‏ Ephesians 4:12-13

The Purpose of the Gifts

Eph 4:11. “And He”, that is how the verse begins, that has the emphasis. He, Whose great glory and superiority you saw in the previous verses. He has ascended on high and is there the triumphant Man above all things. He has led captive the power that ruled over men. His victory and His power are not visible for the world yet at the moment. Yet He proves already His power in this world. Do you know how? It is because He, as He had promised (Eph 4:8), gives gifts to the people He has delivered from the power of the enemy.

That He gives gifts to the church is proof that He is above all things. The church is in the world, on the territory where satan rules. Yet satan has not a bit of authority over the church, but Christ has all authority. His power is so great that He uses former captives of satan as instruments to also redeem others and to build them up.

Now you should read the following very well. It is said: “He gave some …” So it is not that He gave gifts to particular persons. That you can read for example in Romans 12 (Rom 12:6-8). There somebody has a gift. The same goes for 1 Corinthians 12 (1Cor 12:4-11). But here the person himself has been given as a gift to the church by the Lord Jesus.

In each gift mentioned here, you see something of what Christ is to His own. He is the Apostle of our confession (Heb 3:1), the Prophet raised up by God (Acts 3:22), the Evangelist, Who preached the gospel to the poor (Mt 11:5), the good, great and chief Shepherd of the sheep (Jn 10:11; 14; Heb 13:20; 1Pet 5:4).

The first who are mentioned are the apostles. Together with the prophets they have already been mentioned earlier. In Ephesians 2, they are the foundation builders of the church as the house of God (Eph 2:20). In Ephesians 3, they are those to whom God has made known the mystery of the church in order to pass this on (Eph 3:4-5).

In both cases it is about a unique event, as building a foundation is something you only do once and a mystery that has been made known doesn’t have to be revealed anymore afterward. As such the apostles and the prophets, who are meant here, do not need successors. You will also search in vain for such a thing as ‘apostolic succession’ in the Bible. We have no apostles anymore.

That becomes clearer if you think about the conditions to become an apostle. It is someone who

1. must have seen the Lord Jesus (1Cor 9:1) and

2. must be known by his signs (2Cor 12:12).

The same goes for the prophets. It is not about Old Testament prophets. If that were the case, it would not have been said here ‘apostles and prophets’, but ‘prophets and apostles’. No, it is about New Testament prophets who together with the apostles have built the foundation of the church and to whom God has made known the mystery of the church.

But even though these gifts are no longer present on earth as persons, we do have their service, namely, their books and letters that we have in the Bible. Apostles are Matthew, John, Peter and Paul and prophets are Mark and Luke. When we read their Gospels and letters and take them to heart, we will be made suitable more and more as members of the church to fulfill the task we have as members.

The three following gifts are still as persons among us. Evangelists provide new ‘accretion’ to the church. Shepherds and teachers make sure that these new members get pastoral care, nourishment and teaching.

Eph 4:12. This is reflected in the multiple purpose that is mentioned in this verse. The service of the gifts is focused on “the saints”. The result of the service is that these saints finally will come to the “measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). So the gifts are focused on the saints, on you and me, first of all “for the equipping of” us. The meaning of that is that all members of the body will be made aware of which place they have in the body and also which function they fulfill as members.

So it is about the functioning of the whole body and that can only happen when every member functions properly. The Lord Jesus cannot be satisfied with an inadequately functioning body. That’s why it is important that every member separately should make use of these gifts. That means to be occupied with God’s Word, by using Bible commentaries from teachers who are faithful to the Scripture, listening to their sermons, attending the gatherings where the Word is being explained and practiced. By the way, this doesn’t mean that we should not examine if the things they write or say are in accordance with God’s Word (Acts 17:11).

In this way members like you and I, are being equipped “for the work of service”. We shall become more and more capable to do the task that the Lord destined for us to do when He added us to the church through the means of His evangelists. This work of service is also not on its own, but is meant for “the building up of the body of Christ”. It is about the whole.

You’re not a member just by yourself. It doesn’t work that way in the human body and neither in the spiritual body. Everyone is there for the other and is put to the service of the whole body. So it is not limited to some members of the body who you know and with whom you gather. And that whole body is there for Christ.

Eph 4:13. The work of the gifts is only ready when “we all attain to the unity of the faith”. As long as there are divisions, there is no ‘unity of the faith’. It is not a confession of faith made by men that in practice separates believers from one another anyway. Therefore each of the gifts that are given by the Lord Jesus is meant to bring all members together on the foundation of the one and whole truth of God.

It is not possible to experience this unity of faith and at the same time be a member of a church or group. There is only one truth. And the only membership we read of in the Bible is the membership of the body of Christ. In heaven there will be no difference in views and neither will there be division. There will be unity in believing the one truth.

The gifts are working on that already now. They will teach all members together the whole truth of faith. They therefore do not proclaim a number of truths of faith or dogma’s, but a Person. In the unity of faith it is about “the knowledge of the Son of God”. The concern of the gifts is that all members grow together toward Him, and are satisfied with Him Who is the eternal Son..

That is the characteristic of true service, a service that continues until all members have come “to a mature man”, that is until spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is measured by the fact that Christ is formed in them (Gal 4:19). That is the meaning of “the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”. This is how God measures the growth of the church. God cannot and will never lower that standard. We will heartily agree with that if we have gained an eye for the glory of the Christ of God Who has been given by God to the church.

Now read Ephesians 4:11-13 again.

Reflection: What is the task of the gifts?

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