A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. Michael Griffiths is Professor of Mission Studies at Regent College, and formerly was head of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. This article is adapted from a presentation at the Annual Retreat of Coquitlam, First Church (New Westminster), and Fairview (Vancouver) congregations at the Firs Conference Center in Bellingham, WA.
The letter of Paul, which we call Ephesians, has some unusual aspects. It contains no reference to any immediate concrete situation or problem in any local church and lacks any personal references, apart from 6:21 the reference to Tychichus telling “you” – the recipients of the letter – “everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.” To further complicate things the words of 1:1 “in Ephesus” are absent from the earliest manuscripts, so that the letter is addressed to “believing saints” in some city to which Tychicus was travelling at the same time as he was carrying the letters to the Colossians, which is very specific, and Philemon, which is even more so. Some have asked if this was the letter to the Laodiceans, which the Colossians were also to read (Col. 4:16). Others have suggested that it is in the nature of a circular letter deliberately intended for wider consumption than one local church.
At the time of writing, Paul is a prisoner (3:1; 4:1) and the greetings that are attached to the Colossian letter include mention of Onesimus, Aristarchus Jesus Justus, Epaphras, John Mark, Luke and Demas – the last three of whom are mentioned in 2 Timothy, written from prison in Rome.
The focus of the letter seems to be the Church, the new society of the new humanity. This theme can be found in chapter 1-3, and we should review them however briefly, because we are breaking into the middle of a letter.
Chapter 1. Addressed to “believing saints in Christ Jesus” (1:1), the Trinitarian doxology which begins the letter, repeatedly refers to “us” and “We” – verse 3) “blessed us”; verse 4) “chose us” verse 5) “predestined us to be his sons” (and daughters – the plural embraces both genders); verse 6) “freely given us”; verse 7) “we have redemption”; verse 9) “made known to us the mystery of his will.”
This sense of plurality continues verse by verse, while the word saints first found in verse 1 reappears in verses 15, 18. But the chapter finishes with the first mention of church in verses 22,23 “appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” It thus ends with the body image of the church.
Chapter 2. This chapter draws a great contrast between those who were walking dead, sinners both Gentile and Jewish, who have been made alive by God, through the exercise of his grace and mercy (verse 1-10). He then specifically contrasts the Gentiles’ former condition, as they were alienated and estranged from God, with their new reconciled state – with their present new relationship in Christ. Listen: “his purpose was to create in himself, one new humanity out of the two…” Again: “you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you Gentiles too are being built together by his Spirit to become a dwelling in which God lives .” The word “church” is not used, but the architectural metaphor for the church is plain.
Chapter 3. Paul speaks at first obscurely and then with increasing clarity, about “the administration of God’s grace” (verse 2), and “the mystery made known to me by revelation” (verse 3) and “the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit…” (verse 5). “This mystery is…” (what on earth is it, Paul, we shout) “that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus” (verse 6). God’s intention was that (verse 10) “through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm” The concluding prayer prays that “you may have power, together with all the saints” and concludes with further doxology “to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, for ever and ever, Amen.”
Is Paul talking about the Universal Church, so that we are at best, even the most able of us, blood corpuscles or cells in the gluteus muscle of the body, or about that church “in local circumscription” in which we may function as limbs and organs? In the general context of this book, we have to see this as being relevant not, as with other epistles to a specific local church, but to any local church. It is relevant to the saints that we know and meet.
4:1-6. THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH: A UNITY OF CALLING
“Therefore” ties this in with what precedes it: in the light of all this we have said about the church therefore certain consequent response is due from you. We are to live in the light of our calling to be the church of Jesus Christ. “To him be glory in the church.” How? How will God be glorified in the church? Only if we Christians walk worthily, live appropriately to that great calling. This is the new community that God has summoned out, not a posse or a muster, but an ekklesia.
“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” I can bring out the force of the Greek original words, if I should express it as “worthy of the churching with which you have been churched!’
Verse 2: If the community is to walk or live in a worthy way, then these qualities become essential. Note that love, gentleness and patience are the Spirit’s fruit. As chapter 2 shows the church is made up of sinners and the Gentiles, so we must expect to have problems: these are the attitudes we must exhibit if god is to be glorified by the church.
