In Ephesians 4:13 Paul goes on to say, “Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The oneness of the Spirit in Ephesians 4:3 is the oneness of the divine life in reality, whereas the oneness in verse 13 is the oneness of our living in practicality. We already have the oneness of the divine life in reality. We only need to keep it. However, we need to go on until we arrive at the oneness of our living in practicality. This aspect of oneness is of two things: the faith and the full knowledge of the Son of God. The faith here refers not to our act of believing but to the things we believe in, such as the divine person and the redemptive work of Christ for our salvation. The full knowledge of the Son of God is the realization of the revelation concerning the Son of God for our experience. The more we grow in life, the more we shall cleave to the faith and to the realization of Christ, and the more we shall drop all the minor and meaner doctrinal concepts which cause divisions. Then we shall arrive at, or attain to, the practical oneness; that is to say, we shall arrive at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. A full-grown man is a mature man. Such maturity in life is needed for the practical oneness.

The fullness of Christ is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:23), which has the stature with the measure. To arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ is also a necessity for the practical oneness. Hence, from the oneness of reality to the oneness of practicality we need to proceed onward until we arrive at the three things mentioned in this verse.

The fullness of Christ is simply the expression of Christ. As Christ’s fullness, the Body is Christ’s expression. Christ’s fullness, the Body, has a stature, and with this stature there is a certain measure. Hence, 4:13 speaks of the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

To arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ is to arrive at the full building up of the Body of Christ. It is to arrive at the full completion of the building up of the Body.

In verses 14 and 15 Paul says, “That we may be no longer babes tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error; but holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.” “Babes” refers to those believers who are young in Christ, lacking maturity in life (1 Cor. 3:1). To be no longer babes we need to grow up into Christ. This is to have Christ increase in us in all things until we attain to a full-grown man.

The word “Head” in verse 15 indicates that our growth in life with Christ should be the growth of the members in the Body under the Head. This means that our growth must be in the Body. In order to grow into the Head, we must surely be in the Body.

In verse 16 Paul continues, “Out from whom all the Body, fitted and knit together through every joint of the supply, according to the operation in measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” Our growth in life is to grow into the Head, Christ, but our function in the Body is to function out from Him. First, we grow up into the Head. Then we have something which is out from the Head.

In this verse “every joint of the supply” refers to the four special gifts mentioned in verse 11. The article before the Greek word translated “supply” is emphatic. It indicates that the supply should be a particular supply, the supply of Christ. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers have the supply, the particular supply. Nevertheless, the Body is built up “according to the operation in measure of each one part.” “Each one part” refers to every member of the Body. Although the special gifts have the supply, the Body is not built up directly by the four special gifts. The Body is built up directly by all the members of the Body.
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