In our study of Ephesians chapter four, we will look at light; its source today and in the future. God is light as we see in 1 John 1:5 and, when we accept Jesus, we are called to be the light in this world (see Matthew 5). We also see, in Revelation 21, that, when the heavens and earth are made new, God will once again provide light for all of creation.
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Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
We see, in Acts 19, that Ephesus was a very dark place as it was a center of all kinds of satanic things. Paul begins this letter to the people by urging them to live up to their calling which is to be a bright light in that very dark place. We have the same calling and it seems that the world today is darker than it has ever been before so this letter is for us as well.
Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love,
Paul gets right down to what it means to be the light and it begins with humility. That humbleness comes from the realization that we are nothing and in fact are incapable of anything useful without the grace of God. The second thing is to be gentle in our dealings with those around us even though they may be very difficult and may even be used by the devil. There are varying degrees of light and the degree of light to be used is based on the task just as we have different levels of light in our homes and dimmer switches to control the amount. A big bright light helps us to see a problem and is necessary to point out sin and the need for a savior but a more gentle light is used to encourage and instruct those that know they need the Lord. Paul also reminds us that we are to bear with one another and that is accepting people where they are in their walk with Christ and encouraging them to grow.
and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
There is only one God and one hope which is to spend eternity with Him through Jesus Christ. There is only one Spirit that is of God and only one can be in charge (be the light). The only one qualified to be in charge is the Creator of all. If we just allow God to do His will in our lives and the life of the church, then it will function as a unified body.
Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah's bounty.
Each and every one of us must fall back on grace because we all have sinned and grace is the only cure. No matter how many sins you have committed or how few it seems someone else has done, God's grace covers them both.
This is why it says, "After he went up into the heights, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to mankind." Now this phrase, "he went up," what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things.
Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 which is about the exodus of God's people from captivity in Egypt as well as our escape from the captivity of sin. This passage also speaks to the fact that, when Jesus died on the cross, he went to share the gospel with those people who had died yet not heard the good news.
Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers.
We see here that no true calling originates with the will of man but only through the will of God. Those that God calls He also equips for the work. These days we have gotten away from the calling of God and instead taught people that they can go to a college to get prepared to do these things. A college can be a tool that God uses but it is still only God that can call and equip you for the ministry He has laid out for your life.
Their task is to equip God's people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah, until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah's perfection.
No matter what the gifts are that God has given you, they are all given for the same purpose which is growth. God provides many resources (even this website) to help his children grow to be mature and productive. We have to acknowledge the fact that none of us are completely mature yet and we do not fully understand what we have in Jesus Christ.
We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive.
Now, we see another reason for growth and that is so that we will be able to tell truth from lies. It seems that today there are so many people trying to twist the gospel to fit their purposes which usually include making a bunch of money. We need to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ so that we will be able to stand firm in the truth and not be swayed by these slick tongued imposters of light.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah.
God is truth and it is contained in His word. Today, we have a mixed up way of thinking in that we do not proclaim the truth in love but instead we ignore the truth so as not to hurt someone's feelings. We see here that this stunts the growth of His children and they remain as little children instead of maturing into true disciples of Jesus Christ. He is in charge of all things and His way is truth.
Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.
Jesus brings us together into one body that is His and He is the glue that holds us all together. Just like a physical body, if a part is not functioning properly, you are sick and the whole body is affected. If we do not do our part here on earth, the body of Christ suffers. If we do not tell others about Jesus the Savior, how will they hear and come to be a part of the body of Christ? If we do not train them to be disciples, how will they be an effective part of the body? We do all of this out of love for Jesus and our fellow man.
Therefore I say this - indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking.
Paul is telling us that it is not enough to learn to be the light; we need to be the light. That means that we need to be different than those who don't know Jesus. They live according to their own thinking of what is best while we are to live according to God's word which is truly best. On our own, we will not be able to do this but God has given us the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us.
Their intelligence has been shrouded in darkness, and they are estranged from the life of God, because of the ignorance in them, which in turn comes from resisting God's will.
Those that do not have the Holy Spirit do not understand the things of God. Their hearts are like sun baked ground where a seed cannot even be planted. God must do some tilling (preparing the soil) before they can even hear the truth.
