Ephesians 4:7-16
7: But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8: Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
9: (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10: He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
11: And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12: for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13: until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14: As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15: but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16: from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
8: Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
9: (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10: He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
11: And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12: for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13: until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14: As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15: but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
16: from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
***
Having emphasized the importance of preserving unity among all believers, Paul then explained that “each one of us” are given grace according to Christ’s gift. We each have our place in the body as a gift to the body.
Paul quoted Psalm 68:18, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” This is referring to God, specifically Christ, who, after He died, descended into Hades as one taking the punishment for the sins of mankind. He then rose from the dead after He took His enemies captive and led a triumphal procession of victory over them (Colossians 2:15).
When Christ ascended on high, He received gifts to distribute to people—to the Church. Paul listed them—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—who together make up the founding, guiding, governing, and building up of the Church to equip the saints until we all come into the unity of the faith.
Christianity at this point was in its infancy, needing to be nurtured, cared for, and guided to grow into the full stature of Christ. We still need that guidance. We grow both individually and corporately, learning not to be tossed around by misleading influences or deceived by tricks and crafty schemes. We have an enemy who tries to destroy the work of God in the earth, which is done through the Church.
We are to speak the truth in love and grow up in Christ—the Head—who joins the whole body together. His body is intricately designed, so as we each do our part individually the whole body is built up and grows up.
Paul quoted Psalm 68:18, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” This is referring to God, specifically Christ, who, after He died, descended into Hades as one taking the punishment for the sins of mankind. He then rose from the dead after He took His enemies captive and led a triumphal procession of victory over them (Colossians 2:15).
When Christ ascended on high, He received gifts to distribute to people—to the Church. Paul listed them—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—who together make up the founding, guiding, governing, and building up of the Church to equip the saints until we all come into the unity of the faith.
Christianity at this point was in its infancy, needing to be nurtured, cared for, and guided to grow into the full stature of Christ. We still need that guidance. We grow both individually and corporately, learning not to be tossed around by misleading influences or deceived by tricks and crafty schemes. We have an enemy who tries to destroy the work of God in the earth, which is done through the Church.
We are to speak the truth in love and grow up in Christ—the Head—who joins the whole body together. His body is intricately designed, so as we each do our part individually the whole body is built up and grows up.
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