Ephesians 4:7-10

Gifts Christ Gave to the Church

In a few verses Paul is going to deal with special miraculous abilities given to some in the early church to sustain it until God's word could be set down in inspired writings. This verse may refer to those gifts. However, it could safely be said each Christian has been given ability by the Father and should put it to work in a particular area of the church. All tasks in the church are equally important (4:7; compare 1 Corinthians 12:12-26).

Christ ascended up to heaven from the earth as a conqueror. Men had lived in bondage to, or fear of, sin and death prior to Christ's coming because there was no means of escape. When Jesus was raised from the dead, man's freedom was purchased and those righteous of the past, who had submitted to God's will, and those of Christ's own time, who would submit, gladly followed him out of captivity (4:8). For God to ascend from the earth, he would logically have had to first descend to the earth (John 3:13). The earth would be the lower parts in reference to heaven where Jesus had been abiding. However, it also could be that Paul here has in mind Christ's burial in the heart of the earth. Either thought is certainly true and both remind us of Christ's great sacrifice (4:9).

Jesus ascended as King of kings and Lord of lords to rule over all from his throne, thus fulfilling God's great plan (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:29-36). He is above the heaven the birds fly in, the heaven the stars and planets are in and is over the heaven in which God resides as a ruler (4:10).