Ephesians 4 · The Lantern

Unity in the Body

I encourage you therefore, I the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," guarding against those heresies of the wicked one which have broken in upon us, to the deceiving and destruction of those that accept of them; but that ye give heed to the doctrine of the apostles, and believe both the law and the prophets: that ye reject every Jew…

Those who love Christ follow him. They are bonded with him in the ties of love. There is also another explanation [i.e., Origen's], which it is the reader's prerogative to accept or not: Suppose what is called here the prison is the body. Because Paul has taken on the body for the ministry of the gospel, he is consequently said to be in bondage to Christ.

The Apostle recalled above the divine blessings through which the Church's unity has originated and been preserved (Ch. 1-3). Now he admonishes the Ephesians to remain within this ecclesial unity. Regarding this he does two things: First, he exhorts them to persevere in unity. Secondly, he instructs them how to remain in it (4:17).

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

In reference, however, to the character of Novatian, dearest brother, of whom you desired that intelligence should be written you what heresy he had introduced; know that, in the first place, we ought not even to be inquisitive as to what he teaches, so long as he teaches out of the pale of unity.

Anyone who understands what it is "forbear one another in love" will understand that this is a precept appropriate to the faithful. It is not indeed saints who have any need to "forbear one another." Rather it is those in the earlier stages of Christian life, who being human are still under the control of some passion.

When he says with all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity, he expresses the way to fulfill his admonition, teaching them how they can behave in a worthy manner. Four virtues must be cultivated, and their four opposite vices shunned. The first vice which he rejects is pride.

being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

He keeps the unity of the Spirit who is "fitted together in the same mind and in the same judgment" of the Truth and of the Word and of the Wisdom toward his neighbor. But whenever we do not "all say the same thing," and for this reason "there are no divisions among us," we, not striving to keep the unity of the Spirit, break it up into many pieces.

"Giving diligence," saith he, "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Bind therefore thy hands with moderation. Again that goodly name of "bond." We had dismissed it, and it has of itself come back on us again. A goodly bond was that, and goodly is this one also, and that other is the fruit of this. Bind thyself to thy brother.

After this he shows the purpose of his admonition which is to maintain unity among the faithful. You ought to walk worthy of your calling and be careful to keep the unity of the spirit. Two types of unity exist. One whose purpose is to commit evil; it is wicked and might be called a unity of the flesh.

One body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

Such examples, therefore, brethren, it is right that we should follow; since it is written, "Cleave to the holy, for those that cleave to them shall [themselves] be made holy." And again, in another place, [the Scripture] saith, "With a harmless man thou shalt prove thyself harmless, and with an elect man thou shalt be elect, and with a perverse man thou shalt show thyself perv…

Be of one mind, O you bishops, one with another, and be at peace with one another; sympathize with one another, love the brethren, and feed the people with care; with one consent teach those that are under you to be of the same sentiments and to be of the same opinions about the same matters, "that there may be no schisms among you; that you may be one body and one spirit, perf…

Now in man there is a twofold unity. The first is the ordered structure of the organs among themselves, the second is the union of the body and the soul constituting what neither are separately.

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Since, also, there is but one unbegotten Being, God, even the Father; and one only-begotten Son, God, the Word and man; and one Comforter, the Spirit of truth; and also one preaching, and one faith, and one baptism; and one Church which the holy apostles established from one end of the earth to the other by the blood of Christ, and by their own sweat and toil; it behoves you al…

There are many kinds of baptisms, but one baptism, declares the Apostle. Why? There are baptisms of the Gentiles, but they are not true baptisms. They are washings, but they cannot be baptisms. The body is washed, but the guilt is not washed away; indeed, in that washing it is contracted. However, there were baptisms of the Jews, some excessive, some symbolic.

After he has exhorted them to secure ecclesial unity, the Apostle offers the Ephesians, in this section, a glimpse of this unity's pattern. Since the Church is likened to a city, it is one and distinct, although this unity is not uncomposed but composed of different parts.

one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

For the Father bears the creation and His own Word simultaneously, and the Word borne by the Father grants the Spirit to all as the Father wills. To some He gives after the manner of creation what is made; but to others [He gives] after the manner of adoption, that is, what is from God, namely generation.

One God contains all and guides all as is fitting and is in all. This one saying of Paul suffices by itself to express everything succinctly, when he says that God is "over all and through all and in all."

Fourthly, the Church has the same goal, God. The Son leads us to the Father: "when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father; when he shall have brought to nought all principality and power and virtue" (1 Cor. 15:24). In reference to this the Apostle adds one God and Father of all. Regarding the first he has two remarks.

