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Ephesians 4:18 – Darkened, Alienated, and Ignorant

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Will

having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

Truth to Learn

The unsaved are the way they are because of unbelief.

Behind the Words

“Understanding” is translated from the Greek word dianoia, which is derived from dia, meaning “through and a form of noeō, meaning “to exercise the mind,” that is, “to think, to consider, or to understand.” Dianoia refers to a person’s intellect or understanding.

The word “darkened” is from the verb skotidzō, meaning “to deprive of light,” that is, “to darken.” In today’s verse it is used figuratively to mean “deprived of the light of understanding.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, the emphasis being on the effect. In other words, Paul is saying that at some time in the past they were deprived of the light of understanding and as a result they are now in a condition of not understanding.

“Alienated” is from the verb apallotrioō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from or away from” and allotrioō, meaning “to make a stranger,” “to separate from,” or “to make a non-participant.” This word is also expressed in the perfect tense.

The word “ignorance” is translated from agnoeō, which literally means “lacking knowledge.”

The word “blindness” is from pōrōsis, a form of pōroō, meaning “to harden, to petrify, or to make insensitive.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul instructed us not to live our lives like unbelievers do. He said that they live their lives intellectually instead of spiritually. He also said that their intellect is worthless. Now he explains why their thinking is so bad. He tells us that the intellectual understanding of the unsaved has been darkened, deprived of the light of understanding. As we discussed in Behind the Words, the tense of this verb indicates that the darkening occurred at some point in time in the past. That point in time referred to is when Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. From that time onward mankind has been alienated from God with a mind that is deprived of the light of knowledge, the knowledge of God.

That enlightenment can be regained, however. It is given by God through His Holy Spirit. It can be gained by learning the teaching of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as Paul will tell us later. Here we are told that one of the results of the intellectual darkening is separation from the life (spiritual life) that is in God. We are also told here that one of the reasons that the unsaved don’t have spiritual life is because they lack knowledge (the knowledge of what Christ did for them on the cross). And finally, Paul tells us that they lack knowledge of the work of salvation because of the hardness of their hearts.

So, we can summarize this by saying that sin leads to a hardening of the heart, which prevents the acknowledgement of God’s gift of salvation, which produces alienation from the spiritual life that God offers us all.

Application

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from your sins, your heart is not hardened, you are not ignorant of God’s truth, and you have eternal life. Hallelujah!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:17 – New Way of Living

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Will

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

Truth to Learn

Don’t live your life like the rest of mankind.

Behind the Words

“Testify” is translated from marturomai, a form of martus, meaning “a witness.” The verb form that we have here means “to give a testimony of that which has been witnessed.” This is the word from which we get our English word martyr, meaning “one who gives his or her life for his or her faith.”

“Walk” appears twice in this verse. In each case it is the Greek verb peripateō. This word literally means “to walk around.” Paul uses it as a metaphor for the manner in which a person lives his or her life.

Loipos is the Greek adjective that is translated “rest.” It is derived from the verb leipō, meaning “to leave” or “to be absent.” Loipos refers to “that which remains.” In today’s verse, it is a reference to “the rest of the Gentiles,” that is, those who are not part of the body of Christ.

“Futility” is from mataiotēs, which refers to “worthlessness.”

The word “mind” is translated from nous which refers to “mental perception and intelligent understanding.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just instructed us as to why we should all be at work in the church, serving each other and building-up each other. In doing so, we experience the growth that God provides for the entire body. Each of us is specially gifted for our service and, like stones perfectly fitted together, we are an integral part of the body. Also, as we serve each other, we grow together as a unit, a single body whose head is Christ.

Therefore – Paul cautions us that we should not conduct our lives the way those outside the church do. Paul refers to these people as “the rest of the Gentiles.” If you look carefully at how Paul uses this expression, you will recognize that there are three groups of people in Paul’s teaching: Jews, Christians, and the rest of the Gentiles. Everyone who is alive right now, who has ever lived, or who will ever live is in one of these three categories. Jews and Christians worship the same God, Jehovah, the Creator of Heaven and earth. The rest of mankind rejects God. These, instead of living their lives by faith, live their lives by intellect. They think they understand the source of all things (they call it “The Big Bang”) and they think they understand how they got here (by evolution). Paul will talk a little bit more about their thinking in the next verse.

