Ephesians — Chapter 4

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1As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

3and with diligence to preserve 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.

7Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”

9What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth?

10He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

11And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

12to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

16From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

18They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

19Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.

20But this is not the way you came to know Christ.

21Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus—

22to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

23to be renewed in the spirit 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 another.

26“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

27and do not give the devil a foothold.

28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

29Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.

32Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

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

10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13Till 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:

14That 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;

15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16From 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.

17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

19Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20But ye have not so learned Christ;

21If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27Neither give place to the devil.

28Let 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.

29Let 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.

30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

1I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,

2with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

7But unto each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men.

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

10He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11And he gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:

13till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

15but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, [even] Christ;

16from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in [due] measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.

17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart;

19who being past feeling gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20But ye did not so learn Christ;

21if so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

22that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit;

23and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

25Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27neither give place to the devil.

28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.

29Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.

30And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice:

32and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.

1I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called,

2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love,

3making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,

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 was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.”

9Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth?

10He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

11And he himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,

13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.

14So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.

15But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.

16From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body builds itself up in love.

17So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

18They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

19Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20But you did not learn about Christ like this,

21if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus.

22You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,

23to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

25Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor because we are members of one another.

26Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.

27Do not give the devil an opportunity.

28The one who steals must steal no longer; instead he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.

29You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear.

30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice.

32Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

1I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

2with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;

3being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.

7But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”

9Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

11He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

12for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;

13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

14that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

15but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

16from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

17This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;

19who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20But you did not learn Christ that way;

21if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

22that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;

23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

25Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.

26“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

27and don’t give place to the devil.

28Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

29Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.

32And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Paul urges believers to walk worthy of their calling, striving for unity through the one body, one hope, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism they share (vv. 1-6). Christ gave gifted leaders — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers — to equip the saints for ministry and build up the body until all reach maturity, measured by the fullness of Christ (vv. 7-13). This keeps believers from being tossed about by false teaching; instead, speaking truth in love, they grow up into Christ as each part of the body does its work (vv. 14-16). Paul then tells them to put off their old, corrupted self and put on the new self, created after God in righteousness and holiness, rather than living as the Gentiles do in futile, darkened thinking (vv. 17-24). He closes with practical instructions: speak truth, handle anger without sinning, work honestly rather than steal, avoid corrupt talk that grieves the Holy Spirit, and put away bitterness and malice in favor of kindness and forgiveness (vv. 25-32).

Authorship & Background

Author: Paul the Apostle (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 4 marks the transition from doctrine (chs.1-3) to practice (chs.4-6). Paul's "therefore" (v.1) connects everything that follows to everything that preceded. Because of who you are in Christ (chs.1-3), here is how you should live (chs.4-6). The chapter covers three themes: unity in the body (vv.1-16), putting off the old self (vv.17-24), and practical holiness (vv.25-32).
Classification: Epistle — Pauline, Prison Epistle
Key Themes: A single therefore that turns three chapters of doctrine into a command to walk worthy, seven ones offered as the ground of unity rather than uniformity, gifted leaders given to equip the saints rather than to do the work for them, an old self put off and a new self put on like changing clothes, and the Spirit named as something that can be grieved by careless speech
Walk Worthy — Unity (vv.1-16): Paul urges believers to "walk worthy" of their calling with humility, gentleness, patience, and love (vv.1-3). He lists seven "ones" that form the basis of Christian unity (vv.4-6). Christ gave gifted leaders — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers — to equip the saints for ministry and build up the body (vv.11-12). The goal: maturity, measured by "the stature of the fulness of Christ" (v.13).
Put Off the Old, Put On the New (vv.17-24): Gentile believers must no longer live like pagans — darkened in understanding, alienated from God (vv.17-19). They must "put off" the old man and "put on" the new man, created in righteousness and holiness (vv.22-24). Like changing clothes.
Practical Holiness (vv.25-32): Specific commands: speak truth, handle anger properly, don't steal but work and give, speak words that build up, don't grieve the Spirit, put away bitterness, be kind and forgiving (vv.25-32).

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers walking worthy, the seven "ones," spiritual gifts, the old/new man, and practical holiness commands.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

What Does "In Your Anger Do Not Sin" Mean? (Ephesians 4:26 Explained) | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 4:30? | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Ephesians 4 | Living Worthy of the Call | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Ephesians 4:1-24 - The Walk Worthy of the Call
David Guzik

Ephesians 4:25-5:21 - The New Man and Walking in the Light
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org What the word behind 'tenderhearted' meant, and what it asks.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Ephesians -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Walking Worthy of the Calling (v.1) — Paul urges believers to live in a way that matches the calling they've received in Christ. Where's the biggest gap between who you are in Christ and how you actually live day to day?
  • Unity Takes Effort (v.3) — Paul calls believers to actively work at keeping unity, implying it doesn't happen on its own. Where are you putting real effort into unity, and where are you letting it slide?
  • Every Believer Has a Ministry (v.12) — Gifted leaders exist to equip all believers for the work of ministry, not to do it on their behalf. What is your ministry, and are you being equipped for it or just spectating?
  • Taking Off the Old, Putting On the New (vv.22-24) — Paul pictures change like changing clothes, putting off old patterns and putting on a new self created in righteousness. What old habit needs to come off, and what new one needs to replace it?
  • Anger Without Sin (v.26) — Paul allows for anger but warns against letting it fester or turn into sin. Do you tend to bury your anger or let it explode, and what would handling it righteously look like?
  • Forgiving as You've Been Forgiven (v.32) — Believers are called to be kind and forgiving toward each other on the same scale that God forgave them in Christ. Is there someone you're withholding forgiveness from that this standard should change?