Ephesians 4:12

4:7-16 Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help. All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gifts and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere head knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but such as brings trust and obedience. There is a fulness in Christ, and a measure of that fulness given in the counsel of God to every believer; but we never come to the perfect measure till we come to heaven. God's children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ. The more a man finds himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart.

Ephesians 4:12-13 . For the perfecting — Προς τον καταρτισμον των αγιων ; in order to, or, for the sake of; completing of the saints — Both in number, and in the various branches of true Christianity, namely, in the knowledge of all Christian doctrines, the possession of all Christian graces, the enjoyment of all Christian privileges, the performance of all Christian duties. Now in order to the attainment of these ends, and thereby the completing the Christian character of each individual member of the church, and of all in general, he appointed the sundry officers above named, whether ordinary or extraordinary, (several of the latter having left their writings for the instruction of the faithful in all ages,) for the work of the ministry — The serving of God and his church, in their various ministrations, especially in dispensing the word, administering the ordinances, maintaining Christian discipline, and performing all other ministerial duties. For the edifying of the body of Christ — The building up Christ’s mystical body, in faith, love, and universal holiness: or by ministering to the increase of the graces of such as were already converted, and by the addition of new members to the true church.

Till we all come — Which gifts, offices, and ministrations, are to continue in the church, till every member thereof come to the unity of the faith, and knowledge of the Son of God — To both an exact agreement in the Christian doctrine, and an experimental, practical knowledge, or acknowledgment, of Christ as the Son of God; to a perfect man — To a state of spiritual manhood, both in understanding and strength, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ — Or, to the full measure of his stature, that is, to that maturity of age and spiritual stature, wherein we shall be possessed of his whole mind, and fully conformed to him. But the words εις την ενοτητα της πιστεως , &c., which we translate in the unity of the faith, &c., ought rather to be rendered, to the unity, or union, of the faith, or that union which is the fruit or consequence of the faith, namely, of perfect faith, even the faith spoken of by our Lord in his intercessory prayer, recorded John 17:20-23 , where he says, I pray for them which shall believe on me, that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they may be made perfect in one, that is, may be perfectly united in love to us and one another. The following verses lead us to this meaning of the passage.

{7} For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the {p} body of Christ: (7) He shows the aim of ecclesiastical functions, that is, that by the ministry of men all the saints may so grow up together, that they may make one mystical body of Christ. (p) The Church.

For the perfecting (πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν) Only here in the New Testament. In classical Greek of refitting a ship or setting a bone. The preposition for denotes the ultimate purpose. Ministering and building are means to this end. Hence its emphatic position in the sentence. For perfecting, see on mending, Matthew 4:21; see on perfected, Matthew 21:16; see on Luke 6:40; see on 1 Peter 5:10. Compare 1 Corinthians 1:10; Hebrews 13:21. The radical idea of adjustment is brought out in Ephesians 4:13. For the work of the ministry (εἰς ἔργον διακονίας) Rev., much better, unto the work of ministering. Εἰς unto, marks the immediate purpose of the gift. He gave apostles, etc., unto the work of ministering and building, for the perfecting, etc. The prevailing sense of διακονία ministry, in the New Testament, is spiritual service of an official character. See Acts 1:25; Acts 6:4; Acts 20:24; Romans 11:13; 1 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:5. Edifying (οἰκοδομὴν) Rev., building up. See on Acts 20:32. Notice the combination of perfecting and building. Building defines the nature of the work of ministry, and perfecting comes through a process.

For the perfecting of the saints; either for the restoring and bringing them into right order, who had been, as it were, dissipated, and disjointed by sin: or rather the knitting together and compacting them more and more, both in nearer union to Christ their Head by faith, and to their fellow members by love: see 1 Corinthians 1:10 . For the work of the ministry; or, for the work of dispensation, i.e. for dispensing the word, and all those ordinances which it appertains to them to dispense; and so it implies their whole work. But there may be a trajection in the words, and then this clause is to be read before the former, and the meaning plainly is: For the work of the ministry, which is to perfect the saints, and edify the body of Christ. For the edifying of the body of Christ; the same in effect as perfecting the saints, viz. the building up the church, both in bringing in new members to it, and strengthening those that are brought in already, in faith and holiness.

Ephesians 4:12 . Πρὸς — εἰς — εἰς , to [ad, towards ]— for — for [in, for the end, unto . Engl. Vers. renders all for ]) To this refer, into, unto, unto [as respectively answering to the previous πρὸς , εἰς , εἰς ], in the following verse; although to [ πρὸς , ad, ‘ towards ’], and into [ εἰς , in, ‘unto ,’ or ‘ into ’], somewhat differ, Romans 15:2 .[58] The office of the ministry is denoted in this verse; in the following, the goal which the saints have in view; in Ephesians 4:14-16 , the way of growth; and each of these has three parts, expressed in the same order. There are three paragraphs, divided severally into three parts. The first three parts have a mutual relation; then the second three; lastly, the third; and all without a Chiasmus.— καταρτισμὸν , perfecting [‘aptationem,’ the mutual adaptation ]) This in the greatest degree has the effect of producing unity . [58] Εἰς ἀγαθὸν πρὸς οἰκοδομήν , unto his good, towards edification. The former expressing the internal end in respect to God: the latter, the external end in respect to man.—ED.