But to each one of us the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of the Christ.

And "to each one of us was given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" we suppose to have been understood thus. "God does not give the Spirit and grace by measure, he whose majesty has no limit"; but he gives a "measure" out of sparing consideration for those who receive, since each one has no room for more than what he receives to his benefit.

If everything, as you say, is common, then why does one person have a greater gift and another a lesser one? For this aroused envy in them, in the Corinthians and many others. Resolving this, the apostle says that to each one a gift was given in the measure that the Giver determined.

Previously the Apostle dealt with ecclesial unity in the perspective of what is common within the Church (4:5), now he manifests this same unity from the viewpoint of what is personal and specific to each of the faithful members of the Church. He states: We have in the Church one God, one faith, one baptism.

Therefore it says: “Having ascended to the height, he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.”

He really, and not merely in appearance, was crucified, and died, in the sight of beings in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth.

What shall we learn of the three days' time? [...] This one hath loosed the oath of death, this one hath comforted the firstborn of the dead, in this one the iron gates of death are broken down, in this one the brass of the rod of hell are broken. Now the prison of death is opened, now the prisoners are declared to be released...

I answer that, As Christ, in order to take our penalties upon Himself, willed His body to be laid in the tomb, so likewise He willed His soul to descend into hell. But the body lay in the tomb for a day and two nights, so as to demonstrate the truth of His death.

Now the “he ascended” — what is it except that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

It is the Son, too, who ascends to the heights of heaven, and also descends to the inner parts of the earth. "He sitteth at the Father's right hand " -not the Father at His own.

After having said that "Christ was put to death in the flesh, and quickened in the spirit," the apostle immediately went on to say: "in which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were unbelieving, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water;"…

In reflecting upon this point, it appears improper for Christ, who is true God, to lower himself, since nothing is more eminent than God. To remove any doubts on this score the Apostle asserts, Now, that he ascended, what is it, but because he also descended first.

The one who descended is himself also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.

And he himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as shepherds and teachers,

Such are the preparatory exercises of gnostic discipline. And since the omnipotent God Himself "gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to…

This is a house set up and ordered by Jesus.… He does not do this in a casual manner. It is with the utmost discrimination and discretion: One is assigned to the rank of an apostle, one to the place of a prophet, others to look after the flock of Christ and to work at the divine instruction of others for those saints who are prepared to learn.

Here the Apostle expounds what was mentioned earlier (4:9) about the bestowal of gifts. The many different states and functions in the Church are designated as the gifts of Christ. Consider how, among the gifts of Christ, the Apostles are conceded the first place: And he gave some Apostles. "And he chose twelve of them whom also he named apostles" (Lk. 6:13).

for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of the Christ,

He says that the church's order has been so formed as to join the human race together in the profession of unity, so that all may be in Christ, having Christ as their single head, that is, as the source of life.

Do you see what dignity this is? Each one speaks, acts, each one serves the edification of the Body of Christ, or the Church. Why then do you grieve, as one who has received a lesser gift? For even you contribute to the "perfecting of the saints," that is, to the benefit of the faithful and their improvement.

Next, he discloses the fruitful results of these gifts or functions. The proximate effects of the above mentioned gifts or functions are threefold. First, consider those who are placed in these functions; spiritual gifts are communicated to them that they might be at the service of God and their fellow man.

until we all attain 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 the Christ,

The cause of these, then, is love, of all science the most sacred and most sovereign. For by the service of what is best and most exalted, which is characterized by unity, it renders the Gnostic at once friend and son, having in truth grown "a perfect man, up to the measure of full stature."

In the future life we shall attain perfection. But in the present life we need all the help we can get from the apostles, the prophets and our teachers.

He goes on to discuss the ultimate fruit of the Church's preaching which can be understood in two ways. One sees it as touching on the absolutely ultimate effect: the resurrection of the saints. In this perspective two facts are asserted. First is the spiritual and corporeal convergence of all who have risen.

so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, in the trickery of men, in craftiness with a view to the scheming of error,

These are they that "stretch the warp and weave nothing," says the Scripture; prosecuting a bootless task, which the apostle has called "cunning craftiness of men whereby they lie in wait to deceive." "For there are," he says, "many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers:" Wherefore it was not said to all, "Ye are the salt of the earth." For there are some even of the hearers of…

And again in another speech Paul condemneth the heretics and sheweth that all their doctrine standeth in cunning. "Let us not be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of the deceitful doctrines of the children of men, who in their cunning act craftily to lead astray; but let us be firm in our love that we may make to grow up everything of ours in Christ.…

Having spoken of the diversity of spiritual gifts and their fruit (4:12), now the Apostle describes how we attain to that fruit. First, he removes two obstacles. Secondly, he teaches the way of gaining access to them (4:15).

but speaking the truth in love, we may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, Christ,

Considering the love of Christ by which he loved us and gave himself up for us, we should make everything subject to him, knowing that he is the author of life for all. This is the truth. We are to be subject to him as members of the body are to the head.

