Eph. 4:8-10 - He Ascended

8 Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."
9 (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

Jesus Came Down From Heaven, and Returned!

V. 8 - “Therefore it says, ‘WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.’ "

This was quoted from (Psa 68:18, see note 1, below), see also, Heb 4:14; Acts 1:9 - Here is a sample of prophecy fulfilled, from the OT. Christ ascended into heaven after appearing to the apostles and others  to show that He had raised from the dead. It is noted in the NT that the graves would open and all those who had believed in God (before Christ’s birth) would be raised up with Him. (See: Mat 27:52-53; John 5:28-29) Their faith and wait was honored. (See: Note 2, below)

“Gave gifts” - Christ did not leave us here to just barely make it, but He is with us, the Holy Spirit is given to strengthen. Not only that, Jesus has given us tools to help build that body.

V. 9-10 - (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) <\font>

These two verse are definition of, and an explanation of the phrase, “He ascended...”. (See: John 3:13; Psa 63:9, 37:38; Isa 44:23) We know that Jesus descended from heaven (Phil 2:5-12), and has returned to sit at the right hand of the Father. These verses by Paul seem also to indicate that not only did Christ descend from heaven to be a man, but that He also descended into the pit itself, into Sheol, or Hell!

Jesus took the sin of the world upon Himself to pay the just cost required by God. Think of the wonderful matchless power and love of God that He was able to raise Christ from the dead; to reach to the depths of Hell and raise Christ to life (Psa 16:10).
I feel that Satan did not know that this was God’s method, that His plan was to raise Christ from the dead. Since Satan is only an angel (although fallen), he is not all-powerful, nor able to see the future as God can. He cannot fully comprehend the magnitude of his defeat or destruction.

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Note 1: quoted from GNMM = Good News for Modern Man translation, or New English Translation)
Note 2: An interesting note is that in 1 Thessalonians, Paul deals with the question of those believers that have died before Christ returns. Some in the church there were worried that if you died before Christ comes again that you might not go to heaven. The worry was that you had to be alive when Christ returns, and what happens if you died too soon? Paul advised they didn't need to worry, dead believers would precede those of us living. (I will study this in more detail when doing the notes for 1 Thessalonians.)
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Eph. 4:4-7 - One…

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The Measure of Christ’s Gift

V. 4 - "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;"

“One body and one Spirit” - See 1 Cor 12:4ff. Despite all the local groups of Christians, and even despite the bickering of denominationalism there is only one body - those who believe and know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

That is the bottom line - what will you do with Christ?
The most important question asked in the New Testament is: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
The Answer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."

“One Spirit” - There is only one Holy Spirit. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are brought into the body of Christ.

“Called into one hope” - See vs. 1:18. Our one hope is Christ and that He conquered death, and that through Him we too will have life eternal.

V. 5 - “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,”

“One Lord” - See 1 Cor 8:6. The Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the First and the Last. Put any adjective or modifier you want, He is God. (It doesn’t even matter (see note 1) if you believe it or not, because He is. Your belief, or unbelief, cannot change that. If you don’t believe it, God simply is not a reality to you at this time.)  However, the ramifications of belief or unbelief are beyond astronomical.

“One faith” - Not just a mental assent to Christ, not just an emotional experience, but a placing of complete trust and will into the hands of the Lord. Does this mean there is only one way to accept Christ, and all others fail? How does one describe this faith to someone else so the message can be spread? People often use different words, etc., to describe their faith, but generally the end meaning is the same. When we release ourselves to Christ, and accept Himself as Savior; when we turn over every area to Him, then Christ’s working in our lives becomes a reality.
There are a few basics, foundational truths we must acknowledge, see Rom 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

“One baptism” - Immersion? Perhaps, but I think not. There is not basis in preceding or following verses to indicate water or immersion baptism. It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that we are brought into the body of Christ. If this verse speaks of water baptism, then it should say “two baptisms”. Paul is writing about spiritual matters all through these verses. To pop in a reference to water baptism truly seems out of place and character.

V. 6 - “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

These verses (4:4-6) sums up the reasons for unity as believers:

1. One body; 
2. One Spirit; 
3. One calling; 
4. One Lord (Jesus);
5. One faith; 
6. One baptism; 
7. One God (the Father).

If we believe in one God who:

1. Has control of everything with all authority; 
2. Has a part in every action and deed we do; 
3. And is indwelling each of us who believe - 

That should be enough for Christian unity.

V. 7 - “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

Oneness as a body is the desired goal of the believers. Our relationship to God and Jesus is a strictly personal basis. Your father or brother or sister cannot save you, cannot mediate. Your personally must make the decision about Christ (See: Ezek 18:19-23)

But perhaps this verse does not refer to the grace of salvation at all. If verse 7 is tied in with the following verses - through verse 16 - we can see that Paul is beginning a new train of thought dealing with our Christian walk. We have dealt with the position of the Christian in verses 3:1-4:6.

