Unity, Gifts, Maturity – Ephesians 4 (NIV)

Unity, Gifts, Maturity – Ephesians 4 (NIV)

Ephesians chapter 4 is a good, overall introduction to living like a believer. Living a life worthy of the calling we have received. We are to be humble, gentle, patient and bear with one another in love. This can’t be done by just human will. We need supernatural power which He gives us in the Holy Spirit.

For help and equipping, Christ also gave us gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. He gave us each other. The body is there for the body. In unity we are to live using our gifts as gifts for others to equip for good works so that the body may be built up.

I love how it’s not just for the sake of being built up. He even gives us a goal: 4:13 “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

I don’t know how to measure that, how long it takes, how to know when we’ve attained it or anything close to it. But He does. I doubt it’s something one person does in their life but more of a continual process “through the ages.” But the point is, we are to grow in our knowledge of the Son and become mature.

In unity, through the Spirit, we are to use our gifts as gifts ourselves to equip the body for works of service as we grow in our knowledge of the Son and attain maturity.

1. Unity – In the Spirit in one God
2. Gifts/Works – From Christ for equipping
3. Maturity – In the knowledge of the Son

The second part of the chapter is a bit of outworking of these things in living in the new life. A bit of application of how we are to live, speak, help others, work, share and forgiving.