Having pointed out the impediments of immaturity and erroneous doctrine which prevent one from acquiring the fruit of spiritual gifts, he discloses here how that fruit can be attained. He argues this way: It was said just now that to obtain the fruit of these spiritual gifts we must stop being children and grow up into mature adults.

from whom all the body, being joined together and held together through every ligament of the supply, according to the working in measure of each single part, makes the growth of the body unto the building up of itself in love.

But if any one believes in [only] one God, who also made all things by the Word, as Moses likewise says, "God said, Let there be light: and there was light;" and as we read in the Gospel, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was nothing made;" and the Apostle Paul [says] in like manner, "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, who is above all, a…

This entire upbuilding, by which the body of the church increases cell by cell, is being accomplished through the mutual love of one for another.… This does not imply that to each member will be distributed the same level of maturity. It is an error to assume, for example, that all human beings will be formed anew into angels.

Next, he speaks about the truth of Christ through whom we ought to grow. Three points concerning an organic body are to be kept in mind: its organs are interrelated, they are bound together by tendons, each member serves the rest. "If the foot should say: because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

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This therefore I say and testify in the Lord: that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

Branding, in fine, such as had denied themselves-Christians, to wit-on the score of having "delivered themselves up to the working of every impunity," "But ye," he says, "not so have learnt Christ.

These words are not addressed to the Ephesians only, but are now addressed also to you; and that, not from me, but from Paul; or rather, neither from me nor from Paul, but from the grace of the Spirit. And we then ought so to feel, as though that grace itself were uttering them. And now hear what it saith.

The Apostle previously admonished the Ephesians to persevere in ecclesial unity by describing to them its quality and pattern (4:1). In the part that follows he teaches them the way to remain within the Church's unity. First, he gives them precepts by which they can remain in ecclesial unity. First, he sets down precepts for everyone.

being darkened in the mind, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

So then, brothers and sisters, after the God of truth I address to you an appeal that you may give heed to the words written, that you may save both yourselves and him who reads an address in your midst. For as a reward I ask of you repentance with the whole heart, while you bestow upon yourselves salvation and life.

By "hardness of heart" he means a complete lack of remorse. When parts of the body are hardened, they feel no sensation, as though they were completely dead. This may happen to the heart.

Why did the Gentiles walk in vanity? Obviously because in performing such acts their reason is not guided by an enlightened understanding, but an erroneous one. This is what he says about them having their understanding darkened. "Their foolish heart was darkened" (Rom. 1:21), and "they have not known nor understood: they walk on in darkness" (Ps. 81:5).

who, having cast off all feeling, gave themselves over to sensuality, for the working of all impurity with covetousness.

They have lost their moral compass through lack of hope in a future life. Living now as if they had no future, they pollute their own lives with the foulest behaviors. They refuse to submit themselves to the most elementary requirement of faith, which brings their pleasure-seeking into accountability in relation to the future life.

Do you not see that of their own free will they became so insensible? "Having become callous," that is, having grown completely lazy, not wishing to do anything good, having reached complete insensibility and having become as if mad, "they gave themselves over to licentiousness." For what purpose?

Then the Apostle goes on to portray how their exterior manner of life was once they lost hope, a loss due to their alienation from life. "I have done with hope. I shall now live no longer" (Job 7:16). "And they said: We have no hopes; for we will go after our own thoughts and we will do everyone according to the perverseness of his evil heart" (Jer. 18:12).

But you did not so learn the Christ,

if indeed you have heard him and were taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus:

It is Christ himself who teaches us about himself! When we are "taught in him," we learn who he is, how great we should reckon him to be and what hope is in him. We learn "in him" what sort of people believers ought to be. Any one who has "learned Christ" knows that he rose from the dead to be the pattern for the faithful.

And the words "as the truth is in Jesus" understand thus: you should not remain in the same state as the pagans walk. For Christ's work is not vanity, but truth, teaching, and life. Sin is a lie, for it lacks substance and has no purpose; but virtue is truth, for it is stable and has purpose.