They have lost all feeling, so they have abandoned themselves to sensuality, practicing any kind of impurity and always greedy for more.
Those that do not know and serve God serve their own desires and many times these are pleasures of the flesh. After indulging in all kinds of these pleasures, they completely lose all ability to recognize sin for what it is. The sin draws them in and it becomes a continual search for new and more pleasures. This happened here in Ephesus and it happens more and more so in our culture today.
But this is not the lesson you learned from the Messiah! If you really listened to him and were instructed about him, then you learned that since what is in Yeshua is truth,
Paul reminds the believers that they didn't come to faith in Jesus Christ to keep walking in the ways of the flesh. Instead, they were taught the truth of repentance and forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ. There are many that want Jesus for a savior but also want the things of the world and let them be the lord of their lives. That is not the truth of the gospel because it leaves out our wanting to change (repentance) and allow Jesus to be in control of our lives.
then, so far as your former way of life is concerned, you must strip off your old nature, because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires;
Paul reminds the Ephesian believers that their faith began with a conviction in their hearts that they were sinners. This led them to repentance (putting off the old self). The old self was led by the same desires of the flesh that he spoke of in verses 17-19. These "deceitful desires" led to sin and separation from God.
and you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed,
Coming to faith in Jesus Christ involves a change of mind where we stop following our own thinking and agree with God that He is right.
and clothe yourselves with the new nature created to be godly, which expresses itself in the righteousness and holiness that flow from the truth.
In Genesis 1:27, we are told that man was created in the image of God. That image was distorted due to sin but, through Jesus Christ, that sin is removed. Not only are we to get rid of the old self but we must replace it with the new. In Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus told us what would happen if we did not put on this new self.
Therefore, stripping off falsehood, let everyone speak truth with his neighbor, because we are intimately related to each other as parts of a body.
When you put on the new self, there will be some big changes in the way you interact with other people especially other believers. This first practical part of learning to be the light is speaking the truth. As children of God, our words must reflect the Word of God and that means every hour of every day. James 3 gives us more instruction concerning the need for taming our tongues.
Be angry, but don't sine - don't let the sun go down before you have dealt with the cause of your anger; otherwise you leave room for the Adversary.
Paul quotes Psalm 4:4 which was written by King David as he faced persecution. This passage is not telling us that we can't get angry but it is saying we must remember to forgive. When we do not forgive, then the hurt or anger hardens the heart and opens a door for the devil to work against us. The Jewish day started at sundown and so he is saying don't start the new day with leftover hurt or anger from the day before.
The thief must stop stealing; instead, he should make an honest living by his own efforts. This way he will be able to share with those in need.
Another part of being the light is actually doing some useful work. There are many people doing many things in the name of God but we must ask ourselves why we are doing them. We see here that the reason that we work is so that we can share with those who are in need. That is a great way to be the light in this dark world. If we are working to build up things here on earth for ourselves or even for our families, that is not the same thing. We must each ask ourselves (and truthfully answer) this question of why we are working.
Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them.
As part of being the light, we are to control what comes out of our mouths. A big part of that is watching what enters our ears and eyes. If you watch things on tv or the internet that are unwholesome, they will penetrate your heart and that is the type of thing that will come out of your mouth. It is the same with what we read, video games you play, or movies you watch. This "unwholesome talk" is not just cursing but also gossip or anything else that does not build someone up in their faith.
Don't cause grief to God's Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption.
When we listen and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be the light in this world. When we fail and sin, that grieves the Spirit as God only wants the best for us and when we do not listen we miss out on the best.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along with all spitefulness.
These are not things that are consistent with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We must remember that Christ died for us even while we were still His enemies. Instead of showing these things to us (which we deserved) He gave His life for us.
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you.
It's not enough to get rid of the old self and the old ways. We are called to put on the new self and the new way which is love. Because of Jesus' love for us, we are able to know and show love to others. Part of that love is forgiveness just as God forgave us. This is not a temporary thing like we sometimes do but is a permanent getting rid of what someone has done to you just like it never even happened. That's what God's definition of forgiveness is and ours should be the same.
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