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4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 4:2 With all
lowliness
and
meekness, with
longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love; 4:3
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4:4 There is one
body, and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling; 4:5 One
Lord, one
faith, one
baptism, 4:6 One
God and
Father of all, who is
above all, and
through all, and
in you
all.
4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure
of the gift of Christ.
4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men.
4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first
into the lower parts of the earth? 4:10 He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all
things.) 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 4:12 For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ: 4:13 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: 4:14 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; 4:15 But speaking the
truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head,
even Christ: 4:16 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.
4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 4:18
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: 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over
unto lasciviousness, to work all
uncleanness with
greediness.
4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 4:21 If so be that ye have
heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 4:22
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 4:23 And be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which
after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.
4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbour: for we are members one of another.
4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath: 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
4:28 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.
4:29 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.
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption.
4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 4:32 And be ye kind
one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Ephesians
Book: Ephesians
Chapter: 4
Overview:
Exhortations to mutual forbearance and union.
(1-6) To a due
use of
Spiritual Gifts and graces.
(7-16) To purity and
Holiness.
(17-24) And to take heed of the sins practised among
the
Heathen.
(25-32)
1-6 Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than
to walk as becomes those called to
Christ's kingdom and
Glory.
By lowliness, understand
Humility, which is opposed to pride.
By
Meekness, that excellent disposition of soul, which makes men
unwilling to provoke, and not easily to be provoked or offended.
We find much in ourselves for which we can hardly forgive
ourselves; therefore we must not be surprised if we find in
others that which we think it hard to forgive. There is one
Christ in whom all believers
Hope, and one
Heaven they are all
hoping for; therefore they should be of one
Heart. They had all
one
Faith, as to its object, Author, nature, and power. They all
believed the same as to the great truths of religion; they had
all been admitted into the
Church By one
Baptism, with water, in
the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost,
as the sign of
Regeneration. In all believers
God the
Father
dwells, as in his holy
Temple,
By his
Spirit and special
Grace.
7-16 Unto every believer is given some
Gift of
Grace, for their
mutual help. All is given as seems best to
Christ to bestow upon
every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a
large
Measure of
Gifts and graces; particularly the
Gift of the
Holy Ghost. Not a mere head knowledge, or bare acknowledging
Christ to be the
Son of God, but such as brings trust and
obedience. There is a
Fulness in
Christ, and a
Measure of that
Fulness given in the counsel of
God to every believer; but we
never come to the perfect
Measure till we come to
Heaven.
God's
children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the
Christian's growth tends to the
Glory of
Christ. The more a
Man
finds himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according
to his
Measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good
of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the
Grace of sincere
Love and
Charity rooted in his
Heart.
17-24 The
Apostle charged the
Ephesians in the name and
By the
authority of the
Lord Jesus, that having professed the
Gospel,
they should not be as the unconverted
Gentiles, who walked in
vain fancies and
Carnal affections. Do not men,
On every side,
walk in the vanity of their minds? Must not we then urge the
distinction between real and nominal Christians? They were void
of all saving knowledge; they sat in
Darkness, and loved it
rather than
Light. They had a dislike and
Hatred to a
Life of
Holiness, which is not only the way of
Life God requires and
approves, and
By which we live to him, but which has some
likeness to
God himself in his purity,
Righteousness,
Truth, and
Goodness. The
Truth of
Christ appears in its beauty and power,
when it appears as in
Jesus. The corrupt nature is called a
Man;
like the human body, it is of divers parts, supporting and
strengthening one another. Sinful desires are deceitful lusts;
they promise men happiness, but render them more miserable; and
bring them to
Destruction, if not subdued and mortified. These
therefore must be
Put off, as an old garment, a filthy garment;
they must be subdued and mortified. But it is not enough to
shake off corrupt principles; we must have gracious ones.
By the
new
Man, is meant the new nature, the new
Creature, directed
By
a new principle, even regenerating
Grace, enabling a
Man to lead
a new
Life of
Righteousness and
Holiness. This is created, or
brought forth
By God's almighty power.
25-28 Notice the particulars wherewith we should adorn our
Christian profession. Take heed of every thing contrary to
Truth.
No longer flatter or deceive others.
God's people are
children who will not
Lie, who dare not
Lie, who hate and abhor
lying. Take heed of
Anger and ungoverned passions. If there is
just occasion to express displeasure at what is wrong, and to
reprove, see that it be without
Sin. We give place to the
Devil,
when the first motions of
Sin are not grievous to our souls;
when we consent to them; and when we repeat an evil deed. This
teaches that as
Sin, if yielded unto, lets in the
Devil upon us,
we are to resist it, keeping from all appearance of evil.
Idleness makes
Thieves. Those who will not work, expose
themselves to temptations to steal. Men ought to be industrious,
that they may do some good, and that they may be kept from
Temptation. They must labour, not only that they may live
honestly, but that they may have to give to the wants of others.
What then must we think of those called Christians, who grow
rich
By fraud, oppression, and deceitful practices!
Alms, to be
accepted of
God, must not be gained
By unrighteousness and
Robbery, but
By honesty and industry.
God hates
Robbery for
burnt-offerings.
29-32 Filthy words proceed from corruption in the speaker, and
they corrupt the minds and manners of those who hear them:
Christians should beware of all such discourse. It is the duty
of Christians to seek,
By the blessing of
God, to bring persons
to think seriously, and to encourage and warn believers
By their
Conversation. Be ye kind one to another. This sets forth the
principle of
Love in the
Heart, and the outward expression of
it, in a humble, courteous behaviour.
Mark how
God's forgiveness
causes us to forgive.
God forgives us, though we had
No cause to
Sin against him. We must forgive, as he has forgiven us. All
lying, and corrupt communications, that stir up evil desires and
lusts, grieve the
Spirit of
God. Corrupt passions of bitterness,
wrath,
Anger, clamour,
Evil-speaking, and malice, grieve the
Holy
Spirit. Provoke not the holy, blessed
Spirit of
God to
withdraw his presence and his gracious influences. The body will
be redeemed from the power of the
Grave at the resurrection
Day.
Wherever that blessed
Spirit dwells as a Sanctifier, he is the
Earnest of all the joys and glories of that
Redemption Day; and
we should be undone, should
God take away his Holy
Spirit from
us.