The Summation of All Things in Christ

Studies in Ephesians with a Local Church Emphasis

Lesson 89 : One Single Goal of Discipleship  (4:13)

Paul speaks here positively of the goal of Christ having given gifted men to His churches  –  QUALITY RATHER THAN QUANTITY  –  THE GOAL OF A JOURNEY YET TO BE ATTAINED  –  thE LIFE–LONG DISCIPLING OF THE BELIEVER  –  WHILE SOME OF THE OFFICES MAY HAVE BEEN TEMPORARY, THE MINISTRY REMAINS  –  WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER  –  THE FIRST GOAL IS THE UNITY THAT COMES FROM A COMMON FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE  –  THE ‘ALREADY / NOT YET’ TENSION EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THE NT  –  is FAITH here OBJECTIVE OR SUBJECTIVE?  –  GROWING IN OUR PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST  –  ‘of the Son of God,’ ONLY PLACE USED IN EPHESIANS  –  ‘to a perfect man,’ IS PAUL SPEAKING INDIVIDUALLY OR CORPORATELY?  –  COULD PAUL BE REFERRING TO CHRIST?  –  WHILE NOT IGNORING WE MUST EACH GROW INDIVIDUALLY, PAUL’S EMPHASIS HERE IS UPON CORPORATE MATURITY  –  THE STANDARD TO WHICH WE ARE TO ATTAIN  –  Paraphrase of Ephesians 4:1-16