EPHESIANS 4

A full-length commentary could be written on this chapter, but I am just going to share a few tidbits that I have picked up over the years. I hope that some of them will be of interest. In the first place, this chapter is only part of a larger section in Ephesians, which can be diagrammed as shown below:

The Structure of Ephesians 4:1-5:20

A. Horizontal Relations Affected by the Godhead (4:1-6)

B. Christian Living in the Body (4:7-16)

C. Contrast between the Old and New Life (4:17-32)

B'. Christian Living in the World (5:1-17)

A'. Vertical Relations Affected by the Godhead (5:18-20)

Not only are specific references to “God and Father” in conjunction with “all” located near the start (4:6) and conclusion (5:20) of this long section as a unifying factor, but all three persons of the Trinity are present in 4:3-6 and 5:18-20. Another characteristic in this overall unit is the frequent (7x) appearance of the designation “Lord” used alone and the six-fold use of “walk.”

Unity and life within the church body are very much in view in this unit, as evidenced by the repeated phrase “one another” at 4:2, 25 and 32 (2x), the first and last of which serve as an inclusio for Chapter 4. Paul's admonitions consist of both positives and negatives here, the latter highlighted by phrases such as “we must no longer” (v. 14), “you must no longer” (v. 17), “put away” (vv. 22, 31), “do not” (vv. 26, 27, 30) and “putting away” (v. 25).

There are seven manifestations of love described in this chapter:

    2a. to walk with all lowliness and meekness, further described in 5:21.

    2b. being patient and forbearing with one another (see Ephesians 4:32).

    15a. being concerned with conveying sound doctrine.

    25. requiring honest speech.

    26. utilizing honest anger that is justified but is not turned into a grudge.

    28. engaging in honest labor so that we can meet not only our own needs but those who need it more 

than we do

    29. demonstrating itself in helpful speech (see Ephesians 5:4 also)

Ephesians 4:1 uses two words for “call.” “walk in a manner worthy of the calling (klesis: permanent

 position) with which you have been called (kaleo: invitation).” (Cru magazine)

Ephesians 4:4-6 Gordon Fee lists this as one of the “explicitly trinitarian texts” in Paul's writings. 

There is a seven-fold repetition of the word “one” here. “Repetition may serve simply to recall and/or 

elaborate a point, or to emphasize a point, or to provide continuity for the hearers.” (Griedanus) Or, in 

this case, the repetition exactly seven times may specifically point to the symbolic meaning of that 

number in the Bible: completeness or fullness.

Ephesians 4:8-10 There is a fair amount of disagreement regarding (A) what the ascending and 

descending refer to in the Psalm 68:18 passage being quoted, (B) the reason Paul's citation differs in 

wording from the OT text, (C) the relation between Paul's usage and the original meaning in Psalm 

68:18 and (D) the identity of the “captives.”

A. In its original OT context, the two verbs probably refer to Moses ascending the mountain (or to 

heaven according to some Jewish traditions) and then descending in order to give the Commandments 

to the people as a gift from God. (Bietenhard) Not coincidentally, this was the OT passage in the 

Jewish liturgy to be read on the Day of Pentacost; thus, it fits with Paul's listing of the Holy Spirit's 

gifts in Ephes. 4:11. Heiser, on the other hand, notes that the first part of Psalm 68 deals with the 

demonic center of Bashan, and that may be the proper context to consider before looking at Paul's 

application of the text.

B. In regard to the second issue, there seems to be a disconnect between giving gifts to (Ephesians) and 

getting gifts from (Psalms). Lee and Grant remove the contradiction by stating that after battles in 

ancient times, the winner often received gifts but then returned them. If they are correct, then this could 

be close to the picture in Revelation where victors are given crowns (2:11), but they throw them at 

Christ's feet (4:10). Colin Brown points to two other possibilities:

1. Both the Syriac OT and the Targum paraphrase read “gave gifts” in 

   Psalms 68:18, and Paul is quoting from this textual tradition, which 

   may be superior to the standard Hebrew text.

2. “Ephesians 4:8 is probably best regarded not as a direct quotation from 

   the Old Testament as a prophecy of the bestowal of gifts, but as an 

   interpretative gloss on the Psalm explaining what God is doing now in 

   contrast with the situation described in the Psalm.” (Inch)

C. What is Paul referring to when he says that Jesus ascended and descended? The answer is 

complicated since it is not at all clear which of these activities occurred first.

