"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."
After talking about the unity Christians share, Paul turns our attention to something else. While we all belong to the same body, God has not made us all exactly alike.
Verse 7 says that grace is given to each believer according to the measure of Christ's gift. In other words, Christ gives to each person as He chooses. Some serve in one way, some in another. Some are able to teach, encourage, organize, give, lead, or help behind the scenes.
That can be easy to forget. Sometimes we compare ourselves with other Christians and wonder why we aren't more like them. But Christ never asked us to be someone else. He gives what He gives on purpose.
"When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."
Paul quotes from Psalm 68 to remind us that Jesus is the victorious King.
After His death and resurrection, Christ ascended to heaven. He defeated sin, death, and the grave. Now He gives gifts to His people.
When we come to verse 11, we'll see some of those gifts more clearly. For now, it is enough to notice where they come from. Whatever ability we have to serve the Lord did not begin with us. It came from Christ.
"(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?...)"
Before Jesus ascended, He first came down.
The Son of God entered this world, lived among ordinary people, suffered, died for our sins, and rose again. The same Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Galilee is now exalted in heaven.
Paul seems to be drawing our attention to that simple fact. The One who gives these gifts is not distant from us. He knows what it is like to live in this world. He came down before He went up.
What's the takeaway?
The church is united, but that doesn't mean every Christian serves in the same way.
Christ gives different gifts to different people, and He does so wisely. That means we don't need to compete with one another or measure our usefulness by someone else's abilities.
Whatever grace, opportunity, or ability we have comes from Him. Our part is simply to use what He has given and leave the measuring to Christ.
