Ephesians 4:14

ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι. The ‘infant’ is still dependent on others for instruction (Romans 2:20; Galatians 4:2). The Christian ideal is not satisfied until every member is capable of exercising his own judgement on the problems of life and thought by which he is confronted; cf. Colossians 1:28; Hebrews 5:13. And as this passage shows, the authority of Teachers in the Church is given them to this end. No individual Christian, however, can hope to attain to a right judgement in isolation from his fellows; cf. on Ephesians 3:18. This clause is to be regarded (Westcott and Robinson) as co-ordinate with Ephesians 4:13, i.e. the putting away childish things has not to wait until we have attained our ultimate perfection, it marks out the way which we have to go.

κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ περιφερόμενοι παντὶ�. St Paul is describing under an entirely fresh metaphor the disadvantages of lingering in a condition of spiritual childishness. The figure is that of a boat tossed on a rough sea (see Hort’s note on James 1:6) and swung round by every wind (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:7 ἡ συκοφαντία περιφέρει σοφόν). It is the opposite condition to that indicated in Ephesians 3:17 ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι, and Colossians 1:23.

τῆς διδασκαλίας. It is strange that the chief danger against which the members of the body have to be guarded by the ministry of pastors and teachers comes from teaching. But the conflict of truth and error in regard to the spiritual realities is clearly an inevitable part of the conflict to which we are called even ‘in the heavenlies.’ Nor is there any simple mechanical test by which the false teacher can be distinguished from the true. The wolves, of whom we are to beware (Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29), come in sheep’s clothing. Satan transforms himself into an Angel of Light and his ministers follow his example (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Nothing therefore can relieve us of the responsibility of direct and personal communion with the Truth, each for himself, if we are to discriminate the guiding of the Spirit from the shifting gales of human invention. The warning against (all) teaching, without qualification, is parallel to the warning in 1 John 4:1 ‘Trust not every spirit’ (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:20 f. προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε). Otherwise it would be tempting to suppose that, as in Colossians 2:8 the false teachers came with a philosophy of their own, so those whom St Paul has specially in mind have arrogated the title of ‘the doctrine’ for their own system. In the Pastoral Epistles ἡ ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία seems to stand in contrast with a specific rival. Hort however, Eccl. p. 162, interprets the clause of ‘the old heathen state of distracted beguilement by unworthy teachers,’ on the analogy perhaps of 1 Corinthians 12:2.

ἐν τῇ κυβίᾳ. ‘Recklessness,’ lit. dice-playing. It refers to lack of seriousness in principle in dealing as teachers with truth.

τῶν�. The thought recalls Colossians 2:8 and Ephesians 4:22, which itself recalls Isaiah 29:13 and Mark 7:6 ff.; cf. 1 Corinthians 3:3. Human nature trusting to itself is (Ephesians 2:2) under the dominion of ‘the spirit that is at work even now in the sons of disobedience.’

ἐν πανουργίᾳ. ‘By knavery.’ The word has not necessarily a bad meaning, e.g. Proverbs 1:4 ἴνα δῷ�, but St Paul uses it so in a somewhat similar context 2 Corinthians 4:2 and of the subtlety of the serpent, 2 Corinthians 11:3. Here it is better with Robinson to connect it closely with the following clause.

πρὸς. Cf. Luke 12:47 ποιεῖν πρὸς τὸ θέλημα, ‘corresponding to,’ ‘following the guidance of.’

τὴν μεθοδίαν. Cf. Ephesians 6:11. ‘The scheming.’

τῆς πλάνης. Cf. Hort quoted on Ephesians 2:2, ‘A collective term for the moral anarchy of heathenism.’ Cf. ἡ� Ephesians 4:22, τὸ ψεῦδος Ephesians 4:25, and ct. τῆς� Ephesians 4:24. The parallel in Ephesians 6:11 shows that μεθοδία is naturally connected with an active force. Πλανᾶν is used of Satan Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:10; cf. Revelation 13:14 of ‘the False Prophet’; cf. ἡ� Mark 4:19. It seems better therefore to regard it here in its active rather than in its passive sense. The schemings are not merely mistaken but misleading. The true state or the false state of the society to which we belong, the ideal of the Church and the ideal of the world, exercise an influence over our judgements especially in matters of right and wrong of a most practical kind. Cf. Hort on κόσμος in St James.