(Chapter 4.1-16)

by T. M. Hyland | Category: Studies In Ephesians | Jun 1950

We now pass to tlie consideration of Christian behaviour~thus following the method of apostolic teaching. Paul first tells us what we are and what we have" in Christ" by divine grace; then he sets forth a manner of life consistent with that bigh calling. In the writings of the apostles there is a perfect balance between doctrine and practice. We need to preserve this balance and not to place undue emphasis on the one at the expense of the other. Failure to do this may result in one of two evils; either we may tend to become mere theologians, or else mere moralists. We shall be preserved from both these evils by giving heed to the twin apostolic injunction to his child Timothy: "Take heed to thyself and to thy teaching" (1 Timothy 4.16).

The apostle, the envoy of Christ Jesus, has soared into the heavenlies to view the spiritual wealth of these Ephesian saints; now he addresses them as "the prisoner in the Lord." He has come down to the practical expression of these sublime truths in the daily life. He and they have a divine calling: he and they are required to transmit the characteristics of that calling into the various circumstances and relationships of this present life: he, at that moment, in the solitude of the prison: they, in the darkness and idolatry of Ephesus.

The words "in the Lord " imply " within the sphere of the Lord's will." In spite of various secondary causes the apostle viewed his prison experience as being the direct result of his subjection to the will of the Lord. Thus he is able to preface his words on the walk and warfare of the believer with an appeal-" I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you . . . " The weight behind that appeal consists in the apostle's own response to the will of the Lord for him. And what high ground he takes! Who, indeed, is able to "walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called" ? Such a walk will only be possible in the measure in which the grandeur and dignity of that calling are realized and appreciated by the believer.

The apostle now proceeds to speak of a unity which it is necessary for the believer to keep if he would walk worthily of his calling. This unity is not a mere outward uniformity, but consists in the sevenfold unity of the Spirit. But before exhorting them to give diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit he describes the qualities which must ever characterize the believer if he would walk worthily of his calling-" with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love." There is to be a complete absence of pride and self confidence from his whQle bearing; and he must give due eonsideration to the feelings of his fellow-disciples, taking care neither to provoke them nor to be provoked himself. How much strife and discord could be avoided if this injunction of the apostle were duly heeded! Sometime, alas, even contention "for the faith "is conducted in a spirit of strife and bitterness. But the unity of the Spirit is not induced by such means. There is no matter in which self-distrust and humility are more necessary than in eontending for "the faith once for all delivered to the saints." How very careful we should all be lest by word or look we provoke that gtrife and discord which are fatal to any expression of the Spirit's unity! Taken in its context and its bearing on our corporate life as God's people, this exhortation to lowliness, meekness, longsuffering and forbearance has a solemn voice for us in this our own day.

The unity of the Spirit consists in seven constituents, and these are all essential to its manifestation. Like the holy anointing oil, all the ingredients are divinely chosen and may not be substituted (Exodus 30.22-88).

One Body. One Lord.

One Spirit One faith.

One hope. One baptism.

One Cod and Father of all. who is over all, and in all, and through all.

The first three describe what is common to all believers by divine grac~united in one Body, indwelt by one Spirit, actuated by one hope. The second three describe what is necessarv so that the deep and abiding unity of the Body may find outward and visible expression~obedience to one Lord, conformity to one faith, submission to one baptism. And all has its source and end in one God and Father of all, who is over all, and in all, and through all.

The fact that the apostle here exhorts the saints in Ephesus to keco the unity of the Spirit clearly shows that the unity of the Spirit is not synonymous with the unity of the Body. The unity of the Body is eternally secure, but it is sadly possible for the unity of the Spirit to be lost or marred if there is not diligence to keep it. The manifestation of the Spirit's unity requires that its seven constituents shall each have their true place. We may not stop at the first three, which we may describe as unconditional, one Body, one Spirit, one hope. "MI one in Christ" is a very precious truth, but it does not in itself constitute what is here described as the unity of the Spirit.

The situation in Christendom to-day reveals a sad departure from the faith. Human ideas have been substituted for divine truth, resulting in vast organisations of believers (sometimes of believers and unbelievers). Whatever outward semblance of unity these may appear to effect, clearly they do not evidence the unity of the Spirit. The unity of the Spirit can only be expressed in a community of disciples of the Lord where one Lord, one faith, one baptism, are given their proper place.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell to-r~ in ufl�ty! .. . . For there the Lord cominanded the blessing" (Psalm 183.1,8).

