1. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
Eph 4:1 – “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”
An important turning point in the epistle to the Ephesians: The first three chapters contain doctrine, the last three, exhortation.
What if the opposite order had been declared?
What’s it there for?
Let’s look at Eph 3:20,21 - Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Jew/Gentile as one only?
What does Paul mean when he states that he is the prisoner of the Lord?
Is this just his physical state or much more? 1
July 8, Bob Eckel 1

2. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
beseech you – present active indicative, strong term – admonish or beg of you.
walk worthy of the calling with which you were called
walk – regulate one’s life
worthy – what does this mean?
Phil 1:27 - Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
And what is our calling?
Whatever, this is our vocation.
2 Tim 1:9 - who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
And to this we were called – aorist active indicative
A more general calling, to any vocation.
McCalley – ‘Our walk should not contradict our belief; it 2
July 8, Bob Eckel 2

3. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
should complement our belief.’
Col 3: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Eph 4:2 - “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,”
lowliness – what, that’s not what the world is telling me?
Having a humble opinion of one's self, a deep sense of one's (moral) littleness, modesty, humility, lowliness of mind.
So do we beat ourselves up?
Rom 7:24 - O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, 3
July 8, Bob Eckel 3

4. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Christ Himself
Matt 11:29 - Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
And a reminder for us
1 Cor 4:7 - For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
Doesn’t this section remind you of the fruit of the Spirit?
Gal 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness (meekness) – only in Christ!
2 Cor 10:1 - Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.
Trench – ‘It is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the exercises of it are first and chiefly toward God. It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing. 4
July 8, Bob Eckel 4

5. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
This meekness before God is also such in the face of man.’
Tit 3:2 - to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.
How are we doing here?
with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love
longsuffering - patience, forbearance, slowness in avenging wrongs
In respect to people not things.
2 Tim 4:2 - Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
bearing with – putting up with it! - McCalley
Again, the exchanged life
1 Tim 1:16 - However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
And in love (agape) – who’s love is this?
1 Cor 13:4 - Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
Eph 4:3 - “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in 5
July 8, Bob Eckel 5

6. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
the bond of peace.”
endeavoring to keep – interesting verb tense, present active infinitive – reflects purpose and desire.
McCalley – ‘both difficult and implies determination’
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
unanimity means agreement
Found only twice in NT, both in Ephesians (Eph 4:13).
What are implications here, what peace?
Col 2:18,19 - Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not[fn] seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
Wuest – Expositors say ‘The unity, therefore, which is wrought among these Ephesians by the Spirit of God will be theirs in so far as they make peace the relation which they maintain one to another, or the bond in which they walk together.’
Again, Jew/Gentile? 6
July 8, Bob Eckel 6

7. The Epistle to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3, Worthy Walk – a Call to Unity
Phil 2:2 - The unity, therefore, which is wrought among these Ephesians by the Spirit of God will be theirs in so far as they make peace the relation which they maintain one to another, or the bond in which they walk together, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
1 Cor 12:13 - For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Overall, ‘For to me to live is Christ!’ – Phil 1:21 7
July 8, Bob Eckel 7