One

Walk in a manner (4:1-3)

  • Paul’s emphasis on unity really shines through in Chapter 4
  • To walk is used all through the NT as a metaphor for ordering your life, or your lifestyle.
    • If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth 1 John 1:6
    so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2:12
  • Paul gives a list of outward “calling lifestyle” and each one leads to wholesome communal relationships.

Seven “Ones” (4:4-6)

  • Paul’s seven list of “ones” is also a cue to show his intention to emphasize unity.

Gifts to men (4:7-16)

  • In Paul’s quotation in verse 8, Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18
    • You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there. Psalm 68:18
  • The verse he quotes from in the Psalms says he received gifts. Is Paul twisting the scripture? Is this something we can also do?
  • The explanation for this is in understanding how quotation worked at the time the NT books were authored. Quotations were not as precise as what we have today, especially seeing that there weren’t very specific referencing methods like we have today with page number, paragraph, chapter, e.t.c
  • One specific way authors used and cited sources that is quite alien to us now is this idea of mixed or composite quotes. If an author was fairly sure his readers were very familiar with two specific writers or documents, he could put words from both of them together to draw out a bigger point and trust that the readers (or hearers, as books were often read aloud to groups) would follow what he was doing.
  • We find this in Mark
    • The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY; THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’ ” Mark 1:1-3
  • Mark says “it is written in Isaiah”, but we see that he only directly quotes Isaiah in verse 3
    • A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3
  • The earlier parts of the verse quotes from Malachi. Mark is only showing that the thoughts expressed in these verses are related and speak of the same event; the coming of the King.
    • “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Malachi 3:1a
  • When we read Psalm 68 till the end, we see the victorious King now giving to His people. Paul most likely had this whole
    • O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God! Psalm 68:35
  • The gifts in Ephesians are leaders whose endowments help in the building & unity of the people so that they can do the work of service

Purpose of unity (4:15)

  • The importance of unity is spiritual maturity, expressed in firm footing in correct doctrine.

Meaning of head (4:15)

Further reading

https://carm.org/about-the-bible/did-mark-confuse-isaiah-and-malachi/