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Lord and His great age purpose are placed before us as our standard and our goal. Should
it appear strange thus to link together Christ and ta panta, we should remember
Col. 3: 11 which says, "ta panta kai en pasin Christos", "the all things and in all things
(is) Christ". When the scriptural term is understood the sense of strangeness will vanish
as we realize how truly the Lord Jesus Christ takes the all things of this mighty purpose
into Himself.
To complete the thought of this verse we need to remember one further truth.
Running together down the ages are two mysteries. The mystery of godliness,
culminating in the exaltation of Jesus Christ as Lord, and the mystery of iniquity,
culminating in the man of sin setting himself up as God. In Eph. 4: 4 is the mystery of
iniquity, "the systematized deception". In Eph. 4: 15 is the mystery of godliness, with
Christ as Head over all things to His church, as He will yet be in heaven and earth to the
glory of God the Father.
What an incentive to "grow in grace", may it not be lost upon us.
(Mystery15, pp.49-52).
Things that make for Growth
(4: 16).
(Mystery15, pp.52-56)
We now come to the central reference to the "body" in Ephesians. In Volume VIII
we gave the structure of the seven references. We repeat it here for the sake of new
readers:--
A
| a | 1: 23. The Body. Christ the Head.
b | 4: 4. The Unity. Christ the one Lord.
B | 4: 12. Gifts for the building.
C | 4: 16. Unity. "Fitly joined together."
B | 4: 16. Each member for the increase.
A | a | 5: 23. The Body. Christ the Head and Saviour.
b | 5: 30. The Unity. The church the members.
Central place is given to the unity of the body "fitly joined together". The subject is
evidently of great importance, judging from its place in the epistle.
We have drawn attention before to the fact that the "Body" in the practical section
echoes the "Temple" in the doctrinal section. A glance at the structure above will show
that there is only one reference in the doctrinal portion to the Body, the remaining six
being found in chapters 4: and 5: The Body aspect of the church is essentially practical,
and unity is its very life.
"Out of Whom all the Body being fitly framed and knit together through that which
every joint supplieth, according to the working in measure of each several part, the
growth of the body is making unto the building up of itself in love" (Eph. 4: 16).