Before we leave today’s verse, however, note that Paul says that we should “no longer” live our lives like they do. That means that there was a time when we did live like that. In fact there are many Christians today who live their lives intellectually instead of faith-fully. To them Christianity is an intellectual pursuit or it is a set of rules to live by. Paul says, however, that the Christian life is a life characterized by faith.

Application

Does your life resemble a member of the world system more than a disciple of Christ? Are you living by a set of rules in hopes of pleasing God? Or, are you living each day in humble submission to God, walking by faith and giving Him all the praise and all the glory? Which do you think He wants?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:16 – Growth At Work

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Will

from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Truth to Learn

Growth of the body depends on all parts doing their part.

Behind the Words

The word “from” is translated from ek, meaning “out of.” This word indicates the source from which something is derived.

“Joined … together” is from sunarmologeō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together,” harmos, meaning “an articulation (a joint), and logos, meaning “a word spoken.” Actually, the original meaning of logos was “to lay forth,” which is the sense in which it is used in this word. Sunarmelogeō means “to be laid-out closely together.” It is a picture of blocks of stone which are laid down together, fitting perfectly because they have been shaped into a perfect fit.

“Knit together” is translated from the Greek word sumbibadzō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and bibadzō, meaning “to uplift.” Thus, sumbibadzō means “to knit together” or “to unite together.” This is a picture of two bushes planted close together which grow into each other so that they form the appearance of a single bush.

The word “joint” is haphē, which refers to “that which connects or joins two things, like a ligament.”

“Growth” is translated from auxēis, which is based on auxanō (which we saw in yesterday’s verse) meaning “growth as a result of an outside power.”

Meaning Explained

This verse starts out with “from whom.” This is a reference to Jesus Christ who is the head of the body. The words between “joined” and “its share” are parenthetical, so to understand the base meaning behind this verse, we could temporarily exclude the parenthetical expression. Thus, we have “from whom the whole body … causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." In other words, it is Jesus Christ working through the church which causes all the body to grow. Keep in mind that the word “growth” refers to that growth which is caused by an outside power. So, the source of growth in the body of Christ is God, but the process of growth is through all the various parts of the body, with each one doing its share.

In the parenthetical expression we are told a little about how the body is put together and how it functions. The words translated “joined and knit together” tell us that every part of the body is specially formed and gifted by God to be perfectly joined to the other parts of the body. But it doesn’t stop there. As we are joined together in service to and with our brothers and sisters, we actually grow together. We become so knit together that we become an inseparable unit (that’s the unity that Paul has been talking about for most of this chapter).

The final point to learn is that the growth of the body depends on every part doing its share. If part of the body is not working, it becomes like a cancer sucking the life out of the church.

Application

From these last few verses we see how important it is for members of the church to be growing. In order for that to happen, though, we all have to be working, performing the function for which God has gifted us. Let’s all get to work!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:15 – Lovely Body Building

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Will

but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

Truth to Learn

We need to be truthful and loving as we minister to our fellow Christians.

Behind the Words

“Speaking the truth” is translated from the verb alētheuō, which is derived from alēthēs, meaning “truth.” Thus, alētheuō means “to be true, not counterfeit.” The word “speaking” is not in the Greek text, so the opening part of this verse should probably be translated as “but, being true in love …”

The word translated “love” is agape which refers to “perfect, self-sacrificing love.”

“May grow up” is from auxanō, meaning “to grow” or “to increase.” This word implies growth as a result of an outside power acting through the element of life within. This is different than the growth implied by the verb prokoptō, which indicates growth as a result of personal effort and achievement.

