Two words, "ascended" and "gave," are taken up by Paul from his citation of Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8, and are used to structure his exposition of the spiritual gifts. Accenting the unity of the person and work of the one who first descended and ascended in vv9-10, Paul states that the purpose of Christ's ascension far above all heavens, was that He might "fill all things." That purpose of "filling" is an Old Testament way of speaking about exercising sovereign rule, which in this case means that Christ' ascended to exercise kingly rule over all things. In v11 Paul takes up the word "gave" and unfolds a series of 4 "word gifts" the ascended Christ poured out on his church as an act manifesting his sovereign supremacy. The connection of ideas in these three verses highlights the fact that Christ as mediatorial king established the teaching office in the church and that He, based on his supreme authority and wisdom, made it foundational to the proper order, health, and spiritual vitality of the Church.
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