EPHESIANS CHAPTER FOUR

OBSERVATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The purpose of the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand in accordance with the framework in which it was written: a framework which is defined by the normative rules of language, context and logic - rules which do not impose undue, unintended meanings to the text , and which largely limit the observer to the content offered by Paul's epistle to the Ephesians and his other writings. In order for any passage from elsewhere to be considered, it must have a relationship with the context at hand, such as a Scriptural quotation or a specific cross reference in the passage at hand by the author. This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.

Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.

****** EXCERPT FROM EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3 *****

.............OR MOVE TO FIRST VERSE OF CHAPTER FOUR

[(Eph 3:14-19) For This Reason I Bend My Knees In Prayer Before The Father, From Whom Every Family In Heaven And On Earth Derives Its Name, That He Would Grant You Gentile Believers According To The Riches Of His Glory, To Be Strengthened With Power Through His Spirit In The Inner Man, That Christ May Dwell In Your Hearts Through Faith; That You, Being Rooted And Grounded In Love, May Be Able To Comprehend With All The Saints What Is The Breadth And Length And Height And Depth, And To Know The Love Of Christ Which Surpasses Knowledge, That You May Be Filled Up To All The Fullness Of God]:

[(Eph 3:14-19) Commentary On Eph 3:14-19]:

[(Eph 3:15) Bible Knowledge Commentary]:

[(Eph 3:14-19) Commentary On Eph 3:14-19 cont.]:

[(Eph 3:14-19) Commentary On Eph 3:14-19, (cont.)]:

[(Eph 3:18-19) [Bible Knowledge Commentary]:

[(Eph 3:20-21) Now To Him Who Is Able To Do Far More Abundantly Beyond All That We Ask Or Think, According To The Power That Works Within Us, To Him Be The Glory In The Church And In Christ Jesus To All Generations Forever And Ever. Amen!]:

[(Eph 3:20-21) Commentary On Eph 3:20-21]:

[(Eph 3:20-21) Bible Knowledge Commentary]:

****** END OF EXCERPT FROM EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3 *****

I) [Eph 4:1-32]:

A) (Eph 4:1-6) Therefore In View Of This Dispensation Of The Mystery Of The Gentiles - The Body Of Christ, The Church - Being Fellow Partakers In It - Through Faith In Him; Paul, The Prisoner Of The Lord, Implores Them To Walk In A Manner Worthy Of That Calling; With All Lowliness And Gentlesness, With Longsuffering, Bearing With One Another In Agape Love, Being Diligent To Preserve The Unity Of The Spirit In The Bond Of Peace. There Is One Body And One Spirit, Just As Also You Were Called In One Hope Of Your Calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Above All, And Through All, And In All.

1) [(Eph 4:1-3) Commentary On Eph 4:1-3]: Therefore In View Of This Dispensation Of The Mystery Of The Gentiles - The Body Of Christ, The Church - Being Fellow Partakers In It - Through Faith In Him; Paul, The Prisoner Of The Lord, Implores Them To Walk In A Manner Worthy Of That Calling; With All Lowliness And Gentlesness, With Longsuffering, Bearing With One Another In Agape Love, Being Diligent To Preserve The Unity Of The Spirit In The Bond Of Peace]:

a) [Compare Eph 3:1b]:

b) [Compare Jas 5:12]:

2) [(Eph 4:4-6) There Is One Body And One Spirit, Just As Also You [Gentiles] Were Called In One Hope Of Your Calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Above All, And Through All, And In All]:

a) [(Eph 4:6) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:6]:

b) [(Eph 4:4-6) Commentary on Eph 4:4-6]: There Is One Body And One Spirit, Just As Also You [Gentiles] Were Called In One Hope Of Your Calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Above All, And Through All, And In All]:

i) [One body]:

****** EXCERPT FROM EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2 ******

(Eph 2:14-15) Paul Goes On To Declare That Christ Has Made Both Groups - Jewish Believers And Gentile Believers - Into One Group Which Is Neither Jew Nor Gentile, But One New Creation In Christ Jesus - Christ Having Abolished In His Flesh, The Dividing Wall Between The Two Groups - The Law

[Compare 2 Cor 5:17]:

[Compare Col 1:24]:

[Compare Gal 3:28]:

****** END OF EXCERPT FROM EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2 ******

b cont.) [(Eph 4:4-6) Commentary on Eph 4:4-6]: There Is One Body And One Spirit, Just As Also You [Gentiles] Were Called In One Hope Of Your Calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Above All, And Through All, And In All, (cont)]:

ii) [One Spirit]:

ii_a) [Compare 1 Cor 12:12-13]:

iii) [one sure hope]:

iii_a) [Compare Eph 1:13-14 ]:

iii_b) [Compare Eph 2:19-22 ]:

