CONTEXT: In chapters 1-3, Paul outlined the blessings associated with being a child of God. In chapters 4-6, he outlines the responsibilities associated with that status. Verses 1-16 (especially verse 1) set the tone for the rest of this letter.
EPHESIANS 4:1-3. WALK WORTHILY OF THE CALLING
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord" (v. 1a). Earlier, Paul mentioned being "the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles" (3:1). Paul was imprisoned on several occasions-initially in Philippi by the high priest and Sadducees (Acts 5:17-18; 21:27-30), but later (at the instigation of Jews) by the Romans (Acts 16:19ff; 21:31ff). The Romans took him via Caesarea (Acts 24:1ff) to Rome (Acts 28:11ff). Later in this letter, Paul will describe himself as "an ambassador in chains" (6:20). Paul probably wrote this book from his imprisonment in Rome.
"beg you to walk worthily of the calling (klesis) with which you were called" (v. 1b). This is the central theme of the rest of this letter-an appeal to live up to the high calling to which God has called them. Klesis (calling) means a call or an invitation. The New Testament uses klesis to speak of God's invitation to become a member of the kingdom of God-to experience adoption into God's family-to gain salvation and the hope of life eternal.
Having been invited by God to a high calling, these Christians need to "walk worthily of the calling." Both Old and New Testaments use the word "walk" as we would use the word "live." In other words, Paul is pleading with these Christians to live their lives in accord with their Godly calling.
What would it entail to "walk worthily of the calling with which you were called"? A complete answer would fill many pages, but Jesus gave an excellent summary statement:
"'You shall LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD with all your heart.. (and) 'You shall LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself.' The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:29b-31; see also Luke 10:27)
"with all lowliness" (tapeinophrosyne) (v. 2a). Lowliness is not often seen as a virtue today. We prize assertiveness rather than lowliness. However, as Christians, we are called to emulate Christ, who "existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:6-8).
"and humility" (prautetos) (v. 2b). Prautetos (humility) is the kind of graceful spirit that comes from a deep faith that God is good and will prevail in the end. We might talk about such a person as the strong, quiet type.
"with patience" (makrothymia) (v. 2c). The word makrothymia suggests endurance or steadfastness rather than a passive kind of waiting. It withstands adversity without quitting. It endures opposition without striking out at the opponent-or, at least, without striking out too quickly or violently. It possesses the strength of rock-steadiness.
"with one another in love"(agape) (v. 2d). The word anechomenoi means "to bear" or "to endure" or "to exercise patience or restraint." Every relationship requires bearing, enduring, and exercising patience or restraint. That is true in marriages. It is true in churches. It is true in friendships. It is true in work environments.
A cautionary note: We should not suggest that people bear with one another in every circumstance. Parents should not bear unacceptable behavior by their children. Victims of spouse or child abuse will need to escape from the situation when danger dictates that. When dealing with an alcoholic or drug addict, "bearing with one another" often becomes co-dependency and enabling behavior. Alcoholics and drug addicts don't need enablers. They need people to confront them and to demand change. But even when dealing with unacceptable behavior, we can act in agape love-a concern for the well-being of the other person. That might involve tough love-setting standards and refusing support until the person meets the standard-but there is no requirement for agape love to be soft and cuddly on all occasions.
"being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (v. 3). The lowliness, humility, patience, and love that Paul urged in verse 2 will make it possible to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." The Holy Spirit makes unity possible. "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.... There are many members, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13, 20).
In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul talked about the diversity of members in the body of the church (1 Corinthians 12:14-17). He likened the diversity of the church to our physical bodies, which have hands and feet and ears and eyes. We can imagine what life would be like if these body parts were at war with each other. We wouldn't be able to accomplish even the smallest tasks-walking a straight line or picking up a sandwich. It would be a miserable existence. So also, in the church, disunity equates to dysfunction. But unity in the church doesn't come easily. We must rely on the Spirit to make it possible to work together harmoniously "in the bond of peace."
