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.

In verse 12, we discussed the purpose for which the saints are equipped. It is for the building up of the body of Christ.

Verse 13 gives us the goal, the target. Until we all attain to the unity of the faith. All is a big word in this sentence. The goal is that all of the Christians in the body would attain and be a part of the unity of the faith. That is a huge goal. Unity of faith cannot mean simply being part of the body, because that is true of all real believers. There’s nothing to try to attain. Unity of the faith is a spirit of oneness as opposed to discord and fractured fellowship.

Second, to attain to unity of the knowledge of the Son of God. Knowledge here refers to an experiential knowledge. The goal is that all of us would have a real, vital, and vibrant relationship with the Son of God.

And third, to a mature manhood, which is defined as the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

I don’t know about you, but these goals make me sort of discouraged. But we need to remember that it is the Spirit of Christ that is at work within each believer as He works throughout the body gifting, and fitting each person and motivating each person as the body grows in love and unity. It is God’s work, not ours. But of course, we must cooperate and do our part.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:11 AM January 27, 2021.