Ephesians 4:4-6To: Ephesians Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page There is no charge for Grace Notes Materials. You can help further this work by your prayer and by sending a contribution for Grace Notes to Village Missions (address below) Ephesians 4:4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. ---------- Chapters 4 to 6 are the chapters of the mature Christian life, of the *normal* Christian life. These verses are the description of the "conformed" life which is mentioned in Romans 8:29. These verses describe how to be conformed to the image of Christ, and everything for this life and for the life to come is described as a gift of God's grace. Salvation Grace: non-meritorious, by means of Grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian Life Grace: God provides living grace. Ephesians 1:3 points out that there is an escrow account of blessings in heaven, in Christ. Some people take advantage of Grace; others do not. Maturity Grace: James 4:6 "...he gives more grace...God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." The grace life of the growing Christian includes (1) occupation with Christ, (2) stability, "this grace wherein we stand", (3) capacity for life, (4) unlimited blessings, (5) victory with Christ in the spiritual warfare, victory over circumstances, victory over evil. You know you are growing and have reached some level of maturity when you are walking in the plan of God, know your position and responsibilities, and exercise your privileges as a child of God. ---------- "There is one body" THE BODY OF CHRIST Each member of the Trinity is related to the Body of Christ. God the Father place Christ as the Head of the Body. Eph. 1:22,23, "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all." Col. 1:18,19; Eph. 5:23,24 The Holy Spirit forms the Body of Christ and sustains the Body. 1 Cor. 12:12-14, "For as the body in one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many." 1 Cor. 6:15; 6:19,20. Christ is the Savior of the Body. Eph. 5:23, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the savior of the body." Eph. 5:25,30. Christ is the Sanctifier of the Body. Heb. 2:11, "For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." Heb. 13:12, "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate." The Body of Christ participates with the Lord Jesus Christ in tactical and strategic victory over Satan and his forces of evil. Eph. 1:22,23, "And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all." Every Christian is a member of the Body of Christ. The Body includes Gentile believers and Jewish believers. Ephesians 3:16, "And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." The Body of Christ is the recipient of many spiritual gifts. Rom. 12:4,5, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." 1 Cor. 12:7,8, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit. For to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another, the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit..." The communication of Bible truth is the responsibility of the Body of Christ and of those who are given communication gifts. Eph. 4:11 and the following verses describe the process of church building through communication of doctrine. This is discussed in the Ephesians course for chapter 4. The objective of the Body in this life is to live the Grace life. Eph. 4:15,16, "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ; from whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according tot he effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." ---------- "and one Spirit" The Holy Spirit does many things for the believer at the time of salvation, and forever afterwards during this life and on throughout eternity. It is very important at this point that you review the wide range of scriptures that describe the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. Please refer to the topical study which was included with Lesson 5. If you need a copy of the file, send a request to me at <wdoud@bga.com>. Topic: HOLY SPIRIT ---------- "even as you are called" - the verb KALEW is an aorist passive indicative. Greek scholars regard the usage in this verse as the nomic aorist, indicating that this is a doctrine that is to be regarded as axiomatic. Therefore, every believer is part of the plan of God; you are in the plan of God, whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not. The passive voice of the verb indicates that every believer receives this calling from God the Holy Spirit; and the indicative means that this is a dogmatic assertion. Every believer is in one body, elected. ---------- "in one hope" - ELPIS, "expectation; confidence; prospect" ---------- "your calling" - the descriptive genitive of the noun "calling". Being a member of God's family, the Body of Christ, in your station in life! Ephesians 4:5One Lord, one faith, one baptism, ---------- "One Lord" The Royal Family has only one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of all believers. Some Christians say, "If Christ is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all." This is an untrue statement! A person who says this simply does not understand anything about the relationship between Christ and His Body. And it is horribly misleading to say this because it directs the focus of a person's thinking on himself instead of on the Lord. Christ is always Lord. If you are a Christian and you do not acknowledge Christ as Lord - if you live apart from the plan of God and shun His will for your life - as a child of God you will receive chastisement! "Whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges..." Oh yes, Christ is Lord, and you'll learn that one way or the other! ---------- "one faith" - PISTIS. Everyone is saved the same way. This is true ecumenicism; those who have placed their faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ are members of the Church, members of His Body, members of God's family. ---------- "one baptism" This is a good place to study the doctrines relating to baptism. There are actually seven types of baptism mentioned in the Bible, including the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It's important to be able to distinguish among the types of baptism and to know which type is being discussed in a particular context. Four of the types of baptism are real baptisms and three are ritual baptisms. Real Baptisms The Baptism of Moses Ritual Baptisms The Baptism of John Topic: BAPTISM Ephesians 4:6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ---------- "One God and Father of all" This is God the Father. Both the Son and the Holy Spirit have been mentioned in this listing. And these seven items which unify all believers can be thought of as the family seal, or the escutcheon on the shield of the believer. The phrase "of all" refers to all members of the royal family, the Body of Christ. ---------- "who is above all" - literally, "the one over all" This stresses positional location and authority. God the Father is sovereign in authority. He is the author of the divine plan. ---------- "and through all" This describes the omnipresence of God the Father. All the plan and production of God are manifestations of His character, His essence, His qualities. God is everywhere, personally present. The whole of God is in every place. This is not pantheism, because pantheism denies the person of God. God, in the totality of His essence, without diffusion, expansion, multiplication, or division, penetrates and fills the universe. Psalm 139:7,8,18; Jer. 23:23,24; Acts 17:27. God is also free to be local, such as on the mountain with Moses, in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle; on the Mount of Transfiguration with three of the apostles. ---------- "and in you all" God actually indwells every member of His royal family. All members of the royal family have the same Father, just as all members of the royal family have the same Savior, and just as all enter the palace (are placed in the Body) the same way, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. While all members of the royal family are unified by these attributes of nobility, all do not have the same functions, nor do all achieve the same stage of growth at the same time. Topic: ESSENCE OF GOD End of Lesson 22Grace Notes - a ministry of Village Missions InternationalThere is no charge for Grace Notes Materials. You can help further this work by your prayer and by sending a contribution for Grace Notes to Village Missions (address below)Village Missions International 4258 S. Sheridan, Suite 217 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74145 Warren Doud [Grace Notes] wdoud@bga.com 1705 Aggie Lane Austin, Texas 78757 URL: http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/ FTP: ftp://ftp.bga.com/vendors/wdoud/ |
|
|