This certainly will happen if you have heard him, for hearing is the servant of instruction. "If" here is the equivalent of "because." "And this is the declaration which you have heard," as 1 John 1 (5) expresses it in reference to the proclamation of the faith. "He that hearkeneth to me shall not be confounded" (Ecclus. 24:30).

that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit,

And just as we acknowledge that that which according to its former conversation was "the old man" was also corrupt, and received its very name in accordance with "its deceitful lusts," so also (do we hold) that it is "the old man in reference to its former conversation," and not in respect of the flesh through any permanent dissolution.

"That ye put away as concerning your former manner of life, the old man." That is to say, It was not on these terms that thou enteredst into covenant. What is found among us is not vanity, but truth. As the doctrines are true, so is the life also. Sin is vanity and falsehood; but a right life is truth.

How should they live? He adds to put off, according to the former way of life, the old man. The passage has two variant readings. One is the infinitive, to put off; then it would be construed with what preceded to read: The truth about which you were instructed in Jesus was to put off the old man.

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

If one must be renewed, according to this expression, neither simply in the spirit nor in the mind, but in the spirit of your mind, we must inquire separately what our mind is and what its spirit is. And attend also to this: "I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing also with the mind; I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the mind".

We are not being renewed in our thinking process apart from the renewal of our spirits. Nor are we renewed in our spirits without thinking. We are being jointly renewed "in the spirit of our mind." Hence as we sing psalms in the spirit, so we also sing them in our thoughts. As we pray in the spirit, so we also pray in our thoughts.

Next, he indicates the new condition they are to take on. First, through what means we can obtain this newness. Secondly, in whom this newness resides (4:24a). Thirdly, what the newness is (4:24b). Regarding the first he says be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Notice that although "spirit" is frequently said to be in man, nevertheless three spirits are discernible in him.

and put on the new man, the one created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

If we wish to put on the new man which was created according to God, let us understand the "become imitators of me as I also am of Christ" and the "yet I live no longer, but Christ lives in me"; and, quite simply, we shall show Christ formed wholly in us and in every action.

Our part then is, never to put off the garment of righteousness, which also the Prophet calls, "the garment of salvation," that so we may be made like unto God. For He indeed hath put on righteousness. This garment let us put on. Now the word, "put on," plainly declares nothing else, than that we should never at all put it off.

"And put on the new man" discloses in whom this renewal takes place. Adam introduced sin into all men, and thus became for everything the primary source of oldness. Likewise, the primary source of newness and renovation is Christ. In Adam all die and in Christ all will be brought back to life.

Therefore, having put off falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

Again he said to me, "Love the truth, and let nothing but truth proceed from your mouth, that the spirit which God has placed in your flesh may be found truthful before all men; and the Lord, who dwelleth in you, will be glorified, because the Lord is truthful in every word, and in Him is no falsehood.

Having spoken of the "old man" generally, he next draws him also in detail; for this kind of teaching is more easily learned when we learn by particulars. And what saith he? "Wherefore, putting away falsehood." What sort of falsehood? Idols does he mean? Surely not; not indeed but that they are falsehood also.

Having set down above the general admonition to put on a newness of life (4:17), now the Apostle determines on the particular precepts. First, he restrains them from committing interior sins which corrupt the spirit. Secondly, he prohibits exterior sins which corrupt the flesh (5:3). First, he forbids sins which consist in one's personal deordination.

Be angry and do not sin; let not the sun set upon your provocation,

For I trust that ye are well versed in the Sacred Scriptures, and that nothing is hid from you; but to me this privilege is not yet granted. It is declared then in these Scriptures, "Be ye angry, and sin not," and, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Happy is he who remembers this, which I believe to be the case with you.

But because I had said that the anger of God is not for a time only, as is the case with man, who becomes inflamed with an immediate excitement, and on account of his frailty is unable easily to govern himself, we ought to understand that because God is eternal, His anger also remains to eternity; but, on the other hand, that because He is endued with the greatest excellence, H…

When forbidding sins destructive of the order in the irascible emotions, he gives his warning when he says Be angry, and sin not. This is susceptible of two interpretations; for there are two types of anger, a good one and an evil one. Anger is evil when, contrary to justice, it strives inordinately for revenge.

and do not give place to the devil.

As many, therefore, as are empty, fear the devil, as possessing power. When a man has filled very suitable jars with good wine, and a few among those jars are left empty, then he comes to the jars, and does not look at the full jars, for he knows that they are full; but he looks at the empty, being afraid lest they have become sour.

