Diversity of Gifts
4:7-16
This section begins with the word “but” to show us a contrast with the previous section. The previous section stressed the unity of position of believers: they are all equal in Christ. This section is about the diversity of gifts given. There is unity, but diversity.
Christ gave each believer a gift by grace as he determined. (7) Paul referred back to Psalm 68:18 to say that, when Christ ascended to heaven after his resurrection, he gave gifts to believers. (8) He determines which gift he will give. We do not determine which gift we receive. All of the gifts are a matter of grace and Christ’s sovereignty.
In verse 9 and 10, Paul inserted another parenthetical statement. He explained that, since Christ ascended, it means he also descended from heaven to earth. He was in heaven with the Father before he took on human flesh. That is why he could pray “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed”. (John 17:5)
Jesus descended from heaven to earth when he was born to Mary. He was born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7) He became flesh. (John 1:14) In that flesh he lived, was killed, and buried. Then God raised him from the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
After 40 days, Jesus ascended to heaven. (Luke 24:51) He ascended into the heavenly realm that he might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:10) He is present all through the universe. And he holds all things together. (Colossians 1:17)
Although the gifts come to individuals for use, they are ultimately given to the church. Therefore, the gift should be recognized by the church. A person may claim they have a particular gift because they see it as more valued or respected and not because they actually have it.
There are other lists of gifts in Paul’s writings: Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. In addition, 1 Peter 4:10-11 speaks of the gifts but does not list them specifically. We can assume, therefore, that the list in our passage are not exhaustive. The gifts in our passage seem to be centered upon the proclamation of the gospel.
Christ gave the following gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds(pastors) - teachers. (11)
The apostles were the 12 plus Paul. The word “apostle” means one who is sent on a mission. Certainly the original apostles were commissioned by Jesus and given a mission. Jesus told them “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:29-20) The apostles proclaimed and explained the teachings of Jesus.
The prophets were those who spoke special messages from God to the church. They did not speak new revelation as Scripture as the Old Testament prophets did. For example, Agabus told through the Spirit that there would be a severe famine in all of the Roman Empire. The famine happened during the reign of Claudius. In response, the church in Antioch gathered and sent aid to the church in Judea. (Acts 11:27-30) There is also a list of prophets in the church at Antioch. (Acts 13:1) Agabus is mentioned again in Acts 21, as are the four daughters of Phillip.
Evangelists are those who specifically proclaim the gospel to those who have not come to Christ. We see that many of those who left Jerusalem when persecution began after the execution of Stephen proclaimed the Gospel to those they met. Phillip, one of the Seven, went to Samaria and preached Christ. (Acts 8:1-5)
The pastor-teacher explains God’s word to others. While it could be that pastor and teacher are separate rolls, the conjunction between them seems to tie them together into one roll. Therefore, teaching and shepherding the members of the body is all part of one gift and one role.
The purpose of the gifts is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. (12) The saints are the believers, the members of the body, the church. Paul’s idea is that the saints all participate in ministry, not that a special group does.
The church does not seem to do this well. Instead, we often have a group that is expected and paid to do ministry. They are call the clergy in some circles, church staff in others. They do the ministry and the other members of the church give money to pay their salaries. All should be involved in ministry.
The gifts are also to be used for building up the body of Christ (the church). By building, Paul means bringing all believers to spiritual maturity. (13) That maturity will be evidenced by the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. We grow in faith, knowledge, and unity as we mature. The ultimate goal is to be like Jesus, as much as is humanly possible. (13)
Jesus does not want or expect us to make a profession of faith and stop there. He does not want us to remain as spiritual infants. Infants have no discernment. Jesus wants and expects us to mature.
The end goal, and the sign of, maturity is that we are not carried away by new doctrines, human cunning, or deceitful schemes. (14) This is a maritime image: a boat at sea may be tossed around by the waves or driven off course. The waves are false doctrines and deceitful schemes.
We see those abound today around the world. One of these is the prosperity gospel, which teaches that every believer can be wealthy and well in this life. Usually, that requires a seed gift, which is money given to the minister. That is why we see so many preachers of this false gospel become exceedingly rich.
Another is the demonology endorsed by several groups of Pentecostals. There is a demon for everything. If you lust, you have a demon of lust. It is a great way to avoid personal responsibility for sin. Certainly the devil tempts. But we sin in our weakness and in our rebellion against God. Demons do not make us sin.
New revelation, in the guise of God giving a person a new truth, is another false doctrine. Gave gave us the Bible to know the truth he is willing to reveal. There are no new spiritual truths in addition to the Bible.
As Paul says, instead of embracing every new idea, we are to grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head of the church. Instead of embracing secret ideas or trying to get rich in this life, learn to know Jesus through his word, serve him, and minister to others in his name. (15)
Jesus holds the whole body together. (16) When the body is properly equipped, and each believer works properly, the body will grow and build itself up in love.
No comments:
Post a Comment