JUNE 15, 2014
ASCENSION GIFTS AND THEIR PURPOSE
INTRODUCTION:
1. As we are now in the practical portion of this epistle, the Apostle exhorts his readers to walk worthy of their vocation. Such a walk should be characterized by humility, meekness, longsuffering, and a zeal to promote spiritual unity and peace in the church. (Verses 1-3) This is important and proper because the church is one body with one Spirit, having one common hope, subject to one Lord and Head, and having one faith and one baptism. (Verses 4-6)
2. In the verses before us we see how believers are assisted in their walk with help from heaven, through the ascension gifts which our Lord, having ascended back to the Father, now bestows upon His church.
3. Concerning the former exhortation given by Paul, (Verses 1-3) and the bestowal of these heavenly gifts by our risen ascended Lord, (Verses 7-12) the end goal or purpose is the same: “Til we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Vs. 13)
I. OUR RISEN AND ASCENDED CHRIST BESTOWS A DIVERSITY OF GIFTS UPON THE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY THE CHURCH, AND GRACE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EACH GIFT. (VERSES 7-10) Christ bestows grace and gifts on all, but not all receive His grace and gifts in the same measure. The “measure” of grace given may vary in accordance with one’s place and function in the church. (See Rom. 12:5; I Cor. 12:11) Even those graces that are common to all believers, faith, hope, love, etc., though they are of the same kind in all, and have the same object, they are received in different degrees and measures. Gifts and graces are received according to the measure in which it pleases Christ to give them.
A. PAUL IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE THIS VITAL REALITY RESPECTING THE CHURCH, LIKENS IT TO THE HUMAN BODY. (VERSE 7; I COR. 12:12-18) This seems to be his favorite analogy.
1. In every organism, a diversity of parts is necessary to the unity of the whole. Every part will appreciate the essential contributions of every other, whether the part be great or small. (I Cor. 12:4-11; 27-30)
2. Clearly the Apostle makes the same point in our text, only with fewer words and less detail. There is one body, etc. (Verse 4a) unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (Verse 7)
B. THAT OUR RISEN, ASCENDED CHRIST IS THE SOURCE OF ALL GIFTS AND GRACE AND POWER, PAUL AFFIRMS WITH SCRIPTURE (VERSE 8; PSA. 68:18)
1. The Scripture which he cites and quotes in order to affirm this truth is Psalm 68:18.
2. That the Psalmist was speaking of Christ the Messiah is evident, because he spoke of Him ascending.
3. But, for this Divine Person to ascend presupposes that He had to first descend to the earth. We know that Christ’s exaltation is the reward of His humiliation. (Phil. 2:7-11) He thus obtained the right to bestow upon the church all things needed, including various gifts and graces upon its individual members. He is exalted to give the Holy Spirit with all of His gifts. (John 14:16-19; 16:7ff)
4. The Psalmist represents our Lord as the Mighty Conqueror, leading captives in triumph, and laden with spoils which He distributes to his followers. (Heb. 2:14, 15; Col. 2:15; Luke 11:21, 22)
C. THAT THE PASSAGE REFERENCED AND QUOTED REFERS TO CHRIST IS HERE ESTABLISHED BEYOND QUESTION. (VERSES 9, 10)
1. God, Who is the subject of the 68th Psalm is seen descending into the lower part of the earth.
a) He descended from heaven to earth.
b) He descended into the lower part of the earth. This expression is used in the Old Testament as a poetical designation for the womb (Psa. 139:15); for Hades (Ezek. 32:2); and for the grave (Psa. 43:9). In Psalm 68:18 it probably intends the grave.
2. In His ascension Christ is exalted so that He fills all things, i.e. fills the whole universe with His presence and power. (The word can also mean fulfill or perfect or accomplish.)
