Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: EPHESIANS #5 - 4:1-16)
G. 4:1-16 CHRIST’S WAY TO PERFECT HIS CHURCH
a. 4:1-3 THE WALK: WORTHY OF OUR HIGH CALLING
Pa-ra-kaLO[3870] oun huMAS, eGO, ho DESmi-os [1198] en KuRIo,
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you
aXIos pe-ri-paTEsai tes KLEse-os [2821] hes ekLEthe-te,
to walk worthily of the calling wherewith you were called,
meTA PAses ta-pei-no-phroSUnes [5012] kai PRAUtetos [4236],
2with all lowliness and gentleness,
meTA ma-kro-thuMIas [3115], a-neCHOme-noi [430] alLElon en aGApe;
with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
spouDAzon-tes [4704] teREIN ten heNOte-ta [1775] tou PNEUma-tos en tosunDESmo[4886] tes eiREnes.
3giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of :peace.
b. 4:4-6 THE SEVEN UNITIES OF OUR CALLING
hen SOma, kai hen PNEUma, kaTHOS kai ekLEthe-te en miA elPIdi [1680] tes KLEse-os [2821] huMON;
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your :calling;
heis KUri-os, MIa PIStis [4102], hen BAPtis-ma [908], heis TheOS kai paTER panTON,
5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all,
ho ePI PANton, kai diA PANton, kai en PAsin.
who is over all, and through all, and in all.
c. 4:7 But to each of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of the Christ.
heNI de heKAStoheMON eDOtheheCHAris kaTA to METron [3358] tes do-reAS [1431] tou ChrisTOU.
d. 4:8 CHRIST’S ASCENSION RELEASED MANY GIFTS TO MEN
di’ ho LEgei, AnaBAS [305] eis HUpsos [5311],
Wherefore he says, When he ascended on high,
ech-maLOteu-sen [162] aich-ma-loSIan [161], kai Edo-ken DOma-ta tois anTHROpois.
He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to :men.
e. 4:9 (Now the He ascended, what is it but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
(to de A-NEbe, ti es-tin ei meHOti kai kaTEbe[2597] eis ta kaTOte-ra [2737] MEretes ges?
f. 4:10 CHRIST’S TRIUMPHANT ASCENT WAS PRECEDED BY DESCENT
ho ka-taBAS auTOS es-tin kai ho a-naBAS
Who descended is the same also that ascended
hu-peRAnoPANton ton ou-raNON, HIna pleROse[4137] ta PANta.)
far above all the heavens, that he might fill :all things.)
g. 4:11-16 HIGH PURPOSE OF MINISTRY GIFTS OF CHRIST TO CHURCH
kai auTOS Edo-ken tous men a-poSTOlous [652]; tous de, proPHEtas [4396];
11And HE gave some as apostles; and some, prophets;
tous de, eu-ag-ge-lisTAS [2099]; tous de, poiMEnas 4166] kai di-das-KAlous [1320];
and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;
pros ton ka-tar-tisMON [2677] ton haGIon [40], eis ERgon di-a-koNIas [1248],
12for the perfecting of the saints, unto a work of ministry,
eis oi-ko-doMEN [3619] tou SOma-tos tou ChrisTOU:
unto a building of the body of the Christ:
MECHri ka-tanTEso-men [2658] hoi PANtes eis ten heNOte-to [1775] tes PISte-os,
13 till we :all attain unto the unity of the faith,
kai tes e-pigNOse-os [1922] tou huiOU tou TheOU, eis ANDra TElei-on [5046],
and of the knowledge of the son of :God, unto a perfect man,
eis METron [3358] he-liKIas [2244] tou pleROma-tos [4138] tou ChrisTOU: HIna meKEti Omen NEpi-oi [3516],
unto a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ: 14that we no longer be babes,
klu-do-niZOme-noi [2831] kai pe-ri-pheROme-noi [4064] panTI aNEmotes di-das-kaLIas,
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of :teaching,
en tekuBIa [2940] ton anTHROpon, en pa-nourGIa [3834], pros ten me-thoDIan [3180] tes PLAnes [4106];
by the sleight of :men, in craftiness, unto the wiles of :error;
a-leTHEUon-tesde en a-GApe, auXEso-men [837] eis auTON ta PANta, hos es-tin heke-phaLE,ChrisTOS;
15but being true in love, may grow up in :all thingsinto him, who is the head, Christ;
ex hou pan to SOma su-nar-mo-loGOUme-non kai sun-bi-baZOme-non [4822]
16from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together
diA PAses haPHES [860] tes e-pi-cho-reGIas [2024],
through every joint of the supply,
kat’ eNERgei-an [1753] en METro[3358] heNOS heKAStou MErous,
according to the working in measure of each several part,
ten AUxe-sin [838] tou SOma-tos poiEItai eis oi-ko-doMEN [3619] he-auTOU en aGApe[26].
makes the increase of the body unto thebuilding up of itself in love.
NOTE: This is probably the key passage used by George Hawtin for the 1948 Visitation. Again and again he would turn to it, and especially deal with verses 11 & 12, and then on to verse 16.
However, it is rich in other aspects also. For instance, consider the word “Unity – heNOte-ta” in verses 3 & 13. These are the only two occurrences this word is used in the entire New Testament. In its first appearance, the apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians believers to diligently pursue “unity in the Spirit” in the context of the previous 2 verses. But in 4:13 he shows that “unity of the faith” is the goal of God for all of us. This is based upon knowledge of the “Finished Work” of Christ on our behalf, as applied to us by the 5-fold ministries of 4:11-12.
One could say that the 5-fold ministry supplies a spiritual chiropractic adjustment to the members of Christ’s body! See how the 33 adjusted vertebrae supply a protected channel for the spinal cord. So we as individual members of the church must protect the corporate unity of the faith. This is represented by God’s Word in each believer. Unityis the key prayer desire of Jesus in John 17. In the 1948 North Battleford, Saskatchewan Camp Meeting, John 17:22-23 was featured on a banner!
But note further the word “perfecting – ka-tar-tisMON” in 4:12. Without the function of all five of these ministries, God’s purposes on our behalf fall short! This is why Daniel Juster exhorts the church through his covenant friendship with Mike Bickle, that we should pray diligently for the Messianic Jewish Movement -- that the important ministry of apostles and prophets be added to that of evangelists, shepherds and teachers. “Ka-tarTIzo” is used but 17 times in the New Testament, but is so important to understand, and to seek God’s blessing on our behalf for all of its multi-faceted favor.
Then consider the 7 unities of 4:4-6: One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. To understand and walk in this unity of the Spirit, is to be candidates of approval from both our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet we must draw attention to 4:7. Here Paul points out that just as he received grace from God as recorded in 3:7 – so we – through the same gift – “do-reA” – function in God’s grace in the same measure as did the apostle Paul. By all means do a word study through Strong’s Concordance on these 11 references to “Gift – do-reA!”
These few thoughts do not even begin to exhaust the riches in this passage of 16 verses. George Hawtin indeed had opened to him by God many of its riches. Did he later like Solomon depart from the protective Plumbline of the full protection of the Word of God? Yes – but just as God because of Covenant did not withdraw the fullness of His blessing from David when he fell – So because of the Davidic and New Covenant, God continued to honor George Hawtin in spite of his lapse. Through the teaching of unity, the Presbytery and the 5-fold ministries of this passage, Hawtin set forth a wonderful “baby!” Don’t throw this baby out with the bath-water! J.A.W.