Letter to the Ephesians: Commentary, Part 6 :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Ephesians, Chapter 4:1-16, NKJV
Unity, Gifts, and Character

The Call to Walk in Unity (vv.1-6)

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Paul tells the Ephesians to walk worthy of the calling given by Jesus Christ:

Show the watching world the reality of the new life available in Christ (Romans 6:4, 8:1-4).
Demonstrate the qualities of the Christian life through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Walk in spiritual maturity (Galatians 5:16).
Caution about anything that may compromise their walk with Christ (Colossians 2:6).
Demonstrate a Christlike attitude before people (1 John 2:6).

Our walk should be done in a sense of humbleness, patience, and under the watch of the Holy Spirit. Just as the LORD is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working together in unity, so we should be in unity with God. Paul describes this unity as one LORD, the true and living God who saves and loves us; one Faith, found only in Jesus Christ; and one Baptism in and through the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us.

The Work of Jesus Christ Established the Gifts (vv.7-16)

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.’ 9 (Now this, ‘He ascended’—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Because the Lord Jesus came to Earth to redeem and live in us, He also ascended after His resurrection to heaven, having fulfilled prophecy (Luke 24:18-27) and completed the redemptive work for which He was ordained by God the Father to accomplish. As the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus can bestow upon His people those unique gifts to strengthen, build up, and expand His church. No spiritual gift is ever given for self-edification, but for the good of the brethren.

The first gifts Paul lists are the offices of apostle and prophet. In his commentary on Ephesians, John Macarthur describes three basic responsibilities given to these men. They were to lay the foundation of the church (2:20), receive and declare the revelation of God’s Word (Acts 11:28, 21:10-11; Eph.3:5), and give confirmation of the Word through signs, wonders, and miracles (Acts 8:6-7; 2 Corinthians 12:12).

The meaning of the word apostle is “one sent on a mission.” Jesus Christ is the first of the Apostles. This term applies to those men personally chosen by the Lord Jesus and who had witnessed His resurrection. Paul was the last person to meet the apostolic qualifications (1 Corinthians 15:8-11). The office of apostle is no longer in effect today. It should also be noted that the Apostles also had a broader ministry than other leaders in the church.

The prophets were men who spoke for God, expounding existing Scripture and that revelation based upon both Scripture and the teachings of the Apostles. Prophets were also teachers. They were more personal and practical within a local church. The prophetic office, like that of the apostles, ceased after the completion of the New Testament canon. The foundation of the church had been laid upon their authority, with Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone. The evangelists, pastors, and teachers would build upon their foundation.

The work of the evangelist was to proclaim the message of the Gospel in areas where Christ is not known and to teach the meaning of salvation in Christ to the unbelievers. They were to plant churches and missions and teach new believers the doctrines of the faith, empowering them, and then move to new territories. The evangelistic office should have a high priority in the churches today, according to Dr. MacArthur, and I agree. (Adapted from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Ephesians: Chicago, Moody Press, 1986, pp.142-43).

Pastors are to care for, protect, and lead the flock with teaching as the primary function. The terms bishop and elder are diverse ways of identifying the same person. The term bishop means “overseer,” and the elder is a more mature and established man within the church leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-8; Titus 1:7-9; 1 Peter 5:1-2). The elder is who the man is, bishop speaks of what he does, and pastor reflects his attitude and character.

The authority of the elder is done by precept and example (Hebrews 13:7). They do NOT operate by majority rule or vote, but by prayer, careful and reverent study of the Word of God, and seeking His will. Elders are given the task of preaching and teaching, determining doctrinal standards for the church, and proclaiming the truth to the congregation. The elders determine church polity (Acts 15:22), oversee (Acts 20:28), ordain other elders (1 Timothy 4:14), rule, teach, and preach and set an example (Titus 1:9; 1 Peter 5:1-3).

Gifts (4:12) have been given to the believers for the equipping of the saints for service, which means teaching the authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17), prayer, and enduring times of suffering and testing to purge and refine us for holier living, spiritual strength, and to trust God.

Proper equipping (vv.13-15) is to be grounded in the faith, not being tossed around by false and deceptive teaching or doctrine. There is no excuse for scriptural neglect or illiteracy in the life of a child of God. Faith in Christ is to be unified with deep and correct knowledge of His teaching and openness to His will, which are signs of spiritual maturity. Sound doctrine will be an essential part of the well-equipped believer. There will be a loving, Christ-like attitude among the brethren, knowing that it is Jesus and not they who are the head of the body. This is an ideal scene for any Bible-believing, Christ-honoring assembly and is not something lofty or inconceivable.

When we come together before the cross, not concerned with the affairs of the world or self, it is amazing what He can do in our lives. Pray for your pastor, staff, elders, and your persecuted brethren this week, and seek the LORD’S counsel on how you may be a more effective member of Christ’s body.

Our study of Chapter 4 will continue with a look at what it means to be a new person in Christ.

Donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

Tribulation Talk :: By Terry James

When we move from mainstream news and the almost-constant focus on COVID and its variants, we can’t go far into the blogosphere before we get equally mired in the same subject. But the talk of COVID and the variants in most of the blogs that address the so-called pandemic come from the opposite view presented by mainstream venues.

The contrarian blogs present that the pandemic is, by design of the globalists, bringing about the destruction of America. It is designed as well to reduce the population of the earth.

There await the anti-vaccers COVID camps—replace nomenclature for the FEMA camps—but in actuality, they are one and the same.

These will fill up with those who refuse to accept the various vaccines. The camps will, like the death camps of the Nazis, be used in killing the resisters by the thousands—and, eventually, by the millions.

