Question:

Can you please give me a little explanation about Ephesians 4:7-9?

Answer:

The wording in this passage is a bit obscure. I will have to admit it
would be easy to get confused about what Paul is talking about. What he
is talking about is the gifts God has given us. Let me give you a cross
reference. It is 1 Peter 4:10. We should use whatever gift God has given
us to serve the needs of the church. That is what Paul is talking about
in Ephesians 4:7-9. God has distributed various gifts throughout the
church. The quote from Psalms is a reminder from the Old Testament that
God pours out gifts to those he has saved (the captives in his train).
The reference to descending and ascending is quite obscure, I will have to
admit. In verse 9-10 Paul is explaining the phrase ascended, used in the
Psalms passage. The reference to ascending in Psalms means that God first
had to descend (ie come to the earth where we are) and later to ascend
back to heaven with God. The point is that now that Jesus is ascended
with God, he is not leaving us alone. Instead, he is lavishing gifts on
us which allow us to serve God?s church. Again, he is talking, in
context, about the many gifts that Jesus gives us so that we can serve in
various roles in the church, such as evangelist, pastor, teacher, deacon
and so forth.

I hope this is sufficient.

John Oakes