( Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Before ascending on high, Christ first descended into the lower parts of the earth. His going down came before His going up, so that His ascension proves His prior descent. The One who went down is the same One who afterward went up far above all heavens in order to fill all things.
That descent was from heaven, from the throne of God, clothing His divinity with humanity. In ascending He led captivity captive, bringing up a multitude of captives from their graves. At His ascension He gave gifts to men, and with them all power in heaven and earth for His workers to claim. This fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit as Comforter and guide to lead into all truth.
The gifts include apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers, placed in the church for its edification and instruction to the end of time and manifest in the church today. Through ministers communicating the words of eternal life, those gifts equip believers for ministry and build up Christ's body toward unity and maturity. They help perfect believers in knowledge and true holiness. The treasures placed eighteen hundred years ago in the twelve apostles have descended to workers in this age, to be improved by faithful servants from generation to generation.
The verse stands within the call to walk worthy of the vocation with lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love and keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It belongs to one body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. This defines the work resting on believers in their high and holy calling.
His descent shows what human beings may become if they unite their weakness to His strength, die to self and live to Christ. That union softens, subdues and purifies unchristlike traits, unites believers with one another, and makes them one with Christ in God. In this body God has joined men of different minds to counsel with and assist one another, so no one bears the burden alone and the experience and abilities of one supply the deficiency of another. Believers so equipped stand prepared to meet Christ at His coming.
Before ascending on high, Christ first descended into the lower parts of the earth. His going down came before His going up, so that His ascension proves His prior descent. The One who went down is the same One who afterward went up far above all heavens in order to fill all things.
That descent was from heaven, from the throne of God, clothing His divinity with humanity. In ascending He led captivity captive, bringing up a multitude of captives from their graves. At His ascension He gave gifts to men, and with them all power in heaven and earth for His workers to claim. This fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit as Comforter and guide to lead into all truth.
The gifts include apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers, placed in the church for its edification and instruction to the end of time and manifest in the church today. Through ministers communicating the words of eternal life, those gifts equip believers for ministry and build up Christ's body toward unity and maturity. They help perfect believers in knowledge and true holiness. The treasures placed eighteen hundred years ago in the twelve apostles have descended to workers in this age, to be improved by faithful servants from generation to generation.
The verse stands within the call to walk worthy of the vocation with lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love and keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It belongs to one body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. This defines the work resting on believers in their high and holy calling.
His descent shows what human beings may become if they unite their weakness to His strength, die to self and live to Christ. That union softens, subdues and purifies unchristlike traits, unites believers with one another, and makes them one with Christ in God. In this body God has joined men of different minds to counsel with and assist one another, so no one bears the burden alone and the experience and abilities of one supply the deficiency of another. Believers so equipped stand prepared to meet Christ at His coming.