12. For—with a view to; the ultimate aim. "Unto." perfecting—The Greek implies correcting in all that is deficient, instructing and completing in number and all parts. for—a different Greek word; the immediate object. Compare Ro 15:2, "Let every one … please his neighbor for his good unto edification." the ministry—Greek, "ministration"; without the article. The office of the ministry is stated in this verse. The good aimed at in respect to the Church (Eph 4:13). The way of growth (Eph 4:14-16). edifying—that is, building up as the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Verse 12. - In order to the perfecting of the saints. The ultimate end for which the gifts bestowed (comp. Hebrews 12:1 ). A work of completion is in hand, which must be fulfilled (see ver. 13): the saints, now compassed about with infirmity, have to be freed from all stain ( Ephesians 5:26, 27 ), and as instruments towards this end, the ministers of the Church are given by Christ; they are not mere promoters of civilization, men of culture planted among the rude, but instruments for advancing men to complete holiness. For the work of the ministry. The preposition is changed from πρὸς to εἰς πρὸς denoting the ultimate end, εἰς the immediate object (comp. Romans 15:2 ); the office of the Church officers is not lords, but διακονοί , servants , as Christ himself was ( Matthew 20:28 ). For the building up of the body of Christ. Bringing bone to its bone and sinew to its sinew, increasing the number of believers, and promoting the spiritual life of each; carrying on all their work as Christ's servants and with a definite eye to the promotion of the great work which he undertook when he came to seek and to save the lost. Ephesians 4:12

(12) For the perfecting . . . —The parallelism of the three clauses of our version of this verse does not exactly correspond to the original, though we notice that Chrysostom supports it, and therefore evidently saw nothing in the Greek to contradict it. The preposition ( eis ) used in the two latter clauses (which should be unto work of ministration, unto edification of the body of Christ ) properly signifies “contact with a thing,” and the preposition ( pros ) used in the first clause, “direction towards a thing.” The two are often apparently interchanged; but in close juxtaposition here can hardly be intended to be identical or exactly parallel; and, if distinction is to be drawn, the former must signify immediate consequence, and the other the remoter object to which such immediate consequence is designed to minister. The construction would be greatly simplified, if inversion of the first two clauses could be allowed. For it would then run, “unto work of ministration with a view to perfecting of saints, unto building up of the body of Christ;” and so would plainly represent the two-fold operation of the ministry: first, its work in its various offices for the perfecting of individual souls; and next, its general direction to the building up of the whole body. But whether this construction be grammatically possible or not, this appears to be in any case the general sense of the passage.

The perfecting of the saints.—The word rendered “perfecting” (akin to the “perfection” of 2Corinthians 13:9) is derived from a root which signifies either to “mend” what is broken (as in Matthew 4:21), or to “complete” what is unfinished (as in Luke 6:40; Romans 9:22); and hence is used spiritually for to “restore” the fallen (Galatians 6:1), or to “perfect” the imperfect Christian (Hebrews 13:21; 1Thessalonians 3:10). Both processes are necessarily implied in that perfection of the individual saints here spoken of, and more fully described in the next verses. The edifying of the body of Christ.—This is that part of the work of the ministry (as in preaching and ministering in public worship) which tells upon the Church or congregation as a whole. It is here represented as subsequent, perhaps as subordinate, to the individual pastoral dealing with souls. But each has his own gift. Some ministries are more blessed to the individual perfecting of the saints; others to the building up of the whole Church.

12 . for the perfecting of the saints , &c.] More lit., with a view to the equipment of the saints for [their] work of service . Latin versions, ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerii . The noun rendered equipment occurs only here in N.T. The kindred verb occurs e.g. Matthew 4:21 (A.V., “ mending nets”); Galatians 6:1 (A.V., “ restore such a one”); Hebrews 13:21 (“make you perfect ”; and so 2 Corinthians 13:11 ; 1 Peter 5:10 ). The idea is of mending a breach, completing a connexion, putting the dislocated in order.—The practical suggestion here is most important. The Divine gift of a Christian Ministry is to have its effect above all things in the fitting of “the saints” (true believers in general) for active “service” for the common Lord. Government, preaching, teaching, is to bear upon this. Nothing will be a more lawful result of a Divine ministerial commission than energetic efforts for Christ and His cause on the part of private Christians. These efforts, on the other hand, will never be made (in the true ideal of Christian work) in neglect or contempt of the ordered ministry. for the edifying of the body ] A special aspect of the “work of service” just mentioned. Each true believer is, by the spiritually enabled ministry, to be “equipped” to act as a “builder up” of the Lord’s Body (on which see above, on Ephesians 4:4 ); to gather in new “living stones,” new “members,” by holy influence of word and work; and to compact and consolidate the cohesion.