Interpretive and Theological Analysis of Ephesians 4:1-6

AN INTERPRETIVE & THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

OF

EPHESIANS 4:1-6

Biblical Hermeneutics

Interpretation and Theological Analysis
The unity of the believers was a doctrine clearly taught by Jesus and embraced in the Early Church. In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed a High Priestly prayer for His disciples, emphasizing the ideal of harmony among all His followers. Then in Acts 4:32, the Christian accord for which Christ prayed was a noticeable characteristic of the Early Church. Therefore, Paul’s emphasis to many of the churches within his realm of influence throughout the region was certainly consistent with that fundamental Christian principle of that day.1 So in the context of Paul’s concern for the Body of Christ and the unity that can only be achieved by a genuine love for one another, he made his passionate appeal to the Ephesians.
V. 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. To begin this portion of his letter, Paul referred to himself as a “prisoner for the Lord,” not to garner any sympathy, but to establish his credibility for the “big ask” in this letter. By his association with imprisonment, there is a sense of the dignity regarding his apostolic office.2 So in other words, Paul was saying, “Because, I as a leader in the Church am paying such a high price for what I have taught you, then please listen to me.” The word “then” in this verse demonstrates Paul’s usual transition from doctrinal exposition into practical application. (However, he never really left theology behind; he continued to interweave it carefully throughout the balance of his letter.) Although the purpose of his letter was meant to be a persuasive argument for loving unity, the apostle spent the first half in customary epideictic rhetoric.3 Then after praising them for what they were doing well, he turned to his exhortations, employing his usual didactic style (direct teaching) rather than the narrative of the Gospels or the poetry of the Psalms. The word translated “urge” was the Greek word parakaleo. It was a compound word, para – “alongside” and kaleo – “to call.” In other words, it literally meant “called alongside.” But it was often used as a stronger term, such as “exhort, admonish, entreat, instruct, beseech, appeal, beg, and implore.”4 In fact, the NLT translates the word as “beg.” So the word “urge” accurately conveys Paul’s tone; instead of just casually suggesting that the Ephesians work toward unity, he was pressing them with the weight of his apostolic authority behind him to exert their effort on this critical issue since it was of absolute vital importance. Then the words “to live a life” come from another compound Greek word, peri – “around” and pateo – “to tread.” Peripateo literally meant to “walk around,” but not in the sense of wandering aimlessly. Quite oppositely, it meant “to conduct one’s life accordingly.”5 It could also be translated “to make use of opportunities” and “to regulate one’s life.”6 Elsewhere in the New Testament, this word was translated “behave.” The NLT translates it “to lead.” So the NIV translation is accurate, which states “to live” as with intentionality. It is also a word that Paul used frequently – seven different times in the six chapters of Ephesians.7 He also stresses this point to the church that gathered in Thessaloniki, just across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus.8 Paul urged his readers over and over to take deliberate responsibility and do not be passive. According to his insight, it takes effort (intentionality) to overcome one’s own carnal tendencies and be humble, gentle, patient, loving – all the virtues that foster Christian unity. Paul’s readers were also to live “worthily.” This word in the original Greek – axios – literally meant “ to bring up the other beam of the scales.”9 Paul insisted that there should be a balance between their profession and their practice. In other words, “practice what you preach.” No wonder the GNT translation says, “live a life that measures up to the standard God set when He called you.” The believer’s experience must measure up to the grace that he/she has received.10 Paul was saying, “You claim to be followers of Christ? Then prove it; work toward the unity of His Body.” Lastly in this power-packed verse, Paul referred to the “calling” that his readers had received – a familiar subject throughout the Pauline Corpus. That word, “calling,” or klesis in the Greek, meant “the divine summons into salvation that God gives a sinner.”11 While in English, the word “calling” can mean “occupation,” it does not mean that here. Rather, Paul’s use of this word was intended to mean that sinners were first called into salvation and then transformed into saints.12 In this context, the Ephesians were to be obedient to their heavenly calling as saints and to live saintly lives. The calling is one that they received by God’s grace; they could not have acquired it by self-effort. Interestingly, those who possessed such a “call” corporately constituted the Church, ekklesia, the “called-out company.”13 So the words klesis and ekklesia obviously share the same root translated “to call” today.
V. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. There are four virtues that the apostle lists as essential in the connection between the believers’ calling and character. They are the necessary traits to possess in order to achieve the desired end – unity. The word “humble” used here is almost exclusively Pauline; while he employed it several times in his writings, it was only used one other time in the New Testament.14 This Greek word, tapeinophrosyne, meant abject servility, slavery, even groveling.15 The word was also used in secular manuscripts to describe the Nile River at its lowest stage.16 While this word was derogatory in pagan Greek culture when used in reference to people, it was glorified in Paul’s writings. He borrowed a word usually used in other applications and made an apt spiritual function out of it.17 So the adjective in the NIV that describes this kind of humility – “completely” – is certainly appropriate. This kind of humility meant more than just a modest absence of pretention; rather, there was a sense of esteeming oneself as smaller (lower) than everyone else, which contrasted against the high-minded attitude projected by the proud heathens. It was a counter-intuitive virtue distinct to Christians. Closely linked to this extraordinary kind of humility in Paul’s recipe for unity was gentleness. In fact, the word prautes was even translated “humility” elsewhere in the New Testament.18 But with gentleness added to humility here in this verse, there is a sense of consideration of others. It is an element of restraint that denotes controlled strength, as opposed to the Greek notion of weakness. This gentleness is also a necessary trait for unity