Ephesians 4:7-9 is one of those sections in Scripture that people tend to use as an all-purpose proof. If you are into prooftexting, these verses are a goldmine.
This morning I was reading D.A. Carson and he commented on Ephesians 4:7-8 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” Of these verses he writes,
The words are ostensibly quoted from Psalm 68:18, where the Hebrew text says that God received gifts from men. But it has been argued, rightly, that Psalm 68 assumes such themes as those in Numbers 8 and 18, and that in any case Paul is melding together both Numbers and Psalm 68 to make a point. Under the new covenant, Christ Jesus by his triumph has captured us, and to each one of us (Eph. 4:7) he has apportioned grace and then poured us back on the church as his “gifts to men.”
That is how we are to think of ourselves. We are Christ’s captives, captured from the race of rebellious image-bearers and now poured out as God’s “gifts to men.” That invests all our service with unimaginable dignity.[1]
I have recently been thinking about evangelism and blogged on our i2 process (you can read it by clicking here).
This comment by Carson reminds me again that God has brought us near to Himself and made us His own so that He can send us out to be a gift to the world. The Gospel that has transformed us is God's greatest gift to humanity. This makes us not only God's image-bearers, but also His Gospel-givers.
If we are not sharing our faith, we are holding back what the world needs and we are disobeying God.
There are many Christians who say they do not feel qualified to share the Gospel. No one is qualified in and of themselves. We are made qualified by the grace God has given us. We don't have to use Christian pick up lines or overdone presentations. We just need to tell the story of what Christ has done and how it has changed our lives.
We can say as a blind man once said who had encountered the healing hand of Jesus, "I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25).
If you have been given sight, tell others about it. Tell them about the One who gave you sight. Tell them of His great grace and love. That is one of the reasons He made you well. He wants you to tell others, who need His love and grace, so He can make them well.
[1]D. A. Carson, For the Love of God : A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word. Volume 1 (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1998), May 1.
No comments:
Post a Comment