Verse 3: The “unity of the Spirit” is to be maintained. Chapter 2:22 spoke of the work of the Holy Spirit in building us together . We must do our utmost to assist rather than hinder his work, let alone destroy the unity he gives. This is not passive. We are “to spare no effort”, “do our utmost” to preserve the unity he promotes (compare 1 Cor. 3: “ He who destroys the temple of God, him will God destroy”). Divisiveness is sin: and we can be divisive by being antijust as much as being hyper-something. We must not polarize or divide the church between old, conservative, intransigent diehards on the one hand, and young, progressive, frustrated radicals on the other! The old have as much right as the young (and vice versa) to be members of the church.
Verses 4-6: This seems to be metrically arranged on a Trinitarian pattern – Spirit, Lord and Father (the reverse of the usual order) and three genders for masculine, feminine and neuter Lord, faith, baptism. Is it part of a simple catechism or part of a church hymn or song? It is a simple cadence to remind believers of what they share, what unites them. One Body, One Spirit, One hope – “called to one hope when you were called’ the same repetition as in verse 1; and the repetition must deliberately remind them of being “the ekklesia.” They share the same Lord, the same attitude of dependent faith and the common experience of initiation in baptism (unbaptised Christians seem unknown to the New Testament church). One God and Father of all – “all” – would seem to mean “all believers” here. He is “over all” – transcendent; – “through all” – immanent, and “in all” – indwelling all true believers. So, summing up this section: there is unity because we have been called. God is glorified by the unity of the church, as the new community; by playing our part within it, responding to the work of the Spirit, playing our part in the body. By contrast the next section will stress diversity because God gives – note vs 7 “given,” “gift” vs 8 “gave,” “gifts,” vs 11 “he gave.” What we do by underlining, Paul does by repetition of his key words. We are to implement the unity the Spirit imparts, and to exercise the diversity of gifts which he empowers.
Verses 7-12. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCH – THROUGH A DIVERSITY OF GIFTS
Phillips translates this nicely – “individually grace is given to us in different ways out of the rich diversity of Christ’s giving.” This is explained in terms of Psalm 68:18, used significantly in the Three Year Synagogue Lectionary Cycle as a psalm for Pentecost. It tells of David’s triumphal capture of the Jebusite stronghold which becomes Jerusalem. The previous verse sees the angel hosts transferring their headquarters from Sinai to Zion. Victorious king David takes prisoners and plunder, and gives it to his followers as spoil and slaves. Paul applies this to Jesus, David’s greater son, ascending to heaven in triumph and giving gifts to his triumphant army. The “gifts” here are not charismata but domata – not abilities to be exercised, but people given to serve in a variety of roles – not plunder, but prisoners, not spoil, but slaves, captives given by the victorious Christ to serve his people! Needless to say these “men” are not “males” (androi) but “people” (anthropoi) common gender. These are not abilities given to individuals, but individuals given to serve “God’s people” (verse 12, literally, “the saints” set apart for God).
Apostles: literally are those who are “sent” and Paul, who claims the title of an apostle in 1:1, also calls himself in 4:1 “the prisoner of the Lord,” taken captive on the road to Damascus, and given as Christ’s bondslave to serve his people, being given a slave to serve those he once persecuted. Are there apostles today? Some argue not: thus Acts 1:21 requires that he be someone who was a member of the apostolic band from John’s baptism onwards until the ascension and an eyewitness of the resurrection. The witness and authority of those foundational (2:20; 3:5) apostles is today found in the Scriptures, which those apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write. As such, they could have no successors at all. However others in the New Testament are called “apostles of the churches” (2 Cor. 8:23), as are Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Epaphroditus Andronicus and Junia (who was almost certainly a woman). Helpful is 1 Cor. 9:2 – “If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you” where the word seems to imply a church – founding church planting missionary. The pioneer missionary is often the only source of Scripture to the first handful of believers, and thus the bearer of apostolic truth to the first converts.