Paul begins a new section on the earthly life of a Christian. He starts that thought with a statement that in essence says, “each of us has a task that has been assigned to us. These tasks are for the simple purpose of discipling the body of Christ. Note these tasks are given only as one becomes a Christian, not before. You have a task, so go do it.”

Paul almost always called his mission to the gospel the Gentiles a “grace” given to him by God (See: 3:2). Grace - defined as “unmerited favor from God” - does not fit very well here. Maybe this fits, “God has given me the privilege of working for Him in this capacity.” This means “in proportion to Christ’s gift.”

What is Christ’s gift?

1. Does this refer to the task given to Christ to be the savior of the world? 
2. Does this refer to the gift of salvation given to each of us by Christ? Or, 
3. Does this refer to a particular gift made available to each of us through Christ over and beyond the initial gift of salvation? 

I think the latter is probably closer to the meaning.

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Note 1: To say it ‘doesn’t matter’ is because He exists whether you believe or not. It does matter spiritually and eternally - the choice determines your eternal existence - in heaven with Him or NOT.

 

Eph. 4:1-3 - Maintain the Unity

Chapter 4 Outline:

1-3: - Unity of the church in Christ.
4-7: - One...
8-10: - Descending & Ascending
11-13: - Equipped for the Ministry
14-16: - Building and strengthening of the body
17-19: - You did not learn like that
20-24: - Warning to not revert to the old ways
25-32: - Do not give the Devil the Opportunity (Christian behavior, guidelines, rules)

Eph 4:1-3 - Maintain the Unity

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity of the Spirit

V. 1 - “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”

“Therefore...” - This ‘therefore’ points us back to the previous verses in which we see that God’s power is ours to draw upon. Because they are being strengthened, and because Christ dwells in each of use, and because of the love of Christ fills us - because of those things...

“I... implore you” - The basic reasons Paul can entreat are found in the prayer:

• Christ dwells within us; 
• To know the love of Christ;
• Paul adds he is an apostle. Jesus Christ has captured Paul's heart, mind and soul.  
• Our position in Christ; 
• He (Paul) cares so much for them.

“The prisoner of the Lord” - See the notes on Phil 3:1, previously. ( Bible Study Notes posted Sep 2019)

“Implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling...” - There are a couple of key words in this sentence: walk, worthy, and calling.

“Walk” - does not mean to perambulate, but refers to your deportment. The RSV translates this phrase as: lead a life.

“Worthy” - appropriately; as becoming to; deserving. When we say to the Lord, "You are worthy...", we are saying He is deserving of our praise. Here we are urged to act as if we belong to Jesus: Oh, by-the-way, WE DO belong to Him. He paid the price for our sin, honor that sacrifice by living 'appropriately'.

“Calling” - (KJV uses “vocation”) - See: Col 3:1-11; Phil 3:13-16, 20, 21. Just what is our calling? We have been called by Jesus Christ to:

• Be His disciples, believers in Him, and fellow heirs in the kingdom. 
• Be perfect. See the standards set down by Christ, by example and by teaching.
• Be separated from the world, set apart; in the world but not of it.

Note this calling is not just any run-of-the-mill appeal to join some good cause, a good church, etc. This calling is a commitment of the total self to a new way of life, to a permanent relationship with God the Father. Live your daily life so as to bring praise to the One who has called you. Live your life as if Jesus were with you every second - because He is.

V. 2 - “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,” - A continuation of verse 1; that is vss 2-3 are definitions of the phrase “walk in a manner worthy”.

Live a life: “full of humility” - Just the opposite of self-seeking pride and glory seeking.

Live a life: “full of gentleness” - (The RSV uses the word “meekness”.) Now to me - gentleness and meekness are not synonymous; close but not the same. Meekness is not Casper Milquetoast. It is possible to be strong, and yet gentle. The power can be sensed by others without an overt display. The power is under control.  We can be strong in Christ, under His control. 

Live a life: “full of patience” - (The KJV uses “long-suffering”) As the Lord is patient (See: 2 Pet 3:9; Rom 2:4; Col 3:12ff; 1 Pet 4:8). With the love of Christ to control us we can be forgiving and patient without harboring grudges. The patience will be from the heart controlled by Christ, and not a facade.

V. 3 - “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Live a life: “diligently preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” - Do not separate the body of Christ, the church, into factions. Not only are we to work together, we are to diligently strive to maintain the peace that keeps (or would keep) us together.
Paul is speaking to the specific problem of separation of Jewish and Gentile Christians. The same message applies to us as well. Many of the things that now create denominations are really and basically non-vital, non-essential quibbling between us as men and women, having nothing to do with the spreading of the Good News!

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Eph. 3:20-21 - According to His Power

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

To Him Be the Glory

Vs. 20 - “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,” - Verses 20 and 21 are one thought -- to praise God. Everything in verse 20 after “to Him” is descriptive of Him.

