Reach-Strive-Attain

Ephesians 4:13

The focus today is on verse 13, as it gives purpose to the latter part of verse 12,"...building up the body of Christ.."

We are given gifts, through the Holy Spirit, according to the measure and the will of Christ. We use these gifts to engage the world for Christ and thereby give increase, as well as to strengthen one another. This is the short explanation of verse 12. But what does it mean to "...build up the Body of Christ..."? The question is answered in verse 13 of Ephesians 4:

"until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God - a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ's full stature. " The NET Bible (http://net.bible.org/#!bible/Ephesians+4:13)

μεχρι καταντησωμεν οι παντες εις την ενοτητα της πιστεως και της επιγνωσεως του υιου του θεου εις ανδρα τελειον εις μετρον ηλικιας του πληρωματος του χριστου WHNU

"until we all might attain into a unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, into a complete man, in a measure of maturity of the fullness of Christ" MP (my translation of the Greek)

There are three prepositional phrases in this verse, and each one begins with the "dynamic" "in", the Greek proposition εις. Why do I say "dynamic"? This form of "in" requires the accusative form of the noun, implying motion. The "at rest" form of "in" for Greek is εν, which requires the dative form of the noun. An analogy of the English language could be "He is sitting in the room", for which the Greeks would use εν and the dative, as opposed to "He is going in the room", for which the Greeks would use εις with the accusative.

Each prepositional phrase in verse 13 has the believers moving toward a goal, a goal which also, in the abstract, will require their immersion in that goal ("in" still means "into" something).

Goal one: a unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God

Our spiritual gifts, our calling into specific offices of the Body, these should bring the outcome of unity in faith, a harmony of belief and believers. The exercise of these gifts and offices should continue to increase our intimate knowledge of Christ.

Goal two: a complete man

As we learn, exercise our faith, and strive in our faith, through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we should become "a complete man". That is, our weaknesses are brought under control, our strengths are checked, we develop balance and skill in all areas of ministry, and we grow in our intimacy with Christ.

Goal three: a measure of maturity of the fullness of Christ

It is expected that part of what we attain is the likeness of Christ, through Him working within us. The idea here is that we are maturing, progressing, becoming more immersed in the fullness of Christ, and thereby reflect an increasing portion of Him in us.

Keep reaching, keep striving, keep attaining... and unto Him be all the glory.

Mend, Equip, Complete

Ephesians 4:11-12

The next two verses should be read carefully by the believer. Upon contemplative meditation on these verses, it is my hope you will see what the broader opportunities and responsibilities of every saint.

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 for the complete instruction of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of the Christ,... Anderson (HT Anderson New Testament, 1864)

11 και αυτος εδωκεν τους μεν αποστολους τους δε προφητας τους δε ευαγγελιστας τους δε ποιμενας και διδασκαλους 12 προς τον καταρτισμον των αγιων εις εργον διακονιας εις οικοδομην του σωματος του χριστου WHNU

Now we get to the gist of this section, as outlined in verse 7: "And to each of us grace is given, according to the measure of the gift of the Messiah. Murdock". We see an outline not of gifts, but of offices within the body.

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

The list of verse 11, every thing that "he himself gave" was not a thing, but persons, and this is very clear from the gender of the Greek. These are all in the masculine form, with the article, and plural, pointing to the fact that the list represents people, not gifts themselves. Had the list been about gifts, as in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, the nouns would have taken the feminine form. Of course, such subtleties get lost in the English translation, and give rise to errors in understanding. To be sure, αυτος εδωκεν τους μεν αποστολους τους δε προφητας τους δε ευαγγελιστας τους δε ποιμενας και διδασκαλους points to the fact that Jesus Christ is the One who gave the Body apostles (those who are sent), prophets (those who speak the word of God), evangelists (those whose ministry is predominately proclaiming the Gospel), shepherds) pastors, caretakers of the saints), and teachers (those who instruct in the Way). It is reasonable to presume that each of these people have been gifted by the Holy Spirit to operate in the office Christ Himself has chosen to give them. But this is not the end, it is a means to the end...

12 for the complete instruction of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of the Christ,

And the end is simply and clearly stated in verse 12: προς τον καταρτισμον των αγιων εις εργον διακονιας εις οικοδομην του σωματος του χριστου "toward the mending, equipping, completing of the saints into the work of ministry into the building up of the body of Christ MP". That which I have translated "mending, equipping, completing" is the three-fold meaning of the noun καταρτισμον (accusative form). The preposition which introduces the noun is προς , which means "toward, with, aligned with" which strengthens the idea which is to follow: that those who have been called into the aforementioned offices are to use that which they have been given not as a solo ministry, but "mending, equipping, completing" the saints in each of these areas, so that the saints themselves carry out the work of the ministry, and in doing so also strengthens and builds up (in quality and number) the Body of Christ.

You see, we do not fight wars with generals or specialists; rather, we use such people to prepare each member of the army: soldiers learn to shoot accurately from a specialist in sharpshooting; they learn about the use of explosives from experts in demolition,; they learn about field triage from specialists in combat medicine -- each soldier is expected to develop proficiency in all areas. In the same way, Christ has given specialists to the Body, those gifted in certain areas -- not so they might operate alone or direction operations of the sort in their own name -- to mend, equip, and complete each saint so that each saint is prepared to operate in any of these areas as the Lord calls and gives opportunity. So, you are not gifted (by the Holy Spirit) in evangelism -- you are still expected to evangelize. So, you are not gifted in teaching, you are expected to be able to teach. So, you are not gifted in shepherding, you are expected to care for the saints. Get the picture? Before the church-state of the 4th century, this was well understood. Who started the church in Antioch? Rome? Carthage? No one knows! They were planted by believers who understood Ephesians 4:11-12. How do I know? Look up Acts 8:4. They understood.

I will let you apply these verses to the way our "organized" churches operate today. But I will ask you this: the Scripture is very clear that these offices were given to the ekklesia so that each member of the Body could be well-prepared to carry out the work of the ministry no matter where they were, and to be ready when God provided opportunity. Look at your skill sets as a Christian: have you prepared yourself for anything, any ministry, as He calls?

Grace and peace to you.