Best Life – Ephesians 4:7-13 (NIV)

Best Life – Ephesians 4:7-13 (NIV)

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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.

Coming straight of the "unity tour" from the previous passage, Paul transitions from the "all" to the "one." Each one of us has been given (done, complete, by someone else: Christ).

Paul does another aside here about the giving of gifts coming up. He quotes Psalm 68:18 to back up his case that it was Christ: ascended because He had descended.

But, as gifts, Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The gifts to us are those filling those roles in the church. These gifts (people) have a purpose.

The gifts (people) are for equipping the people. For what? Works of service. Why? To build up the body of Christ (church). To what end? Until we all reach the unity of faith in the knowledge of the son of God and become mature.

Now we’re back to the "unity tour" of the body. So we should strive for unity with the equipping of the gifts (people) for works of service to build up the body to unity! In case you didn’t pick up on it, God likes unity.

The very last bit in this passage showcases the big wrap up: attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. This was Paul’s prayer in chapter 3: "to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

So it sounds like Paul is praying for the thing that God is gifting us people to help us attain. And that gift is people to equip us for a life of service to the body in unity, knowledge and maturity to the full measure of Christ.

To me that sounds like God wants us, in one Spirit, to be at peace, together, living lives of service to the body to grow in knowing Him. This reminds me back to verse 1:17: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

All of this feels like various ways of telling me the best thing possible is to know God deeply. All of these things are aspects of it: unity, service, knowledge, wisdom, maturity and it’s gained through Him with His gifts (people) and one Spirit.