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highest and best God has to reveal, and even antagonize and misunderstand those who
seek to press on to maturity (Heb. 6: 1).
The word `man' is really `male' and rendered "husbands" in 5: 25. As "husbands" it
is used of Christ in II Cor. 11: 2: "I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ". It would indeed be mixing metaphors to say
that the church which is the Bride, at the same time has its goal to be the perfect
Husband. Yet those who confuse and amalgamate the Body and the Bride do this very
thing, but are unable to see any inconsistency in it! During the Acts period, the Bride
was in formation. With the revelation of the New Man from Paul's prison after
Acts 28:, we have the figure suitably changed to a "full grown male". Spiritually we
are part of the Bridegroom, He the Head and this church His Body, and His members.
"Stature" can mean age as well as height as John 9: 21, 23; Heb. 11: 11 show. It is
another word that indicates full growth. Classical Greek used it of the prime of life.
"Fullness" is one of the great words of Ephesians and Colossians as we have already
shown. In the purpose of God, the Body is already the fullness of Christ (1: 23). Here it
goes on to attain this fullness by its spiritual life and growth in answer to the prayer of
3: 19: "that ye might be filled unto all the fullness of God".
The Apostle now in absolute contrast gives the opposite which must be avoided at all
costs:
"That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error" (4: 14
R.V.).
These are strong words of warning to believers. If such an one will not grow
spiritually, but remains in infancy, then he is an easy prey for Satan and his great system
designated in Scripture as THE LIE. Having no stability in the truth, he eagerly runs
after the latest religious fads. These "winds of doctrine" do not blow by chance. They
are directed by the father of lies and so attractively presented by his dupes that the
spiritual baby clutches at them readily and is completely deceived. There seems to be no
middle or neutral position between truth for the growing believer and the Devil's
deception for the stunted. This is what makes spiritual growth so important and lack of it
so dangerous for the Christian. Verse 15 (R.V.) continues:
"but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things unto Him, which is the Head, even
Christ."
"Speaking the truth" does not adequately represent the word Paul uses here. The R.V.
margin has "dealing truly", which seeks to show that this verb means more than talking
about the truth. It is rather living and acting in truth that the Apostle has in mind. This is
the antidote to the spiritual duplicity of the previous verse. There should be works as
well as words, but both must be "in love". It is possible to put the truth over in a hard
way, to be very correct in doctrine, but to show a complete lack of love in presenting it.
This nullifies its power and spoils its witness. This however will not happen if each