Paul spent three chapters unpacking all of what God has done for us. Now, in chapter four, he pivots from who we are in Christ to how to walk worthy of that calling. When the love of God actually sinks in, it produces humility; even in the darkest soul. When this happens the need to prove yourself to anyone begins to dissipate. Having all you need in Him leads to an ability to love others without expectation.
Unity is woven throughout the church by what we have in common. We are one in Christ, but we are not the same. God gives us grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. In other words, He's equipped each of us with just the right amount of grace to accomplish all that He asks us to do with, and through, the gifts He's given.
See my last post, The Power to Walk Worthy, on Ephesians 4:1-7
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (NKJV)
Grace, there's that word again. It's woven throughout the Bible. We specifically talked about it back in chapter 2 when Paul said that you are saved by grace when you believe and you did nothing to earn it or deserve it. Here in chapter 4, the grace he's referring to has to do with individual spiritual gifting, something that is also not earned or deserved. Jesus has a calling for each of us and He gives us gifts for that calling.
Grace is unmerited favor—unconditional love toward someone who does not deserve it. It sounds great doesn't it? Sure, receiving it is great, but extending it, that's a bit more complicated for us.
Jesus brought this concept of grace to light when He posed a question that raised the bar so to speak. Essentially, He asked, if you love those who love you, well that's easy, but what about your enemies? Likewise, in his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that it is rare that anyone would die for a good or righteous man. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" ( see Romans 5:7-8).
God's perfection requires perfection; but perfection is not attainable to man on his own. Jesus bridged the chasm that sin caused between you and God. God's grace saves; it unifies; it equips. It's His Grace in you that overflows through your gifts. Saving grace is between you and God; the grace given in gifts is between you and His body.
Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,He led captivity captive,And gave gifts to men.”
(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:8-10 NKJV
Now I'm not going to lie, these verses challenge me. There are a couple of different opinions on what the lower parts of the earth actually means. I will leave that to you, reader, to study and ask God to discern what Paul is saying. But in any case, the truth is that Jesus was with the Father—chose to leave heaven to accomplish what we could not—suffered, died, was buried and rose (ascended)—filling all things with Himself—giving gifts to men.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV
Jesus is in charge of spiritual gifts and only He distributes them; many parts one body. It's like He gives little pieces of Himself to us. In addition to His letter to Ephesus, Paul mentions other gifts in 1 Corinthians and Romans. But the purpose of this list is to lead and unify His body by equipping others to maturity in faith and knowledge in the fullness of Christ. I am so grateful to the leaders who have stepped into their calling to lead their flock, including this sheep, to discover and walk in the gifts He's given; in order that we all work together effectively building up the body of Christ for His glory.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14-16 NIV
I've shared this before but it seems appropriate again. Much of my life has been spent spinning wheels trying to find a place to fit—reaching for temporary things. Things like knowledge, career, success, comfort, security, happiness. Although I know there is nothing wrong with any of these, true joy has come through discovering the gifts that God has entrusted me. Now, I'm not saying it's always been easy. He's crafted my personality and my spiritual gifting perfectly, however being a truth teller with the gift of exhortation is not exactly popular!
Spend some time with God. Ask Him to lead you into your calling and to discover the individual gifting He's entrusted to you. Seek maturity so not to be deceived. Seek unity so not to divide. It is a privilege to be used by the God of the universe in the body of Christ. This is His grace imparted.
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