Speaking here of humility, Paul points to Christ as an example, just as in the Epistle to the Philippians (Phil. 2:8), saying: as He did not refuse to descend, so you too should not refuse to humble yourselves through humility. And that He descended is evident from the prophet's expression: "having ascended," because in relation to God, when it says "having ascended," one must necessarily understand that He first descended, whereas concerning a man this is not yet the case. Where then did He descend? Into Hades: this, of course, is what he calls "the lower parts of the earth," according to the common understanding. As Jacob also said: "you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave" (Gen. 44:30); and David: "lest I become like those who go down into the pit" (Ps. 28:1). Thus, He descended to the very lowest regions, beyond which there is nothing else, and ascended far above all things, above which there is nothing more. And this descent did not hinder His ascent. Therefore you also, if you humble yourselves, will be exalted. He accomplished this in order to fill all things with His dominion and power, according to the flesh, since according to His Divinity He already filled all things before. All of this is directed against Paul of Samosata and Nestorius. For He who descended — evidently, as a dweller on high He descended, both through the incarnation to earth and through death into Hades — is one and the same, and not different.
Eph. 4:11. And He appointed
And it is significant that he said: "He." For He Who so cared for us and Who for our sake did not refuse to descend even to the lowest limits, did not simply distribute the gifts, but undoubtedly with wisdom and benefit. How then do you grieve that the distribution was made unwisely? And in one place he says that the Spirit distributes: "in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers" (Acts 20:28) and: "but one and the same Spirit works all these things" (1 Cor. 12:11); and in another he attributes this to the Father: "God has appointed in the Church first Apostles" and so on (1 Cor. 12:28), and: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Cor. 3:6). But here he attributes it to the Son. Thus, the operation of the Three is one.
Eph. 4:11. "some apostles, others prophets"
The first are apostles, because they also possessed the gift of prophecy, whereas the prophets, namely those of the New Testament, did not possess apostleship.
Eph. 4:11. other Evangelists.
Or those who wrote the Gospel, or those who, although they did not travel everywhere, yet preached the Gospel, like Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:3).
Eph. 4:11. "others as pastors and teachers,"
He calls by this name those to whom the Churches have been entrusted – bishops, such as Timothy, Titus, and others like them. But you may also understand by "pastors" both presbyters and bishops, and by "teachers" even deacons. For they too, holding the rank of purifiers (καθαρτικην τάξιν), purify the people through the word.
Eph. 4:12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ,
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. So then, look: having received a gift for the edification of others, do not destroy yourself through envy of greater gifts. Moreover, if another has received a greater gift for the perfecting of the faithful, understand that greater labor and service are also joined with it, and therefore greater responsibility. And on the other hand, is it not a satanic trait to envy the one who perfects and edifies the Body of Christ? For this befits an enemy of God.
Eph. 4:13. until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
Until then, he says, all of us who have received gifts must act, labor, and build up, until we come to the unity of the faith, that is, until we all appear as having one faith, not differing in doctrines and having no disagreement among ourselves in matters concerning life. For then there will be true unity of the faith, then we will know the Son of God, when we hold right opinion in the matter of teaching and preserve the bond of love. For Christ is love.
Eph. 4:13. into a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
By the image of the perfect man and the measure of the stature, he speaks of the perfect knowledge of the dogmas, just as by the fullness of Christ he means the perfect and complete knowledge of Him and the faith that He, one of the Trinity and equal to the Father, became Man, a single hypostasis in two natures, wills, and activities, and that together with the body He sits enthroned with the Father and will come again, and everything else that is rightly thought and said about this. How then does he elsewhere call our knowledge imperfect? In contrast to future knowledge; but here, with regard to the unchangeableness of knowledge, he calls it perfect. For when we shall no longer waver, then we shall be perfect, as is evident from what follows.
Eph. 4:14. that we should no longer be babes, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine,
But let us, he says, firmly and unshakably hold fast to that small measure which we have received, and let us not, like children, be tossed about and carried away by every teaching. For this reason gifts were given: to build up and strengthen, so that the building might not be shaken. By the words "that we should no longer be" he showed that formerly they were such. He even includes himself, so as to correct not by reproaches but by kindness. And by saying "tossed about," he shows what danger the souls of those who are unsteady in Orthodoxy are in. And, speaking figuratively, he calls the various teachings winds.
Eph. 4:14. by the trickery (κυβεία) of men, by the cunning craft of deception,
By the word "cunning" (κυβευτής in the Greek original, – Editor's note) are called those who made profit from dice-playing. Such also are the false teachers, who handle very simple people like dice, as they please. Therefore, let us not, he says, be tossed about in this cunning "by the craftiness of deceitful scheming," that is, be tossed about and inclined toward that which the deceitful craftiness of false teachers desires. For all their skill and cunning are directed toward nothing other than deception. And he beautifully added: "of men," since the work of God contains no cunning or deception.
Eph. 4:15. but by true love would grow up in all things into Him, Who is the head, Christ,
The crafty and cunning have everything false and deceitful in their words, and there is nothing sound or stable in them. But we, being sincere in our love for God and neighbor, having teaching that is not false and living without hypocrisy (for here, it seems, he also gives lessons on life), let us grow up into Christ in all that is ours — both life and dogmas. For with Him, as the Head, we must conform all that is ours, so as to bring nothing discordant or out of harmony with the Head, but to have everything grown up according to Him.
Eph. 4:16. from Whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The thought of this passage is as follows, although it is expressed unclearly: just as in the body the spirit, descending from the brain through the nerves, does not simply impart sensation to all the members, but according to the properties of each — to the one capable of receiving more, more, and to the one capable of receiving less, less — so also Christ distributes His gracious gifts to our souls, which are His members, not simply, but "according to the effective working in the measure of every part," that is, as much as each is able to contain, and thus the whole body "makes increase for the building up of itself in love." For it is otherwise impossible to receive the aid of the Spirit descending from above, Who gives us life and growth, if we are not joined and united by love as one body. Just as, for example, a hand, severed from the body, could no longer receive the influences of the spirit, because it is cut off from the body, so also we, if we do not have unity, will not receive from our Head, Christ, the grace of the Spirit. For this reason he said "the body joined and knit together," in order to show that the members are not simply placed one beside another, but are joined to one another, and each occupies its own place, and is not dislocated or disfigured. Therefore, it is our task to bind and unite ourselves through love, and the task of Christ, our Head, to send down the Spirit. Thus, the entire discourse is about humility and unity. The words "through every joint that supplies" show that the Spirit, poured out and given by the Head, tangibly touches all. Therefore, the body grows and is built up through the fact that the supply of the Spirit touches the members and that He works in them (for this is what "according to the effective working" means), or that He furnishes them the power to work.
Eph. 4:17. Therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
It is proper for a teacher not only to exhort, but also to instill fear, showing that God Himself stands before His disciples, as Paul does here. "I adjure," he says, you "by the Lord," that is, I call the Lord as witness that I have not hidden from you what needed to be said. And he did not say: do not live as you live, so as not to wound them, but: "as the other nations walk," correcting them by the example of others. They walked "in the vanity" of their "mind" because they served idols, were slaves to passions, and gave themselves over to the vanity of the world. And what is called vanity is so called because we make use of it vainly; for it is not vain by its own nature, since all things were created very good.