Diversity within Unity

Diverse gifts for the purpose of unity and maturity

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” — Ephesians 4:7 (ESV)

Photo by Dan Dennis on Unsplash

Having explained the manner and means of unity (Eph. 4:1-3) and the basis of unity (Eph. 4:4-6), Paul now expresses the fact that unity does not equal uniformity (Eph. 4:7-16). In this section of Ephesians, Paul discusses various gifts given by Christ and their unified purpose for the edification of the believers.

Ephesians 4:7-10

He begins by asserting that Christ has given grace to believers individually. Just as Paul was equipped for his unique ministry (Eph. 3:2), so too is every other member of the body of Christ.

He follows up this assertion by loosely quoting Psalm 68:18. Paul's quote does not perfectly match either the Hebrew Masoretic Text or the Greek Septuagint, but it fits the original meaning. In Psalm 68, God is pictured as the divine warrior who ascends to his throne. In Ephesians 4, Christ is the victorious conqueror who ascends to his throne, giving gifts to his followers along the way. Christ descended to earth. Now, he has ascended that he might fill all things (cf. Eph. 1:12, 23).

Ephesians 4:11-16

Then, in verse 11, Paul explains more about the gifts Christ has given. Interestingly, they turn out to be people. Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers to the church. This diverse set of gifts is to help equip the saints for the work of ministry: building up the body of Christ. This work of edification is to push others to maturity and unity in the faith. Then, believers won't be carried away by false teachings and deceitfulness. Instead, we are to grow in our Christlikeness, speaking the truth in love.

When the body of Christ is functioning in this way, when each part or individual is functioning in the way they should, the result is a beautiful thing. When functioning as designed, the body will build itself up in love. It is this self-sustaining edification that the church ought to strive for.

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Soli Deo Gloria,

Caleb Friske