EPHESIANS 4:4-6. ONE
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (vv. 4-5). The key word for verses 4-6 is "one." These verses continue the emphasis on unity begun in verse 3. The body mentioned here is the church. If you were reading these verses aloud, where would you place the emphasis? Would it be one BODY, one SPIRIT, one LORD, one FAITH, one BAPTISM, one GOD? That's how I would usually read a list like this. But these verses call for a different approach: ONE body, ONE spirit, ONE lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God-because the emphasis is not the diversity of gifts but the fact that all believers share them.
"one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all" (v. 6). The foundational creed for Israel was "Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one: and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). This is the key to our unity. We believers might see things very differently, but we have one Godly Father whom we worship and who directs our lives.
The "all" in this verse, in its original context, would have meant Jews and Gentiles, but in our world today would mean black and brown and white-Asian, Indian, and American. However, it would not mean all people, but rather all believers.
EPHESIANS 4:7-10. HE WHO DESCENDED ALSO ASCENDED
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says,
"When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men." 9 (Now this ex-
pression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
"But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (v. 7). In verses 4-6, Paul emphasized our unity. Now he acknowledges our diversity-the grace given to each of us-distinctive grace made to measure, just as a custom-tailored suit is made to measure. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul spells this out in more detail:
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:4-8).
"Therefore he says, 'When he ascended on high'" (v. 8a). Paul is quoting Psalm 68:18, which says, "You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts among men." In its original context, this psalm celebrated victory over God's enemies-and a triumphal procession bringing the spoils of victory, including prisoners, up Mount Zion to the temple, the dwelling place of God. Paul relates this verse to Christ, who "ascended on high..., led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."
Earlier, Paul gave more detail about this ascension. God "raised (Christ) from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in heavenly places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all" (1:20-23).
"he led captivity captive" (v. 8b). As noted in the comments on verse 8a above, Psalm 68 pictured a triumphal procession. Now Paul uses that imagery to picture Christ's triumphal procession with freed prisoners in tow. I love the expression, "he led captivity captive." I must confess that I have not found a great deal in commentaries to help me with this phrase, but I envision Christ breaking into the spiritual prison in which these people were imprisoned-opening the doors to set them free-and throwing away the keys. Paul told the Roman church, " For the law of the Spirit of life [a]in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom. 8:2). That's the sort of thing that this Ephesians verse celebrates.
"and gave gifts to men'" (v. 8c). This has occasioned lots of scholarly comment, because Psalm 68 says, "You have received gifts"-not "you gave gifts." Some think that Paul misquoted the psalm. Others cite the Syriac Peshitta manuscript which says, "You have given gifts." Still others think that God received gifts to redistribute them to his people. However, there is no definitive solution to this textual problem.
"Now this, 'He ascended,' what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?" (v. 9). Verses 9-10 have also occasioned lots of scholarly comment.
But is that the meaning of this verse? Possibly, but not certainly.
"He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens" (v. 10a). While Biblical references to the heavens sometimes refer to the sky above the earth (Genesis 9:13-17) or outer space (Genesis 1:14), they more often refer to the dwelling place of God (Psalm 102:19; Isaiah 63:15; 66:1). The phrase, "all the heavens" is interesting. The Jewish people believed in as many as seven heavens. Paul talked about a man who was "caught up into the third heaven" (2 Corinthians 12:2).
"that he might fill all things" (v. 10b). Earlier, Paul said that God "put all things in subjection under (Christ's) feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the (church), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all" (1:22-23). Christ has the power to "fill all things"-to meet all needs-to give each person the grace needed (v. 7).
Eph. 4:1-10 Exegesis
INTRODUCTION: While the first half of Ephesians is has a big-picture, doctrinal orientation, the second half of the letter focuses on practical applications. Paul has worked to develop the theme of unity in Ephesians 1 - 3. Now he explains how that unity can be achieved. The passage we're about to study offers:
One Purpose
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (4:3)
Someone once said, "If you find a perfect church don't join it -- otherwise it wouldn't be perfect any longer." Conflict is a fact of life. If you want a harmonious marriage, don't put a man (from Mars) and a woman (from Venus) together. That's a sure recipe for conflict. Instead, put two very mellow people together who are very much the same. It'll be a calm marriage, but they'll probably die early -- of boredom.
