The Perfect man (Ephesians 4:13)

Scripture makes a clear and bold statement: Jesus is the perfect man … and everything is measured against the standard of Christ.

This is a profound reality for the Church (the body of Christ)—for it means that Jesus and His Word is the standard for growth and maturity as the Church. We must be measured against Him.

In this study of Ephesians 4:13, we investigate the primary goal for the body of Christ and discover the only way it is possible to live such an impossible life.

Listen to + Download the Audio Study

Key Passage: Ephesians 4:13

… until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ …
– Ephesians 4:13

The ascended and exalted Jesus gave …

• Ephesians 4:7 – But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
• Ephesians 4:11 – And He Himself gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers …

Why?

• Ephesians 4:12 – … for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ …
  • Equip the saints – to make ready for use … restore to usefulness … putting a thing into the condition in which it ought to be … to set a broken bone … to prepare fully
  • Edify the body of Christ – build up, strengthen, promote growth in the Christian life (from Gk idea to build a house)

How Long?

• Ephesians 4:13 is answering an unasked (but assumed) question: How long will the growth process continue?
• Ephesians 4:13 – … until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ …
  • • Attain/Come (katantaō) – arrive at, reach, come to; to reach a point in time, or a certain state or level
    • • Used in Acts of travelers arriving at their destinations
  • • To (eis) – to/into … used 3x in this verse
    • • to the unity of the faith and the full knowledge of the Son of God
    • • to a mature man
    • • to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ
• Clinton E. Arnold – Paul uses three phrases all beginning with the same preposition (εἰς) to give further expression to this heavenly call. The three phrases should be interpreted as three different aspects of one goal and thus coordinate with one another and not as each one building on the other. This is a goal all believers should pursue (thus, οἱ πάντες) and will reach. It is not something reserved for the clergy or a gifted elite. … In summary, Paul here affirms that Christ gave gifted leaders to the church to help all achieve a high level of spiritual growth. The three aspects of this growth that he emphasizes are a unified set of convictions (especially about Christ), full maturity, and complete Christlikeness. ⁽¹⁾
• Ephesians 1:4 – … just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love …

The Standard (Measurement) of the Christian Life

• Ephesians 4:13 – … until we all attain … to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ …
• STATURE (hēlikia) – maturity, age, life span, time of life, years, bodily stature, of mature age;
  • the social recognition, qualifications, or expectations of a specific age group;  behavior befitting an older age group 
  • Stature – a person’s height, reputation, standing, position, distinction
• The FULLNESS of Jesus is the stature (qualification, expectation, that which is recognized) in us as believers

The Standard of Measurement

• 2 Chronicles 3:3 – Now these are the foundations which Solomon laid for building the house of God. The length in cubits, according to the old standard was sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits.
  • In order to standardize the cubit, it was often measured by the king. It became the official length of the cubit to measure everything against.
• Jesus is the standard of measurement for the Christian life
  • I do not measure my life against culture, history, what is popular, or what I think is right
  • I am measured against the Written & Living Word (He is my standard)
  • God’s standard is the only one that matters in the Christian life. Culturally we are trying to lower the standard of living, especially holy/godly living, yet God’s standard has not changed and we are to grow up in to the full stature of Christ.
• The fullness of my life is to be measured by the fullness of Christ (not a part)
  • Every area of my life is scrutinized/evaluated/measured against the perfect standard of the fullness (completeness) of Jesus
• Ephesians 3:19 – … and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
  • also see Ephesians 1:23

Jesus, The Perfect (Mature) Man

• Ephesians 4:13– … until we all attain … to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ …
• Ephesians 4:13 (NKJV) – till we all come … to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ …
• MATURE (teleios) – perfect, mature, complete, fully developed; finished, brought to its end, full grown; mature development – having reached full natural growth or development
• We are growing up (maturing) … measured against the standard of the perfect man
  • Ephesians 4:15– … we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ …
    • The body (Church) must come into alignment with the perfection of the head (Jesus)
• 1. Growth and maturity is less about age and more to do with the internal reality (stature)
  • You can be 50 and immature and you can be 16 and quite mature
• 2. Maturity is not about “arrival” … but an endless frontier of ever-increasing growth and maturity
  • even mature body parts must continually be exercised and “matured” to stay fit and useful
  • even when you reach maturity (adult) your muscles need exercise or they atrophy and become weak (not perfect/mature)
  • when you become an adult you don’t sit and wait to die, there is an ever increasing of wisdom, of experience, of maturing as an adult
• 3. We have everything we need for life and godliness but we need to grow into it
  • 2 Peter 1:3–4 – … seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature …
  • A child has been given everything to mow the law, run a marathon, or cook a gourmet meal … but they need to mature and grow up into it
  • Just because you’ve been given everything you need doesn’t mean you are living it
• Colossians 1:28– Him we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete [mature, perfect] in Christ.
  • v13: the height of the stature of Christ is to be the stature of my life
  • Phil 2.5: the mind of Christ is to be my mind (His attitude and life)
  • v15: grow up in all things (every area and place in our lives) into Him

How? How are we going to live the life of Christ in our daily lives?

• 1 Peter 2:21– For to this you have been called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps …
  • Not mimic (WWJD) but the indwelling life
  • Not imitation but impartation
• 1 John 4:9– By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17– Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
  • We are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) and the new measurement of our lives and maturity is no longer the same as our old life (world) but by the new creation (Christ Himself) … THE (ultimate) picture of maturity is Jesus

2 Questions

1. Can I get to know Jesus and His Word so well that I am intimately aware of the standard — what the Christian life looks like? 

• if I don’t know what the standard looks like, how will I ever live it
• Deuteronomy 6:5 – You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
  • Do I love Him with all that I am and all that I have?
• Romans 13:12–14 – The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

2. Will I freshly surrender my life to the Living God and allow Him to scrutinize every area (actions, attitude, thoughts, motives) and see if there is anything that doesn’t measure up to the standard?

• Psalm 139:1–3 – O Yahweh, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
• Psalm 139:23–24– Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

FOOTNOTES

(1) Clinton E. Arnold, Ephesians, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 264, 266.
Photo Credit: Kevin Carden

---

Join the Conversation

Question: How would you answer the two questions above?

» Leave a response below the video on YouTube …

The difficulty with podcasts is that they are typically one-sided—so I encourage you to head over to the deeperChristian YouTube page and leave a comment on the video study to join in the conversation.

---

In Our Next Study Together …

I invite you to join me on this journey from the book of Ephesians to discover God’s eternal purpose, His plan for your life, and learn how to practically live out an abundant and fruitful Christian life. 

• The focus of our next study: Ephesians 4:13
  • We are going to continue to discuss Ephesians 4:13 and examine the one goal and focus of the church.
  • I encourage you to read through Ephesians a couple of times this week and focus specifically on Ephesians 4.