According to these opposition blogs, those who accept the vaccines are being injected already with “spike proteins” and other deadly agents, all designed to bring the world’s population down to a sustainable level.

The Georgia Guidestones, placed there by the globalists elite, it is said, reads that desired sustainable number is around 500 million. According to this and the many blogs that are in opposition to mainstream media, the globalist cabal and the Biden administration hold that, based upon current world population, more than 7 billion people will be offed the planet through their genocidal treachery in preparation for the planned globalist utopia.

The blogs that put forth that the evil within the vaccines are “kill shots” are equally adamant about prepping. These almost always have online stores where their visitors can buy foods necessary to survive the neo-holocaust that certainly is on the way. Their business model is based upon this inevitable collapse of the United States economy and of the world’s economic structure in general.

Some who broadcast daily to their blog audiences bring Bible prophecy into their warnings of impending collapse and all it will almost certainly entail.

Food supplies will dwindle into nonexistence. The electric grid will fail across the nation and world. Water supplies will stop flowing. Even the Chinese and Russian militaries, which are now posed to do so on the northern and southern borders of the country, will invade at just the right time. Blue-helmeted UN troops will be sent door-to-door to take away resisters to the coming New World Order tyrants’ internment camps.

This is what the Bible says will happen, these blogcasters claim. Now is the time of Revelation and all the judgments written therein, they declare.

One I listened to the other day—a fellow with a biblical prophet’s name, as a matter of fact—said that there is “a group” out here that believes they will escape this coming time of Revelation-like horror. He spoke as if he was incredulous that such a belief system could exist.

He indicated, at least by tone, that this is a very small gathering, whose belief system simply, somehow, blinds them to what is going on all around them. They will be the most anguished of all when the collapse comes and Satan’s human minion’s assault and take them to the COVID camps and worse.

The blogcaster never mentioned the word “Rapture.” He did have a tinge of pity in his voice that indicated he felt badly that anyone who sees the things going on could be so deluded.

He then said he was not an authority on Bible prophecy, but that several people he knows and trusts tell him that we are all but within the Tribulation at this point. He gave the names of a couple of these prophecy teachers/writers/broadcasters. I won’t mention them, because I don’t wish or intend to get in debate with a theological miscarriage of Bible truth when it comes to things to come according to God’s Word. But they are names that you will hear time and time again if you follow the blogs I’m writing about.

Those who believe there will be a great escape from end-times trouble, the blogger said, are destined to be swept up in the genocide and starvation because they aren’t sufficiently prepped for what is to come.

I’ve tried twice to “reach out” to one of these bloggers. My purpose was to give him concise reasons the world isn’t yet in the Tribulation. I offered him a book or two giving what the Bible really has to say about that most horrific future time.

I never heard back. It is understandable, because this particular fellow has years invested in following the teachings of “no Rapture.” Well, that, plus the Rapture doesn’t fit his business model.

This isn’t meant to say that I think he doesn’t really believe what he preaches. He’s very intelligent. He is just, at best, a very immature believer. And I do believe, based upon what I hear, a believer in Jesus Christ. He, too, if belonging to our Savior, will be instantaneously snatched into the clouds when Jesus calls.

The strongest point of that assurance is that nowhere in the prophetic Word of God are we who live in the Church Age (Age of Grace) told to prepare for Antichrist.

That prince that shall come/man of sin/ son of perdition/beast is profiled in the prophetic passages, forewarned to appear during Daniel’s seventieth week, but not to the people who are believers during this present age. We who are Christians–believers during this Church Age—are not told to prepare to survive the Tribulation. We’re told to look for the Real Christ, not the phony. We are to look for Jesus Christ, not Antichrist.

Paul gave these instructions to all who believe according to Romans 10: 9–10:

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:13–14)

The Antichrist won’t be revealed until the apostasiathe falling away or departure:

For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Although Bible students and seminary scholars have often defined this apostasia or falling away as a spiritual departure, in-depth studies in more recent times have defined this Greek noun as a spacial departure—a removal in space and time as opposed to a departure from spiritual truth.

I believe it likely falls under both definitions.

Perhaps the top scholar on the Rapture today is Dr. Thomas Ice. Here’s what he wrote for our book, The Departure.

I believe there is a strong possibility that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is speaking of the Rapture. What do I mean? Some pretribulationists, like myself, think that the Greek noun apostasia, usually translated “apostasy,” is a reference to the Rapture and should be translated “departure.” Thus, this passage would be saying that the Day of the Lord will not come until the Rapture comes before it. If apostasia is a reference to a physical departure, then 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is strong evidence for pretribulationism. (The Departure, conclusion, Defender Publishing, 2010)

The Church is still here. We haven’t yet been translated into immortality in the Rapture. God is still, through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling each of us, using believers to restrain the evil that is trying to burst forth and bring in Antichrist’s regime of horror.

The blogs might well be on point in observing the globalists’ and leftists’ evil intentions in regard to danger to our liberty. However, all the Tribulation talk of the bloggers is erroneous at best and egregiously false teaching at worst in the claims of evil achieving Satan’s absolute control, with no Rapture in their apocalyptic scenarios. The beast’s reign can’t begin until we are gone. So have no fear that we, as believers, are about to enter that time of Daniel’s seventieth week.

Let us use that energy many have spent worrying about being tortured, hunted, and hated during that unprecedented time of trouble to instead carry out the Great Commission right now, during this Age of Grace—to tell of the only escape from that coming time –the Lord Jesus Christ and His being the only Way to God the Father and Heaven for eternity.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)