Raymond Brown says that some feel this all refers to what happened after Jesus' death (Matthew 

27:53).

Inch, however, says that the events of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and exaltation are all being 

referred to. Thus, “Jesus assumed the field of battle with his advent, secured the critical victory with 

the crucifixion-resurrection, returned to heaven in triumph with the ascension, commissioned the Holy 

Spirit with His sitting down at the Father's right hand, and shall return to consummate His victory with 

the second advent.”

Others such as Colin Brown and Bietershard feels that “descended” may apply to Hades, the tomb, or 

the earth.

Heiser notes that the ESV puts a comma between “lower regions” and “earth,” indicating that they are 

two designations for the same thing. If so, then the gifts are the those of the Holy Spirit given to those 

on earth.

D. Who are the captives? They could be those who were previously slaves of sin and now are free by 

Christ's actions, or those dead believers who are freed from the bonds of death and ascend to heaven 

being led by Christ. On the other hand, Heiser may be correct in saying that the demonic forces have

been conquered by the triumphant Christ and now are taken prisoner by him.

Ephesians 4:11 It is the ministries of the people listed here, not the people themselves, that are the 

gifts. (Gordon Fee) See my post on “Gifts of the Spirit” for more on this subject.

Ephesians 4:12-16 “As in v. 3, “the unity of the church is...described in terms of the individual 

members, and their mutual dependence is seen to be necessary for the growth of the body...Body 

growth appens when the body is properly related to the Head and the individual members are properly 

related to one another [i.e., the two great Love Commandments].” (Fung)

Ephesians 4:13 Osborne notes that mixed metaphors in the Bible are common “and were prized in 

ancient literature.” This verse goes from infants, to a boat adrift, to a helpless bird to cheating at dice.

Ephesians 4:15 This is explained further in v. 29. Morris: The phrase reads in literal Greek as 

“truthing in love,” indicating that truth is actually “a quality of action as well as of speech. Paul wants 

his converts to live the truth as well as to speak it.”

Ephesians 4:20-24 The contrast of “old self” with “new self” also appears in Colossians 3:9-11 and 

Romans 6:6. See those passages for more clarification of the concept.

Ephesians 4:20 “...the Spirit is in fact the Spirit of Christ. We are not surprised therefore that many of 

the words Paul uses to describe this fruit [of the Spirit] are used elsewhere of Christ. In Ephesians 4:20 

he speaks of ethical life in terms of 'learning Christ.' The fruit of the Spirit is simply another way of 

talking about being 'predestined to be conformed to the likeness of God's Son' (Rom 8:29).” (Fee)

Ephesians 4:21 The concern in both cases is the full development and empowerment of the 

wife/church. (Kroeger)

Ephesians 4:23 Kephale (“head”) in NT times had the more usual meaning of “goal.” (Kroeger)   But 

Fung states that the Greek wording indicates it means “the head of the church” and the Savior of the 

body (as in the NEB, in contrast to the RSV and NIV readings (compare translations).

Ephesians 4:24 Hosiotes (“holiness”) is a rare word in the NT, appearing only twice. Here it is one of 

the characteristics of the new, or regenerated, person.

Ephesians 4:25-32 There is a repeated pattern in these verses: don't, do, and the reason.

Ephesians 4:28 Possible application: since everything we own belongs to God, we are stealing from 

Him if we do not use our money wisely to serve Him and others.

Ephesians 4:30 This may harken back to Isaiah 63:10. “These scenes heighten the image of the Holy 

Spirit as an intimate tutor and caretaker whose heavy investment in our well-being should be honored 

by obedience.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery) This is an important text to refute the idea of the 

Jehovah Witnesses and others that the Holy Spirit is not a personage, but merely an impersonal force 

emanating from God.

Fee: Paul uses the language of Isaiah 63:10, the one certain place in the Old Testament where the 

concept of the divine presence with Israel in tabernacle and temple is specifically equaled with the 

'Holy Spirit of Yahweh.'”

Fee: Sealing and the Spirit come together here and II Corinthians 1:21-22 and Ephesians 1:13. “In 

Paul, as Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30 make certain, the seal is a metaphor the Spirit, by whom God has 

marked believers and claimed them as his own.

 

Ephesians 4:32 Yarbrough notes that the verb charizomai for forgiving or granting grace to is 

characteristic of Paul's writing, and he may have been the first to use it with this meaning. See 

Colossians 3:12ff for further elaboration of these injunctions.

”