What are we supposed to do until we all come to the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13)?

Before the Canon of Scripture was completed, there were prophets; and when the assembly of God was gathered together, the prophets could speak two or three, by course (1 Cor. 14). And why were the prophets given? Because the Canon of Scripture was not completed. Now that it is completed, we have not such gifts. The apostles and prophets are at the bottom of the building. The foundation stones of your buildings are not put in the middle; they are put at the bottom. The apostles and prophets are the foundation — the Church began with them — Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. I mention these things because there are some calling themselves Christians, who tell us they have the power to appoint apostles. They must be false apostles, for you do not get the apostles at the top of the building; they are at the bottom. Evangelists, pastors, and teachers we have still in this day. Is the Church always to have them? Most positively, while it is on earth. Ephesians tells me we are to have them till — mark that word, till — "we all come unto a perfect man;" that is, while there is the need of them in the Church, there will be evangelists, pastors, and teachers. In Ephesians 4 and in 1 Cor. 12, not a word is said about bishops, elders, or deacons, but the evangelists, pastors, and teachers go on till, etc. The next question is — Were these men ordained to their offices? Here you must draw the line between a gift and an office. Evangelists, pastors, and teachers are all GIFTS of the Lord Jesus — the evangelist's labours being in the world, and the others confined expressly to the Church. An office does not necessarily suppose gift; and while evangelists, pastors, and teachers are spoken of as gifts, bishops, or elders and deacons, are local officers in the Church.

Now as to the assembly; look at the wonderful resource, and the perfect administration of the One Who is the Head. "He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints." There should be a semi-colon after the words "for the perfecting of the saints." A different word is used in the next clause; instead of "for" it should read "with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ." Unfortunately words that are different in the Greek are not always made different in our authorised version. The object that God had in committing all this administration to Christ is at the present time for the perfecting of the saints. If you understand that you will see that Christianity is not come into the world for the making of the earth better; the whole service of Christ at the present time, and the whole administration of Christ at the present time, is for the perfecting of the saints, not for the betterment of the world. The way that He carries it on is by constant ministry from Himself. Of course there is the ministry of the Apostles and prophets in the New Testament scriptures. But there is the constant ministry from the Head in glory, so that we may be reminded of the truths they were inspired to give us, and that their influence may be made distinctly real in all our lives. The evangelist is just as much for the perfecting of the saints as the apostle. The evangelist who thinks that he is only to save souls is-mistaken. The apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher, are all for the perfecting of the saints. But how? Well, if there were no evangelists there would be no saints to perfect. The evangelist is used to bring light to the soul, to turn men to the Saviour, and they trust Him and receive the Holy Ghost. But what after that? The evangelist has to bring them into the circle where they can be cared for, "for the perfecting of the saints": that they may be brought into the circle of Christ's administration and receive of all His fulness and come under His Headship all the way through. "Till we all come," this goes right on to the end; it is with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God man, unto the measure of the stature of Christ."

Coming to the 14th verse we read, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine." It is not a question of running after this man or that man, this elder or that elder. The object of all ministry is to bring people into contact with the Head, and instead of being children tossed to and fro, that they may grow up unto Him. The work of the ministry in every form is for this purpose; to put people into living attachment to the One who is the Head. When that is the case, you will see that not only Christ is the One Who is going to bring everything into accordance with the will of God by and bye, but that everything in your life and among the saints is to come now under the administration of Christ. Hence it says in the 15th verse, speaking of holding the truth in love, you grow up unto Him in all things, which is the Head.

67 Here in Ephesians we find the individual saints the first object, as it is said, "for (pros) the perfecting of the saints," and then it is added "for (eis) the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The first thing is that each saint should grow up to Him who is the head, that is, Christ. There are three objects. One object is first of all distinct. There is a different preposition in Greek. He does all things "for the perfecting of the saints" (there He is the first-born of many brethren); and it has these additional characters, it is for work of ministry down here, and for edifying the body as a whole. You must not lose sight of the individual when you get into the body. He carries on the perfecting of the saints to the end of verse 15, and in verse 16 He comes to ministry and building up of the body. "Till we all arrive at the unity of the faith" (that is, each individual, of course) "and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ" (nothing short of that); "that we be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning with a view to systematised error; but holding the truth in love, we may grow up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ." There we see individuals, and they grow up to Christ. Then he goes on - "From whom the whole body [now we have the corporate thing] fitted together and connected by every joint of supply, according to the working in its measure of each one part, worketh for itself the increase of the body to itself - building up in love." That is the second thing, or additional aim. First, the individual saints grow up to the Head in everything, and, secondly, the building up of the body. It is the body building itself up; but still it is service and ministry. It is wonderful grace that He who went into the lower parts of the earth has gone to glory and has done this immense thing - put the saints in personal connection with Him.