since strong personalities may exist in a local body of believers. The image created by this word is that of a powerful horse willingly under the control of its rider, gently walking and obeying the light tug of the reigns. It is an attitude of submission that must be demonstrated toward others if unity is to be achieved in the Church. Then Paul adds patience to the list. The original word, makrothumia, possesses a sense of suffering in that when others commit acts that are hurtful, the believer should not be easily provoked by them. Instead, there should be a reluctance to avenge the wrongs committed.19 No wonder the translators of the King James Version several centuries ago chose the word longsuffering. While that word does not exist in the modern-day vernacular, it certainly captures the implication of the original Greek quite adequately.20 Paul rounded off his list of the four graces necessary for unity with the words “bearing with one another.” He also used this phrase to exhort the Colossians down the Meander River from Ephesus.21 Given the sense in the original Greek of “holding up” to the quirks and shortcomings of others (anechomai), the NLT reflects the essence of tolerance well by translating it “making allowance for each other’s faults.”22 But before he transitioned to the next verse, Paul rested all of these virtues upon the foundation of love. It is only in this sphere of love that the Holy Spirit can produce in the yielded believer these four graces so that they can have any effect, especially when misunderstandings arise.23 The same kind of agape, sacrificial love that Christ exemplified on Calvary is expected of His followers.24 Notably, since living in accordance with one’s position in Christ is the believer’s gracious privilege, then the language Paul used throughout Ephesians was an appeal rather than a legalistic demand. Just as he stressed that they needed to demonstrate the virtues of humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance to one another, he led by example in his tone as he kindly addressed them. In his emphatic suggestion, Paul exercised the same such virtues so as to maintain his own unity with them.25 V. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Since the absence of the four virtues explained above may jeopardize the unity that is so imperative in the Church, Paul admonished his readers to “make every effort” or to “do your best” (GNT) in preserving it. The original Greek word that Paul employed was spoudazo, which can also mean “to make haste” or “to give diligence.”26 The strong verb suggests that a resolute determination is required to overcome a difficulty.27 Hence, Paul’s readers are pressed to exert all their powers to maintain the oneness in Christ that binds all believers to each other, although it may not come to them naturally. Thankfully, according to v. 4, believers have the help of the Holy Spirit as unity’s agent in order to bring it about; they are all one in Him anyway. This verse brings us to the absolute central word in the entire epistle – UNITY. Paul uses the word heynotes (which is derived from the word heis) and it only appears here in Ephesians. As Paul expounded further on this thought in 1 Corinthians 12, even though there is a multiplicity of gifts in the Church, there is still the necessity to maintain order and harmony in their usage.28 So the one Spirit, who is the Giver of all those gifts, is actually the One who facilitates the unity that Jesus desires.29 The GNT translation expresses it more correctly: “the unity which the Spirit gives.” But although the Spirit makes agreement (henotes) available, believers have to not only be filled with the Spirit in order for Him to do His work through them, but they also have to work at it since it does not come natural to the believer due to his/her fallen nature. In the broader context of this epistle, all believers have access to the Father in one Spirit,30 and they must continue to work at that oneness “until 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.”31 So how does Paul suggest that this unity can be attained? By the bond of peace. Just as ligaments in the human body keep all the parts “bound” together (sundesmos) as Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians 12:12, the believer’s peace (eirene) that is fostered by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) is the binding factor that preserves the unity that the Spirit produces in the Church.32 V. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called… To close out this profound section, Paul referred to the first of three groups, each featuring three items each – one body, Spirit, and hope here in this verse. Although there were many congregations throughout the world in Paul’s day, they still just made up the one, single, visible community of faith. This idea would have been a novel concept to the believers living in greater metropolitan Ephesus, for they had all come out of a wide array of pagan religions that coexisted there. In Christ, both Jews and Gentiles were reconciled (as well as free people and slaves and men and women), whereas the cults in that day were diversified and very segregated. Of course, it is one Spirit dwelling in all believers that is able to accomplish such an incredible feat. So in the broader context of the New Testament, because the same Spirit who fell on the Jews at Pentecost was the same Spirit who fell on the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house, then all of those believers would have much in common; they could experience genuine unity.33 Again, Paul draws on the word “called” (klesis), but it is not a hope or expectation (elpis) as a result of God’s election, but rather a hope that belongs to His call.34 V. 5 …one Lord, one faith, one baptism… This verse contains the second trio of unities with three items each. The combination of Lord (Kurios – master of all Christians), faith (pistis – profession of allegiance), and baptism (baptisma – external seal of incorporation into the Body) all reinforce what Paul referred to as the unifying factors of the Church.35 Since believers all share in these three elements, then they ought to be able to work diligently for the unity that is certainly attainable. V. 6 …one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. The final verse of this section contains the third of three unities of three things each. Apart from the Lord (Jesus) and the Spirit, Paul had the Father stand alone in this verse. The prepositions Paul chose succinctly encapsulates a great truth: the Father reigns “over” all (epi – transcendent), He works “through” all (dia – His creative activity), and He dwells “in” all (en – immanent pervasive-ness).36 Interestingly, Ephesians 4:4-6, along with John 14:16, have been used throughout the Church Age in various creeds and curricula to teach the doctrine of the Trinity, which serves as the most perfect example of unity.

