SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:13
hasta que todos salgamos en unidad de la fe y del conocimiento del Hijo de Dios, en varn perfecto, a la medida de la edad cumplida del Cristo;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 4:13
Verse 13. In the unity of the faith] Jews and Gentiles being all converted according to the doctrines laid down in the faith - the Christian system. The knowledge of the Son of God] A trite understanding of the mystery of the incarnation; why God was manifest in the flesh, and why this was necessary in order to human salvation.
Unto a perfect man] eiv andra teleion? One thoroughly instructed; the whole body of the Church being fully taught, justified, sanctified, and sealed.
Measure of the stature] The full measure of knowledge, love, and holiness, which the Gospel of Christ requires. Many preachers, and multitudes of professing people, are studious to find out how many imperfections and infidelities, and how much inward sinfulness, is consistent with a safe state in religion but how few, very few, are bringing out the fair Gospel standard to try the height of the members of the Church; whether they be fit for the heavenly army; whether their stature be such as qualifies them for the ranks of the Church militant! The measure of the stature of the fullness is seldom seen; the measure of the stature of littleness, dwarfishness, and emptiness, is often exhibited.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith , &c.] These words regard the continuance of the Gospel ministry in the church, until all the elect of God come in: or to the unity of the faith; by which is meant, not the union between the saints, the cement of which is love; nor that which is between Christ and his people, of which his love, and not their faith, is the bond; but the same with the one faith, ( Ephesians 4:5) and designs either the doctrine of faith, which is uniform, and all of a piece; and the sense is, that the ministration of the Gospel will continue until the saints entirely unite in their sentiments about it, and both watchmen and churches see eye to eye: or else the grace of faith, which as to its nature, object, author, spring, and cause, is the same; and it usually comes by hearing; and all God's elect shall have it; and the work and office of the ministry will remain until they are all brought to believe in Christ; and of the knowledge of the Son of God ; which is but another phrase for faith in Christ, for faith is a spiritual knowledge of Christ; it is that grace by which a soul beholds his glory and fulness, approves of him, trusts in him, and appropriates him to itself; and such an approbatory, fiducial, appropriating, practical, and experimental knowledge of Christ, is here intended; and which is imperfect in those that have it, and is not yet in many who will have it; and inasmuch as the Gospel ministry is the means of it, this will be continued until every elect soul partakes of it, and arrives to a greater perfection in it: for it follows, unto a perfect man ; meaning either Christ, who is in every sense a perfect man; his human nature is the greater and more perfect tabernacle, and he is perfectly free from sin, and has been made perfect through sufferings in it; and coming to him may be understood either of coming to him now by faith, which the Gospel ministry is the means of, and encourages to; or of coming to him hereafter, for the saints will meet him, and be ever with him, and till that time the Gospel will be preached: or else the church, being a complete body with all its members, is designed; for when all the elect of God are gathered in and joined together, they will be as one man; or it may respect every individual believer, who though he is comparatively perfect, and with regard to parts, but not degrees, and as in Christ Jesus, yet is in himself imperfect in holiness and knowledge, though hereafter he will be perfect in both; when he comes unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ : not of Christ's natural body, but of his mystical body the church, which will be his fulness when all the elect are gathered in; and when they are filled with his gifts and graces, and are grown up to their proportion in it, they will be come to the measure and stature of it: or it may be understood of every particular believer, who has Christ formed in him; who when the work of grace is finished in him, will be a perfect man in Christ, and all this will be true of him; till which time, and during this imperfect state, the Gospel ministry will be maintained: the phrase is taken from the Jews, who among the forms and degrees of prophecy which the prophets arrived to, and had in them the vision of God and angels, make hmwq rw[ , the measure of the stature f48 , a principal one; and is here used for the perfection of the heavenly state in the vision, and enjoyment of God and Christ.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-16 - Unto every believer is given some gift of grace, for their mutual help All is given as seems best to Christ to bestow upon every one. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gift and graces; particularly the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not a mere hea knowledge, or bare acknowledging Christ to be the Son of God, but suc as brings trust and obedience. There is a fulness in Christ, and measure of that fulness given in the counsel of God to every believer but we never come to the perfect measure till we come to heaven. God' children are growing, as long as they are in this world; and the Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ. The more a man find himself drawn out to improve in his station, and according to his measure, all that he has received, to the spiritual good of others, he may the more certainly believe that he has the grace of sincere love and charity rooted in his heart. (Eph 4:17-24)
Greek Textus Receptus
μεχρι 3360 καταντησωμεν 2658 5661 οι 3588 παντες 3956 εις 1519 την 3588 ενοτητα 1775 της 3588 πιστεως 4102 και 2532 της 3588 επιγνωσεως 1922 του 3588 υιου 5207 του 3588 θεου 2316 εις 1519 ανδρα 435 τελειον 5046 εις 1519 μετρον 3358 ηλικιας 2244 του 3588 πληρωματος 4138 του 3588 χριστου 5547
Vincent's NT Word Studies
13. Till (mecri). Specifying the time up to which this ministry and impartation of gifts are to last.Come (katanthswmen). Arrive at, as a goal. See Acts xvi. 1; xviii. 19; xxv. 13. Rev., attain.
In the unity (eiv). Rev., correctly, unto. Compare one faith, ver. 5. Knowledge (thv epignwsewv). The full knowledge. Not identical with faith, since the article puts it as a distinct conception; but related to faith. Compare Philip. iii. 9, 10; 1 John iv. 16. "Christians are not to be informed merely on different sections of truth and erring through defective information on other points, but they are to be characterized by the completeness and harmony of their ideas of the power, work, history, and glory of the Son of God" (Eadie).
Of the Son of God. Belongs to both faith and knowledge. Faith in Him, knowledge of Him.
Perfect (teleion). Rev., full grown. See on 1 Cor. ii. 6.
Measure of the stature (metron hlikiav). Defining perfect man. For stature, see on Luke xii. 25. The word is rendered age, John ix. 21, 23; Heb. xi. 11. So here, by some, the age when the fullness of Christ is received. But fullness and grow up (ver. 15) suggest rather the idea of magnitude.
Fullness of Christ. Which belongs to Christ and is imparted by Him. See John i. 16, and compare ch. iii. 19.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:13 {Till we all attain} (mecri katanteswmen hoi pantes). Temporal clause with purpose idea with mecri and the first aorist active subjunctive of katantaw, late verb, to come down to the goal (#Php 3:11). "The whole" including every individual. Hence the need of so many gifts. {Unto the unity of the faith} (eis ten henoteta tes pistews). "Unto oneness of faith" (of trust) in Christ (verse #3) which the Gnostics were disturbing. {And of the knowledge of the Son of God} (kai tes epignwsews tou huiou tou qeou). Three genitives in a chain dependent also on ten henoteta, "the oneness of full (epi-) knowledge of the Son of God," in opposition to the Gnostic vagaries. {Unto a full-grown man} (eis andra teleion). Same figure as in #2:15 and teleios in sense of adult as opposed to nepioi (infants) in #14. {Unto the measure of the stature} (eis metron helikias). So apparently helikia here as in #Lu 2:52, not age (#Joh 9:21). Boys rejoice in gaining the height of a man. But Paul adds to this idea "the fulness of Christ" (tou plerwmatos tou cristou), like "the fulness of God" in #3:19. And yet some actually profess to be "perfect" with a standard like this to measure by! No pastor has finished his work when the sheep fall so far short of the goal.