The words “into Him” are translated from eis auton. The word eis means “into” or “unto” implying movement from outside to inside or movement from a separated position to a united position. The word auton is the second person, singular pronoun (him). In Greek, word order is important and in the Greek text of this verse, the words eis auton immediately follow the verb auxanō. This implies that the emphasis of growth is to grow “unto Him” and that “in all things” is a secondary characteristic of this growth.

Meaning Explained

In verse eleven Paul described some of the spiritual gifts given by Christ (specifically, church leadership gifts). He told us that these gifts were given so that we, church members, would be equipped to do the work of the ministry, building-up the body of Christ (the church). One purpose of our building each other up is to develop unity and a complete experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our God. The other purpose is that we might be fully grown, mature Christians not misled by false doctrines and the persuasive words cleverly crafted to mislead us.

In contrast to the deceitful methods used by those who teach doctrinal error, we are to be truthful and we are to do so in love, considering the good of others to be more important than our own. I am reminded of a time in my own ministry when I didn’t do this. I was worship leader in a church leading choir rehearsal. The accompanist, an accomplished pianist, did not follow my lead regarding the tempo of the songs we were singing. After rehearsal I took her aside and explained to her how her lack of following my lead was making it difficult on all of us. My intent was to improve the way we all worked together, but my delivery was not done in love. The result was not unity but further dissention.

Everything we do within the church should be done in such a manner that it encourages and builds-up others so that we all might become more Christ-like.

Application

Are you using your spiritual gifts in your church? If not, you are being disobedient to our Lord. If you are, are you doing everything with the goal of making others more Christ-like and are you doing it in a Christ-like manner?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:14 – Doctrinal Trickery

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Will

that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Truth to Learn

False teaching appears deceptively easy and attractive.

Behind the Words

Nēpios is the Greek word translated “children.” It is made up of nē, meaning “not” and epos, meaning “a word.” Thus, nēpios literally means “on who can’t speak.” By application it refers to a baby but metaphorically it means “one who is extremely immature or unlearned.”

“Tossed to and fro” is from kludōnidzomai, which means “to surge” or “to fluctuate back and forth.”

The words “carried about” are translated from the verb peripherō, which is made up of peri, meaning “around” and pherō, meaning “to bear” or “to carry.” Thus, literally it means “to carry around.” It is expressed here in the passive participle. It could be translated “being carried around.”

“Wind” is the proper translation of the Greek word anemos. Metaphorically it is often used as an indication of instability.

“Doctrine” is from didaskalia, meaning “that which is taught.”

The word “trickery” is translated from kubeia, a form of kubos (from which we get our English word cube) referring to one of a pair of dice. Kubeia is often used to imply “deception.”

“Cunning craftiness” is from panourgia, from pas (all) and ergon (work). It refers to “the use of all means necessary (often deceptive) to realize an end.”

Planē is the word translated “deceitful.” It refers to “a wandering out of the right way.”

The word “plotting” is from methodeia, from which we get our English word “method,” referring to “an orderly procedure.”

Meaning Explained

As we can see from his vividly descriptive words, Paul feels strongly about this. He has been telling us why it is important for all of us to be at work in the church using the gifts that God has given us to build-up the body of Christ. In yesterday’s verse he told us we all work to gain a full knowledge of Jesus Christ, to be full grown, mature Christians.

The reason that we need to be spiritually mature and have full knowledge of our Lord and Savior is so that we won’t be misled by those who teach false doctrine. Unfortunately, there are those in our churches today who want to teach their truth rather than God’s truth. These men (and women) use subtle trickery to persuade others to believe their false teaching. They often have a “method” which is carefully thought out but which does not ultimately lead to knowledge of the truth.

Those who are taught to detect counterfeit money don’t study all the tricks of counterfeiting. Instead, they are taught in detail how to recognize the real thing. In order for us to recognize false teaching, we need learn good, Bible-based teaching.

