In his letter to the church of Ephesus, Paul draws up a wondrous picture of the diversity and unity that is displayed in the church as they abide in Christ, shining forth the manifold wisdom of God.
Before getting into the details of what that practically looks like though, Paul takes a moment to remind us what will give us enduring perseverance in the great work of fighting for unity in a broken world.
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)