Ephesians 4.13-Interpretative Issues with Ephesians 4.13
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 25, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:13-Interpretative Issues with Ephesians 4:13
Lesson # 233
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.
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, there is another very important interpretative issue with the four prepositional phrases in Ephesians 4:13, which are:
(1) eis tēn henotēta tēs pisteōs kai tēs epignōseōs tou huiou tou theou (μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ), “until each one of us as a corporate unit attains to the unity produced by the one and only Christian faith correspondingly.”
(2) eis tēn henotēta…tēs epignōseōs tou huiou tou theou (εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα…τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ), “to the unity produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son.”
(3) eis andra teleion (εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον), “to a mature man.”
(4) 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.”
Most expositors interpret the use of the preposition eis (εἰς) as a marker of purpose in each of these three instances it occurs in Ephesians 4:13.
Specifically, that they mark the ultimate goal of the Lord Jesus Christ giving 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.
Therefore, this interpretation would indicate that the Lord 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 ultimate purpose of” the unity produced by obedience to the one and only Christian faith.
It would also indicate that the Lord gave these three communication gifts 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 ultimate purpose of” the unity produced by an experiential knowledge of God’s Son.
Furthermore, this interpretation would indicate that the Lord gave these communication gifts 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 ultimate purpose of” being a mature man.
Lastly, it would indicate that the Lord gave these gifts 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 ultimate purpose of” experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character.
However, I interpret the preposition eis (εἰς) as a marker of experiencing a particular state or condition in each of the three instances the word occurs in Ephesians 4:13.
The first time this preposition was used, its object was the noun henotēs (ἑνότης), “the unity” which expresses the idea of each member of the Christian community “existing in the state of” experiencing the unity, which is produced by their obedience to the Christian faith.
The second time it was used its object was the noun anēr (ἀνήρ), “man” which expresses the idea of each member of the Christian community “existing in the state of” experiencing spiritual maturity or in other words, mature Christ-likeness.
When the preposition is used a third and final time in this verse, its object is the noun metron (μέτρον), which expresses the idea of each member of the Christian community “existing in the state or” experiencing proportionately to the full stature of the one and only Christ’s character.
This interpretation is supported by the fact that 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.
As we noted, this verb is connected to the three prepositional phrases that compose Ephesians 4:12.
Therefore, the four indefinite temporal clauses we noted are presenting 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 resultant state brought about by the function of these gifts.
Therefore, each use of the preposition eis (εἰς) in Ephesians 4:13 could not be as a marker of an ultimate purpose.
This is indicated by the fact that the indefinite temporal clause indicates that the accomplishment of unity and spiritual maturity are all contingent upon the function of these three gifts and will be resultant state of the function of these gifts.
In fact, attaining to the unity produced by obedience to the Christian faith and possessing an experiential knowledge of God’s Son as well as being spiritually mature are also states or conditions.
Also, the verb katantaō (καταντάω) pertains to attaining or achieving a particular state or condition implying the reaching of a particular goal.
Thus, this expresses the idea of members of the body of Christ “attaining to the state or condition of” experiencing the unity produced by obedience to the Christian faith.
It also would express the idea of “attaining to the state or condition of” possessing an experiential knowledge of God’s Son.
It would express the idea of “attaining to the state or condition of” being spiritually mature.
Lastly, purpose emphasizes the intention of the action or design while on the other hand, result emphasizes the end of the action or what the action accomplishes.
This coincides with the verb katantaō (καταντάω), which we noted pertains to attaining or achieving a particular state or condition implying the reaching of a particular goal.
Thus, it is better to view the preposition eis (εἰς) as a marker of resultant state or experiencing a particular state in each instance that it occurs in Ephesians 4:13.
