all things is the practical echo of the basic doctrinal fact that has already

been revealed concerning the constitution of the Church of the One Body in

Ephesians 1:22,23.  Not only so, but it is the practical and experimental

echo of the truth revealed in Ephesians 2:21.

`In Whom all the building Fitly Framed Together (sunarmologeo) Groweth

(auxano) unto an holy temple in the Lord'.

The word sunarmologeo is repeated in Ephesians 4:16 where it is

translated `Fitly Joined Together', and the words auxano and auxesis are

found in Ephesians 4:15,16, `may Grow (auxano) up unto Him'; `maketh Increase

(auxesis) of the Body'.

Not only do these words recur, but just as the Church of the One Body

is the fulness of Him that filleth All (ta panta `all these') in all, so this

growth of Ephesians 4:15 is unto Him in All (these) Things (ta panta).  Most

translators supply the preposition `in' before `all things' in order to make

easy reading, and this reading may give the intention of the apostle, namely,

that the Church should grow up into Christ in every particular, in all ways,

in all things.  Nevertheless, the mind returns to the fact that what the

apostle actually wrote was auxesomen eis auton ta panta, which rendered

literally reads, `we may grow into Him the all things'.  This rendering,

while it does not `read' and is not good English, leaves in the mind a

different conception from that of the A.V.  Can it be the apostle intends us

to understand him to mean, that by holding the truth inviolate in love, we

shall be encouraging that growth into Him, which the New Testament speaks of

as ta panta, some specific, blessed totality of glory, in which Christ is now

the summary ta panta Himself, `the all things' in all?  (Col. 3:11),

anticipating the goal of God, when God Himself shall be ta panta en pasin (1

Cor. 15:28 in the Received Text), `the all things in all'?  Before, however,

such words can have their true effect, it becomes necessary that we pause

here, in order to place before the reader, the peculiar usage of the phrase

ta panta, for the phrase `the all things' sounds strange to our ears.

Pas is an adjective, translated either `all' or `every' in the majority

of cases.  The plural panta `all things' is used with or without the article,

and these two forms must be distinguished.  We cannot very well translate ta

panta `the all things' for that has an un -English sound, but a survey of the

usage of these two forms panta and ta panta, may enable us to reach some

agreed rendering that will satisfy every claim, and present a fair

translation of the inspired original.  The two forms are found in Romans 8

and their fitness is easily recognized by reason of the context of each form.

There is a good deal of suffering in Romans 8, induced both by the

failure and frailty of the believer himself, and coming upon him by reason of

his fellowship with Christ, his place in a groaning creation, and the attack

of enemies.  In consequence, he is sometimes at a loss to know `what to pray

for' as he ought, but he does know, in the midst of all life's uncertainty,

that `all things work together for good to them that love God' (Rom. 8:28).

Here `all things' is panta without the article `the' ta, all things whether

good or evil.  Later in the chapter the apostle says:

`He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how

shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?' (Rom. 8:32).

Here `all things' is ta panta, some specific `all things' namely those

things which come under the heading