Day 172 – Thursday, August 28, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Ephesians 4

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Walk in Unity

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

(Ephesians 4:1–6, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul called the Ephesians to walk worthy in this opening to the sec one half of his epic letter.
• He reminded them that there calling required a worthy response. They must be humble, patient, loving, and united with the people of the kingdom.
• He pointed out that they were part of one body, led by one Spirit, believing in one hope, serving one Lord, and having one faith.
• This was all the while living under the rule of one God, above all, through all, and in all.

Spiritual Gifts

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men.”

⁹ (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. 

(Ephesians 4:7–16, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul then spoke of the grace that allowed Christians to receive gifts for service.
• As Christ served the world in His ministry, death, and resurrection, so He calls us to serve as well.
• In this passage, Paul lifted up the five-fold ministry gifts given by God to equip the church for service. He gave the church apostles to spread and establish the gospel and the church, prophets to speak what the Lord is saying to the church, evangelists to spread the gospel near and far while winning souls, pastors to shepherd the flock of God, and teachers to train the people in the word of God and doctrine.
• These gifts (or offices) were given to build up the body of Christ in unity and knowledge, to grow up mature saints, and fill all the roles and parts of the body of Christ for service.

The New Man

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 

(Ephesians 4:17–24, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul had already spoken of the need to walk worthy, and has just explained the leadership provided by God to the church, and the call to service sent to the laity of the church.
• Now, he shared another teaching on the need to put away acts of sin.
• He reminded the readers that the rest of the Gentiles were still walking in the futility of understanding, living a life of sin that would eventually destroy their souls.
• He further reminded them that they were not in that situation, because they had learned Christ, and therefore should continue to deny their former conduct of sinfulness. They should deny the old man and be renewed daily in their minds, putting on the new man created by God.

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. ²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 

(Ephesians 4:25–32, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Finally, Paul spoke of the need to not grieve the Holy Spirit.
• They could accomplish this by denying sins, such as lying, fits of anger, theft, laziness, corrupt speech, etc. All these things would grieve the Holy Spirit if carried out in the life of a Christian.
• He further outlawed wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and malice.
• He then called the Ephesians to be kind, tender hearted, and forgiving.
• Paul is teaching a lifestyle that glorifies God and fulfills His purpose.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.