The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Unity” it comes from the Greek Word “henotes” which means “unity, oneness.”
Paul turns from deep theology to practical instructions for living together in genuine unity. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Ephesians 4.
Paul urges believers to walk worthy of their calling, with lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and love, endeavoring “to keep the unity,” “henotes” in Greek, “of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” since there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. He explains that Christ gave varied gifts to the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, specifically for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for building up the body of Christ, until believers reach unity in the faith and full maturity, “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,” no longer tossed about by every wind of doctrine.
Paul explains that the whole body, joined and knit together through every supporting joint, grows and builds itself up in love as each individual part does its proper work. He urges believers not to walk any longer as the unconverted Gentiles do, with a futile mind, darkened understanding, and hardened hearts given over to uncleanness, insisting they have not learned Christ this way, since they have been taught to put off “the old man,” corrupted by deceitful lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of their mind, putting on “the new man,” created in genuine righteousness and holiness.
Paul gives concrete, practical instructions flowing from this transformation, putting away lying and speaking truth with neighbors, being angry without sinning and not letting the sun go down on wrath, refusing to steal but laboring instead to have something to give to those in need, letting no corrupt communication proceed from their mouth, but only what edifies, and putting away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Paul’s vision of unity was never about uniformity, everyone looking or thinking identically, but about diverse gifts working together toward the same shared growth and maturity. His practical instructions that follow, honesty, controlled anger, generosity, kind speech, show exactly what that unity actually looks like in the smallest, most ordinary daily interactions.
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