BOOK 49 OF 66 · PAULINE EPISTLES · KING JAMES BIBLE

Ephesians 4

Ephesians book home•Chapter 4 of 6•32 verses

Chapter overviewAt a glance + deeper study

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Ephesians 4 Overview

Paul turns from doctrine to conduct, urging believers to walk worthy with humility, patience, and love while keeping the unity of the Spirit. He lists the sevenfold ‘one’ foundation, explains Christ’s gifts to the church for ministry and maturity, and contrasts the old walk with the renewed mind and new man.

EphesiansBook

4Chapter

32Verses

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Before you read Ephesians 4

Coming from

Paul explains the mystery revealed by the Spirit: Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of God’s promise in Christ by the gospel. He describes his grace-given ministry to preach Christ’s unsearchable riches and show the fellowship of the mystery, then prays that believers will be strengthened within and know Christ’s surpassing love.

In this chapter

Leads into

Paul calls believers to walk in love as Christ loved them, to reject sexual uncleanness and covetousness, and to walk as children of light. They must walk wisely, redeem the time, be filled with the Spirit, and express that fullness through worship, thanksgiving, and ordered relationships. Marriage is then explained through Christ and the church.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Unity is something believers are to keep, not create; its foundation is the one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and God and Father.

Pastors and teachers equip saints for ministry; the text does not present ministry as something performed only by clergy.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

Christian conduct should match Christian calling

Doctrine in chapters 1–3 becomes walk in chapters 4–6.

Unity is grounded in shared truth

Biblical unity is not achieved by ignoring the one Lord and one faith.

Gifts aim at maturity and service

Christ gives leaders so the body grows rather than remaining childish.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Romans 12:3–8

Paul similarly joins one-body unity with diverse gifts.

1 Corinthians 12

The body metaphor again shows differing members serving one another.

Colossians 3:8–14

Putting off old practices and putting on new character closely parallels Ephesians 4.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not make unity mean doctrinal indifference

Paul anchors unity in explicit shared truths.

Do not treat pastors as substitutes for the saints’ ministry

Their role includes equipping saints for the work.

Do not use ‘new man’ as proof that believers instantly become behaviorally perfect

Paul must command saved people to put away lying, corrupt speech, bitterness, and theft.

Read Ephesians 4 watching for…

The seven ‘ones.’

Why Christ gives ministry gifts.

The goal of maturity.

Old-man/new-man language.

Specific sins believers must put away.

Chapter outline4 sections

1-6Believers are urged to walk worthy in humility, patience, unity, and peace 7-16Christ gives gifts to equip the saints and grow the body into maturity and unity 17-24Believers must no longer walk like the Gentiles but put off the old man and put on the new man 25-32Paul gives practical commands about truth, anger, work, speech, kindness, and forgiveness

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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 you all.

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But ye have not so learned Christ;

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Neither give place to the devil.

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

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Ephesians 4:10

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