Bibliography

Bartels, Karl-Heinz. “Heis.” New International Dictionary of the New Testament. Ed. Colin Brown. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1976.

Erickson, Millard. Introduction to Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2001.

Gaebelein, Frank E., ed., J. D. Douglas, and Dick Polcyn. The Expositor 's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976.

Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Schmidt, Karl Ludwig. “klesis.” The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Ed. Gerhard Kittel. Trans. Geoffrey Bromiley. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965.

Thompson, Frederick. Devotions from the Epistles of Galatians & Ephesians. Bloomington, IN: Author House, 2013.

Unger, Merrill. The New Unger’s Bible Handbook. Chicago, IL: Moody Bible Institute, 1984.

Wuest, Kenneth. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953, 1988.

Zodhiates, Spiros, ed. Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. 2nd Ed. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2009.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/parakaleo.html, accessed on September 20, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/peripateo.html, accessed on September 20, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/tapeinophrosune.html, accessed on September 21, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/prautes.html, accessed on September 21, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/anechomai.html, accessed on September 21, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/agape.html, accessed on September 21, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/spoudazo.html, accessed on September 21, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/elpis.html, accessed on September 21, 2014.

http://www.biblestudytools.com/interlinear-bible/passage.aspx?q=ephesians+4&t=nas, accessed on September 21, 2014.

Bibliography: Bartels, Karl-Heinz.  “Heis.”  New International Dictionary of the New Testament.  Ed. Colin Brown.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1976.  Erickson, Millard. Introduction to Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2001. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976. Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Thompson, Frederick. Devotions from the Epistles of Galatians & Ephesians. Bloomington, IN: Author House, 2013. Unger, Merrill. The New Unger’s Bible Handbook. Chicago, IL: Moody Bible Institute, 1984. Wuest, Kenneth. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953, 1988. Zodhiates, Spiros, ed. Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. 2nd Ed. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2009. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/parakaleo.html, accessed on September 20, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/peripateo.html, accessed on September 20, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/tapeinophrosune.html, accessed on September 21, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/prautes.html, accessed on September 21, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/anechomai.html, accessed on September 21, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/agape.html, accessed on September 21, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/spoudazo.html, accessed on September 21, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/elpis.html, accessed on September 21, 2014. http://www.biblestudytools.com/interlinear-bible/passage.aspx?q=ephesians+4&t=nas, accessed on September 21, 2014.