LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Exegesis Research Paper: Meaning of the Passage and Bibliography Assignment
Ephesians 4:7-16
Submitted to Dr. Jerry Pounds,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
RTCH 500
Research, Writing, and Ministry Preparation
by
Charles Marsiglia
3/20/2021
Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................ 1
Thesis statement… .................................................................................................. 2
Context… ............................................................................................................... 1-2
Meaning of passage ............................................................................................... 2-6
Conclusion ...............................................................................................................6
Bibliography… ....................................................................................................... 7
Introduction
This research paper will unpack a deeply rooted exegetical study of the glorious scripture
of Ephesians 4:7-16. The paper will prove the historical and religious context of the passage, the
literary meaning of the passage, the exegetical overview of the passage, and a conclusion of the
Paul the Apostles instruction that is aimed throughout the verses. The understanding of what
Jesus’s ascension meant and what happens next for the Church. This passage teaches the role and
responsibilities that God gave to His Church in the fullest content. The Holy Spirit and His
power are the undertone of this passage, for it is He that supplies all the riches in Christ Jesus’s
Body, the Church. How does God build His Church?
Context of the Passage
Paul writes his letter to the church in Ephesus According to tradition, while he was in
prison in Rome (around AD 62). This would be about the same time as the Epistle to the
Colossians (which in many points it resembles) and the Epistle to Philemon. During the writing
of this passage, he was explaining to his readers that Christ ascended and descended, although
this did happen, He left them not alone. His word says He will never leave us or forsake us. On
the contrary, He gave gifts to the captives, supplied His Body with His Spirit, gave the 5 fold
ministry to the elect, encouraged them to not be deceived ,but to walk not like other gentiles
walk but walk in the new way of grace and life putting on Christ Jesus. My paper will show the
importance of why church growth is vital from God and how He does it.
Meaning of the Passage
In this passage of scripture, we must go verse by verse (V4) He proceeds to show more
fully in how complete a manner Christians ought to be united. The union ought to be such that
we shall form one body and one soul. These words denote the whole man. We ought to be united,
not in part only, but in body and soul. He supports this by a powerful argument, as ye have been
called in one hope of your calling. We are called to one inheritance and one life; and hence it
follows, that we cannot obtain eternal life without living in mutual harmony in this world. One
Divine invitation being addressed to all, they ought to be united in the same profession of faith,
and to render every kind of assistance to each other. Oh, were this thought deeply impressed
upon our minds, that we are subject to a law which no more permits the children of God to differ
among themselves than the kingdom of heaven to be divided, how earnestly should we cultivate
brotherly kindness! How should we dread every kind of animosity, if we duly reflected that all
who separate us from brethren, estrange us from the kingdom of God! And yet, strangely enough,
while we forget the duties which brethren owe to each other, we go on boasting that we are the
sons of God. Let us learn from Paul, that none are at all fit for that inheritance who are not one
body and one spirit.
In verse four the is God who is above all, through all and in all. John Gill says this about
verse “who is above all; which may denote the superior excellency of his nature, not above his
Son and Spirit, who are of the same nature with him, but above angels and men; and the
extensiveness of his government, over all creatures in general, and over his church and people in
particular:”. The continued verse he says “and through all; the Arabic version renders it, "taking
care of all"; which may have respect to his providence, which is either universal, and reaches to
all creatures his hands have made; or special, and concerns his own chosen people, who belong
to his family, and to whom he stands in the relation of a covenant God and Father: or this clause
may refer to the perfections of his nature, which appear through the whole of the salvation of all
the chosen ones; as his wisdom, love, grace, mercy, justice, holiness, truth, and faithfulness”.
Also, in this section Dr Constable says “The apostle began by stressing the importance of
walking (or living) in unity. This is one of two classic New Testament passages on unity, the
other being John 17. God will not enforce unity in answer to prayer. Believers have a
responsibility to obey Him as well.
Verse 7 reads unto us, that means every Christian, Is given grace - The favor of God;
meaning here that God had bestowed upon each sincere Christian the means of living as he ought
to do, and had in his gospel made ample provision that they might walk worthy of their vocation.
What “are” the endowments thus given, the apostle states in the following verses. The “grace”
referred to here, most probably means “the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit,” or his
operations on the heart in connection with the use of the means which God has appointed.
According to the measure of the gift of Christ - Grace is bestowed upon all true
Christians, and all have enough to enable them to live a life of holiness. Yet we are taught
here: That it is a “gift.” It is “bestowed” on us. It is not what is originated by us.
The grace of God is given by a certain “measure.” It is not unlimited, and without rule.
There is a wise adaptation; an imparting it by a certain rule. The same grace is not given to all,
but to all is given enough to enable them to live as they ought to live. that measure is the gift of
Christ, or what is given in Christ. It comes through him. It is what he has purchased; what he has
obtained by his merits. All have enough for the purposes for which God has called them into his
kingdom, but there are not the same endowments conferred on all. Some have grace given them
to qualify them for the ministry; some to be apostles; some to be martyrs; some to make them
eminent as public benefactors. All this has been obtained by Christ; and one Should not complain
that another has more distinguished endowments than he has.