Pursuing his theme of unity the apostle now refers to another matter of paramount importance to the people of God during tileir earthly pilgrimag~the various gifts bestowed by the ascended Lord for the uphuilding of His disciples and the extension of God's kingdom. The two other passages dealing with "gifts," in Romans i2. and 1 Corinthians i2. should be studied in conjunction with this one. The importance of this matter is sometimes overlooked with consequent loss to God's people. These gifts, though diverse in character, are, nevertheless, aU necessary, and have been distributed by the ascended Lord with unerring wisdom. They indicate our

interdependence on the ministrations of each other; and greater unity and solidarity among God's people would result if this were more generally recognized. Any tendency to exalt unduly one kind of gift above another, or to place undue emphasis on the relative importance of the particular kind of service we may feel led to engage in, would thereby be corrected. A very solemn responsibility is placed upon each one of us in respect to these gifts, for they were given for u.~e,-neither to be hugged to the breast nor buried in the earth-and sufficient grace for their exercise is supplied "according to the measure of the gift of Christ." We should therefore all seek, humbly and gratefully, to fill the place for which divine grace has fitted us; not disparaging others nor enquiring "Lord, what shall this man do?", but recognizing our own personal responsibility to use as a sacred trust the gift so graciously bestowed upon us by the ascended Lord.

The occasion of the bestowal of these gifts is very graphically depicted by the apostle. It was associated with our Lord's triumphal ascension to glory. Two results of that glorious ascent~~ne to the righteous dead of the past; the other to the living of the presentare here disclosed:

"When He asce,nted On high, He led captinity caphve, And ga's gifts unto men."

This quotation is an interesting example of the apostle's use of the Old Testament Scriptures and his insight into their prophetic import. Much is to be learned by a study of Paul's quotations from the Old Testament, but this must not detain us now.

"He led captivity captive" is evidently a reference to the freeing of those who died in faith before His victorious crosswork, and were in upper Hades (see Luke 16.22). He descended to the lower regions of the earth and led forth triumphantly a multit~de of captives to share in His glorious victory over sin and death and hell. And it was H~the very same-who descended so low, that has ascended so high, "far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things."

"He gave gifts unto men." If we keep before us the occasion and the purpose of these gifts it would help us to appreciate them more. What virtually was the bounty of the ascended Lord to His people to celebrate His glorious triumph? In a word-a Spirit-endowed ministry! A priceless gift indeed, worthy of Himself and perfectly suited to the spiritual needs of God's people

In considering verse 11, "And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers," it should not be assumed that this is a complete list of the gifts of Christ mentioned in verse 7. The words "each one of you "(verse 7) show that all have received a gift, and this is confirmed by the passage in 1 Peter 4.10, "Each hath received a gift"; whereas, the gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4.11 describe a relatively small proportion of God's people. But they are "key" gifts, and their exercise is calculated to stir up God's people to a deeper sense of their responsibilities so that their energies may be willingly devoted to furthering the work of God. That, I judge, is the force of the words in verse 12 which defines the purpose of the gifts enumerated in verse 11-" For the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of tlie Body of Christ" or, literally, "With a view to the fitting of the saints for work of ministry, for a building up of the Body of Christ" (Rotherham). So that the work of these men extends beyond the immediate blessing of those to whom they minister; it has the further result of stimulating the ministration of the various gifts of God's people.

It will be instructive to compare here the list of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. with that in Ephesians 4. and to note the differences:

1 Corinthians 12.28 Ephesians 4.11.

Apostles. Apestles.

Prophets. Prophets.

Teachers. Evangelists.

Miraeles. Pastors.

Healings. Teachers.

Helps.

Governments.

Tongues.

Three only of those listed in 1 Corinthians 12. are found in the Ephesian list-apostles, prophets, teachers. To these are added evangelists and pastors who are significantly interposed between "apostles and prophets "and" teachers." It seems that 1 Corinthians 12. is dealing with the manifestation of the gifts in their apostolic setting, whereas Ephesians 4. takes the age-long view, giving the gifts of the ascended Lord in relation to the dispensation. }~or while in the strict apostolic sense there are no apostles and prophets to-day, yet their work remains in the foundation of divine teaching which they laid, and which is preserved for us in "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." The work of the evangelists, pastors and teachers is thus inseparably connected with that of the apostles and prophets and in this sense the work of these latter operates for the entire age.

"Evangelists." How necessary and desirable these divinely gifted men arc to God's people! Primarily their work consists in the proclamation of the gospel to the unsaved. Such men know something of that hunger to bring men to Christ which is reflected in the words of the apostle: "Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9.16). They are the spearhead of the attack which must be carried into the enemy's territory. No work more noble than this can occupy the hearts and lips of men. We should hold up such by prayer and encourage them with every other means at our disposal. God speed the work of every Christ-sent evangelist!