Prophets: Are there prophets today? Again we must distinguish between the canonical prophets of the Old Testament – Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. and John writing Revelation in the New Testament, who in no way can have successors. In addition others like Silas (Acts 15:32), Agabus (Acts 11:28, 21:10), Philip’s four prophesying daughters and the Antioch five are said to prophesy in some wider sense. 1 Cor. 14:31 – “you can all prophesy in turn” – shows that in a wider sense all believers both men and women, may prophesy (Acts 2:17 18 “your sons and daughters… servants, both men and women” and 1 Cor. 11:5). We are misled because in English “prophesy” means to for tell the future, whereas in the Old Testament especially it means to comment with authority on past events or contemporary situations. Evangelists: itinerant heralds of the gospel. The word is rare, and used of Philip (Acts 8) and of Timothy (2 Tim. 4:5), through the verb meaning to preach the gospel, to evangelize is used commonly of the apostles themselves.
Pastor-teacher: The two words are controlled by one definite article so it is thought the two words are used to describe the same group of people. These will be local ministers, who both pastor, or shepherd, and who teach. The apostles, prophets and evangelists may be itinerant, while these stay put.
Note that these are called “gifts,” people given as slaves and servants. The word “minister” in English derives etymologically from “serve, servant” but the flavour is more of leadership and ruling. But “gave” implies that they are indeed bondslaves to serve Christ’s flock.
This list is certainly not intended to be exhaustive, as the lists of charismata are not – Peter merely distinguishes between verbal and non-verbal. To this we might add hymn-writers, book-writers and other things.
What is their function? This is described in a very important verse: Verse 12 says, “to prepare [or equip] God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all arrive at unity in the faith.”
The King James Version contextualized culturally by inserting commas, so as to suggest three functions of professional clergy: namely (1) to prepare the saints, (2) for works of service and (3) to build up the body of Christ. The commas are not in the original text, of course, and each phrase leads into the next, so that the God-given apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor teachers are to prepare or equip the people of God so that they can serve and so build up the body of Christ. The verb translated “prepare” or “equip” is a significant NT word katartizo: it derives from artios from which we get the English word “artisan.” It means to “prepare” or “equip” something to perform its proper function. Thus it is used of fishermen “cleaning” or “preparing” their nets in Matthew 4:21 – they cleaned off the weed, they mended rents and tears and they folded them ready for use, so that nets could do what nets are supposed to do: catch fish! The God-given workers are to enable the saints, the people of God, to be what they are meant to be – God’s church! The word is used by the Greek medical writer Galen or reducing fractures, repairing dislocations; if there are Christians who are out of joint, they need to be rearticulated, brought back into articulation with their fellow Christians, so that the body will function properly. The function of the local minister then, in the New Testament thinking, is not to be a one-man band, omnicompetent pulpit primadonna, but an equipper of the church so that the whole congregation fulfills its functions. Roy Castle has a record in the Guinness Book of Records for playing 30 different musical instruments in three minutes! It’s a parody of the one-man band clergyman, who does it all himself or herself (to be fair, often because the congregation expect it and pay him to do it, what David Pawson calls “collusion in dependence”).
Rather the pastor/teacher is to be, not the soloist, but the conductor of the orchestra, who enables all the members of the orchestra to play their own respective instruments in harmony with each other, according to the Biblical score. Needless to say it is always easier to do things oneself it’s the lazy way; and it’s the lazy way; and it’s always much harder to persuade other people to do things, which is a very time-consuming activity!
Verses 13-16 THE GOAL OF THE CHURCH – COMMUNAL MATURITY
Paul never minds mixing his metaphors – there is a beauty in verse 14 of “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves.” In this section he mixes four of them:
(1) Anatomical Illustration – the “body of Christ” (verses 12,16) with which we are familiar. The body is to grow not just quantitatively in size or mass: but also qualitatively in health, beauty, muscletone, balance, bodily coordination. A dysfunctional church of 50 halfhearted members becomes a dysfunctional church of 100 halfhearted members: it has grown fatter, but has not grown qualitatively at all. The idea of growth and maturity is uppermost. The difference between the body of an athlete in the arena and the body on the dissecting slab in the anatomy laboratory.
(2) Itinerary Illustration – (Verse 13) “till we arrive at…” is used in Acts repeatedly of travellers arriving at a destination. A church is not a stationary status quo organization (as we think when we just sit in rows), but like a group travelling together – like Israel travelling to the promised land, or Nehemiah and the returning exiles going back to Jerusalem. That is, it is more like a mass migration, settlers in wagons crossing the prairies together, and so on. Churches often have no sense of direction: more like Pooh & Piglet in the snow going round and round the liturgical mulberry bush. Nobody expects to “go” anywhere. It’s a church, you see! We need to be more “goal-oriented” rather than “programme-oriented.”
