Ephesians 4:1-6

A1 Scripture—I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [There is] one body and one Spirit, just as you were 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. (Ephesians 4:1-6, NKJV)

A2 Outline

B1 Beseech

C1 Walk

D1 Walk has the idea of living our daily life. Walking in Scripture is to live the Christian life as outlined in the New Testament. We live a Christian life because we love God, not to earn our salvation.

E1 Old Testament example

F1 Version 1 using the word walk: Leviticus 18:3-5 KJV After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. 4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. 5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

F2 Version 2 using other words: Leviticus 18:3-5 GW You used to live in Egypt. Don't live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don't live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. 4 Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am the LORD your God. 5 Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the LORD.

E2 New Testament example

F1 Version 1 using the word walk: Ephesians 4:17 KJV This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.

F2 Version 2 using other words: Ephesians 4:17 GNB In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless.

D2 Some characteristics of walk in our passage:

E1 Walk worthily of the calling with which you are called. We are Christians and are expected to talk and live like Christians. Truly, the Christian life must be in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

E2 Walk in all lowliness (humility, not arrogantly)

E3 Walk in all gentleness

E4 Walk with longsuffering (patience)

E5 Walk forbearing one another in love (showing some tolerance)

E6 Walk to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

C2 One (a description of that unity spoken of here)

D1 Body

E1 The church

E2 This is not an organization. This is all the believers from Pentecost to the Rapture.

E3 It has members who are Jews or Gentiles, but they all are believers.

E4 Being in the body does not mean:

F1 Church membership

F2 Holding to a particular theology.

F3 Growing up in a so-called Christian country.

F4 Just identifying as a Christian.

D2 Spirit

E1 This is the Holy Spirit.

E2 All believers have the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion.

F1 Romans 5:5 GW We're not ashamed to have this confidence, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

F2 1 John 4:12-13 GW No one has ever seen God. If we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 We know that we live in him and he lives in us because he has given us his Spirit.

F3 Romans 8:9 NRSV But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

E3 He enters the “heart” of a person at conversion. There is no ceremony or act that accomplishes this.

F1 2 Corinthians 5:5 NRSV He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

F2 1 Thessalonians 4:8 NRSV Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

F3 Galatians 4:6 NRSV And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

F4 Ephesians 1:13-14 GW You heard and believed the message of truth, the Good News that he has saved you. In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom he promised. 14 This Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive our inheritance. We have this guarantee until we are set free to belong to him. God receives praise and glory for this.

D3 Hope

E1 Hope is confident expectation.

E2 It is a one hope for the future promises to believers of a new heavens and new earth,

F1 2 Peter 3:13 KJV Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

F2 Revelation 21:1-8 WEB I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.” 5 He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” 6 He said to me, “I have become the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

G1 A place to live.

G2 A fellowship to enjoy (God with us)

G3 A place of comfort (God will wipe away)

G4 A place of life, not death.

G5 A place where the King of the universe lives.

G6 A source of life (the Lord Jesus and His salvation).

G7 A promise of grace to overcome.

G8 A promise to have no evil people.

D4 Lord

E1 Lord as in boss, king.

E2 Jesus is Lord of lords and Kings of kings.

F1 Deuteronomy 10:17 NRSV For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

F2 Psalms 136:3 NRSV O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever. (All of Psalm 136 is great to read).

F3 1 Timothy 6:14-15 NRSV To keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

F4 Revelation 17:13-14 NRSV These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; 14 they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

F5 Revelation 19:16 NRSV On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, "King of kings and Lord of lords.

D5 Faith

E1 Believing God.

E2 Believing the Bible in its plain, normal sense.

E3 Believing God’s evaluation of sin.

E4 Believing God’s Gospel.

E5 Believing His promises.

D6 Baptism

E1 This mainly refers to Holy Spirit baptism.

E2 This baptism is right after conversion. There are no lights, lightnings, or experiences.

E3 There are 8 baptisms in the New Testament. This is but one, but the most important.

E4 1 Corinthians 12:13 NRSV For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

E5 John 1:33 NKJV I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

D7 God

E1 There is only one God―Yahweh.

E2 Deuteronomy 6:4 WEB Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one.

D8 Father

E1 Above all (in authority, in everything, in authority and care of believers)

E2 Through all (sovereign, assigns gifts)

E3 In you all (dwells in believers: 2 Corinthians 6:16 WPNT Further, what agreement can a temple of God have with idols? Because you are a temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them; I will be their God and they will by my people.)

A3 Notes

B1 Definitions

C1 Walk =

D1 Conduct, that is, following, obeying God's laws. There are over 1,000 laws in the New Testament.

D2 Spiritual life, that is, with a worldview of pleasing God, who is Spirit, and not the fleshly desires.

C2 Lowliness = not being proud. Pride manifests itself often as "I'm right; you're wrong."

C3 Meekness = not being pushy, bullying over others to get "my" way.

C4 Longsuffering = patience towards others, not expressing anger too soon, too long, too violent

C5 Bearing = putting up with one, enduring, another, overlooking mistakes and faults that are not Scriptural.

D1 For example, driving a Ford instead of a Chevy, using the NASB instead of the KJV.

D2 Chrysostom defined longsuffering as the spirit that has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is characteristic of a forgiving, generous heart.

C6 Endeavoring = working hard to

C7 Unity of the Spirit = the opposite would be to have splits in the church.

D1 Sometimes there must be a split as for wrong doctrine or plain disobedience to New Testament laws. To be one in unity just for the sake of being one leads to corruption—eventually one corporation under one boss.

D2 God makes the unity, not us. The unity is because of those who having been convicted of their sins have repented and placed their trust in Jesus Christ alone.

D3 We keep the unity with the help of God.

D4 It is not that we are one because of a common interest; we are one family.

C8 Body = the group of Christians, that is, all true believers of all ages of the New Testament period.

C9 Spirit = the Holy Spirit. Maintaining not experiences but truth to the plain, normal understanding of the Scriptures.

C10 Hope of your calling = forgiveness of sins and the resurrection to heaven. A happy contentment.

C11 Lord = Jesus Christ who is head of the church

C12 Faith = body of doctrine

C13 Baptism = into the body, church, of God. A testimony of a clear conscious and its guilt by the grace and mercy of God.

C14 God = the one and only ultimate authority

C15 Father of all = especially those who are adopted into the family of God. In a very general sense it would include the idea that God creates all people.

C16 Above all = highest authority that exists

C17 Through all = giver of life

C18 In all = Christians

B2 Paul, through the Holy Spirit, is

C1 Giving instructions of how we should

D1 Act as Christians

D2 Believe as Christians

C2 These are

D1 Practical doctrine

D2 Theological doctrine

D3 Not optional

D4 Not just for the early Ephesian church

D5 Not a nice standard, but the required standard

D6 Not for salvation but because of salvation