******

iii_c) [Compare Eph 2:8-10 ]:

iii_d) [Compare Eph 1:18 ]:

b cont.) [(Eph 4:4-6) Commentary on Eph 4:4-6]: There Is One Body And One Spirit, Just As Also You [Gentiles] Were Called In One Hope Of Your Calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Above All, And Through All, And In All (cont.)]:

iv) [One Lord]:

v) [One faith]:

vi) [One baptism]:

vi_a) [Compare 1 Cor 12:12-13]:

vi_b) [Compare Eph 1:13-14; 2:5-7]:

b cont.) [(Eph 4:4-6) Commentary on Eph 4:4-6]: There Is One Body And One Spirit, Just As Also You [Gentiles] Were Called In One Hope Of Your Calling; One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Above All, And Through All, And In All (cont.)]:

vii) [One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in all]:

vii_a) [Compare Eph 3:14-15]:

vii  b) [Compare 1 Cor 8:5-6]:

B) [(Eph 4:7-8) But To Each One Of Us Believers, Grace Was Given According To The Measure of Christ's Gift [Of Redemption]. Therefore Scripture Says, 'When He Ascended On High [To Heaven], He Led Captive A Host Of Captives, And He Gave Gifts To Men' "]:

1) [(Eph 4:8) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:8]:

2) [(Eph 4:7-8) [Commentary On Eph 4:7-8: But To Each One Of Us Believers, Grace Was Given According To The Measure of Christ's Gift [Of Redemption]. Therefore Scripture Says, 'When He Ascended On High [To Heaven], He Led Captive A Host Of Captives, And He Gave Gifts To Men' "]:

a) [Compare Ps 68:1-18 especially verse 18 with Eph 4:7-8]:

i) (Ps 68:1 NASB):

i_a) [Compare Nu 10:11-14, 28, 33-35]:

ii) [Ps 68:2-10]:

iii) [Ps 68:17-18]:

iii_a) The Tabernacle And The Ark And The Presence Of God In The Midst Of The Israelites is in view in Ps 68:18:

iii cont) [Ps 68:17-18 cont]:

iii _b) [Compare Eph 4:8]:

iii cont) [Ps 68:17-18 cont]:

iii c) Compare Ex 3:21-22]:

]:

2 cont) [(Eph 4:7-8) [Commentary On Eph 4:7-8: But To Each One Of Us Believers, Grace Was Given According To The Measure of Christ's Gift [Of Redemption]. Therefore Scripture Says, 'When He Ascended On High [To Heaven], He Led Captive A Host Of Captives, And He Gave Gifts To Men' ", (cont)]:

b) [Compare Ex 25:1-9]:

2 cont) [(Eph 4:7-8) [Commentary On Eph 4:7-8: But To Each One Of Us Believers, Grace Was Given According To The Measure of Christ's Gift [Of Redemption]. Therefore Scripture Says, 'When He Ascended On High [To Heaven], He Led Captive A Host Of Captives, And He Gave Gifts To Men' "

C) [Eph 4:9-11: In View Of The Phrase Rendered 'He Ascended' In The Sense Of To Far Above All The Heavens, What Does It Signify But That Christ Also First Descended Into The Lower Parts Of The Earth To Paradise In Hades? It Was To Take Captive / Custody Of The Old Testament Saints Who Were Placed There And Bring Them To Heaven. For It Was He Who Descended Who Is Also The One Who Ascended Far Above All The Heavens, That He Might Rule Creation From His Throne In Heaven And That He Might Fill All Things. And He Gave Some Of Those Who Were Believers Who Were Part Of His Body As Apostles, And Some As Prophets, And Some As Evangelists, And Some As Pastors And Teachers

1) [(Eph 4:9a) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:9a]:

2) (Eph 4:9b) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:9b]:

3) [(Eph 4:9-11) Commentary On Eph 4:9-11: In View Of The Phrase Rendered 'He Ascended' In The Sense Of To Far Above All The Heavens, What Does It Signify But That Christ Also First Descended Into The Lower Parts Of The Earth To Paradise In Hades? It Was To Take Captive / Custody Of The Old Testament Saints Who Were Placed There And Bring Them To Heaven. For It Was He Who Descended Who Is Also The One Who Ascended Far Above All The Heavens, That He Might Rule Creation From His Throne In Heaven And That He Might Fill All Things. And He Gave Some Of Those Who Were Believers Who Were Part Of His Body As Apostles, And Some As Prophets, And Some As Evangelists, And Some As Pastors And Teachers]:

