Christ Equips His Church

Ephesians 4:7-16

I. Diversity in unity

Emphasis of verses 1-6 (unity):

oneness in: one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God (henotes, heis 7x)

Yet the individual is not so absorbed into the body that all distinct identity is lost. In verse 7, "but" contrasts "each and every one" with "all". God's attention is on the individual within the body as well as the body in its entirety.

Each member of the body is a trophy of God's grace, participating in the grace of salvation. Paul emphasizes the source of grace/gift - it is the ascended and exalted Christ who "meters out" gifts to His people according to His pleasure.

Paul refers to/uses military conquest imagery from Psa_68:18 to explain Jesus' descent/ascent. Couple that with Isa_53:12 and you see a picture of the conquering hero returning to his subjects spoils of war which had previously been stolen from them. Sin entered the world Rom_5:12 and plundered/captured those graces and ministry abilities naturally found in Adam as created. Christ by conquering sin at Calvary and death at the open tomb recovered those spoils; following His victorious return to His eternal kingdom and enthronement there, He began distributing those graces and ministry abilities to His subjects. It is from Christ's position as the Supreme Sovereign of the universe that the One to whom "all authority in heaven and earth" has been given and who exercises universal dominion dispenses His gifts.

II. Diversity of Gifting

How has Christ gifted/equipped His church in order that God may work out His purpose through Christ in her?

Just as a wise and successful general does not treat all those under his command equally, neither does Christ for those under His command. He dispenses gifts discriminatingly, equipping the saints individually for specific ministry roles within His church.

Paul describes his own ministry in 1Co_3:10 as that of a "wise master builder" who "laid the foundation" in order for "another to build on it". Likewise he describes Christ as laying down the foundation of the New Testament church in the apostles and prophets, given order of first and second place in 1Co_12:28 followed by pastor/teachers who build on the foundation.
Pastor/teachers through the ministry of the Word equip the saints within the local church so that in service to one another they are able to incite the development of godly character and behavior in fellow members of the body, the means by which the church is built up and strengthened.

"He could not," says Calvin, "exalt more highly the ministry of the Word, than by attributing to it this effect. For what higher work can there be than to build up the church that it may reach its perfection? They therefore are insane, who neglecting this means hope to be perfect in Christ, as is the case with fanatics, who pretend to secret revelations of the Spirit; and the proud, who content themselves with the private reading of the Scripture, and imagine they do not need the ministry of the church." If Christ has appointed the ministry for the edification of his body, it is in vain to expect that end to be accomplished in any other way. Hodge on Ephesians

III. Unity of Purpose

building the body:

• to unity of faith and knowledge

understanding of faith matters is not to be confined to the clergy - all need to come to unity

all members of the body must be functioning in a balanced and coordinated way based on knowledge of Christ

. . . what the apostle has in mind is this, that the entire church — consisting not only of apostles, prophets, evangelists, “pastors and teachers,” but of all others besides — should be faithful to its calling of rendering service, with a view to the upbuilding of the body of Christ, so that true, spiritual unity and growth may be promoted. Note “we all.” There is no room in Christ’s church for drones, only for busy bees. . . It is exactly unity that is promoted when all become busily engaged in the affairs of the church and when each member eagerly renders service for which the Lord has equipped him. Hendriksen-Kistemaker

• to maturity

Paul describes what it means to be mature in v. 14-15
- not infants (νήπιος, not speaking) or young children

- not chasing the "new and different"

- not suckered by deceptive tricks (antidote: knowledge of the true!)

- not mimicking the deceivers speech or behavior but practicing the truth

• to full development by Christ's standard

- grow up as a crop would to harvest (maturity)

- demonstrate progress in every respect (in all things)

- the Church is the earthly body that must grow up into her heavenly Head

- the Head determines not only the being but also the becoming of the body

- it is in union with the head and each member making its proper contribution that the body grows properly


re: "pastors and teachers" Eph_4:11 Granville Sharp's Rule: "When the copulative kai connects two nouns of the same case, if the article ho, or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle . . . ." (Sharp, Remarks on the Uses of the Definitive Article, 2).