The previous seven chapters on the meal offering cover five major points. The first point concerns the significance of the meal offering. We have seen that the meal offering is a present to God of the humanity of Jesus which we have experienced, enjoyed, and appreciated. Second, the meal offering constitutes worship to God. Third, the meal offering affords priestly food for the priesthood. Fourth, the meal offering not only constitutes worship to God and affords food for the priesthood, but also produces standing boards, which are the main structure of God’s dwelling place. By feeding on the meal offering, all the priests become the standing boards. Fifth, the meal offering forms the tabernacle by uniting all the boards together.
The sixth point is very deep and difficult to explain. It is perhaps the deepest aspect of the meal offering; it concerns the making of the gifts. The gifts in Ephesians 4 are not abilities, but the gifted persons, such as the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the shepherds and teachers. These are not skills or abilities; these are persons gifted with skills and abilities. Moreover, Ephesians 4:11-16 reveals that not only are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers gifts to the Body, but every member of the Body is a gift.
Consider your own body. Every member of your body is a gift to your body. Do not think that only Paul the Apostle was a gift to the Body and you are not. Perhaps Paul was an arm, but you may be at least a little finger. The arm is a gift to the body. Regardless of how small we are, even less than the least, we are still gifts to the Body. Ephesians 4 speaks of the effectual working in the measure of every part. Each of us is at least one of many parts, and all the parts are gifts.
We must see how all the gifts are made or constituted. When Paul was Saul of Tarsus, he was not a gift. He was a persecutor, an enemy, of the Body. After he was saved, however, he became a gift. But “became” is not an adequate word. It is better to say that after he was saved, he was constituted a gift. He was a rebel, a foe, an enemy, and a persecutor to the Body, but he was constituted an apostle. To be constituted means to be composed or transfigured with additional elements added in. Without the adding of these elements, nothing can be constituted. Paul was a rebel, but an element was added into this rebel which killed the rebellious germs. Other elements were also added which built him up as an apostle.
The point we must see is that the main element by which Paul was constituted an apostle is the humanity of Jesus. To prove this we must read Psalm 68:18 with an improved rendering: “Thou hast ascended on high, thou led a train of vanquished foes: thou hast received gifts in man; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” Christ ascended on high, and having conquered all His enemies, He led captive a corporate train of vanquished foes, including Paul the Apostle. Then He received gifts in man and for man, even for the rebellious man. He received the gifts in His humanity for our rebellious humanity. So in this verse we see two kinds of humanities: the humanity of Jesus, by which He received the gifts, and our rebellious humanity, for which He received the gifts.
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