I’ve been slightly busy and distracted, so I apologize for just now getting back to the commentary on Ephesians 4:1-16.
4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
It is important to note how one thought builds upon another. Therefore, before we unpack Ephesians 4:13, let us take a moment to refresh our understanding of the Apostle Paul’s train of thought with an outline. Although each verse in this study could stand alone on its own truth, all are connected and work together like a healthy body.
Outline of Ephesians 4:1-12
- “Walk worthy” (4:1-2)
- With humility and patience (v. 2)
- “Endeavoring to keep the unity…” (v. 3)
- There is only one body, Spirit, Lord, faith, baptism, and one God and Father (vs. 4-6)
- But (v. 7)
- Every individual believer is given grace
- According to the measure of the gift of Christ
- That is why David said:
- “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (v. 8)
- Parenthetical if/then statement inserted by Paul (vs. 9-10):
- If Jesus ascended, then He must have first descended
- Jesus descended, and it is He who ascended to “fill all things”
- Parenthetical if/then statement inserted by Paul (vs. 9-10):
- “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (v. 8)
- That is why David said:
- According to the measure of the gift of Christ
- Grace gifts (vs. 11-12)
- Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastor/Teachers
- For the perfecting of the saints
- For the work of the ministry
- For the edifying of the Church
- For the work of the ministry
- For the perfecting of the saints
- Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastor/Teachers
- Every individual believer is given grace
How, then, does this verse (v. 13) follow along in the outline? The first word “Till” picks up right after the prepositional phrase “for the edifying of the Church.” Although the three “for” statements (describing the reason for the gifts of the Apostles, prophets, etc.) fall under the subpoint of “Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastor/Teachers,” notice that each one is a subpoint of the other. Why? Because each one follows the previous and is dependent upon it. Therefore, verse thirteen must follow “for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The outline might continue like this:
- For the edifying of the Church
- Till
- We all [arrive at; reach; attain] the unity of the faith
- [We all arrive at; reach; attain] the knowledge of the Son of God
- Unto a perfect man
- Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ
- Till
Tune in next time for more on Ephesians 4:13.
The Recovering Legalist 