Whenever you put differences together -- in a marriage or in a church -- you get conflicts. The purpose here is not to avoid conflict, but to learn how to deal with it so that unity might prevail. Unity is the purpose of this passage and the theme of the entire letter (see the key verse: Ephesians 1:10).
Three Commands (4:1-3)
To bring about this unity, Paul delivers three commands:
1. "Live a life worthy of the calling which you have received" (4:1)
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." (4:1)
We've been called to follow Jesus, to be like him. So we are to live our lives in such a way that we bring credit (glory) to him.
I have two big brass belt buckles. The first says, "Praise the Lord." The second says, "Jesus Is Lord." Whenever I wear them I am acutely aware that what I do and say reflects on Jesus. But we don't have to wear belt buckles or T-shirts for our actions to reflect on Jesus. When people know that we are professing Christians they'll be looking at our lives. "Live a life worthy of the calling," admonishes the Apostle. As regards unity, the Master who prayed that we all might be one (John 17:11), expects us to act out that truth in our Christian community. We are called by our Master to be one; let us live a life worthy of that calling.
Verse 1 speaks of the "calling" with which we have been "called." We get our English word "vocation" from Latin vocatio, "summons." The Greek word in our passage is klēsis, "call, calling, invitation to experience of special privilege and responsibility."1 Our calling is a general calling to be disciples, followers of Jesus. This is our "vocation" towards God. The way we "walk" (peripateō, KJV) or "live a life" (NIV), or "lead a life" (NRSV)2 must be "worthy" (axiōs3) of the One who has called us to follow him. Unless we take this seriously, we are just playing at Christianity. (Yes, we fall short at times. Thank God for forgiveness.) But this high calling (Philippians 3:14; KJV) inspires us to our best. And at our best we are to strive for unity with our Christian brothers and sisters.
2. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (4:2)
"Be completely humble (tapeinophrosunē4) and gentle (prautēs5); be patient (makrothumia), bearing with (anechō) one another in love." (4:2)
Jesus himself established humility and gentleness as virtues. He treated people with gentleness while he healed them with God's power. His humility attracted people. "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened," he said, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle (praus) and humble (tapeinos) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29). While we are eager to impress people, he was eager to bless them.
Pride splits churches. People get their toes stepped on, are rubbed the wrong way, don't feel appreciated, and then begin to gossip and complain. To achieve unity we must continually seek humility and gentleness. The desire for power is closely related to pride, and it too infects unwary believers. At the Last Supper the disciples were arguing about which of them would be considered greatest. Jesus told them: "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them .... But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves" (Luke 22:24-26). To underscore this he took a towel and a basin and began to wash their feet as might a lowly slave (John 13:4-5).
"Be completely humble and gentle," commands Paul (vs. 2a). Without these qualities, unity will escape us.
The next two character traits are just as important: "Be patient, bearing with one another in love" (vs. 2b). The King James translation of "patient" (makrothumia6) is "long suffering," and that is often what patience entails: suffering long. We are quick to dispense with annoyances, but Paul says that patience with each other is essential to unity. So is "bearing with (anechō) one another in love."
Have you ever noticed annoying idiosyncrasies in your spouse or your parents or your pastor? Why do they do that?! We want to set them straight and change them. But ingrained habits are difficult to change. We can split and be alone, or we can "bear with each other" and have unity. Yes, God does change people, but we must allow him to be the Changer, and give up the notion that this is our role.
Jesus accepted people, loved them, and his love changed them. Of course, love is at the core of Paul's command, too. "Be patient, bearing with one another in love."
3. "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (4:3)
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (4:3)
Let's look at some of the words in this command.
"Make every effort" (NIV), "endeavoring" (KJV), "being diligent" (NASB) translates Greek spoudazō, "hasten, hurry," then "be zealous or eager, take pains, make every effort, be conscientious."8 This is the same word Paul uses in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God." It indicates zealous effort.
"Maintain" (NRSV) or "keep" (KJV, NIV) the unity is more active than our English translations often indicate. The NASB translation "preserve" captures some of the active idea of Greek tēreō, a military term: "keep watch over, guard; keep, hold, reserve, preserve."9 We are charged to actively guard this unity!
