something to attain unto, `till we all come' katantao being translated

`attain' in Philippians 3:11, and in Acts 27:12.  This was the goal of a

newly given ministry `apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers'.

These apostles were not those who had been appointed by the Lord while He was

on earth, but were His gifts to the church `when He ascended up far above all

heavens that He might fill all things'.  This specially appointed ministry

had in view:

`The adjusting of the saints (implying a rupture that needed mending,

and so looking back to the dispensational crisis of Acts 28), unto a

work of ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ' (Eph.

This `unity of the faith' is expanded in Ephesians 4:13 as `the

knowledge of the Son of God' and its standard is `a perfect man', its measure

`the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ'.

In the phrase `the perfect man' anthropos is not used, but aner `an

adult male', a word that is translated several times in Ephesians 5 by the

word `husband'.  The word `stature' does not refer so much to feet and inches

as to `full age' as in John 9:21, and this measure is nothing less than `the

fulness of Christ'.  To appreciate this high standard, demands an examination

of the occurrences of `fulness' in these epistles -- a delightful study which

we leave our readers to undertake for themselves.

These are some of the distinctive characteristics of the `One Faith'

which all are called upon to keep inviolate who believe the testimony of the

Lord's prisoner, and share in the blessings of the dispensation of the

When baptism is mentioned it is generally thought of as coming under

two headings, `baptism in water' and `baptism in Spirit', and according to

whether we have appreciated the true character of the Mystery or not, we

shall think of the One Baptism of Ephesians 4:5 as being one or the other of

these two.  As we view the general movement of the Scriptures we discover

that as dispensation succeeds dispensation, as truth is more fully revealed

and understood, so ceremonies and observances grow less and less until at

last we learn that they are all `shadows', but that the `Body' is of Christ.

The Tabernacle with all its glorious typical ritual is spoken of by the

Author of it Himself as standing:

`Only in meats and drinks, and divers washings (baptisms), and carnal

ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation' (Heb. 9:10),

thereby revealing His Own mind as to the value of such ceremonials.

The argument of Colossians 2:14-17 is very similar to the argument of

Hebrews 9:

`Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which

was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross

... Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect

of an holyday ... or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things

to come: but the Body is of Christ'.