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Ephesians 4

32 verses

TL;DR

Paul urges the Ephesians to live in unity and holiness, using spiritual gifts to build the body of Christ.

Summary

Paul opens the letter with an exhortation to walk worthily, emphasizing humility, love, and unity in the Spirit. He declares the common identity of believers as one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. The apostle then describes Christ’s descent and ascent and explains the distribution of spiritual gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—for the edification of the church. He outlines the goal of Christian maturity: a perfected, mature faith that embodies the fullness of Christ and eliminates childish spiritual turbulence. Finally, Paul gives practical instructions for Christian conduct—removing deceit, anger, laziness, and bitterness, and cultivating truth, love, and forgiveness—so that the community may grow in grace and holiness.

Outline
  1. 1. Call to righteous conduct and unity (v1‑8)
  2. 2. Spiritual gifts and growth in the body of Christ (v9‑16)
  3. 3. Practical exhortations for daily Christian life (v17‑32)
Themes
unityspiritual giftssanctification
Keywords
unityspiritual giftssanctificationholinesslovegracebody of ChristChristfaithbaptismold mannew mantruthwrathdeceitforgiveness
People
PaulEphesiansJesus ChristLordapostlesprophetsevangelistspastorsteachers
Places
Ephesus
Things
unity of the Spiritone bodyone Spiritone Lordone faithone baptismone Godspiritual giftsold mannew manChristfaithbaptismbody of Christspiritlovegracetruthwrath
Key Verses
  • Ephesians 4:1: Paul’s opening exhortation to walk worthy of the calling
  • Ephesians 4:6: Affirmation of one God, the source of all unity
  • Ephesians 4:12: Explanation of spiritual gifts for building up the church
  • Ephesians 4:13-16: Vision of mature Christian life, growing into the fullness of Christ
Questions
  • How does Paul connect spiritual gifts to the purpose of the church?
  • What is the significance of the ‘old man’ and ‘new man’ imagery in Christian transformation?
  • In what ways do the practical instructions for conduct support the overarching goal of unity?
  • How does Paul’s depiction of Christ’s descent and ascent relate to the empowerment of believers?
  • What does the passage suggest about the relationship between individual holiness and corporate edification?
Sentiment

mixed
Encouraging exhortation coupled with warnings of sin.