Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:13-The Structure of Ephesians 4:13

Ephesians 4:7 Now, however, to each one of us grace was given corresponding to the incomparable Christ’s proportionate gracious giving. 8 Therefore, it says, “When he ascended to the highest place, he captured captives. He generously gave gifts to certain members of the human race.” 9 In other words, what is the meaning of the statement, “he ascended?” Namely that, he also descended into the lower regions, which are part of the earth? 10 He, the very one who has descended is the one who also has ascended above each and every one of the heavens in order that He would enter into the state of bringing to completion each and every animate and inanimate object. 11 Therefore, on the one hand, He Himself generously gave some to be apostles but on other hand, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors, specifically, teachers 12 for the purpose of equipping the saints for performing the work of service in order to ultimately build up the members of Christ’s body 13 until each and every one of us as a corporate unit attains to experiencing the unity produced by obedience to the one and only Christian faith. Correspondingly, until all of us without exception attains to the unity produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son. Until each and every one of us as a corporate unit attains to experiencing a mature man. Until all of us without exception attains to experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character. (Lecturer’s translation)

Ephesians 4:13 is composed of four indefinite temporal clauses with the first being explicit and the last three being elliptical and thus implied.

The first of these clauses is composed of the expression mechri katantēsōmen hoi pantes eis tēn henotēta tēs pisteōs (μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως), “until each one of us as a corporate unit attains to experiencing the unity produced by the one and only Christian faith.”

The second is elliptical because the expression mechri katantēsōmen hoi pantes eis tēn henotēta (μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα), “until all of us without exception attains to experiencing the unity” is omitted but implied.

It would go before the expression tēs epignōseōs tou huiou tou theou (τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ), “produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son.”

The third is also elliptical because it omits the expression mechri katantēsōmen hoi pantes (μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες), “until each one of us as a corporate unit attains” though it is implied.

It would go before the prepositional phrase eis andra teleion (εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον), “to experiencing a mature man.”

The fourth is also elliptical because it too omits the expression mechri katantēsōmen hoi pantes (μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες), “until all of us without exception attains to” though it is implied.

It would go before the prepositional phrase eis metron hēlikias tou plērōmatos tou Christou (εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ), “experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character.”

As we noted in our study of Ephesians 4:11 and 12, only the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching are in view with the contents of Ephesians 4:12-13 because the function of these gifts is to benefit the church while on other hand, the gift of evangelism is to benefit the unregenerate.

The gifts of apostleship and prophecy are no longer extant because the last apostle John died at the end of the first century and the New Testament canon closed at the end of the first century.

Thus, since the end of the first century A.D. the gift of teaching alone has been and continued to be used by the Lord to produce this unity experientially among the members of the body of Christ.

Therefore, the first indefinite temporal clause asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ gave the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching for equipping the saints for performing the work of service in order to build up the members of Christ’s body “until each and every member of that body attains to the unity produced by obedience to the one and only Christian faith.”

The second asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ gave the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching for equipping the saints for performing the work of service in order to build up the members of Christ’s body “until each member attains to the unity produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son.”

It corresponds to the first because not only is unity experienced between believers by obedience to the Christian faith but also an experiential knowledge of God’s Son is accomplished by the same means.

The third asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ gave the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching for equipping the saints for performing the work of service in order to build up the members of Christ’s body “until each member attains to a mature man.”

The fourth and final indefinite temporal clause asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ gave the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching for equipping the saints for performing the work of service in order to build up the members of Christ’s body “until each and every member of that body attains to experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character.”

This fourth and final indefinite temporal clause actually explains in greater detail the third indefinite temporal clause in that it defines attaining to a mature man as to experience proportionately the full stature of Jesus Christ’s holy character.

Now, the subjunctive mood of the verb katantaō (καταντάω) is employed with the improper preposition mechri (μέχρι) in order to form an indefinite temporal clause.

This type of clause indicates future contingency from the perspective of the main verb, which is the third person singular aorist passive indicative conjugation of the verb didōmi (δίδωμι), “he gave,” which appears in Ephesians 4:11.

The three prepositional phrases in Ephesians 4:12 are also related to this verb and are presenting the purpose of the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching listed in Ephesians 4:11.

These four indefinite temporal clauses are not only expressing a future contingency from the perspective of the Lord giving of the communication gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching but they are also presenting the result of the function of these gifts.

As we noted, Ephesians 4:12 teaches that the function of these gifts is to equip the saints in order that the saints would have the capacity to perform the work of Christian service in order to build up the members of the body of Christ.

In relation to the first indefinite temporal clause, Paul teaches that unity experientially produced by obedience to the Christian faith in the future is contingent upon the function of the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching and will be the result of the function of these gifts.

In relation to the second indefinite temporal clause, he teaches the unity produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son in the future is also contingent upon the function of these gifts and will be the result of the function of these gifts.

As we noted, the first and second correspond to each other because experiencing unity and possessing an experiential knowledge of God’s Son is contingent upon the Christian faith as it is communicated by those with the gifts of apostleship, prophecy and teaching.

Also, in order to possess an experiential knowledge of God’s Son, the believer must learn and obey the Christian faith, which communicates to the believer the significance of the person of the incarnate Son of God as well as the significance of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

In relation to the third indefinite temporal clause, Paul teaches that individual members of the body of Christ attaining to a mature man in the future is also contingent upon the function of these three gifts and will be result of the function of these gifts.

Lastly, in relation to the fourth indefinite temporal clause, Paul teaches that each member of the body of Christ attaining to experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character in the future is contingent upon the function of these three gifts and will be result of the function of these gifts.