Ephesians 4:11 And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. 16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part. BSB
The agent that God will use to change the world is the church. (Keep in mind that in Paul’s time, the church wasn’t a building or a denomination as people gathered in small groups in people’s homes. The church is us).
Note that in verse 13, we are talking about the faith. It is hard for the church to be unified if we don’t believe the same things about Christ. Paul starts chapter four with a list of 7 basics that we agree on: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God. We may have some differences between us in other areas but there are essential Christian beliefs common to all.
The question arises as to how will we know that we have reached maturity. The answer is fullness. A fullness that is like pouring coffee into a cup until it spills over. We should be a church so full of Christ that it shows. A church that is united in love, full of spiritual blessings and freely sharing these gifts. The problem in Ephesus is their lack of unity is preventing any of this from happening. Ephesus isn’t the only location where Paul encounters this type of problem. In 1Corinthians, Paul knows that they are still babies in the faith because they are quarreling with each other and falling into factions. If we have fullness, then we won’t be babies any longer. The Greek word translated as scheming (methodeia) only appears here in verse 14 and in Ephesians 6:11 where it refers to the scheming of the devil. The point to remember is that this scheming is deliberate by false teachers whose method, like the devil, is to focus their schemes wherever they perceive that you might be wavering.
Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts; 19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness. WEB
Starting at verse 17, Paul is shifting to moral instruction describing the behaviors that are the consequence of belief (that is, if we believe the Gospel to be true). This is Paul asserting his authority but he wants us to also know that this is affirmed by Christ as “testify in the Lord” means that these are the things that Christ told to him and the other Apostles. This can be seen in other places such as 1Thessalonians where Paul gives thanks that the Thessalonians recognized that what was being taught to them came from God and not from men.
The Puritans believe that spiritual truth must start in your mind before it can go to your heart and hands. So if our thinking is off, we can never get past first base so if we are going to be spiritually formed, the first thing we have do is get hold of our thinking. In a similar vein, the Orthodox church teaches about the 8 Deadly Thoughts (similar to the 7 Deadly Sins in Catholicism). Once one of these thoughts gets planted in your mind, it creates an opening so that the other seven can also gain a foothold and begin to take root. This type of thinking leads to the darkened understanding Paul is referencing. As a result of this foolish and useless thinking, these people are alienated (“excluded”, “self-banished” and “separated” in other translations) from God.
When you first start playing guitar, you can’t play for long because the tips of your fingers get sore. Over time, callouses build up and it becomes much easier to play without feeling that pain. Same type of thing happens when you keep saying “no” to God as each time it becomes easier and easier. As a result, our hearts get more and more hardened. We can’t respond because we are too calloused to feel anything.
Mark 6:47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and He was alone on the land. 48 He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the night was ending, He came to them walking on the sea, for He wanted to pass by them. 49 When they saw Him walking on the water they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them: “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up with them into the boat, and the wind ceased. They were completely astonished, 52 because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. NET
We aren’t immune to hardening as we (like the Apostles in the verse above) are sometimes a little slow on the uptake. This is not the same as the instructions Jesus gives the Apostles when He sent them out and tells them to shake the dust off their sandals as testimony against those who reject the Gospel. (Matthew 10:5-15; Luke 9:1-5; Mark 6:7-11). The difference between the two is that we aren’t against Jesus nor have we built up our callouses by continually saying “no” to God.
Ephesians 4:1 I, then, the prisoner for the Master’s sake, entreat you to live and act as becomes those who have received the call that you have received. WEY
Our call from God is already past tense but now that we have been called, we should live into it as we move from justification to sanctification. We will change as we start to walk in our new life and start putting to death the old life.
There are two paths. One path is the path of the non-believers while the other is the path of the Christian. The description in verses 17-19 are not the Christian path (although it reflects a typical lifestyle in Ephesus). A Stoic of the time might take exception to this description of Gentiles since they were unlikely to lead a life of lust and debauchery yet they are still alienated from God through their unbelief and as a result, will be judged according to the law.
John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. NHEB
The law is moral truth and is holy, just and good. Our problem is that we fall short and as a result, cannot be justified by following the law. Justification comes from the grace and truth we receive through Jesus as the center of the Truth (see John 3:16).