Ephesians 4:1

Ephesians 4:1-16. Practical results: spiritual Unity in Diversity of Gifts

1. I therefore Here begins what may be called the Second Part of the Epistle. Hitherto the Apostle has dealt with the eternal and spiritual aspects of Redemption. He now comes to their sequel and manifestation in conduct and life. Not that he leaves behind, for a moment, the eternal facts and spiritual principles. Scripture always brings the doctrinal into the practical, as reason and mainspring; and nowhere more than in this Epistle. But the main stress of thought is now on the effects rather than on the causes; it deals with the holy sequitur, the "therefore," of the matter. Compare the Epistles to the Romans and Colossians for a similar arrangement; and, to some extent, the First to the Corinthians.

the prisoner of the Lord Lit., the prisoner in the Lord. His bonds are due to his union with Christ. They are thus a strong Christian argument with his converts. See further on Ephesians 3:2, above.

beseech Cp. Romans 12:1 for the same word in just the same connexion. The Gr. is a verb more elastic in reference than our "beseech," often meaning "to exhort," "to encourage," and (without the thought of entreaty) "to request." But the thought of entreaty is quite in place here.

walk See on Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 2:10, above. The distinctive notion of the word is that of the moral action and conduct of life.

worthy of the vocation Better, worthily of the calling. For similar phrases, cp. Philippians 1:27, "walk worthily of the Gospel of Christ"; Colossians 1:10, "walk worthily of the Lord"; 1 Thessalonians 2:12, "walk worthily of God." Ideally, of course, no human walk is "worthy of" the Gospel, the Call, or the Divine Caller. But practically it can and should be so, in the sense of being governed at every step by the Divine motives, applied by grace, and so presenting a true correspondence to those motives.

" The vocation" :see on Ephesians 1:18, "His calling."

are called Lit., and better, were called, when they heard and believed.