Ephesians 4 | Living Worthy of the Call | Bible Study

Summary

This video from Spoken Gospel focuses on how the Apostle Paul emphasizes the unity between Jews and Gentiles in Christ and what this means for believers. Paul encourages Christians to live a life worthy of their calling, shedding their old sinful nature and embracing a new identity marked by righteousness and holiness. This transformation is not only individual but corporate, forming a unified body—the Church. Through Jesus' sacrifice, believers are empowered to live in unity, reflecting God's goodness. The video highlights that through Christ, we are made new and called to live in alignment with God's will.

Takeaways

• 📖 Spoken Gospel is focused on seeing Jesus in all of Scripture.
• 🔍 Paul emphasizes the inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in Jesus in his letter.
• 📢 We are called to live a life worthy of the gospel, free from division and sin.
• ✝️ We must take off the old self, characterized by bitterness, anger, and malice, and put on the new self, made righteous and holy by God.
• 🏛️ This transformation is both an individual and a corporate calling, bringing believers into a united family—the Church.
• 🤝 The Church is to be marked by oneness: one hope, one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.
• 🛠️ We should use our individual gifts to strengthen and mature each other as the body of Christ.
• 👥 Growing up in faith means becoming more like Jesus, who sacrificed Himself to unite us.
• 🔄 We must reject selfishness, impurity, and greed, and instead live in goodness, righteousness, and truth.
• 🌱 Because of Jesus, we are new creations with a new nature, empowered to choose the things of God, such as kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of Spoken Gospel as described in the script?

Spoken Gospel is dedicated to seeing Jesus in all of scripture and helping people understand how Biblical texts shed light on Jesus and his gospel.

What is the central theme of Paul's message in the first half of his letter, as mentioned in the script?

Paul focuses on the mystery of God's inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in Jesus, highlighting their unity through the gospel.

What does Paul call believers to do in chapter four of his letter?

Paul calls believers to live a life worthy of their calling, putting off old ways that cause division and sin and embracing a new, righteous, and holy identity in Christ.

What behaviors does Paul urge believers to remove as part of their 'old self'?

Paul urges believers to remove bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice.

What is the 'new identity' believers are called to embrace?

Believers are called to embrace a new identity that reflects righteousness and holiness, free from division and marked by unity in the Church.

How does Paul describe the corporate aspect of the believer's new identity?

Paul describes the corporate identity as adoption into the Church, a new family marked by oneness, with one hope, one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

What does living worthy of the call require from believers in terms of their relationships with one another?

Living worthy of the call requires believers to treat each other as united members of one body, using their individual gifts to strengthen and mature the Church.

What analogy does Paul use to explain how believers should mature?

Paul uses the analogy of growing up as a body of Christ-followers, becoming more like Jesus, who gave up his body to unite believers.

What transformation is required of believers to live like Jesus, according to the script?

Believers must put off selfish indulgence, impurity, and greed, just as Jesus did, and embrace a new self, created in goodness and righteousness.

How does Jesus’ sacrifice enable believers to live a new life?

Jesus' sacrifice on the cross allows believers to lay down their old life marked by sin and take on a new righteous life, making them new creations empowered to live in unity and righteousness.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Understanding God's Mystery of Inclusion

This paragraph introduces the mission of Spoken Gospel, focusing on revealing Jesus in every part of Scripture. It highlights Paul's letter, particularly how he explores the mystery of God including both Jews and Gentiles in Jesus. Paul emphasizes that this divine inclusion requires believers to live a life worthy of their calling. They must take off old behaviors that cause division and sin, and put on a new self, reflecting their new identity in Christ, marked by righteousness and holiness. This call applies both individually and corporately within the Church.

🏛️ The Church’s Unity and Oneness

Here, Paul emphasizes the corporate responsibility of believers to adopt a new identity as members of the Church. This new family is to be marked by unity, founded on one hope, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. Living out this calling means treating each other as united members of one body. Paul stresses the importance of using individual spiritual gifts to strengthen and mature the Church, cautioning that immaturity leads to denying the need for unity and sacrificial service. True spiritual maturity reflects Jesus' sacrifice to unite believers.

