An Exegesis of Ephesians 4

An Exegesis of Ephesians 4

Ephesians the 4th chapter was written by the Apostle Paul, circa A.D. 60 to the church at Ephesus. During this time, Paul was imprisoned in Rome. The central theme of the chapter is to define the purpose of the church and explain the each individual's relationship to the body of Christ.

(v1)Paul begins by urging us to live a life worthy of the calling that we have received. The Amplified Bible interprets it as walking worthy of our divine calling. The Greek word for calling or vocation (as it is in the KJV) is klesis which is derived from the word kaleo - to invite. A combination of both interpretations leads me to believe that our calling is a divine invitation. This means that we cannot be called by our parents, our friends, or our pastors no matter how often they tells us that they think we should teach or preach the gospel. We cannot be called by ourselves either. Our calling comes from God, and God alone.

While walking in our calling we are admonished to be humble, patient, and to deal with each other in love. We are to do this to maintain the spirit of unity or oneness. There is one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God of all. The Greek word for one is heis, also the root word for unity, which is henotes -meaning unanimity.

Although we are all one and called to live in unity with one another each of us was given a different measure of grace from Christ Jesus. In that grace, He has bestowed upon each of us different gifts for use in the body. Some of us are called to be messengers or delegates of God (apostles), some to interpret the oracles or hidden things of God (prophets), some to bring good tidings, more specifically the gospel, to others (evangelists), some to shepherd God's people (pastors), and others to teach concerning the things of God and the duties of man (teachers). All of these offices work together for the perfecting of the saints. The word perfecting comes from the Greek word katartizo, which means to mend, to equip, or to strengthen, among other things. As we all operate in our callings the body of Christ will be edified or built up. The end result will be all of us being unified in faith and in knowledge, reaching fullness in/of Christ. What is interesting here is the Greek word for fullness, which is pleroma. One of definitions of pleroma is that which fills or with which a thing is filled. As we all mature in the faith and knowledge of God we will be filled by Christ and can become perfect through this