We now come to the duration of the gifts; "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." The perfection spoken of here seems to be not in glory, where all will doubtless be according to Christ, but a state of full growth on earth in contrast with infancy and weakness as in verse 14.

Even in Paul's early day, corrupt men bearing the Lord's name were active in seeking to ensnare the unwary and the simple, and lead them astray from the faith. God would have His saints firmly established in His grace and truth, and in the knowledge of His Son, that they may be proof against the ever-changing wiles of the enemy. It is deplorable to observe saints tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, apparently at the mercy of the foe. Is this God's will? Nay, but their establishment and blessing. And inasmuch as the church of God will never be without souls needing to be helped on to full growth, the ever faithful Head will continue the gifts of His grace until the end: "till we all come." Note, gifts are not given to make the saints helplessly dependent on them, but the reverse; by means of the gifts the saints become firmly rooted and grow up into Him Who is the Head — Christ.

(Eph. 4:14-15). Having God's perfect standard before us, and thus established in the truth as set forth in Scripture, we shall no longer be in uncertainty as to the mind of God for His saints. We shall not be like babes tossed to and fro by a strong wind. There are, indeed, adverse influences at work, and men of unprincipled cunning who, with wrong doctrine, are forming systems of error. We have to beware of tampering with this evil. Nothing is more pernicious to believers than occupation with "every wind of doctrine" put forth with the subtlety of crafty men. Our business is to learn the mind of God and grow in the knowledge of the Son of God. We do not escape error by enquiring into all the details of the error, but by the knowledge of the truth. The Lord can say of His sheep, "A stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers" (John 10:5). Our safety then is found, not in investigation of evil, but in "holding the truth in love" (N. Tn.). Thus we come under the power of the truth and grow in spiritual intelligence according to the perfect mind of Christ Who is the Head — the One in Whom there is set forth all the mind and purpose of God.

But the gifts are also given to bring the saints to the full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ. In Ephesians 1 the church is seen, according to Gods counsels, as the fulness of the Christ who fills all in all; here the gifts are given to bring the saints practically to what the church is in the counsels of God. Christ's rich and wise provision for our spiritual development and education is made that we might not remain immature and unskilled in His word, that we might not be affected by all the varied doctrines of religious leaders, whose diversity and contradiction manifest that they have no part in the unity of the faith. Craftily manipulating the Scriptures to give colour to their teachings, such men use every device, conceived by the cunning of man, to build up their evil systems, from which the true Christ is excluded. The divine safeguard against all this is to hold the truth in love. It is not enough to be mentally acquainted with the truth: the truth must be held in the affections and manifested in the life, as only then can we grow up to Christ, the Head, in whom every feature of the truth subsists. All our resources are in Christ, who can direct us aright, keeping us from all the evil teachings that abound, feeding the soul, sustaining and satisfying the heart; being withal the object upon which our eyes can rest with perfect delight, so that beholding in Him the truth in all its beauty and rich perfection we take character from Himself to answer to Him in His traits of heavenly grace. Thus it is that the church comes to the full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ.

Every member of the body stands related to Christ the Head, and also in relation to every other member of the body upon earth; and all the supply for the body comes from the Head, being communicated to the different members by the joints of supply. This is not a matter of formal ministry, for the gifts are not in the body as such. Gift is largely connected with the house: in the body all are members. But each member of the body has its place and function, that each saint might contribute, according to his measure, to the building up of the body. Administration has its place in the Christian economy, so has gift, as the earlier verses show; but we must not forget that there is a living organism here on earth, the production of God, maintained by the Head in heaven, yet self-edified by the effectual working of every part. Love, in which the truth is held for the pleasure of God, is that in which the body is built up for the well-being of the saints.

Our ascended Head does not desire us to remain as babes, immature in the things of God, and readily influenced by the enemies of the truth. He has made provision for us to be perfected — matured in the truth — so that the truth, held in the affections, will control the whole life, and enable us to grow up before Him in all the lovely features of His grace. With this in view, Christ has given gifts to men, "For the perfecting of the saints; with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ." Our perfecting is not simply to be as individuals, but as members of the body of Christ, and for this, Christ has established this work of the ministry. Ever since the coming of the Holy Spirit to form the one body, there has been this divine ministry, with all its spiritual edification for the assembly; and this ministry will continue until "we all arrive at the unity of the faith … at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ." When we get to heaven there will not be the need for edification; the spiritual building up of the body of Christ is for the time of the church's sojourn on earth. With this in view, the evangelists go out to bring souls to Christ; the pastors care for those brought in by the evangelists, and the word of God is unfolded from the writings of the apostles and prophets by the teachers. There is no doubt still a living prophetic ministry which bring the saints, through the spoken word, consciously into the presence of God. All these gifts are necessary to provide the edification needed by the body of Christ, so that we might be brought to the "knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man."