✝️ Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New

Paul instructs believers to remove their old, sinful behaviors, such as selfishness, greed, impurity, and destructive speech. They are to put on their new self, created in the likeness of God, which manifests in goodness and righteousness. This transformation requires rejecting falsehood, theft, and harmful speech, instead using words to build up the Church. Paul frames this transformation as a communal effort, with believers maturing together into a new body—the Church—that reflects their calling in Christ.

🌍 Humanity's Fall and the Need for a New Nature

This section reflects on mankind's original purpose to live in righteousness with God. However, the choice of Adam and Eve to disobey God clothed humanity in sin. Paul explains that the sinful nature, inherited from Adam, must be removed and replaced with a new nature that is capable of choosing the things of God, such as kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. This new nature can only be received through Jesus' sacrifice, which gives believers the power to live in righteousness again.

🕊️ Jesus' Sacrifice and the Gift of New Life

The paragraph describes the transformation that takes place because of Jesus’ willing sacrifice. By laying down His life, He enables believers to lay down their old lives marked by sin. Their old self is nailed to the cross, and in exchange, they receive Jesus' righteous life. As new creations with a new nature, both individually and corporately, they can now choose to live in a way that reflects the things of God. Jesus' sacrifice empowers believers to live a life worthy of the unity and salvation He has provided.

🙏 Prayer for Revelation and Transformation

The final paragraph is a prayer for the Holy Spirit to reveal to believers their new identity in Christ. It asks for an understanding of Jesus’ exchange of His life for theirs, so that they may be freed from sin and empowered to live in a way that reflects their calling. The prayer is a plea for believers to walk in the freedom and unity Jesus bought for them, seeing Him as the source of their new life.

Keywords

💡Inclusion

Inclusion in this context refers to God's acceptance of both Jews and Gentiles through Jesus Christ. The video explains that Paul's letter reveals the mystery of this inclusion, showing how both groups are united in the Gospel, which is central to the theme of unity in the Church.

💡Mystery

The 'mystery' refers to God's plan, revealed through Christ, to unite all people—both Jews and Gentiles—under one body. Paul explores how this mystery, previously hidden, is now disclosed through Jesus. It is a foundational concept, emphasizing the breaking down of barriers between different groups in the body of Christ.

💡Call

The 'call' refers to the life that believers are invited to live in response to their salvation through Jesus. This is a call to unity, holiness, and righteousness, as explained by Paul in the video. Believers are encouraged to live a life worthy of this call by leaving behind old ways of division and sin.

💡Old Self

The 'old self' represents the sinful nature and behaviors that believers are encouraged to abandon. The video explains that this includes bitterness, anger, slander, and malice. Putting off the old self is part of the transformation that occurs when one accepts Christ and begins living according to the new identity found in Him.

💡New Self

The 'new self' refers to the transformed nature of believers, marked by righteousness and holiness. It is the identity given to those who have put their faith in Jesus and have rejected their old, sinful ways. The video emphasizes that this new self reflects God’s character, enabling believers to live in unity and goodness.

💡Unity

Unity is a central theme in the video, where Paul calls for believers to be united as one body in Christ. The Church, with its diverse members, is to be characterized by oneness, under one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. The video emphasizes that living a life worthy of the Gospel requires believers to work together in harmony.

💡Body of Christ

The 'body of Christ' is a metaphor used to describe the Church, made up of all believers who are united in Jesus. The video explains that the Church, as the body, should work together, using individual gifts to build each other up and mature in faith. This corporate identity reflects the unity and purpose of the Church.

💡Sacrificial Service

Sacrificial service refers to the way believers are called to serve one another in the Church, putting the needs of others before their own. The video highlights that Jesus is the ultimate example, as He sacrificed His life to unite believers. Paul teaches that growing in Christlikeness involves this same attitude of sacrificial love and service.

💡New Creation

The term 'new creation' refers to the transformation that occurs when someone accepts Jesus and is made new through His life, death, and resurrection. The video explains that through Jesus, believers have a new nature, freed from sin, and are empowered to live a life that reflects God's goodness and righteousness.