An angry mind will necessarily think evil thoughts, as the devil desires. If the devil finds a mind ready for evil and slipping toward it, he deceives the person who was created for life. The thought, you see, is human. But the devil completes it.

The reason for the warning is indicated in Give not place to the devil. The devil gains entrance to us either through sin or consent to it. "The devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him" (Jn. 13:2), after which it says: "After the morsel, Satan entered into him" (Jn. 13:27).

Let the one stealing steal no longer, but rather let him toil, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the one having need.

Further, he, who has a show of wisdom, has certain exhortations enjoined on him by the apostle: "That ye put on the new man, which after God is renewed in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth. Neither give place to the devil.

Those who live in the midst of this life's intense business appear to be forced, for the sake of food and necessary provisions, to buy and sell certain things and to seek unfair profit from business. It is difficult even for those who have been set free from the other passions—namely fornication, idolatry, adultery and murder—to escape being caught by this subtle vice.

Having banned the age-old corruption in man's rational and irascible powers (4:25), here he proscribes it in regard to the concupiscible emotions when they desire temporal goods inordinately. Stealing pertains to the concupiscible appetite's old ways; it arises from a corrupted and inordinate desire for a temporal object.

Let no rotten word go out of your mouth, but if any is good for building up as there is need, so that it may give grace to those hearing.

No doubt, if any one is unwilling to follow the Gospel itself, it is in his power [to reject it], but it is not expedient. For it is in man's power to disobey God, and to forfeit what is good; but [such conduct] brings no small amount of injury and mischief.

To the servant of God, all things appear to have some aspect of good. This does not stain his purity in any respect. What use is it to have a clean life and a foul mouth? The Lord says that everyone will be justified or condemned by his own words. One who speaks ill cannot be thought to live well.

When he states Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth he begins to discuss what the old man does in relation to other men. He makes two points: First, he prohibits the old and encourages the new. Secondly, he provides an example for imitation at the beginning of Chapter Five (5:1). A person may be wrongly disposed toward his neighbor in two ways.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

You ought as a servant of God to have walked in truth, and not to have joined an evil conscience with the spirit of truth, nor to have caused sadness to the holy and true Spirit.

The Holy Spirit rejoices in our salvation not for himself, since he has no lack of blessedness. But if we have disobeyed the Spirit, we have grieved the Spirit. His work in us is cut short, just when he wishes us to belong to life. Yet he is not grieved in such a way as to suffer in a literal sense. For God the Spirit is invisible and not subject to physical suffering.

Previously the Apostle warned the Ephesians to abstain from wicked and injurious words (4:29). Here he advises them against words or actions which would upset or sadden other men. Regarding this he does two things: First, he prohibits what is old. Secondly, he encourages what pertains to the new (4:32).

Let all bitterness and rage and anger and clamor and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.

For what sort of deed is it to approach the peace of God without peace? the remission of debts while you retain them? How will he appease his Father who is angry with his brother, when from the beginning "all anger" is forbidden us? For even Joseph, when dismissing his brethren for the purpose of fetching their father, said, "And be not angry in the way.

He who is not our enemy, is not necessarily our friend; but there is an intermediate state, neither of enmity nor of friendship, which is perhaps that in which the greater part of mankind stand toward us. He that is not crying is not therefore necessarily also laughing, but there is a state between the two. And so, I say, is the case here.

In what follows he discloses what specifically belongs to the old man. For at times a man will sadden his friend out of anger, at other times on set purpose. Anger, however, has three degrees. Sometimes it is constrained and remains within the heart, as when someone is only inwardly mad.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as also God in Christ forgave you.

"But," say they, "God is `good, 'and `most good, ' and `pitiful-hearted, 'and `a pitier, 'and `abundant in pitiful-heartedness, ' which He holds `dearer than all sacrifice, ' `not thinking the sinner's death of so much worth as his repentance', `a Saviour of all men, most of all of believers.' And so it will be becoming for `the sons of God' too to be `pitiful-hearted' and `pea…

Paul wants us to be gentle, approachable people, people who have left anger, bitterness, wrath and slander behind. If we are merciful and serene, taking the initiative in reaching out to others, our very approachability will overcome the shyness and fear of those for whom we reach out.

Next, when he says be ye kind one to another he determines what pertains to the new man which is contrary to the above mentioned passions. Opposed to bitterness is kindness; so he says be ye kind one to another since "the spirit of wisdom is benevolent" (Wis. 1:6).

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