Ephesians 4
We saw in chapter 2:1-3 how man’s sin had put him under the power of Satan, so he was a slave in body and in mind, and under the power of death that Satan held over him, but only as far as God allowed Satan to go.
The Lord became man, and was led by the Spirit to meet the enemy, and overcame him. He had power to bind him, and to spoil his goods, but man turned from God. Yet the Lord went on and accomplished redemption. To do it He suffered death, and rose again, and broke Satan’s power, by glorifying God, and God has glorified Him, setting Him on high over all.
Verses 8-10. “Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” In ascending to heaven, He as man is victoriously placed over all things, and has led captive all the power that previously held man captive. His power is not yet seen in deliverances on earth, as when Satan will be bound, but is now seen in the sovereign grace that gives gifts to men for the assembly. But if He has ascended, what is it but that He first descended as a man into the lower parts of the earth, into the darkness of death and the grave, and now victorious over the enemy’s power, and having borne the judgment of His redeemed ones, and having glorified God in His obedience unto death, He has taken His place in the highest glory of the heavens, thus to fill all things. He that descended as man into the grave, is now as man ascended as the triumphant Redeemer, so that all power is in His hands in a sphere filled with blessing, – God and man in His blessed person. How blessed to belong to Him in that place won by His work of suffering on the Cross! He has gone to the lowest, that He might fill all things with the fruits of the redemption that He accomplished for His assembly, and now gives gifts unto men for the accomplishment of His work of blessing in the assembly. He received them from God the Father for our blessing (Psa. 68:1818Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. (Psalm 68:18); Acts 2:3333Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33)).
Verse 11. “He gave some apostles; and some prophets,” these are the foundation on which the rest are built; “and some evangelists,” whose business is in the gospel of the grace of God which may also be called “Paul’s gospel,” that we believers with Christ are one (Rom. 2:16; 16:2516In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (Romans 2:16)
25Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, (Romans 16:25)), and “The gospel of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:1,31Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1)
3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; (Romans 1:3)). Then we have, “and some pastors and teachers,” these are occupied with ministry to the saints; teachers unfolding to them the truth as it is in Jesus, and pastors seeking to shepherd and care for the sheep. It is worthy of notice that the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 are not said to continue, as some are sign gifts, – miracles, tongues, and others – which have passed away. What is spoken of here continues to the end, – that is till everyone is full grown, and that will be when the Lord comes and takes us home.
Verse 12. These gifts were for “the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” and continue.
Verse 13. “Till 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.”
It is the work of our glorified Head to minister to His beloved members. All true ministry comes down from Christ in glory; and there is no mention, and therefore no need, of the ordination of man-made ministers, nor of the societies to which such belong.
Verse 14. This ministry was to feed and establish the members of the body so that they would not be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
Verses 15, 16. “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, Christ. From whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase unto the edifying of itself in love.”
May our measure of communion with our Head be deep and real, so that we may help to build up and strengthen those members of the body of Christ that we are in contact with from day to day. Here we may all feel humbled that we are so cold in our heart’s enjoyment, for this is what hinders ministry of this kind to others.
Verses 17-19. We now come to exhortations befitting the doctrine of the epistle, the behavior consistent with our new position and relationship, and it will be the fruit of our life, new creation life in Christ risen and glorified. We have here the dark picture of the state of man’s heart, and the Apostle testifies in the Lord, – that is, by His authority, – that the saints henceforth were not to walk as other Gentiles walk, “in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” This is one of the pictures God draws of the man in the flesh, the mind pursuing vanity, the understanding darkened, alienated from God in ignorance, the heart blinded, past feeling, given up to the pleasures of sin and uncleanness with greediness. How true it is that “in my flesh dwells no good thing.” It is worse than lost time to improve it, for it must always end in disappointment.
(Continued from page 126)
(To be continued)