Application

If the preaching you listen to is not encouraging you to seek out the truth from what the Bible says, then it may be deceptive teaching. Becoming a mature Christian is hard work. You don’t get there by just going through the motions. If what you hear about being a Christian sounds easy, it’s probably a lie. Find out for yourself – study your Bible to protect yourself.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:13 – Gifts For Unity

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Will

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians should all be working for each other.

Behind the Words

“Come to” is the translation of the Greek word katantaō, meaning “to arrive somewhere” or “to attain something.”

The word translated “knowledge” is the Greek word epignosis, which means more than simply knowing something. It means “to recognize and understand something,” that is, “to have complete, in-depth knowledge of someone or something.”

“Perfect man” is from the Greek words andra teleion. Andra, a form of anēr refers to “a man,” although as it is used here, it refers to “a person.” Teleion, a form of teleios, means “complete” or “of full age.” Thus, together these two words refer to “a fully grown person.”

The word “measure” is translated from metron, meaning “a measure of length or capacity.”

“Stature” is from hēlikia, meaning “maturity, in age or size.”

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse, Paul tells us some of the reasons that God gave us spiritual gifts. In the opening verses of this chapter, he told us that we are to be humbly and patiently bearing with each other, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit, being bound to one another by peace. In the following verses he talked about why unity is a defining characteristic of the Christian faith. He also told us how Christ came to present gifts to each one of us when He arrived home after His victory over Satan and death. As we learned in yesterday’s verse, these spiritual gifts are given to every believer, and we are to use our gifts to minister to members of the church and, thereby, to build-up the body of Christ.

One of the objectives of our ministering to each other and building up each other is a two-fold objective. It is to reach that unity Paul talked about in verse three, and it is so that each of us might come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. Here he calls that unity “the unity of the faith.” Even though there have been splits in the Christian church throughout the centuries, and it sometimes seems that every church is going off in its own direction, there are two unifying factors. One is our common faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us. The other is the complete in-depth, experiential knowledge of who Jesus is.

Another objective of our using our spiritual gifts within the church is so that we might become fully grown Christians. And, in using our spiritual gifts in the church, we help each other mature in our relationship with God. This is why the writer of Hebrews said:

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Application

It is quite apparent that we are in the last days and that Christ could return any day now. Instead of living for ourselves in these last days, let us use our gifts to strengthen each other and to prepare ourselves for our heavenly reunion with the Savior.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:12 – Share Your Gift!

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Will

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

Truth to Learn

All Christians have gifts to be used in the church.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “equipping” is katartismos. This word is made up of kata, meaning “down” but used here as an intensifier and a derivative of artios, meaning “to finish, to adjust, or to repair.” The fundamental meaning of katartismos is “to be put in the proper condition.”

“Ministry” is from diakonia which means “attending to someone like a servant would do,” that is, “serving.”

“Edifying” is translated from the Greek word oikodomē, which is a compound word made up of oikos, meaning “a house” or “a dwelling place” and a derivative of demō, meaning “to build.” Thus, oikodomē specifically refers to “building a house” and in common usage it means “to build or strengthen something.”

Meaning Explained

For the past few verses Paul has been talking about the gifts which Christ gave to men (Ephesians 4:8) when he ascended to heaven following His victory over death and Satan. Some of those spiritual gifts were mentioned in yesterday’s verse. These gifts include the gift of apostleship, the gift of prophecy, the gift of evangelism, the gift of pastoring, and the gift of teaching (the last two given together to those who pastor churches).

Too often, people in churches believe that it is the pastor’s job to evangelize the lost and to teach church truths. They also tend to believe that it is up to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers to build up the body of Christ. According to Paul, however, that is not correct. In today’s verse we learn that the job of these gifted men is to prepare ordinary church-goers to do the work of ministry.

