Efesus 3:2

3:2 if indeed ¹  you have heard of the stewardship ²  of God’s grace that was given to me for you,

Efesus 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ³  urge you to live ⁴  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ⁵ 

Efesus 4:22

4:22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside ⁶  the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,

Efesus 6:11

6:11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes ⁷  of the devil.

[3:2]  ¹ sn If indeed. The author is not doubting whether his audience has heard, but is rather using provocative language (if indeed) to engage his audience in thinking about the magnificence of God’s grace. However, in English translation, the apodosis (“then”-clause) does not come until v. 13, leaving the protasis (“if”-clause) dangling. Eph 3:2-7 constitute one sentence in Greek.

[3:2]  ² tn Or “administration,” “dispensation,” “commission.”

[4:1]  ³ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ⁵ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[4:22]  ⁶ tn An alternative rendering for the infinitives in vv. 22-24 (“to lay aside… to be renewed… to put on”) is “that you have laid aside… that you are being renewed… that you have put on.” The three infinitives of vv. 22 (ἀποθέσθαι, apoqesqai), 23 (ἀνανεοῦσθαι, ananeousqai), and 24 (ἐνδύσασθαι, endusasqai), form part of an indirect discourse clause; they constitute the teaching given to the believers addressed in the letter. The problem in translation is that one cannot be absolutely certain whether they go back to indicatives in the original statement (i.e., “you have put off”) or imperatives (i.e., “put off!”). Every other occurrence of an aorist infinitive in indirect discourse in the NT goes back to an imperative, but in all of these examples the indirect discourse is introduced by a verb that implies a command. The verb διδάσκω (didaskw) in the corpus Paulinum may be used to relate the indicatives of the faith as well as the imperatives. This translation implies that the infinitives go back to imperatives, though the alternate view that they refer back to indicatives is also a plausible interpretation. For further discussion, see ExSyn 605.

[6:11]  ⁷ tn Or “craftiness.” See BDAG 625 s.v. μεθοδεία.