgiveness paid a tremendous part in the redemption of mankind. Forgiveness of sin is what fallen man yearns for and yet is incapable of receiving, unless he comes to the foot of the Cross and is washed clean by the blood of the Lamb, for there is no forgiveness of sins except through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Forgiveness was also read more...