I can just hear you say, “Wait a minute! I thought that the pastor was the minister of our church.” He is, but so are you! Each of us in the church is supposed to be ministering. Our pastors’ jobs include overseeing the local assembly and teaching us. Part of that teaching is Christian doctrine. Another part of his job is teaching us how we can all build up the body of Christ. Here’s how Paul expressed it in 1Corinthians 12:7,

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (1 Corinthians 12:7)

In other words, the spiritual gifts are given to each one of us, not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the entire body of Christ. No matter what spiritual gift you have (wisdom, knowledge, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, teaching, pastoring, helps, exhortation, administration, giving, leading, mercy) the purpose of that gift is to build up other Christians. No matter what gift or gifts you have, if you are using it (or them) for your own benefit, then you are misusing that gift. According to today’s verse, we are to be using our gifts to build up the body of Christ.

Application

Do you know what your spiritual gift is? If not, look through the list above and pray to God that He will reveal what your gift is. When you know what your spiritual gift is, look for ways to use that gift in your local church, and then get to work! We all have a job to do; let’s all do our part.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:11 – Builders and Protectors

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Will

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

Truth to Learn

God has provided gifted men to build and protect the church.

Behind the Words

“Apostles” is a transliteration of the Greek word apostolos, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of the verb stellō, meaning “to set fast” or “to withdraw from.” Apostellō means “to send forth on a specific mission.”

“Prophets” is transliterated from prophētēs, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in place or time” and a form of phēmi, meaning “to tell.” Prophētēs refers to a person who is divinely gifted to proclaim God’s message.

“Evangelists” is transliterated from euangelistēs, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of the verb angellō, meaning “to proclaim” or “to tell.” Euangelistē means “to proclaim the good news.”

The word “pastors” is translated from poimēn, which refers to “the person who guards and cares for a flock” or “a shepherd.”

The word “teachers” is translated from didaskalos, which refers to “one who teaches” or “an instructor.”

Meaning Explained

In verses seven and eight of this chapter, Paul told us that we were given gifts according to the measure that Christ determined. Like a conquering king, when Jesus Christ rose from the grave He conquered death and the one who previously had the power over death (Satan). As He rose from the dead, He “led captivity captive.” That is, Christ took Paradise and those in it out of Hades and raised them up to (but not into) the third heaven (see 2Corinthians 12:2-4). At that time, according to Paul, He gave spiritual gifts to men.

These spiritual gifts are described in at least four places in the New Testament; here, 1Corinthians 12:10, 1Corinthians 12:28, and Romans 12:6-8. In today’s verse Paul talks only about the gifts, and gifted men, responsible for the foundation and major construction of the church (the temple of God). The grammatical construction of this verse breaks this group of gifts into four categories; 1) apostles, 2) prophets, 3) evangelists, and 4) pastors and teachers.

Apostles are those who were sent out personally by Jesus Christ as witnesses of His ministry and His ascension (see Acts 1:15-22). Since there are no men alive today who have personally seen Christ, there are no apostles alive today. Prophets are specially gifted men who proclaim the Word of God either before events happen (Acts 11:28) or before others physically (Ephesians 3:5), and evangelists are those who are specially gifted to proclaim the Good News of salvation. The final group of specially gifted men described here are those who are pastors and teachers. From the Greek text it is evident that these men are gifted as both shepherds over God’s flock and as teachers of God's flock.

Application

When Christ ascended from the dead, He did not leave us alone. Not only did he send His Spirit to indwell his church and empower us for His service, He also provided specially gifted men to build and watch over His body. We should all thank God for the gifted men He has provided for the church.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:10 – Not Worth Arguing

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Will

He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Truth to Learn

Some Biblical truths are very important to understand correctly, others are not worth arguing about.

Behind the Words

Both the words translated “descended” and “ascended” are expressed here as aorist participles. Thus, we could translate the first part of this verse as “the one having descended is also the one having ascended.” Although some translations say “came down” or “went down” and “went up,” the direction of travel (came or went) is not indicated by the Greek text.

“Far above” is translated from the Greek word huperanō. This word is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “over” or “above” and the adverb anō, meaning “upward” or “on top.” So we see that huperanō literally means “above upward” or “above on top.” The best translation of this word into English is probably “high above” or “far above.”

