Ephesians 4:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

NIV: until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

NASB: until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

CSB: until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.

NLT: This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

KJV: 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:

NKJV: till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Church leaders are to equip believers to serve, in order to build up the community of believers (Ephesians 4:12). This verse adds three additional reasons. First, Paul wants believers to live in unity. This unity is based on the essentials of our faith. It does not imply compromising necessary beliefs, or a lack of beliefs.

Second, believers are to grow in "knowledge of the Son of God." The focus of church leaders is preparing Christians to serve others, in practical ways. And yet, knowledge is a critically important part of effective service.

Third, Paul wants every believer to grow in maturity. Obviously, Paul is not referring to biology. Instead, he means spiritual growth, which includes increases in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) and our love for both God and others (Matthew 22:37–40). The end goal is to be "full" of Christ or the "fullness of Christ" (also Ephesians 1:23: 3:19). Paul often wrote of the importance of maturity for believers (1 Corinthians 2:6; 14:20; Philippians 3:15; Colossians 1:28; 4:12). Hebrews 5:14 adds that "solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

Ephesians 4:11–16 discusses both the gift of spiritual leaders and the importance of mature, loving, unified Christianity. Some people are endowed with gifts of teaching, preaching, and so forth. It is crucial to the health of Christian congregations that these members use their God-given talents appropriately. At the same time, different members of a church have different abilities. The community of believers functions best when all of those individual pieces are working together, through their unique roles. A healthy church is far more powerful than a ''big'' church.

Truly understanding saving grace, as Paul explained in prior chapters, is the Christian's first motivation for living a godly life. Here, Paul encourages believers to live in way which honors that gift. All saved Christians are part of a single, unified family, part of the ''body'' of Christ. At the same time, different believers are given different talents. Some are called to positions of leadership and authority. All Christians should turn away from the ''old self'' we were prior to being saved. Paul's explanation of the ''new self'' includes some basic, practical steps.

The first half of Ephesians focuses mostly on doctrine, setting up ideas related to the Christian faith. The last half, beginning in chapter 4, puts those theories into practice. Paul begins by emphasizing the ultimate unity of all Christians, regardless of individual spiritual gifts. Paul also begins to explain how knowledge of the truths should translate into action. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 feature specific, real-world applications of Christianity to daily life.

Ephesians follows a theme common in Paul's writings: connecting theory with practice. In this book, however, he goes into greater depth before making the transition. As a letter meant to be read by more than just the believers at Ephesus, this is an important look at how Christian belief should translate into Christian action. The first three chapters lay out spiritual ideas, the last three chapters show how these truths should be applied in the life of a mature believer. Paul focuses heavily on love, the unity of the Christian church, and the incredible value of our salvation through Christ.