RTCH 500 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY EXEGESIS_RESEARCH_PAPER_EPHESIANS_4___7_16_ASSIGNMENT 2023

INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS 4: 7-16 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is whythe Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts tohis people.” Notice that it says, “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended toour lowly world.  And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all theheavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christgave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Theirresponsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body ofChrist. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’sSon that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by everywind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever,they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more andmore like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit togetherperfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the wholebody is healthy and growing and full of love. (Ephesians 4:7-16, NLT1).THESIS/PURPOSE STATEMENTInitially,   “Exegesis   Research   Paper   Ephesians   4:7-16,”   will   address   the   historical,cultural, and literary contexts of the passage cited.  It will address the passage’s timeframe, theculture present at the time of the writing, and the specific genre and how it compares with therest of Paul’s Epistles.  It will also examine the passage’s importance to the life of the Christianand to the Church, its application(s) and finally, its conclusion.  Ephesians 4:7-16 illustrates howeach church member is gifted in a spiritual manner and how those gifts are meant to be used forthe edification of the Church which is the body of Christ.