As we have seen in the last chapter, 1 Corinthians 3 covers the matters of growth, transformation, and building. The same items can be seen in the book of Ephesians. Ephesians 2:20-22 and 4:12-16 are related to growth, transformation, and building.
The gifted persons mentioned in Ephesians 4:11, the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, are for the perfecting of the saints (v. 12). The gifted persons themselves are not the direct builders of the churches. They are the perfecters, perfecting the saints. As the result of their perfecting work, the saints will be qualified and equipped to function as members of the Body to build the churches directly. Neither the Lord Jesus nor the gifted persons such as the apostles and evangelists build up the churches directly. Rather, the members who have been perfected, that is, equipped and qualified to function, build up the churches directly.
What does it mean to perfect the saints? In my early ministry I thought that perfecting the saints meant to give them some ability or spiritual art, so I trained people in this way. Eventually I learned that this was not the proper training. Ephesians 4:12 speaks of the perfecting of the saints. Verse 13 mentions a full-grown man. Verse 14 speaks of being no longer babes. Verse 15 tells us to grow up into Christ in all things. All of these verses are related to the matter of growth. To perfect the saints means to help them grow into a full-grown man, to be no more babes, and to grow up in all things into Christ. According to the context in Ephesians 4, to perfect the saints is simply to help them to grow. As living members of the Body of Christ, the saints need to grow.
The same is true concerning the human body. When a child is born, he is complete with all his organs. He has ears, eyes, a tongue, lips, and all the other members. It is unnecessary and even impossible to add more organs to a baby; organically speaking, he is complete. Whatever organs the parents have, the baby also has. Still, although he is complete organically, he is not complete in his function and ability. Thus, the baby needs perfecting. To perfect him means to cause him to grow. After growing for a year he will be able to walk. After another period of time, he will begin to speak. He was born with two feet and a mouth, but he lacked the ability to walk and speak. The more he grows, the more he is perfected. In other words, he becomes equipped and qualified. Although the baby has all the necessary organs at birth, he needs the proper amount of growth before the ability of these organs can be manifested. For example, a baby's eyes are not very useful immediately after birth. Although the baby has eyes, their ability to function is limited because of the lack of growth. With the proper growth, the eyes begin to function after a short time. The seeing organ is present at birth, but the seeing ability develops with the growth.
What then does it mean to perfect the saints in the church? It does not mean to add something to them. We should not and in fact cannot do this. Rather, we should help them grow. All of the saints must grow into a full-grown man and no longer be babes. They must grow up into Christ, the Head, in all things.