(3) Kindergarten Illustration – (verse 14) “no longer infants.” This time the goal is maturity to adulthood. Paul uses this illustration in 1 Cor. 3:1 and 14:20. Churches can be “problem- orientated” like pack of squalling kids who throw temper tantrums when anything happens they do not like. Corporate growth takes place as people learn to live together harmoniously like adults.
(4) Nautical Illustration – (verse 14) “tossed back and forth by the waves.” Paul was shipwrecked at least four times, so this was a vivid personal experience! So this metaphor is a journey by ship on the sea: you can stay safely in port, or go round and round in circles in the bay which is what most churches seem to be doing, or you can set off like George Vancouver on voyages of exploration together. Psalm 107 uses vividly – but the New Testament word for “administrations” in 1 Cor. 12 of gifts is related to the word for “steersman” or “captain” used in Acts 27 and Revelation 5. Church leaders have the responsibility to set a course and tell the crew where they are going. I am a Horatio Hornblower fan: he not only is a great navigator making perfect landfall, but trains his crew for the battles and missions ahead. Again there is the same sense of goal and purpose. These four illustrations all enrich our view of what the church is all about.
‘What is the goal of bodily growth, or adult maturity, or the destination of the land journey or sea voyage? It is described as “building up the body of Christ” (verse 12); as “arriving at the unity of the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God” (verse 13), and “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (verse 13); as growing “up into him who is the head, even Christ” (verse 15); and the body “builds itself up in love” (verse 16). We expect to arrive at a perfect church, mature and Christ-like. Whereas “unity of the Spirit” already exists and must at all costs be maintained, the “unity of the faith” is a future goal towards which we are travelling; if you like, it is a biblical ecumenism. The Ecumenical Movement is not wrong about the goal, only about the means to be used to attain it. The church is not just something to attend; or a weekly performance to watch (!). It is something for each and every one of us parts of the body to be committed to something to build up, to develop, to mature, to perfect as a new. community of the new humanity!
Verse 17-32 THE NEW LIFESTYLE OF THE NEW COMMUNITY
Is this a change of topic? Always important to try to understand Paul’s train of thought. Why does this follow that? Here there is a change to talk about lifestyle, but it is still all about the Christian community. It continues to tell us to “live a life worthy of the calling with which you are called” (Verse 1) NIV tends to miss out those important connecting particles, conjunctions that show the relationship of one paragraph to the next. Neither “then” nor “so” quite get this across. So verses 1 and 17 both contain the little Greek world oun that means “therefore.” So “Therefore I urge you (verse 1) to live a life worthy” and again “Therefore (verse 17) I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the gentiles do…” There is to be a marked contrast in lifestyle with the pagan Gentiles. Being a Christian is not just a change of belief, but also change of behaviour! We are to be the distinctively “beautiful people”: words are not enough. We are to let our good (beautiful) works be seen by mankind so that they will glorify God. We are to shine like light, we are to purify and preserve like salt.
True human destiny is to walk in the light with the Lord: this is not the way pagan society lives. Notice the contrast implied in all this:
Verse 18 “darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” or as Phillips translates, they “live blindfold in a world of illusion.”
Verse 22 “corrupted by its deceitful desires.” Gentile lifestyle is due to their lack of contact with the true and living God. For their part, they call us naive. Or laugh at our joyous purity and call us “killjoys” (when we are really “keepjoys”). There is a great contrast between the old lifestyle of non-Jews in Asia Minor, and the new lifestyle of God’s new community. Verse 22 uses this vivid analogy of old and new clothes to crystallize this: (Phillips again) “what you learned was to fling off the dirty clothes of the old way of living, and to put on the fresh clean clothes of the new life.” You can almost smell the contrast: the pile of soiled, sweaty, filthy rags taken off and the crisp, clean, sweet smelling clothes taken out of the airing cupboard. Get that lot off! Be washed from your sins: and now put these on. The language may be taken from baptism, when they wore clean white robes for ceremony. Verses 20-21 are a little evangelistic aside: “assuming you are a real Christian” then – Paul the evangelist always knows there are some unconverted people.