The word “heavens” is from ouranos, which is probably based on the verb orō, meaning “to rise.” According to Jewish beliefs, there are three distinct heavenly regions. The first is the atmosphere of the earth (where the birds fly and the clouds exist). The second is the universe (where all the celestial bodies exist). The third is God’s abode, or God’s throne room, to which only God and the angelic beings have access today.

“Fill” is from the verb plēroō, which means “to cram completely full, such that no more can be added.”

Meaning Explained

As we pointed out in yesterday’s verse, there are some who believe that the statement in verse nine that He “descended into the lower parts of the earth” means the He “descended into the lower earthly regions.” In other words, they argue that it is a reference to Christ coming to earth as a man. Others, adhering to a more literal translation, believe it is a reference to Christ’s descent into Hades (Paradise) as we explained yesterday.

No matter which of these two views you prefer, today’s verse is clearly a statement regarding Christ’s resurrection. But, as scholars are wont to do, there is even disagreement as to what Paul meant in today’s verse when he referred to “the One who ascended far above all the heavens.” As we noted above, the Jewish concept of plural heavens pictures three heavens: the atmosphere, the universe, and God’s abode. Does today’s verse mean that He ascended above the atmosphere and the known universe, into His own realm (the third heaven), or does it mean that he ascended even above that? Again, a literal interpretation indicates that He ascended above “all the heavens,” which implies more than two.

But let’s not get distracted by such minor concerns. Paul’s message in these verses is not so much about where Christ descended to and where He ascended to, but the fact that when He did, He gave spiritual gifts to men. Some of these gifts are described in the next verse.

Application

Some Biblical teachings are foundational to our beliefs and how we relate to God. Others are less important. Let’s focus our attention on the important matters and not get hung-up on unimportant matters. Whatever we believe and do, let us do it so that God will get the glory and honor.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 4:9 – Jesus In Hades

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Will

(Now this, "He ascended"—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

Truth to Learn

Our Lord experienced physical death for us.

Behind the Words

The word “first” is translated from prōton, which is based on the superlative of pro (toward or forward). Thus, prōton refers to “that which is the forward-most, or first.” It can refer to “first in time” or “first in position.”

“Descended” is from the Greek verb katabainō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down” and bainō, meaning “to come” or “to go.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicative mood which indicates an act that occurred at a point in time in the past.

“Lower” is translated from katōteros, which is the comparative of katō, which means “below.” Therefore, we see that lower is an accurate translation of this word.

The word “parts” is from meros, which refers to “a part” or “a share.”

The word “earth” is the translation of the Greek word gē, which refers to “soil,” “dirt,” or “ground.” It is also used to refer to a country, a region, a territory, a land, or the earth.

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is a continuation of a subject that Paul introduced in the previous verse. In that verse he was quoting from Psalms 68:18:

You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even the rebellious, that the LORD God might dwell there. (Psalms 68:18)

In order to fully grasp what is being said in these verses we need to understand a little about one of the customs of the times in which these verses (both Old and New Testament) were written. It was common for a conquering king to distribute gifts to his subjects upon his return from conquering his enemy. Here we have a picture of our King of Kings returning from His victory over Satan and death. Upon His return to His land (Heaven) He distributed gifts to His subjects.

In today’s verse Paul is making a point that He who ascended had to first descend. In his gospel account, John quoted our Lord saying essentially the same thing:

No one has ascended to [into] heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13)

Some have argued that the expression “descended into the lower parts of the earth” is a reference to Christ having left Heaven and having come to earth as a lowly servant. However, a literal reading of the verse says that “He descended into the lower parts of the ground.” That can only be a description of His descent into Paradise (within hades/sheol) immediately after having given up his life on the cross.

Application

Jesus Christ did not simply pass-out on the cross. He experienced physical death and was taken to the place where all souls go upon death. The glorious news is that He didn’t stay physically dead. He rose from the dead! Hellelujah!

In God's service, for His glory,