The best way to answer this question is to let the text speak for itself. It says:

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.Ephesians 4:7

In our last post we explored the phrase “But to each one of us.” In this post we will dig into the phrase grace has been given.

Grace has been given… to us

Let’s first notice that beginning with vs 7, Paul suddenly includes himself in the discussion. He moves from “I urge you…” in 4:1 to “But to each one of us…” in 4:7. This subtle move from “you” to “us” let’s us know that Paul is now shifting to a topic that he sees encompassing more than just the people he is writing to.

This grace that has been measured out by Christ has been received by both Paul and his audience, giving it a somewhat universal dynamic that scales across whatever systems of classifications Paul or his audience may have been using to differentiate ranks and roles among themselves, whether it be Jew-Gentile, circumcised-uncircumcised, male-female, husband-wife, mature-immature, leader-follower, master-servant etc. Paul says this grace has been given to each one of us, which means it cuts across all categories – real or imagined.

The meaning of grace

And what is this “grace” that has been measured out to “each one of us”? It may help to first identify what the word “grace” means. According to the Anchor Bible Dictionary, the word “grace” has multiple, nuanced meanings. But in general, it conveys the idea of empowerment, assistance, or support. To give someone “grace” means you invest, add, or supply a particular resource to a particular need. Grace enables someone to be, do, become, or have something they could not be, do, become, or have on their own.

The grace that doesn’t “save”

The “grace” Paul is referring to in vs 7 is not the “grace” of salvation in Christ (2:8-10). How do we know? Because the “grace” in vs 7 has been given in different measures, whereas the “grace” of salvation in Christ is given in equal measure to everyone in Christ. This means there is something about the “grace” measured out to each one of us in 4:7 that is different from the “grace” that “saves” us.

The grace that empowers

So what does this “grace” empower us to do? In short, this “grace” empowers us to participate in the mystery of Christ. Paul summarizes that mystery in 1:10 as God’s gathering together into one all things – both in heaven and on earth – in Christ.

A close reading of Ephesians 4:7-16 reveals two primary ways this “grace” empowers us to participate with God in gathering gathering all things up into the head – Christ. The first way this grace empowers us is by releasing us to become the person God created us to be. When Christ ascended up out of the realm of the dead, and far above the highest heavens, he led captivity captive. Paul says the giving of APEST is directly linked with Christ’s victory over death and demonic forces. In short, through our participation in Christ, we begin to share in his victory over those same forces, setting us free to reach the fullness of our humanity in him.

The second way this grace empowers us is through the equipping that each APEST gifting provides, resulting in each member of the body growing “up” into the head – Christ (4:12-16). The imagery Paul gives us is a movement of empowerment that begins first in Christ, and is then worked out in and through each member of the body as we receive the “grace” given to us by Christ in each others gifts.

The grace given to Paul…

It is interesting to note that the words grace, given, and gift, in 4:7 are the same words Paul uses to describe how God had given him a gift of grace to evangelize and proclaim the riches of Christ among the Gentiles in 3:7-8. Notice the similar language between these two passages in the table below.

In nerdy theological speak, Ephesians 3:7-8 is Ephesians 4:7 writ large. In other words, in 3:7-8 Paul zooms in on his own life and offers a more detailed explanation of what it looks like when someone is given a gift of grace to empower their participation in the mystery of Christ. In Paul’s case, this gift of grace had given him the opportunity and empowerment to steward God’s boundary crossing mission of evangelizing the Gentiles so they can partake of God’s promise in Christ through the gospel, advancing God’s eternal purpose. Through his apostolic ministry to the nations, Paul was actively participating with God in gathering up all things together in Christ (1:10; 3:10-12).

…and us too

With Paul having already described how God graced him with the gift of participating in the mystery of Christ in 3:7-8, in 4:7ff he turns to his audience and essentially says, “Yes, it’s true. I have received a grace and gift to participate in the mystery of Christ…but I am not the only one who has received this kind of grace and gifting… Christ has given this same grace and gifting to each one of us, but in different measures. Each one of us have been uniquely empowered to participate in the mystery of Christ, and here’s how it works…”

Participating in the Mystery of Christ

The grace that Christ measures out to each one of us uniquely empowers us, through our respective APEST giftings, to actively participate in the mystery of Christ. This happens, not just through the more complex process of equipping between the various giftings – apostles equipping the body to function apostolically etc. – but also through the more simple process of us learning to exercise our own APEST giftings. For example, when Paul speaks about his own participation in the mystery of Christ (3:1-12), he doesn’t speak about how many people he has equipped to function with the skills and sensibilities of the apostolic function. No, his primary focus is on his own personal activity of evangelizing and proclaiming the riches of Christ among the Gentiles. For Paul, one of the ways we participate in the mystery of Christ is by simply exercising the APEST giftings Christ has given us.

If we were to sketch out what it looks like for each APEST giftingto participate in the mystery of Christ, it would look something like this:

Apostles participate in the mystery of Christ by Starting and Scaling new expressions of the church

Prophets participate in the mystery of Christ by Revealing God’s heart and Reforming our communities to align with it

Evangelists participate in the mystery of Christ by Promoting the gospel and Persuading people to respond to it in faith

Shepherds participate in the mystery of Christ by Protecting God’s people from harm and Providing for their needs

Teachers participate in the mystery of Christ by Explaining the truth of God and Training others how to apply it in practical ways

Each one of these APEST functions uniquely contributes to the advancement of God’s eternal purpose of gathering all things into one, in Christ – the head. When we create space for each one of us to exercise our APEST giftings, we are creating space for God to accomplish his eternal purpose in and through the body of Christ.

Summing It Up

If we follow Paul’s logic from Ephesians 1:10, to 3:1-12, to 4:7-16, we see that God’s eternal purpose of gathering “up” all things into one – in heaven and on earth – in Christ, is something he empowers each one of us to participate in (not just a few select leaders). The more we explore ways to activate and apply APEST in our context, the more we will see the mystery of Christ being worked out in the most surprising ways.

Awareness

How does seeing APEST as Christ empowering us to participate with God in advancing the mystery of Christ change the way you see APEST?

What does it mean that Ephesians 3:7-8 is Ephesians 4:7 writ large?

When given the opportunity, which APEST gifting do you tend to enjoy exercising the most? Why?