"far more abundantly" - (Note: also “exceeding abundantly” - KJV) is a common Greek phrase (per a commentary) that means “more than enough, many times over”. That’s about the same as in English. It also seems to carry a note of completion. - see Strong’s Concordance on “abundantly”. This can mean the task of supplying for our needs has been done already, or also enough will always be provided to meet our needs until the job is done in eternity! God's supply will never run dry or be diminished.

“According to the power...” - These things are accomplished by the power of God -proportional to that in us. God’s power is working in us. His power, and likewise Jesus’ power is unlimited. God does not force us to take on His power. It is freely offered. I just read a statement that we should not be asking God to help us overcome our weaknesses. We can surrender to Him, and claim His victory over sin.
Back in the ‘60s, a popular statement was, “Let go, and let God…” Instead of a death grip on a situation or activity, release it to the Lord and let Him accomplish through you. Don’t try to pin it to the ground, forcing it to cry, 'Uncle!' Let God do His work through you. Miracles will happen! 

Vs. 21 - “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

All worship, all praise, all blessings in worship belong to God, and should be directed to Him. We do this so that God may be glorified by the church, and that God may receive glory through Jesus Christ for all time (to eternity, and beyond!).

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This really ends Paul’s discussion of the Christian’s position (in Christ). He next starts talking about the Christian way of life.

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End of Chapter.

 

Eph. 3:17-19 - He Preached Peace and Access

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Breadth... Length... Height... Depth

These verses are a continuation of the prayer started in verse 16, above. (If I had been smarter, I would have made the verses 14-19 as one discussion paragraph... Oh, well.)

Vs. 17-“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,”

“So that...” - As a result of the strengthening of the inner man (verses 15-16, above)...

“Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” - The word “dwell” is a key word. It means to house permanently. Christ is not to be in your life as a transient, or a tenant (say: perhaps room in an apartment complex of the heart). He makes a permanent home there, takes root. (See: John 14:23; Rom 8:9ff)

“And that you” - Also a result of the strengthening of the inner man.  You are not a spectator, taking part vicariously. I have gone to many Oregon State football games. Never once did I jump into the game, make a tackle, catch a pass, run for a touchdown. I was at the game, but not in it. As believers in Jesus Christ our Lord, we are to get in shape, work out, be prepared to enter the 'game'. Get stronger in the faith to be able to tell others how much the Lord has blessed you.

“Being rooted and grounded in love” - See notes on Col 2:7. (See Bible Study Notes, Nov. 2017) We understand “rooted” is to sink down roots into the soil, (thereby taking nourishment and water from the earth), that is in God’s love. 

And “grounded” has the idea of laying a foundation, settling in. I get the idea of forming a permanent place, becoming comfortable there. And from that foundation of faith, venturing out into the world, sharing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

With this prayer, Paul wants us to have Christ in our hearts, and become comfortable in, and drawing nourishment from, God’s love for the purpose of: (See verses 18, 19 below).

Vs. 18 - “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,”

That along with all the other believers we might begin to realize (comprehend) just how big Christ’s love is: It is more than three-dimensional, but let's start there.

breadth - How wide it is; from the northern border to the southern. Oh, wait, God's love has no borders.

length - As far as you can possibly imagine... There is no end, God's love goes on forever.

height - Farther up than you can conceive. I just saw an image of a nebula about 2500 light-years away. It is called the 'Christmas Tree Nebula' - because the light passing through the gases in the universe fluoresce a green color, roughly in the shape of a Christmas tree. Truly astounding: light from stars about 15 pentillion miles from earth (i.e., 15,000,000,000,000,000 miles - that's a number bigger than our national deficit.) God's love is beyond that!

depth - The deepest part of the ocean is thousands of feet down. The pressure at that depth is so great almost no life exists there. We cannot plumb the depths of God's love - the ocean's depth is merely mud puddle depth compared to God's love. There is no 'bottom' where we get beyond or below God's love. 

Vs. 19 - “and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

That we might personally experience Christ’s love (i.e., to “know” it). As mentioned in other notes, 'knowing' involves more than collecting information. It means spending time with the Lord in reading scripture, pondering on what you've read, and putting that into action and seeing the results in your life and in other's also. You see what the love of Christ can do and follow that path wherever it leads. Seeing Christ work in your life strengthens your commitment to Him

“Which surpasses knowledge” - Literally meaning knowledge or science. Christ’s love is so great it cannot be measured, calculated, or determined by logic. Yet we can begin to see how much He loves us by experiencing day-to-day the wondrous working in our lives. As we are nourished in Christ we begin to perceive His love.

"That you may be filled up... God” - What can this mean but that as we continue to have Christ dwell in us; as we become settled and draw life from Christ’s love that He begins to fully control every facet and area of our lives. - He fills us.

If Christ completely fills us, then the fullness of God fills us. (See: Eph 1:23; Col 2:9)

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