DAY 4 OF 7

1. TEXT

Start with Ephesians 4:13–16.

Does the passage itself give you anything that helps answer your question?

Read carefully.

Don't leave the passage too quickly.

2. CONTEXT

Now widen the view.

Read Ephesians 4:1–16.

Pay attention to what Paul has already said about:

• Walking worthy of our calling
• Humility and patience
• Unity
• One Body
• Messiah's gifts
• Equipping the saints

Then come back to verses 13–16.

Ask:

Does what comes before these verses help me understand what Paul is describing here?

3. OTHER SCRIPTURE

Now I want you to bring something back.

Open your journal from last week.

You already spent time working through Romans 12:3–8.

Don't start over.

Look at what you observed.

Look at the questions you asked.

Look at what you investigated and what you thought you understood.

Now put Romans 12:3–8 beside Ephesians 4:13–16.

Ask:

• What do both passages say about the Body?
• What does Romans say about the individual members?
• What does Ephesians say happens as the Body works together?
• Does anything in Romans help me understand "each individual part does its work"?
• Does Ephesians add anything to what I thought I understood from Romans?
• Does either passage challenge something I wrote down last week?

Don't force the passages to say the same thing.

And don't look only for things that confirm what you already believe.

Let Scripture help you understand Scripture.

4. STUDY TOOLS

After you've worked through the text, context, and Romans passage, use a study tool if you still need one.

A concordance, Bible dictionary, another translation, or a Hebrew or Greek word study may help.

But remember:

These are tools.

The Word gets the final say.

TODAY'S WORK

Investigate one or two of your questions.

Write down what you found and where you found it.

Then write down one connection you noticed between Romans 12:3–8 and Ephesians 4:13–16.

You don't have to decide yet exactly what that connection means.

Tomorrow, we're going to test it.