D) [(Eph 4:11-13) Commentary On Eph 4:11-13: The Purpose Of The Spiritual Gifts Of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors And Teachers Was So That The Body Of Christ Could Attain To The Unity Of The Faith, And Of The Knowledge Of The Son Of God, To A Mature Man, To The Measure Of The Stature Which Belongs To The Fullness Of Christ, That 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, But Speaking The Truth In Love, We Are To Grow Up In All Aspects Into Him Who Is The Head, Even Christ, From Whom The Whole Body, Being Fitted And Held Together By What Every Joint Supplies According To The Proper Working Of Each Individual Part, Causes The Growth Of The Body For The Building Up Of Itself In Love. And It Is By His Grace And Sovereignty That God Will Himself Bring About This Spiritual Progress In The Body Of Christ Despite The Flawed Nature Of Each And Every Member Through The Spirit's Working Through The Inner Man Within Each Believer]:

1) [(Eph 4:13) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:13]:

2) [(Eph 4:15) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:15]:

3) [(Eph 4:16) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:16]:

4) [(Eph 4:16) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:16]:

5) [(Eph 4:11-13) Commentary On Eph 4:11-13: The Purpose Of The Spiritual Gifts Of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors And Teachers Was So That The Body Of Christ Could Attain To The Unity Of The Faith, And Of The Knowledge Of The Son Of God, To A Mature Man, To The Measure Of The Stature Which Belongs To The Fullness Of Christ]

6) [(Eph 4:14-16) Commentary On Eph 4:14-16: In Eph 4:11-13 It Stated That The Purpose Of The Spiritual Gifts Of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors And Teachers Was So That The Body Of Christ Could Attain To The Unity Of The Faith, And Of The Knowledge Of The Son Of God, To A Mature Man, To The Measure Of The Stature Which Belongs To The Fullness Of Christ, Whereupon In Eph 4:14-16 It Continues: That 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, But Speaking The Truth In Love, We Are To Grow Up In All Aspects Into Him Who Is The Head, Even Christ, From Whom The Whole Body, Being Fitted And Held Together By What Every Joint Supplies According To The Proper Working Of Each Individual Part, Causes The Growth Of The Body For The Building Up Of Itself In Love. And It Is By His Grace And Sovereignty That God Will Himself Bring About This Spiritual Progress In The Body Of Christ Despite The Flawed Nature Of Each And Every Member Through The Spirit's Working Through The Inner Man Within Each Believer]:

a) [Compare Col 3:8-11: Paul Having Written In Col 3:8-9, 'But Now You Yourselves Are To Put Off All These Sins: Anger, Wrath, Malice, Blasphemy, Filthy Language Out Of Your Mouth, Do Not Lie To One Another, Since You Have Put Off The Old Man [I.E., The Old Sin Nature] With His Evil Deeds; Moves To Col 3:10-11 Wherein The Believer's Now Putting On The New Man In The Sense Of The New Nature Which, By His Grace, God Provided Within The Believer At The Moment Faith Alone In Christ Alone Via The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit Who Is The Agent Who Has Put Within The Believer The New Man / The Inner Man; Who Is Renewed In Knowledge According To The Image Of Him Who Created The Believer, Namely God. This Is A Renewal In Which There Will Be No Distinction Between Greek And Jew, Circumcied And Uncircumcised, Barbarian, Scythian, Slave And Freeman, But Christ Is All In All]:

E) [(Eph 4:17-19) So Paul Writes, Affirming Together With The Lord God Evidently Through Answered Prayer As God Inspired The Apostle To Write That You Believers At Ephesus And Elsewhere Are No Longer Just As The Gentiles Also Walk - As They Formerly Walked, In The Futility Of Their Minds, Their Having Been Darkened In Their Own Understanding, Their Having Been Excluded From The Life Of God Because Of The Willful Ignorance That Is In Them, Because Of The Hardness Of Their Own Hearts; And They, Having Become Callous, Gave Themselves Over To Sensuality For The Practice Of Every Kind Of Impurity With Greediness

1) [(Eph 4:17) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:17]:

2) [(Eph 4:17-19) Commentary On Eph 4:17-19: So Paul Writes, Affirming Together With The Lord God Evidently Through Answered Prayer As God Inspired The Apostle To Write That You Believers At Ephesus And Elsewhere Are No Longer Just As The Gentiles Also Walk - As They Formerly Walked, In The Futility Of Their Minds, Their Having Been Darkened In Their Own Understanding, Their Having Been Excluded From The Life Of God Because Of The Willful Ignorance That Is In Them, Because Of The Hardness Of Their Own Hearts; And They, Having Become Callous, Gave Themselves Over To Sensuality For The Practice Of Every Kind Of Impurity With Greediness