Christ gave apostles and prophets for the foundations of the faith (Eph. 2:20). He also gave the evangelist, and the double gift of shepherd and teacher, that the work of the ministry might be carried on (Eph. 4:11-12); until the end in view is reached: “until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” Then is seen the full-grown man, the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ. No organization of men can produce this. No special school of teaching can bring it about. As long as we are spiritual babes, we are liable to be affected by systematized error, whether calling itself “new light,” or “advanced teaching”; but as we hold the truth in love, we shall grow up to Him in all things, who is the Head, the Christ, and holding in faith and affection every member of His body, as dear to Him, we shall seek in every right way the benefit of all.

THE UNITY OF THE FAITH, in verse 13, is another matter. The activity of the gifts has the edifying of the body of Christ in view to this end: “Until we all arrive at the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” We must not confound the two. This is objective, whereas the unity of the Spirit is more subjective, involving the vital oneness of the members of the body of Christ. The unity of the Faith is something which the saints are to come to, or “arrive at,” in connection with the knowledge of the Son of God.

We have the ministry of pastors, evangelists and teachers, and of saints less prominent, all given according to the grace of the Head in His wisdom, where He knows they are needed. And it goes on as you see until we all come in the unity of the faith. It is not intended there should be dissensions, parties, sectarian ideas, schisms. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. It is in proportion as we know Him and get into living touch with Him that by the power of the Spirit of God we are enabled to represent Him down here, and until we all come unto a perfect man. I do not think that means till every individual is perfect. It is not a question of my becoming a perfect man in an individual sense, but it is the full grown man, the one body composed of all its living members, developed to the fullest extent in order that there should be an adequate and well proportioned representation of the life of Christ. Such is the design of God in forming the one body, giving us the Spirit as the power, and the grace of Christ for our provision; that there might be the working out of the fulness, the full stature of the fulness of Christ.

Thus we should be no more children tossed about by every wind of doctrine. We are made conscious that man may use cunning, crafty ways in order to divert us from this wonderful vocation; but nevertheless speaking the truth in love we may grow up unto Him in all things. This is a collective growing as I understand; the all of verse 13 growing together up to Christ. How harmonious! You can understand if a man grows on one side only he will be called a hideous object, a monstrosity. If in some way or other the growth of my hand had been arrested when I was a boy it would be called out of proportion. Every Christian contributes to the expression of the fulness that is in Christ and it is for us to see that we are not stunted in our growth. The Lord help us, because so many things appeal to us on the right hand and on the left, and our minds get entangled; and very often our interests get merged in the things of the world so that we lose the blessedness of this vocation. But holding the truth in love we are to grow unto Him in all things, till we come under the influence of the Head in every direction. Secret life with God, service in the church, family life, business life; in every circle learning to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the directing intelligence.

The Christ is the anointed One. As those who have received of the Spirit we partake of the anointing, and by the power of that Spirit of God are enabled to get everything under the control of Christ. The grace of Christ, the very life of Christ flows out to His members. "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." Here you find not only the progress but the practice. It is developed very fully in the remaining chapters, the practice that flows from this new position in which we have been set, in the enjoyment of this rich provision flowing from the living Head in glory and ourselves making progress in acquaintance with Christ. There comes the practice, and the consequence of it that there is the effectual working in its measure of every part. I would that I knew how to convey to you the comfort of that phrase. Of course, we are supposed to be growing together mutually, jointly, but it is according to the effectual working in its measure of every part. There are some who seem to be dormant Christians, some who seem to be dumb Christians. You wonder whether it could be said of them that every one is functioning according to the measure of his part. So much depends on your fulfilling the function that is assigned to you by the Head in glory. We were reminded in regard to our personal service it is not man who sets us on, but if you ascertain that you are a member of the one body energised by the one Spirit sharing in the one hope of your calling, you will remember that much depends upon your effectual working in your measure. If you are idle, if you are irresponsive to the grace and glory of Christ you cannot contribute to the prosperity of the whole. As it says, when it is the case that there is the effectual working in its measure of every part, it makes increase; of the body unto the building of itself in love, in the very nature of God; wrought out in the saints, but: it depends on the effectual working in its measure of every part.