Ephesians 4:8-10 Charles Spurgeon interprets “Paul could not help giving us this lesson
by the way, that he that ascended was also he that first descended; and you may depend upon it
that the man who will attain the highest honor in the Church of Christ is the man who descends,
who lays aside all ambition, and all desire to be honored and respected, and who is willing to be
nothing. He who thus descends, shall surely ascend. That we henceforth be no more children, i.e.
weak in the faith, unstable in judgment, children in understanding, 1 Corinthians 14:20; such as
need teaching, and strengthening: see Romans 2:20 1 Corinthians 3:1 Hebrews 5:13. Tossed to
and fro; light and unconstraint, like ships without ballast, tossed with every wave. And carried
about with every wind of doctrine; not only shaken and staggering as to our faith, (as in the
former clause), but carried about to errors for want of judgment, by false doctrines, here
compared to violent winds. By the sleight of men, their sophistry, whereby they easily seduce
those that are unskillful, as men easily cheat children in playing at dice, from whence this
metaphor is taken. Cunning craftiness: their skillfulness in finding out ways of deceiving,
whereby they can make anything of anything. Whereby they lie in wait to deceive, viz. as in
ambush; the word here used, is translated wiles, Ephesians 6:11, against which the apostle would
have them fenced with the whole armour of God, and seems to signify a laying in ambush, or
assaulting a man behind his back; a secret and unseen way of circumventing, a laying wait to
draw them that are weak from the truth. These divine gifts are in fact people - apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers. They are given to build up the Christians so that they also can
do the work of God. This will help the Christians individually and the church as a whole to grow
in maturity towards the perfection and fulness that is found in Christ himself (11-13). Such
Christians will not be like immature children who can be persuaded to believe almost anything
(14). Mature Christians will be confident in their faith, though they will always act towards
others in love. They will be under the control of Christ, as the parts of the body are under the
control of the head. This will help them to maintain and develop strength in the church (15-16).
Thomas Coke ends Paul’s section to the Ephesians by saying this for verse 18.” The life
of God seems to signify more than a life prescribed by God to his people, as some understand it.
It intimates a life consisting in a righteous and holy imitation of his perfections, and a constant
devotedness to his service; and perhaps it may also intimate its being originally derived from
him; (see Ephesians 4:24.) they having been alienated in affection as well as in practice from the
life of God—that noble principle of true religion, which is, indeed, the divine life in the soul,
forming it to the service and imitation of him by whom it is implanted. Though the last clause of
this verse may certainly refer to the Gentiles, in their unconverted state, yet it is equally true of
the natural blindness of men universally, in their unregenerate state. If the words rendered mind,
understanding, and heart are to be distinguished, the first may signify the mind in general,
comprehending the understanding, or intellectual faculties; and the heart may imply the
affections and passions, by the irregularity and obstinacy of which the understanding is often
obscured, and led into false and irrational judgments.
Finally, to know certain of these matters G Campbell Morgan says of these verses “In
order to realize these things there must be an absolute turning away from the old manner of life
in accepting the new. In a series of eight remarkable contrasts the apostle showed the difference
between the old and the new. In order to fulfil these injunctions, it is solemnly charged, "Grieve
not the Holy Spirit of God." Putting away all these things of the old is the work of the Holy
Spirit, as is also the realization in life and character of the things of the new. If we will let the
Spirit have His way, we shall find these evil things wither and die, and it will be possible, in the
power of the new life, to obey the positive injunctions. If, on the other hand, we cling to, and
indulge in, the things condemned, we shall cause sorrow to the great Indweller.
Only here in the New Testament. In classical Greek of refitting a ship or setting a bone.
The preposition for denotes the ultimate purpose. Ministering and building are means to this end.
Hence its emphatic position in the sentence The radical idea of adjustment is brought out in
Ephesians 4:13. For the work of the ministry Rev., much better, unto the work of ministering.
The immediate purpose of the gift. He gave apostles, etc., unto the work of ministering and
building, for the perfecting, etc. The prevailing sense of ministry in the New Testament, is
spiritual service of an official character. See Acts 1:25; Acts 6:4; Acts 20:24; Romans 11:13; 1
Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:5.Edifying, building up. See on Acts 20:32. Notice the combination
of perfecting and building. Building defines the nature of the work of ministry, and perfecting
comes through a process. Verse 14 is used by Paul to teach us
Bibliography
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cal/ephesians-4.html#1 John Calvin
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/geb/ephesians-4.html John Gill
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnb/ephesians-4.html Albert Barnes
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/ephesians-4.html Thomas Constable
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/spe/ephesians-4.html Charles Spurgeon
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/mpc/ephesians-4.html Matthew Poole
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/vnt/ephesians-4.html#29 Marvin Vincent
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bbc/ephesians-4.html Bridgeway
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/gcm/ephesians-4.html G Campbell Morgan
