God, Paul, and the Universe

In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul encouraged the Christians there to remain unified. He wrote: 

3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. 

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When he to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” 

9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. ~Ephesians 4:3-10 (NLT) [1] 

This seemingly small excerpt of Scripture teaches a lot, much of which has been the source of serious debate throughout the Christian age. However, Paul’s apostolic call to unity, combined with his reference to the universe, is one way Holy Spirit Mother reveals the glory of cosmology to Her children. The one Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all (Eph. 4:6) is reflected in His house, the universe. His house (the universe) was built with Holy Spirit Mother for the Son, Jesus Christ, who fills all things (the universe) with Himself (Eph. 1:23; 4:10) and holds all of it together (Col. 1:17). 

The “special gifts” Paul mentions in Eph. 4:7 continue the call to unity, for the gifts spoken of are portions of grace given to the church so that it too, like the universe, may sustain itself. The NLT translates the Greek word “χάρις” (charis) as “special gift,” but the word actually means grace. The context refers to “the resulting activity that is a necessary consequence of genuine, beneficent goodwill; especially used of the outworking of God’s goodwill” [2]. In other words, it is a gift of kindness and favor, and is closely related to the word χαρίζομαι (charizomai), which expresses the idea of giving generously or forgiving a debt or a wrong [3]. 

No human can be more generous than Christ, who gave His life for the salvation of mankind. But Paul’s insertion of Psalm 68:18 at this point has led to a wide range of interpretations. Though believers should always be cautious and discerning while learning, the multiple interpretations may not necessarily be a bad thing, since God speaks in many ways (Heb. 1:1).

The wide range of interpretations are seemingly due to the variety of materials used in the sacred song that display the diversity of the reasons why He is to be worshipped. His scattering of enemies, protection of the poor, and establishment of the Temple are all highlighted, as well as the description of a procession of worshipers and the prayer for worldwide worship all glorify the God of Creation. It displays a coherent historical movement of the past while also pointing to the future [4]. 

Paul’s inclusion of Christ’s descension and ascension (Eph. 4:9-10) has generally been interpreted in three ways: as a descent to Hades (1 Pet. 3:19), His incarnation (physical human birth), death, and resurrection, and His Spirit at Pentecost (the arrival of the gifts of the Spirit in the Church) [5].

REFERENCES

[1]  Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Eph 4:3–10. 

[2] (2022). Logos Bible Software Bible Sense Lexicon (Version 9.11 SR-1) [Computer software; Logos Bible Software]. Faithlife, LLC. 

[3] Joshua G. Mathews, “Blessing,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014). 

[4] Frank S. Thielman, “Ephesians,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI;  Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic;  Apollos, 2007), 820. 

[5] Benjamin L. Merkle, “Ephesians,” in Ephesians–Philemon, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. XI, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 73.