EPHESIANS 4:4-8 ONE BODY

EPHESIANS 4:4-8 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

One Body; See this study under the heading "His Body". 

Cross Reference: Romans 12:4-5 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

One Spirit; My Notes - Not necessarily directed to the person of the Holy Spirit, but rather possibly to the character of the Spirit, or that manner in which Jesus our Lord would walk. 

One Hope; The prospect before those who respond to His call in the gospel. Moreover regarded from the point of view of those who are called. Hope in this text could be for unity, however, "one" signifies "In Christ or Christ Himself". 

Your Calling; See this study under the heading "The Calling". 

Moving to Verse 5

One Lord; NSB* In 2 Corinthians 11:4, Paul warns against following another Jesus which would be to believe that He was a man, but not God, or crucified but not risen. 

Cross Reference:  1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

One Baptism; NSB* May refer to the baptism in the Spirit that places all believers into the body of Christ, the church, see (1 Corinthians 12:13) It may also refer to the water baptism, the sign or seal that a person is a member of the body of Christ. 

Moving to Verse 6

One God; The Greek word used here for God is θεός theos, figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very Derivation: of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity; Strongs G2316. Vine's (def IIa) Hence the word was appropriated by Jews and retained by Christians to denote "the one true God." In the Sept. theos translates (with few exceptions) the Hebrew words Elohim and Jehovah, the former indicating His power and preeminence, the latter His unoriginated, immutable, eternal, and self-sustained existence.

Cross References: Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?

Romans 11:36  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

And In You All; The "you all" denotes Christians when taken with the surrounding text. 

Verse 7

This verse talks about spiritual gifts given to us by God. They are to be used to edify the church,(1 Corinthians 12:11). Every part of the body of Christ is essential. The body should maintain and build itself up by the working of the power of Jesus Christ so that they can produce good works, (1 Corinthians 12:7) NSB* (paraphrase). 

My notes - One example would be if you had discernment. Outside of Christ, discernment by itself either becomes worldly or even changes into manipulation. If the discernment you have is a gift from God and is being used while the believer is submitted to God, then it will lift up and edify the body of Christ. 

Finishing up in Verse 8. 

Cross Reference: Psalms 68:18 You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there.

Paul refers to an account in Psalms where God had given gifts to men when the Israelites fled Egypt. These gifts and treasures were used to build God a glorious and beautiful Tabernacle. In comparison, Paul goes on in verse 11 to describe the new gifts that God has given. 

Ascended On High; NSB* Pictures the ascended messiah, triumphant over satan and his hosts, distributing spiritual gifts to His people. The faithful stewardship of our gifts on earth will determine our position of service in Christ's messianic reign. 

Led; The Greek word is αἰχμαλωτεύω aichmaloteuo. to capture (like G163) Derivation: from G164;. There are a couple of interpretations here.

1) "Captivity, Captive" is an illusion to the triumphant procession by which a victory was celebrated. The captives were taken forming parts of the procession. A forceful expression of Christ's victory. 

2) That Christ transferred the redeemed Old Testament saints from Sheol to His own presence in glory. 

1 - is the more likely meaning, but this study isn't meant to spark debate, but rather to tell you what it says and from time to time offer some of the major lines of interpretation. What all can agree on is that Christ is triumphant. 

Takeaways:

1. Among the body of Christ we are given specifics we need to embrace. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God, One Father. So if any of these things are being presented to you that are in opposition to scripture, that is your indicator you are not dealing with the "One" of any of these. The Bible does not change, it lives. There is a difference. 

2. We are all given gifts by God when we become part of the body of Christ. In the next few studies, we will dive deeper into what those are.