10/12/2026
10.12.2026 Monday night Bible Study
Tonight’s focus: Ephesians 4:1-16, “Living Our Calling as Christians”
Introduction: Lord Russell, the famous British atheist, traveled around Great Britian debating Christians during the 19th century. He always ended his debate with this illustration. “If I believed what you Christians say you believe, though all of England were covered with broken glass, I would get down on my hands and knees and crawl across it to tell everyone about Jesus.” The apostle Paul BEGS these new Christians to be faithful to their vocation/calling.
N.T. Wright asks, “If you buy a car, what’s the first thing you do? Do you sit down and read through the manual to make sure that you know every detail about it before you take it on the road? Or, do you just start driving it and worry about the details only when something goes wrong? Ephesians. N.T. Wright, p.37.
When you buy something that comes with instructions, do you read the instructions? Why or why not?
1.Read Ephesians 4:1-6. In this section, Paul takes the readers back to the basic instructions on living the Christian life. The Christian life begins with a calling or vocation. He is not referring to the specific “callings” that different Christians have (teacher, nurse, etc.) What elements comprise that calling to faith Paul has in mind here (vv.1-5)? Discussion.
2.How can we “bear with one another in love” (v.2)? Discussion.
As Christ related to us in grace, should be relate to others in the same way?
3.Describe the unity that God has given us with other believers (locally or around the world) even when we have differences with them (vv.3-6)? Discussion.
4.What threatens unity in our Christian community? Discussion.
5. How can we maintain and guard this unity we have with other believers? Discussion.
N.T. Wright says, “It may be hard for Christians today to grasp just how central this unity was to Paul’s vision of the church. We have grown accustomed to so many divisions within the worldwide church. Sometimes customs and practices have grown up in churches which are so different that members of one have difficulty recognizing members of another as fellow Christians…. But whatever position we take today, the one thing we can’t do is to pretend that this isn’t a central and vital issue…Unless we are working to overcome, demolish and put behind us the disunity we still find ourselves in, we can scarcely claim to be following Paul’s teaching.” Ibid.p.38
6.What is the “single hope” that goes with our call (vv.4-6)? Discussion.
“…the call to follow Jesus the Messiah and give him our complete loyalty takes precedence over everything else.”
7.Read Ephesians 4:7-16. Some diversity exists with the unity Paul emphasizes in the previous verses. What is this diversity (vv. 7,11)? Does each Christian have a general calling to salvation and a specific calling to service?
8.Why do you think that God gives some believers particular leadership gifts (vv. 11-12)?
Discussion. “The list of offices in v.11 is not exhaustive. Elsewhere Paul adds others. But these 5 were crucial to the establishment of the first century church…” Ibid.p.39
9. What are the results of using the ministry gifts God gives us (vv. 13-16)? Discussion.
10.Based on the images Paul uses in v.14, what seems to have been the main obstacles to his readers’ faith in Jesus?
11. How can each of us grow towards spiritual maturity?
12. How can you use the gifts God has given you to enable this to take place?
Insight on Ephesians 4:8-10. Quoting Psalm 68:18 would have reminded the 1st century Jews of Moses going up Mount Sinai and coming down with the stone tablets of the law after he had rescued Israel from captivity in Egypt. Paul sees a parallel in Jesus. After the “new Exodus” had been achieved in Christ’s death and resurrection setting the human race free from bo***ge to sin and death, Jesus “went up” to the heavenly realm where he now reigns. Instead of coming down again with the law, as Moses had done, Jesus “returned” in the person of the Spirit, through whom different gifts are now showered on the church. Ibid. p.41.