"Pastors and teachers." These two gifts are linked together, possibly because they are so closely related. Pastors exercise a shepherd care over the lambs and sheep of the flock; ever watchful for their welfare, alive to the dangers and pitfalls to which they are exposed. Moved by constraining love to Christ, they "admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak" and are "longsuffering toward all" (1 Thessalonians 5.14). Such men are an inestimable blessing to God's people. How much we owe, under God, to the patient labours of the pastors! Then, in order to carry out the terms of the Great Commission, it is necessary for those who have been reached through the evangelists to be taught all things which the Lord commanded. So, we have been given teachers. Carefully, patiently, systematically, these men "labour in the Word and in teaching." Each assembly of God should be a great teaching institution where disciples of the Lord in various stages of spiritual growth are brought to spiritual maturity. Well-instructed disciples will not be easily moved by the false teaching which is ceaselessly propagated by the enemies of the truth. Happy, indeed, are the people who are privileged to sit under the Spirit-given ministry of the servants of the Lord.

Sometimes more than one of these gifts will be manifest in a servant of the Lord. The apostle Paul in his manifold labours seemed to combine all three, and was evangelist, pastor, teacher, as occasion demanded. But, generally speaking, one of these gifts will be predominant and will be speedily di~cerned by those who are spiritually minded. These gifts are not attainments, but endowments; let us then look behind the gift to the Giver, and give thanks to our ascended Lord who "gave gifts unto men."

We have already noted the purpose of the gifts enumerated in verse 11 ; they are "for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ." And the need for their exercise will continue ' till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." This grand object will not be jully realized until the Church is complete. Until that time the exercise of the gifts is necessary and preparatory to the great purpose God has in the Church.

The treatment of the matter here seems to relate the present to the future; and this raises a matter of profound interest, that our present spiritual development as members of the Body is not only for the present blessing of ourselves and our fellow-members, but is also to prepare us for a yet more glorious purpose when the Church is seen f'ilhlling her glorious destiny as " the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." This harmony and wholeness of God's purpose, linking time with eternity, with all its solemn implications, we leave to the further consideration of the reader: it has an important bearing on what follows.

The apostle goes on to emphasize the need for individual exercise of the members towards growth and development here and now. God has made provision that believers should not remain in a state of spiritual infancy, and~therefore liable to be tossed about by every wind of ~octrine. If unstable and immature, they fall an easy prey to the snares which abound on every side to trap them and hinder jheir spiritual progress. Here, then, is emphasized again an important part of the work of those gifted in the ministry of the word. Not only do God's people need to be stirred up that their gifts might be used, they also need to grow in likeness to Christ. Christian character must go hand in hand with Christian service or the latter will be ineffectual. Spirit-given ministry is directed, not merely to informing the mind, or stirring the emotions, or swaying the judgement, but to promoting that spiritual c'rowth and development which is possible to the believer because he is a member of the Body of Christ This is stated here by the apostle in a passage full of vivid imagery

"That we may be no lo"ger children but speaking truth in lore may grow up in all things into Him which is the Head e'en Christ from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that 'whwh etery joint sup plieth, according to the working tn due measure of each se:eral part, maketh the inerease of the Body unto the building up of itself in lore."

Spiritual growth may be slow and gradual-it cannot be forced; but certain conditions promote its development. Two essential conditions are contained in the phrase: "speaking truth in love." The Greek word here translated "speaking truth" has been the cause of some difficulty to translators. The Revised Margin has "dealing truly," and this seems nearer to the thought of the apostle. There is no warrant in the Greek word itself for limiting its meaning to "speech." Rotherham has "pursuing truth"; Alford, "being followers of truth." The thought seems to be that there cannot be spiritual progress if there is any element of pretence. Spiritual growth and true dealing are indivisible. "Dealing truly in love." There is a beautiful balance in the phrase; truth is the goal-love the element. The pursuit of truth is not the sole condition for spiritual growth; equal emphasis must be given to the other condition-" in love." Both are necessary in order that we '~ may grow up in all things into Him which is the Head, even Christ."

Those who understand the wonderful workings and development of the human body will be able to appreciate most what the apostle sets forth in verse 16. He leaves us with a picture of harmony and cohesion; the Body as a living organism, each part sustained by its union with Christ the Head, and functioning in its proper place. It is a wonderful climax to this first paragraph of chapter 4. Let us keep the picture before our minds as the background to the sombre contrasts in the remainder of the chapter. T. <Author:T. M. Hyland>

(To be continued.)

T. M. Hyland | Jun 1950
Studies In Ephesians