The Place to Be #14

 

Ephesians 4:7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Having painted this big picture of the Church as a building built on Christ, and calling on them (and us) to do all in our ability to maintain this unity in every way, Paul then tells us how this is possible: the grace of God we have in Christ.  Grace, that "God-given ability to do what we cannot do by ourselves," not only gives us the ability to be saved through Christ, it gives us the ability to demonstrate Godly patience with one another, to work together on His plan, and to actually grow to love one another.  God had given us grace and grace "gifts," elsewhere described by Paul in detail.  As promised, Christ, after He ascended, sent His Holy Spirit with these gifts to distribute to His followers. These gifts enable us to carry out His plan together.  The whole point of the parenthetical statement at the end of this passage is to remind us that what Christ did, from His incarnation to His ascension was all part of the plan of God. We need to humbly accept our part just as Christ did, use our God-given gifts, and work to help each other do the same.