As we’ve seen the past couple weeks, the first twenty-four verses of Ephesians 4 offer a glimpse at just how grand Paul’s vision for the Christian life is: It is nothing less than growing into the fullness of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect exemplar of human life. The possibility of such a life is … Continue reading Body Building: Ephesians 4.25-32
There’s an ancient and ongoing debate — in religion, philosophy, and culture — about the possibility of personal change. Is real change possible? Or are we always going to be more-or-less the same and any apparent changes merely superficial? Paul is squarely on the side believing that change and even genuine transformation is possible. In … Continue reading Old and New: Ephesians 4.17-24
Ephesians 4.7-16 is a wonderful passage with a powerful message of how God empowers each and every one of us to grow into truth, into perfect maturity, and into Christlikeness, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of the Church and the world as a whole. But it begins with a very … Continue reading God’s Power for Us (again): Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4.8-10
In the last post, we saw how Paul starts the second half of Ephesians with a call to unity. But we left that study with the recognition that unity is only half of the equation; for unity exists in a dialectical (positive-positive) relationship with diversity. Without unity, diversity is nothing but anarchy and individualism run … Continue reading Gifts of Grace and Growth: Ephesians 4.7-16
One of the major themes of Paul's writings is the importance of unity within the Christian community. While it would be nice to think that this reflected a time when Christians were indeed unified, the fact that he felt the need to write so much about it demonstrates that it has always been something elusive. … Continue reading Unity as Witness: Ephesians 4.1-6