The idea of "bond" here denotes what keeps together a house, a garment, or different members of the physical body: the wooden beams, the fastenings, or the ligaments.10 (See also vs. 16).
This is an earnest and solemn command: "Be very zealous to guard and preserve the unity of the Spirit," the ligaments which hold together the Body in peace.
"Oh, I am breaking the unity for the sake of truth," proclaims one zealous follower. But our zeal needs to be focused on guarding unity. "I am breaking the unity for the sake of pure doctrine," asserts another. But our purity consists of speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and
"Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy or boast ... it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
This doesn't mean that preserving unity is at all easy. We need to be faithful to the truth, to guard the teachings delivered to us from the apostles to pass on to the next generation. We need to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). But we must keep the unity of the Spirit, and we must do it in love. We must! It is a command.
God cause us to repent of our denominational divorces and pride in our own petty righteousness! Forgive us!
Seven Bonds (4:4-5)
"There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (4:4-5)
Seven elements unite us, says Paul:
He urges us to look at the things which unite us, rather than the things that divide us. Sometimes we view the early church through rose-colored glasses. Those were the days! The church was perfect, the saints were wonderful! I just wish I could recreate the New Testament Church! Right. You don't even have to read very carefully to see division:
The early church didn't lack conflict, but they worked hard -- with the apostles' urging -- to preserve, guard, and maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, focusing on the things they did have in common.
One baptism? Don't Christians disagree about baptism? Babies or believers? Sprinkling, pouring, immersion? We do disagree, and it is important to study the scriptures and determine carefully what is right. But baptism is to unite us. "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink" (1 Corinthians 12:13). How can we hold our views of baptism higher than the clear command to guard the unity of faith? We must agree to disagree about some things, but continue to hold love as preeminent, and refuse to break fellowship over these things.
Is there a time to break fellowship? Yes. We see this occasionally in the scripture (1 Corinthians 5:1-2; Revelation 2:14-15; etc.). But it is always the time to seek unity.
Millions Of Unique Giftings (4:7)
"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it."
Once Paul has established the groundwork for the unity of the church, now he goes on to explain the diversity within the body. "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it" (4:7). "Apportioned" (NIV) or "given ... according to the measure" (KJV, NRSV) is comprised of three words, didōmi, "give;" kata, "according to;"11 and metron, "measure," here "the result of measuring, quantity, number."12
The spiritual gifts Christ has given cannot be counted. Oh, they can be classified into types and categories. But look at the variety even then. Billy Graham manifestly has the gift of evangelism. In him this gift works through preaching in mass evangelism settings. But the gift of evangelism also worked through Phillip the evangelist who coupled preaching in villages with miracles and personal witness (Acts 8). Are they both valid? Of course. Does Billy's gift have to be like Phillip's? No.
We serve a God who has created categories of trees -- oaks, pines, palms -- but within these broad categories we see individual species. On our property we have about 800 oak trees in three species: Interior Live Oak (Quercus wislizenii), Valley Oak (Q. lobata), and Blue Oak (Q. douglasii). But when you look carefully, you can see that some of the Live Oaks are probably a cross with the California Black Oak (Q. kelloggii) which thrives at a slightly higher elevation. Besides hybridization we have the effects of soil quality and precipitation. Some of our trees grow well on the sandy loam soil. Others struggle to grow in the crevices of granite outcroppings. Some are tall, others are broader, and still others have long branches, which parallel the ground. In the fall, some trees have wonderfully abundant acorn crops, while others will come ripe another year.
Spiritual gifts are no different. God has made human beings wonderfully diverse.
But spiritual gifts are ... "spiritual," you protest. Talents are "natural." Says who? It is God who has wired us the way we are, and then flooded us with his Spirit. When God is creating, who is to say what is natural and what is spiritual? The result is wonderfully unique and enriching and God-given. How many spiritual gifts are there? Five, nine, nineteen, twenty-six? How about billions!
The Victor Dispensing Gifts (4:8-10)
"This is why it says:
'When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.'