💡Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the act of releasing someone from the debt of sin or offense, mirroring the forgiveness believers receive through Jesus. In the video, it is highlighted as one of the qualities that the new self should embrace, as believers are called to live in kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, reflecting the character of God.

Highlights

Paul explores the mystery of God's inclusion of both Jews and Gentiles in Jesus.

Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of their calling, embracing freedom from division and sin.

Christians are called to take off their old self, characterized by bitterness, rage, and slander, and put on a new self, made righteous and holy by God.

The call to live a new life is both individual and corporate, as Christians are adopted into a new family—the Church.

Paul emphasizes the oneness of the Church, united by one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

Believers must use their individual gifts to strengthen and mature the corporate body of Christ.

True maturity in the body of Christ comes through unity and sacrificial service, reflecting Jesus' example.

Christians are called to put off selfish indulgence, impurity, and greed to become more like Jesus.

Paul instructs believers to avoid lying, stealing, and using words that tear down others, urging them to build up the body of Christ.

The Church, as a new body, must grow and mature into its calling, reflecting the unity and holiness of Christ.

At creation, mankind was made to live in righteousness, but sin entered through Adam and Eve.

Humanity, born into sin, is unable to choose the things of God and needs to be made new.

Through Jesus' sacrifice, believers are given a new nature and empowered to live righteously.

Jesus' death on the cross allows believers to lay down their old sinful lives and live as new creations.

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to live lives worthy of the unity and salvation bought by Jesus.

Transcripts

This is Spoken Gospel.

We are dedicated to seeing  Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s  happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

In the first half of his letter,  Paul holds a magnifying glass to  

the mystery of God’s inclusion of  both Jews and Gentiles in Jesus.

In chapter four, Paul zooms in on what  that blood-bought mystery requires of us.

Paul says we need to live  a life worthy of this call.

If we have put on freedom from division and sin, we need to take off the old ways that cause division and sin.

We are to remove our old self, with its bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice.

In its place, we are to put on that which reflects a new identity

made righteous and holy by God and no longer marked by division.

And this call to take off the old and put on the new is not only an individual one, but a corporate call as well.

Corporately, we are to put on  adoption into a new family—the Church.

And Paul says this new family  is to be marked by its oneness.

The Church has one hope, which is  founded in one body and one Spirit,  

united under one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

Living worthy of this call means treating one  another like we are united members of one body.

  We must also leverage the gifts God has given us individually

to strengthen and mature each  other corporately, as the body of Christ.

Only the immature deny the necessity  of unity and sacrificial service.

If we want to grow up and mature as a body of Christ-followers,

we must become more and more like Jesus, who gave up his body to unite us.

We must put off selfish indulgence,  impurity, and greed, just as he did.

We must take off our old self and put on a new self- created to be like God in goodness and righteousness.

We can’t lie anymore. We can’t steal anymore.

We can’t tear each other down with our words but must leverage every word to build up the body that Jesus died for.

We have been recreated both individually and corporately into a new body, the Church. And now we must, like a body, mature into that calling.

[music]

At creation, mankind was made to live with God and choose the things of God—that which is righteous and holy.

Yet, sadly, our first parents chose to turn from  the things of God and thus clothe humanity in sin.

Everything Paul tells us to take off, was passed down and put on us by Adam and Eve.

As offspring of Adam, we are born with a nature that is prone to sin unable to choose the things of God.

We need to be made new, to be given  a new nature, and to be recreated.

It is only through being made  new that we can once again  

have the power to choose the things of God,  such as kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

And the good news is that because Jesus willingly laid down his life for us, we can now lay down our old life too.

A life marked by sin has  been nailed to the cross,  

and Jesus’ righteous life has  been given to us in exchange.

We are now new creations.

We have a new nature individually  and a new body corporately.

Because of Jesus, we can put off our old self and once again live a life that chooses the things of God.

Because of Jesus we have a new nature,  freed from sin, and empowered to live a life  

worthy of the unity and salvation  bought for you by our Savior.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes  to see the God who has made you a new creation.

And may you see Jesus as the one who has exchanged his life for yours,  

that you might be free from sin and walk worthy of his call.