I think part of the problem we can have with this is that the Scriptures say that Abraham's faith was "credited to him as righteousness." Since Christ had not yet come, from our human/temporal perspective he had not been "made righteous." Holy Spirit did not dwell in him. In our experience, he had not been justified.

Removing the filthy rags of self-effort that we previously wore and replacing them with the gleaming white garments of righteousness changes our appearance. Far from looking like destitute and homeless vagrants, we are now clothed with bespoke, stylish, designer clothes. Our new look is described in the reminder of chapter four.

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” has been used as marital advice indicating that all conflict should be resolved before retiring for the evening. Such teaching may be rejected without concern. Marriage is not in view here at all. Looking at verse 25 we see “We are members one of another.” Clearly it is believers in the Church who are Paul’s audience.

We can learn something when we take note of the name chosen in reference to the Lord Jesus. He can be referred to in a number of ways because He is the son of man, a human man who walked the earth. He is the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed One, the Savior of the world. He is also Lord; indeed, He is King of kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Lamb of God. He is the Son of God. He is God.

Lust, fleshly desire, is very deceiving. At first glance it can seem appealing. If we don’t look too closely, it can appear to be what we want. It can momentarily feel fulfilling, but it’s all a sham. Like a Hollywood movie set, behind the beautiful facade is nothing but empty space and rough braces to keep the fake beauty from falling flat.

In this part of Ephesians, the focus is on our walk, our manner of living. No doubt you will recall that at the beginning of chapter four, Paul urged that we walk, or live, in a manner worthy of our calling. Now the script is flipped, and we are cautioned against living in the manner of the unsaved, referred to here as “the [other] Gentiles.”

The idea of speaking the truth in love has been taken out of context by many and used as a pretext for a punitive approach to “helping” those who have stumbled. Under the guise of “tough love” many have been harmed and deeply hurt by Christians who misread this verse to be saying that we are to do whatever it takes to correct the faults of others, no matter the cost.

Unity of the faith is a strategic goal of God for His children. More than a goal, it is accomplished in the heavenly realm. Here in this temporal terrarium however, we live under the shadow of death. We live under “the law of the fall.” Consequently, unity requires the Holy Spirit energizing gifted members of the body to function together as they are designed to do.

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

This is such a wonderful verse. It is one of the verses that inspired the stated purpose of my teaching ministry—Edify, Encourage, Equip (E3).

I don’t know about you, but I am very glad that Father saw to it that each of us individually has gifts that fit us. The body, we are told, has many parts and every part has its function and is valuable and useful.

I’m not an evangelist. I’m awkward at it and it simply doesn’t fit me. I’ve met people who are evangelists, and they seem to be at ease in that role. For sure, they are gifts from God Nevertheless, I too am a gift from God—as are you.

This text seems to be derived from Psalm 68:18. That verse says in part, “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men.” You may notice that Paul does not quote this verbatim. Rather than indicating that the One who ascended received gifts for men, Paul says He gave gifts to men.

The grace of God appeared to everyone, and He brought salvation with Him. The Lord Jesus is the gift of God revealing God and teaching us how knowing Him should, and will, be reflected in our manner of living in this life.

Is the Bible inspired? What is plenary inspiration? What is verbal inspiration? Is it important?

What we are discovering here is that Love is the sinew, or the fastener, or the uniting bond that ties all these godly virtues together and this results in unity of the Spirit, or as Paul will frame it in Ephesians 4:13 “the unity of the faith.”

This situation has tested the limits of my long-suffering and forbearance. In the process it brings to light the abundance of these virtues found in our heavenly Father and expressed through the Lord Jesus.

From time to time, I like to repeat a statement that I once read or heard— “I don’t know how to act my age. I’ve never been this age before.” It’s humorous because while it is silly, it is also true. It can be easy for us to feel the same way about thinking, talking, and acting like saints. We don’t know how.

Father works to make our desires consistent with His own. He does not do this through coercion or manipulation, but rather by compassionately guiding us and demonstrating for us His gentle Love and genuine care. In this way, we become fascinated by the Lord Jesus, bound to Him and captivated by Him. It is from this wonderful place that we should consider the guidance that follows.

The word behind “sanctify” (hagiazo) in verse 23 uses a rare form called the optative mood. Out of 28,121 verbs in the New Testament, this form occurs only about 68 times. It is the form used in Romans 6:15 when Paul asks whether we should just keep on sinning since we are not under Law, but under grace. His response is an emphatic “Far from it!” or “God forbid!” This verb form indicates the word is to be applied in the strongest terms. That’s why the translators render it “sanctify you completely.”

This is his prayer for the saints of Ephesus, and it is one on which we can pattern prayers of our own. First, we might be reminded that Christ does indeed dwell in our hearts. We don’t see Him there nor physically feel Him, yet by faith we are assured that He is there.

This verse closes out Paul’s lengthy parenthetical comment. It is a bit difficult, and the Greek syntax allows for three potential ways of understanding Paul’s meaning. The best of these, which fits well with his urging them to remain strong despite the difficulties Paul is facing, has a parallel in Philippians 1:27–30