(What does 'he ascended' mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)" (4:8-10)
Paul begins his discussion of spiritual gifts in verse 8 by using the figure of a military victory procession where the conquering general leads the prisoners of war through the streets of the capital and distributes gifts to his subjects from the booty. He quotes Psalm 68:18:
"When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."
If we were to carry though the analogy (and Paul doesn't), the conquering general is the victorious Christ, the captives are perhaps the vanquished spirits of the evil one (Colossians 2:15), and the gifts are spiritual empowerment to build up and perfect his Body, the church.
Verses 9 and 10 are a parenthesis that interprets the word "ascended" in the quotation from Psalm 68:19. Paul sees the ascension as the resurrected Christ's ascension into God's presence in glory, as opposed to his descent from heaven onto the earth in human form to redeem humanity.
A. A call for unity among God's people.
1. (Eph 4:1) The foundation for all exhortation.
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
a. Therefore: Paul spent three chapters spelling out in glorious detail all that God did for us, freely by His grace. Now he brings a call to live rightly, but only after explaining what God did for us.
b. Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called: When we really understand how much God did for us, we will naturally want to serve and obey Him out of gratitude.
2. (Eph. 4:2-3) The character of a worthy walk.
With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
a. With all lowliness and gentleness: A worthy walk before God will be marked by lowliness and gentleness, not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda.
b. Longsuffering, bearing with one another: We need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God's family will not work against God's purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus - illustrated through His current work in the church.
c. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: This humble, forgiving attitude towards each other naturally fulfills this gift of the unity of the Spirit.
iv. Structural unity can even work against true unity of the Spirit. We can perhaps see a purpose God has in preventing a structural unity of the church right now, to keep misdirected efforts of the church (such as ambitions for political power) from fulfillment. "It is not a desirable thing that all Churches should melt into one another and become one; for the complete fusion of all Churches into one ecclesiastical corporation would inevitably produce another form of Popery, since history teaches us that large ecclesiastical bodies grow more or less corrupt as a matter of course. Huge spiritual corporations are, as a whole, the strongholds of tyranny and the refuges of abuse; and it is only a matter of time when they shall break to pieces." (Spurgeon)
v. "For the church fellowship in which the Gentile and Jewish believers were united was no mere enrollment on a register of membership; it involved their union with Christ by faith and therefore their union with each other as fellow-members of his body." (Bruce)
vi. We are confident that this unity is found in Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God. "We want unity in the truth of God through the Spirit of God. This let us seek after; let us live near to Christ, for this is the best way of promoting unity. Divisions in Churches never begin with those full of love to the Savior." (Spurgeon)
3. (Eph. 4:4-6) The description of the unity of the Church.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
a. There is one body and one Spirit: We have unity because of what we share in common. In Jesus we share one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father. Each of these common areas is greater than any potential difference.
b. One baptism: Some think that because Paul says there is one baptism that the idea of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a subsequent experience is invalid. But Paul only spoke here of the baptism by water which is the visible token of God's common work in every believer, and thus a basis of unity. There aren't separate baptisms for Jew and Gentile.
i. The concept of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is spoken of clearly in Matthew 3:11, Acts 1:5 and 11:16. This may be considered an initial (and sometimes dramatic) experience one has with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, a filling God wants to continue through a person's Christian life.
B. The way God works unity: through spiritual gifts of leadership in the church.
1. (Eph. 4:7-10) The giving of spiritual gifts to the church.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." (Now this, "He ascended"; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
c .When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men: Paul did not quote the passage exactly as it appears in Psalm 68. Either he altered it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit or under similar inspiration he quoted from an ancient translation (called a Targum) that quotes the Psalm in this manner.
d. Now this, "He ascended"; what does it mean: In this, Paul demonstrated how the words He ascended in Psalm 68:18 had reference to the resurrection of Jesus, speaking first of His rising from the lower parts of the earth, and secondly of His ascension far above all the heavens.
i. Some think that the phrase lower parts of the earth refers to Jesus' preaching to the spirits in prison described in 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6. While this aspect of Jesus' ministry in Hades following His work on the cross is true (and prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-2 and Luke 4:18), Paul did not necessarily refer to it here.
