Ephesians 4:1-6

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — Ephesians 4:1-6
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: From Doctrine to Duty — The Unity of the Church

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6

I. Introduction: From Doctrine to Duty

A. Ephesians 4 marks a shift from exposition to exhortation — from credenda to agenda

1. Paul follows a similar pattern in Galatians (chs. 1–4 doctrine; chs. 5–6 practice) and Romans (chs. 1–11 doctrine; chs. 12–15 practice)
2. Compare Romans 12:1: "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices..."

B. Chapters 1–3 of Ephesians cover major theological themes: predestination and election, adoption, redemption, the work of the Holy Spirit, the elimination of double alienation (Gentiles estranged from both God and Israel), and the creation of the new society — the church

C. Chapters 4–6 now call believers to live out that theology in practice; the focus will be on unity (4:1–16) and purity (4:17–5:21)

II. The Outline of Ephesians 4:1–16

A. Unity depends on the charity of our character and conduct — Ephesians 4:2

B. That charity arises from the unity of our God — Ephesians 4:3–6

C. It is enriched by the diversity of our gifts — Ephesians 4:7–12

D. It demands the maturity of our growth — Ephesians 4:13–16

III. The Calling and the Walk — Ephesians 4:1

A. Paul identifies himself as "a prisoner for the Lord," speaking with apostolic authority

B. Key word: worthy — Martin Lloyd-Jones pictures a set of scales with doctrinal input on one side and practical output on the other; Paul calls for balance

1. Doctrine without practice produces bitter orthodoxy — correctness of thought without the life of Christ
2. Practice without doctrine leads to an unanchored focus on feelings and experience

C. Key word: calling — not vocation (what we choose) but what we are chosen for

1. Ekklesia — "the called-out ones"
2. Called out of darkness into light — 1 Peter 2:9
3. Called out of death into life — Ephesians 2:4–5

IV. The Charity of Our Character and Conduct — Ephesians 4:2

A. Humility (tapeinophrosyne — lowliness of mind)

1. The Greek world despised this quality as servile; Paul redeems it
2. True humility recognizes the worth and value of others — Philippians 2:3–4
3. Illustrated by Watchman Nee's story of the Chinese rice farmer who filled his neighbor's fields before his own, eventually leading that neighbor to Christ

B. Gentleness / Meekness — not weakness but strength under control

1. Moses described as meek — Numbers 12:3
2. Jesus described himself as gentle and lowly of heart — Matthew 11:28–29
3. Meekness is the absence of the disposition to assert personal rights before God or man

C. Patience (long-suffering toward aggravating people)

1. We acquire patience through suffering — Romans 5:3
2. Illustrated by the story of the church member who asked for patience and whose pastor prayed instead for tribulation, explaining the connection

D. Bearing with one another — distinct from patience; refers specifically to enduring uncharitable conduct from fellow believers

1. The body of Christ should exemplify a different response to insults and wrongs, even from within the church

E. Love — the crown and sum of all the previous virtues

1. Motivated by genuine care for the welfare of others
2. Colossians 3:14: "Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony"

V. The Unity of Our God — Ephesians 4:3–6

A. Verse 3 calls believers to be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" — discussed after the seven "ones"

B. The passage contains seven repetitions of one and four repetitions of all — forming a single sentence across three verses

C. One body — the church, a body made up of many parts working in unison

1. 1 Corinthians 12:21–26: no part can say to another "I have no need of you"; all suffer and rejoice together

D. One Spirit — every believer possesses the same Holy Spirit

1. Though testimonies differ in background and detail, the common thread is the Holy Spirit's work in bringing each person to saving knowledge of Christ

E. One hope — not the uncertain secular hope but the sure and certain biblical hope

1. Grounded in Ephesians 1:18
2. Points to the return of Christ, the resurrection, and the final judgment
3. Christians may disagree on eschatological details (millennium, tribulation) but share the certain hope that Christ will return and his people will be with him forever

Lesson continues next week with the remaining "ones" of Ephesians 4:4–6.