F) [(Eph 4:20-24) Paul Wrote To The Ephesian Believers, Once Pagan Gentiles Unbelievers, That They Did Not Learn Christ While Following In Their Former Ways Since They Have Heard Him And Were Taught By Him Beginning With The Time When They Became Believers. The Truth Is In Jesus Via The Work Within Them Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul Admonishes Them To Put Off The Old Man Concerning Their Former Conduct, That Is The Old Man / The Old Sin Nature Which Grows Corrupt According To The Deceitful Lusts, And That They Be Renewed In The Spirit Of Their Minds, And That They Put On The New Man Which Was Created According To God Within Them, In True Righteousness And Holiness.]:

1) [(Eph 4:23) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:23]:

2) [(Eph 4:24a) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:24a]:

3) [(Eph  4:24b) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:24b]:

4) [(Eph 4:20-24) Commentary on Eph 4:20-24: Paul Wrote To The Ephesian Believers, Once Pagan Gentiles Unbelievers, That They Did Not Learn Christ While Following In Their Former Ways Since They Have Heard Him And Were Taught By Him Beginning With The Time When They Became Believers. The Truth Is In Jesus Via The Work Within Them Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul Admonishes Them To Put Off The Old Man Concerning Their Former Conduct, That Is The Old Man / The Old Sin Nature Which Grows Corrupt According To The Deceitful Lusts, And That They Be Renewed In The Spirit Of Their Minds, And That They Put On The New Man Which Was Created According To God Within Them, In True Righteousness And Holiness.

G) [(Eph 4:25-32) Therefore Paul Writes To The Ephesian Believers And All Believers By Exhorting Them As Follows:

Having Laid Aside Falsehood, Speak The Truth Each One Of You With His Neighbor For We - Who Are Believers - Are Members Of One Another - The Body Of Christ, The Church.

Be Angry, And Yet Do Not Sin; And Do Not Let The Sun God Down On Your Anger, And Do Not Give The Devil An Opportunity In The Sense Of Causing One To Sin.

He Who Steals Must Steal No Longer; But Rather He Must Labor, Performing With His Own Hands What Is Good, So That He Will Have Something To Share With One Who Has Need.

Let No Unwholesome Word Proceed From Your Mouth, But Only Such A Word As Is Good For Edification According To The Need Of The Moment, So That It Will Give Grace To Those Who Hear.
Do Not Grieve The Holy Spirit Of God, In Whom You Were Sealed For The Day Of Redemption.

Let All Bitterness And Wrath And Anger And Clamor And Slander Be Put away From You Along With All Malice Be Kind To One Another, Tender-Hearted, Forgiving Each Other, Just As God In Christ Also Has Forgiven You

1) [(Eph 4:28) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:28)]:

2) [(Eph 4:29) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:29]:

3) [(Eph 4:32) Manuscript Evidence For Eph 4:32]:

4) [(Eph 4:25-32) Commentary On Eph 4:25-32: Therefore Paul Writes To The Ephesian Believers And All Believers By Exhorting Them As Follows:

Having Laid Aside Falsehood, Speak The Truth Each One Of You With His Neighbor For We Believers Are Members Of One Another, The Body Of Christ, The Church.

Be Angry, And Yet Do Not Sin - Implying A Righteous Anger; And Do Not Let The Sun God Down On Your Anger, And Do Not Give The Devil An Opportunity In The Sense Of Causing One To Sin.

He Who Steals Must Steal No Longer; But Rather He Must Labor, Performing With His Own Hands What Is Good, So That He Will Have Something To Share With One Who Has Need.

Let No Unwholesome Word Proceed From Your Mouth, But Only Such A Word As Is Good For Edification According To The Need Of The Moment, So That It Will Give Grace To Those Who Hear.

Do Not Grieve The Holy Spirit Of God, In Whom You Were Sealed For The Day Of Redemption. Let All Bitterness And Wrath And Anger And Clamor And Slander Be Putway From You Along With All Malice Be Kind To One Another, Tender-Hearted, Forgiving Each Other, Just As God In Christ Also Has Forgiven You]:

a) (Eph 4:25):

b) (Eph 4:26-27):

c) (Eph 4:28):

d) (Eph 4:29-30):

e) (Eph 4:31-32):

Continue to chapter five