1. Specific. Paul is writing to a church; does he not know that we are “blessed with al spiritual blessings” (1:3), “accepted in the beloved ” (1:6), and “sealed with the Spirit” (1:13)? Sure, he wrote those things too, but writing to fellow Christians he still mentions specific sins by their nasty names! The Chinese evangelist John Sung always preached specifically about sins by name, because the Bible does just that: lying, anger, stealing, filthy talk. We know our own sinful hearts too well; we cannot assume all the hidden dirty clothes have gone we would be ashamed to reveal we were still wearing dirty underwear for a month – how much more that dirty habits from the old life have not been flung away at conversion!
Verse 25: Lying, falsehood (pseudos) – Paul is alluding to Zech. 8:16 about God’s people. (The Greek is Christians are capable of putting on a false mask of untruth.)
Verse 26: Anger – quoting Psalms 4:4; resentment is not to be allowed to fester.
Verse 28: Stealing – That was part of the old life, but out of place in the new.
Verse 29: Unwholesome talk – literally rotten (sapros as in saprophyte, using of rotting fish and decaying trees in the gospels). Describes graphically what we call in English “sick” talk; its putrefying, decaying innuendo, sick humour.
Verse 31: still using the clothes simile “put off’ all (not just some) bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malace. Some of these are perhaps more sins of men, physical violence and others; perhaps sins more of women, more subtle kinds of verbal violence. Malice, like envy and jealousy are hidden sins of attitude. But it’s dirty, it’s out of place in Christian: so tear it off, rip it out!
2. Positive. The New Lifestyle is, however, not merely to get rid of that which is vicious. To take off the old dirty clothes, leaves you naked and unclothed! Being a Christian is not just negatively – that we do not do vicious things – we eschew vice. It means that we positively put on virtues. Holiness is not a zero line, where we are characterized as Christians by not fornicating, drinking, smoking, swearing, but rather because we demonstrate the most beautiful positive virtues! Sure, maybe you are not vicious any longer, packed with vice, but are you truly virtuous in the sense that you are kind, thoughtful, generous disciplined?
Verse 25. Do not lie… but speak truth – Not just avoiding falsehood, but positively speaking the truth. Note well the reason: “We are all members of one body” or as Phillips puts it “we are no longer separate units!” We belong, so be honest!
Verse 28: Steal no longer… but work doing something useful with his own hands – and what for? That he may have something to share with those in need. So it is not enough to stop stealing, but instead be able to give to people. The Gospel is different both from communism and capitalism. You may own property, but only so that you may be very generous with it; we choose to share and give!
Verse 29: No unwholesome, rotten talk, but… what is helpful for building others up… that it may benefit those who listen – Not malicious or dirty speaking certainly – that goes without saying – but not insipid trivia only either; but how by using words I can actually be a blessing to others. Do you see that real biblical Christianity is a gloriously positive thing? To please the Lord by the way we use our money, the way we spend our words: life-transforming and transfiguring! Do not be content with anything less than this kind of church community.
Note the corporate sense of church is still present: “all members of one body” and “for building others up.” And note in relation to speech: and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, the inspirer of utterance, by misusing the gift of speech, of communication: use it to really communicate! And that corporate sense continues in verse 32 “compassionate to one another, forgiving one another.”
3. Decisive. Where does that come from? The Greek aorist tense implies a single decisive act. This is not a slow change act – change a dirty item of clothing each week or month, slow progressive sanctification. “Fling off’ and “jump into” are decisive, once-for-all actions. Socks today, vest next week, shirt next month, underpants next year maybe…? No! Think of it corporately in relation to church life: if the new community is to have a distinctively different lifestyle, then we will not achieve this by slow progressive change, for we are always adding (hopefully) newly converted sinners. No, we must all change now: the whole congregation, every believing member, must walk worthy of the calling to be the new community of God.
Verse 24. Put on the new self, created to be like God – that is modeled upon Jesus Christ himself. We are a new mutation. Homo sapiens becomes Homo christianus. We are what Tertullian called the Genus Tertius, the Third Race: Greeks, Jews and Christians! and verse 23 shows that this is also progressive: Go on being rejuvenated, that is being made new and fresh.
Conclusion: Take the church seriously; It”s not a weekly performance to attend. The church may meet in plenary session only once or twice a week, but it exists all the time. We must work hard to make it real, credible and beautiful as God’s new community of the new humanity.