II. DIVERSE GIFTS WITH VARYING DEGREES OF HONOR ARE GIVEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF EDIFYING UNIFYING AND PERFECTING THE CHURCH. (VERSES 11-13)
A. THE GIFTS WHICH ARE BEFORE SPOKEN OF IN GENERAL TERMS ARE HERE SPECIFIED. (VERSE 11)
1. This is done according to the Father’s appointment, Who is said to set in the church what Christ is here said to give. (I Cor. 12:28)
2. But, nothing is here said of gifts, only offices. Christ never gave offices without suitable gifts, thus the diversity of offices includes diversity of respective gifts.
a) Apostles; extraordinary officers with an immediate call, universal commission, infallibility in teaching, and power of working miracles, appointed for the first foundation of the Church.
b) Prophets; extraordinary officers who did by immediate revelation interpret the Scripture. (I Cor. 14:4, 5) They did also tell things to come. (Acts. 11:27; 19:10) Everyone who spoke by inspiration was a prophet. Their inspiration was occasional, and therefore their authority was subordinate. The nature of their office is fully taught in I Cor. 14:1-40.
c) Evangelists; these were likewise extraordinary offices, for the most part chosen by the apostles as their companions who assisted them in the preaching ministry. Such were Timothy, Titus, Barnabas, Apollos, and others. The word in itself means nothing more than preacher of the Gospel. Philip was such. Timothy was exhorted to do the work of an evangelist, (II Tim. 4:5) which was simply to faithfully preach the Word.
d) Pastor-teacher; one office, not two. The absence of the article in the Greek means that the same person is designated both pastor and teacher. This is a standing office in the church, and requires gifts both to preside over the church, and to teach and feed the flock. (I Thess. 5:12; Heb. 13:17; Acts 20:28; I Tim.3:1;I Pet. 5:1, 2)
B. THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH THESE OFFICES AND GIFTS WERE GIVEN IS ALSO STATED. (VS. 12)
1. Our translators understood this verse as setting forth a three-fold purpose. It was their discretion to supply the commas, since they do not appear in the original language. Thus they divided the duties of the named offices into three.
a) “For the perfecting of the saints.”
b) “For the work of the ministry.”
c) “For the edifying of the body.”
2. Others see the verse as setting forth one basic work, which has two results.
a) “For the perfecting (or equipping, preparing) of the saints.” This is the one basic work of the church’s ministers.
b) Their purpose is to equip, prepare the saints for a twofold work.
(1) “For the work of the ministry.”
(2) “For the edifying of the body of Christ.”
3. There are good men on either side of this issue, but the latter view has both linguistic and contextual support. The fact that the preposition, pros, in the first clause changes to eis in the latter two clauses, means that the three clauses cannot be parallels. The latter two must be subordinate to the first. Plus, the context has to do with the saints’ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.
C. THE UNITY OF THE FAITH IS THE END WHICH IS TO BE ATTAINED. (VERSE 13)
1. “Till we all come,” til both Jews and Gentiles, who are not only dispersed in this world, but possess varying degrees of knowledge and light come together in the unity of the faith.
2. “In the unity of the faith,” that unity whereof faith is the bond.
3. “And of the knowledge of the Son of God,” that is, acknowledgement of the Son of God, for this word epignosis is not cognition merely, but rather, recognition. Faith recognizes the Son of God for all that He was, became, and is; for all that He has done and will do.
4. “Till we all come…unto the perfect man’ unto the measure of the statutes of the fullness of Christ.”
a) The first clause, “perfect man,” is explained by the second clause, “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
b) Perfection is the end to be achieved. The standard of perfection is Christ, and complete conformity to Him is the desired goal.
c) The believer must set his sights on, and strive after perfection.
D. SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD, MATURITY AND STABILITY IS WHAT CHRISTIANS SEEK TO ATTAIN. (VERSE 14)
1. Believers are not to remain children in understanding and judgment. (I Cor. 3:1; 14:20)
2. Believers must develop stability, so that they be not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, or by men’s cunning and craftiness.
E. DIVINE TRUTH SPOKEN IN LOVE IS THE MEANS AND METHOD FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. (VERSE 15)
1. “But speaking the truth in love,” or following the truth in love. This will be the means of our spiritual growth and maturity.
2. “May grow up,” as opposed to remaining children.
3. “Into Him which is the Head, even Christ.” Our growth must be with respect to Christ our Head, from Whom all of our proficiency and strength proceeds.
F. IT IS FROM CHRIST THE HEAD THAT THE WHOLE BODY MAKES INCREASE, AND EDIFIES ITSELF. (VERSE 16)
1. The church is made up of various members whom Christ has placed in the body, and fitted them together so as to compliment and assist each other. (I Cor. 12:15, 16)
2. These members are not only fitted together, but compacted, so as not to come apart or be separated.
3. Every joint, or juncture of administration serves to strengthen the bond of the whole.
4. Every part of the body performs its job effectually to the edification of the whole church.
5. All is ordered and governed by the Head of the body, who is Christ.
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