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| Of the Perfect Man, that Is, Christ; And of His Body, that Is, The Church, Which is His Fullness.
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Chapter 18.—Of the Perfect Man,
that Is, Christ; And of His Body, that Is, The Church, Which is His
Fullness.
To understand what the apostle
means when he says that we shall all come to a perfect man, we must
consider the connection of the whole passage, which runs thus:
“He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
all heavens, that He might fill all things. And He gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
till we all come to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son
of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness
of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,
and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but,
speaking the truth in love, may grow up in Him in all things, which
is the Head, even Christ: 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.”1640
Behold
what the perfect man is—the head and the body, which is made up
of all the members, which in their own time shall be perfected.
But new additions are daily being made to this body while the
Church is being built up, to which it is said, “Ye are the body
of Christ and His members;”1641
and again, “For His body’s
sake,” he says, “which is the Church;”1642
and again, “We being many are
one head, one body.”1643
It is of the edification of this
body that it is here, too, said, “For the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the
body of Christ;” and then that passage of which we are now
speaking is
added, “Till we all come to
the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to a
perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of
Christ,” and so on. And he shows of what body we are to
understand this to be the measure, when he says, “That we may
grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ:
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.” As, therefore, there is
a measure of every part, so there is a measure of the fullness of
the whole body which is made up of all its parts, and it is of this
measure it is said, “To the measure of the age of the fullness of
Christ.” This fullness he spoke of also in the place where he
says of Christ, “And gave Him to be the Head over all things to
the Church,1644
| 1644 Another reading is, “Head over
all the Church.” | which is
His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.”1645
But even
if this should be referred to the form in which each one shall
rise, what should hinder us from applying to the woman what is
expressly said of the man, understanding both sexes to be included
under the general term “man?” For certainly in the saying,
“Blessed is he who feareth the Lord,”1646
women also who fear the Lord are
included.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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