Ephesians Chapter 4
This chapter is full of so many great things that I know I cannot do justice to in the short amount of time I have to post this. However, I would like to attempt to at least scratch the surface on the elements presented here.
Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says: “When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”[b] 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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.
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received! What a complicated task that can be at times, for the calling on our lives is such a great one! Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Humility is such an important aspect of the Christian life, I am not surprised that it is mentioned first in this short list of things. Without sincere humility we cannot honestly live out gentleness, patience, nor love (or any of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22)
He has given us all different gifts for His service, so that this body (this one body of believers, called the church) may be built up continually until the day when we are all in unity in faith and knowledge of Christ! We are at different levels of maturity right now, but one day we will all have the whole measure of knowledge and faith in Him! Once again, humility is key in coming to this unity. Just to give you an idea of how often humility is stressed in the Bible here are a few verses:
2 Samuel 22:27-29
27 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
28 You rescue those who are humble,
but your eyes are on the proud to humiliate them.
29 O LORD, you are my light;
yes, LORD, you light up my darkness.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. 14Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.
Psalm 25:8-10
8 The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
teaching them his way.
10 The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.
Psalm 69:31-33
31 For this will please the LORD more than sacrificing an ox
or presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help live in joy.
33 For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones;
he does not despise his people who are oppressed.
Psalm 149:3-5
3 Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the LORD delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in this honor.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.
Proverbs 3:33-35
33The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but his blessing is on the home of the upright.
34The LORD mocks at mockers, but he shows favor to the humble.
35The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!
Philippians 2:2-4
2Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose.
3Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.
James 4:6-8
6He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,
"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."[a]
7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites.
1 Peter 5:5-7
5You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."[a]
6So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.
To humble yourself is not easy, especially in a world where it is encouraged and fully accepted to look within one's self for everything they need and to just follow our own hearts! However, this is not what we are commanded to do and in light of scriptures such as those I have quoted here, I pray that it will become a top priority to humble ourselves more and more each day.
Back to Ephesians Chapter 4:
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The world is full of the teachings spoken of here, and often times they are disguised as the light instead of the darkness they really are. Many of those who say they are born again "Christians" are being thrown every which way by all the new "revelations" that these teachers preach. We must remember that we are under Christ, He is the head! Only when we remain humbled before Him and seek Him can we be a true member of His body!
Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
These are not particularly easy verses to follow, as we all struggle with our sinful nature, and to say we do not the truth is not in us. However, I find these verses to be so very encouraging! We are encouraged through these words to strive for good, to do the right thing, to be humbled, to have the fruits of the Spirit and to remember that we are not the only member of this great body that Christ has assembled with Himself being the head, directing us in every direction. Obedience is necessary if we are to stay on the vine, for our branches can easily be cut off and replaced. Remember, if we are silent the very stones will cry out in praise to Him!
Luke 19:37-40
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!""Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says: “When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”[b] 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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.
Live a life worthy of the calling you have received! What a complicated task that can be at times, for the calling on our lives is such a great one! Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Humility is such an important aspect of the Christian life, I am not surprised that it is mentioned first in this short list of things. Without sincere humility we cannot honestly live out gentleness, patience, nor love (or any of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22)
He has given us all different gifts for His service, so that this body (this one body of believers, called the church) may be built up continually until the day when we are all in unity in faith and knowledge of Christ! We are at different levels of maturity right now, but one day we will all have the whole measure of knowledge and faith in Him! Once again, humility is key in coming to this unity. Just to give you an idea of how often humility is stressed in the Bible here are a few verses:
2 Samuel 22:27-29
27 To the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
28 You rescue those who are humble,
but your eyes are on the proud to humiliate them.
29 O LORD, you are my light;
yes, LORD, you light up my darkness.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. 14Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.
Psalm 25:8-10
8 The LORD is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
teaching them his way.
10 The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all those who keep his covenant and obey his decrees.
Psalm 69:31-33
31 For this will please the LORD more than sacrificing an ox
or presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help live in joy.
33 For the LORD hears the cries of his needy ones;
he does not despise his people who are oppressed.
Psalm 149:3-5
3 Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the LORD delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the faithful rejoice in this honor.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.
Proverbs 3:33-35
33The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but his blessing is on the home of the upright.
34The LORD mocks at mockers, but he shows favor to the humble.
35The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!
Philippians 2:2-4
2Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose.
3Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 4Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.
James 4:6-8
6He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,
"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."[a]
7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites.
1 Peter 5:5-7
5You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for
"God sets himself against the proud,
but he shows favor to the humble."[a]
6So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.
To humble yourself is not easy, especially in a world where it is encouraged and fully accepted to look within one's self for everything they need and to just follow our own hearts! However, this is not what we are commanded to do and in light of scriptures such as those I have quoted here, I pray that it will become a top priority to humble ourselves more and more each day.
Back to Ephesians Chapter 4:
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The world is full of the teachings spoken of here, and often times they are disguised as the light instead of the darkness they really are. Many of those who say they are born again "Christians" are being thrown every which way by all the new "revelations" that these teachers preach. We must remember that we are under Christ, He is the head! Only when we remain humbled before Him and seek Him can we be a true member of His body!
Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
These are not particularly easy verses to follow, as we all struggle with our sinful nature, and to say we do not the truth is not in us. However, I find these verses to be so very encouraging! We are encouraged through these words to strive for good, to do the right thing, to be humbled, to have the fruits of the Spirit and to remember that we are not the only member of this great body that Christ has assembled with Himself being the head, directing us in every direction. Obedience is necessary if we are to stay on the vine, for our branches can easily be cut off and replaced. Remember, if we are silent the very stones will cry out in praise to Him!
Luke 19:37-40
When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!""Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
posted by Monica at 12:42 PM
1 Comments:
Wow, you really gave me some meat to gnaw on. We all need a reminder of how important it is to live in humility. I know I strive for it but I somehow seem to fall short. Thank you for the reminder that we must all work together as one body.
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