Ephesians 4:11-14

English Standard Version

¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

The ministries of the saints is an ongoing process that requires a measure of faith within each of us that is different from Paul’s comment here about the fullness of Christ. Christ in us is not divided, we have received Him in His fullness, John 1:16. The measure of faith in us is to do our part in these ministries and to be faithful in what we are called to do by He who is the Head. We are not meant to reach beyond what is given by seeking self-esteem.

God is to be glorified, not man. The stature of Christ will not be achieved until the second resurrection when all of His bride is gathered in Him. Until then we do all this in part.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 English Standard Version

⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

When the fullness of Christ comes about with the second resurrection then what was given it part will no longer be required. The work will be complete and there will be no further need for the church age ministries. Until then, those gifts are needed and we should all do our part.

Our personal perspective is the road we take to come to the same place, unity in faith in Christ.

This is the last line from yesterday and leads one to ask; how can we come to unity in faith if we all have our own private perspective?

Let us look to Ephesians 4 for an answer.

Ephesians 4:1-7

English Standard Version

Unity in the Body of Christ

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷ But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Unity comes about because of the oneness spoken of in verses 4, 5 and 6. If we were to seek unity and faith in a search engine we find verse 13 that states that we all attain a unity of faith which can be misleading. It is only misleading from the standpoint that Paul is referring to the completed body of Christ, His complete bride. We are but a part of the body of Christ and not a whole body until the second resurrection.

This does not mean we as individuals cannot have unity in faith in Christ in this present age and at this time. What makes that unity in faith is the presence of Christ who dwells in our hearts. In order to understand that we must put aside our personal perspectives which are part of our minds, wills, and emotions, i.e. our souls.

When Christ speaks through any one of us, the Spirit who is one with Christ will agree, yes and amen. This is the unity in faith we seek.