Today
I was discussing with a friend something read in Ephesians 4 earlier in
the week. Basically, I can sometimes skip over the parts of scripture
which refer to other parts of the Bible. For example occasionally in the
New Testament, Paul or another writer, will refer to a scripture from
the Old Testament.My assumption has been that this does not need reading because the writer is simply repeating something he will explain elsewhere in the text.
How WRONG could I have been?
A lot!
The scripture in question is Ephesians 4:8 which in context reads:
However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
This Ephesians 4:8 is a quote from Psalms 68:18
When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there.
In short God gives his gifts to people even if they have rebelled against him. That is are unrepentant. That is have not sought forgiveness for what they are doing or have done or will do against him. This can be both people we call 'unsaved', people who do not have anything to do with Jesus. Or it can be people who say they have faith in Jesus; are 'saved'. The saved rebellious? Yes, for they were once without faith. And there will be things they do or say that continue to be actions against God.
So when the rest of Ephesians is read, and the types of gifts God gives out to people ... My mind and heart was floored as I realised that God gives all them to people we would otherwise dismiss as people nothing to do with the church, regardless of their culture, religious affinity or anything else. God simply wants people to know him and he shows no favouritism in how this occurs.
