Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Stature of the Fullness of Christ
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Ezekiel 34:2-4
In days gone by, sheep were a common symbol of wealth. Whether they were raised for their wool or for their meat—or both—or traded for other items of value, raising sheep used to be a tried-and-true way to make a living. As a man's flocks grew in size, so did his financial security, as well as his status and influence in the community. Sheep used to be a valued resource, one that over time provided great dividends without a lot of expense. Not much has changed. Today, physical shepherds are far more rare than spiritual shepherds, making shepherding a booming industry. Mega-churches are springing up in every major city, and the shepherds of these massive flocks are becoming symbols of affluence, and in some cases, even extravagance. Among the various purposes for having such a large following, some shepherds may have a genuine desire to spread their good news to all the world, but one cannot help but notice that, in the process, they are pulling down million-dollar salaries and creating personal empires. All the while, they are serving up McSermons that may satiate but do little to urge the people toward real holiness or point them back to God in a truly meaningful way. Disturbing as this is, the businesslike approach of valuing of large flocks over healthy sheep has also infiltrated parts of the church of God. We see sheep being enticed to ditch their current shepherd to follow a new one, and the reasons given for doing this reveal the carnal focus. Sheep are being lured, not with good food, clean water, peace, and protection against pestilence, but with promises of being a part of something big and of protection from the Tribulation, along with the "privilege" of being able to support an especially qualified shepherd. Such leaders see the sheep as mere personnel to serve them, their interests, and their projects, rather than accepting the gravity of their responsibility to care for their health and to dedicate themselves to "equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to 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 fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13). God's emphasis is on spiritual health—quality, not quantity. While this priority may contradict the designs of some to build a personal empire, the fact remains that the quantity of true sheep during this time of judgment is a limited number. Because God is only calling a certain number of people right now (John 6:44), only so many true sheep are available for the various shepherds to care for. The question becomes, then, who determines which sheep will be overseen by which shepherd? Considering the great care God has for His physical creation, is it logical to believe that He leaves His far more important spiritual creation to happenstance or the whims of mere men? Do the individual shepherds determine this, or is this the responsibility of the Chief Shepherd—the One who can truthfully say, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none" (John 18:9; compare John 17:12). Clearly, all of the sheep belong to the Chief Shepherd, and those who hear His voice follow Him (John 10:27)—including following Him to whatever human shepherd He knows will be best for what the individual sheep needs. For a shepherd to lose sight of this fact and lure away sheep that have not been given—and if they have been given, they need not be lured—is to be guilty of sheep rustling. During the days of the Old West, rustling was a hanging offense! Consider the example of Abraham. Abraham and his nephew Lot both kept herds, yet even with the impressive title and standing before God—actually because of it—he did not try to rustle Lot's sheep. He did not assume that all the sheep should be his. He did not try to entice Lot's sheep to come join his flocks. Rather, when there was strife between Abraham's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen, he proposed they each choose his own land, so there would be no confusion or discord. He even deferred—for the sake of peace—to his nephew and gave him first pick! Abraham knew that God governs in the affairs of men, and that he was not going to lack any good thing if he put His trust in the Most High. Abraham "believed in the LORD"—believed in His ability to manage His creation; in His sovereignty; in His leadership of His people; and in His promise to supply every need. He believed in all of this rather than try to further enrich himself with more sheep or better land—"and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:6).
David C. Grabbe
Sheep Rustling
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Luke 21:28
This is part of Jesus' Olivet Prophecy, where He predicts conditions before His return—and our redemption is still future! The conclusion is clear: Sanctification is a process; conversion is a process; and growing and overcoming are a process. We go—proceed—on to perfection, and now we see that redemption is also a process. We do not become completely free of our captivity to Satan and this world in one giant leap. Liberty is produced incrementally, one step at a time. We are indeed the firstfruits of God's great purpose, but we are most assuredly not a finished product—yet. We are under construction, being transformed and brought "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
John W. Ritenbaugh
Our Uniqueness and Time
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John 8:31
This abiding or continuing in His Word requires that the disciple be continually fed, which, according to Ephesians 4:11-16, is why Christ gave the ministry as a gift to the church. The ministry's purpose is to help perfect the saints "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
John W. Ritenbaugh
Who Is Doing the Work of God?
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Romans 10:4
Paul says that Christ is the object of the Bible. The law, as one aspect that represents the whole plan of salvation, is the instrument that broadly describes God's righteousness. Like everything in God's purpose, the end—the goal—of the law is to bring us "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). Jesus fulfilled the law in that He perfectly exemplified God's desires in everything He did (see Matthew 5:17). He personifies perfect love and government. He is the perfect man yet also God in the flesh. He is the Standard toward which men are to strive.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Christ, Our Passover
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2 Corinthians 5:17
Each Christian is a new lump of clay—being molded and shaped by a Master Potter! We are already physical and mortal, so He must be forming, creating something else in the image of God! God's creative efforts did not end in Genesis 1. He merely reached a stage, a platform, from which springs the most important aspect of the creation. The new creation is the creation of a new order, a Family in His image—and not just physically, but also spiritually. He also wants our minds and hearts to be in His image. Ephesians 4:13 says that we to grow to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
John W. Ritenbaugh
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Ephesians 4:10-13
When He ascended, He was resurrected as very God. He was an immortal spirit Being once again! These verses show the goal, the focus, the very reason the church exists—why we have been given the Spirit of God: "till we come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God." Paul is describing something that will not occur while we are still physical beings, pointing to the great goal that lies beyond the resurrection of the dead! We find our hope and goal in verse 13. We must begin to expand on what Jesus Christ is now—that is what the apostle Paul points to. Our standard is not Jesus merely as a man before He was crucified and resurrected, but the great goal is becoming like Jesus Christ is now—ascended and at God's right hand! We are still mortal and physical, but we are in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), not just in form and shape. The image of God that He is concerned about is the fact that we have the power of mind. Because of this, and with the help of the gifts of God, particularly His Spirit, we can come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
John W. Ritenbaugh
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Ephesians 4:13
What a tall order! Yet, it is the supreme goal of life. He is the Standard, the personification of perfect faith, love, mercy, kindness, government, etc. The purpose of the law is to guide us to an understanding of the height, breadth, and depth of the mind of Christ, which motivated His attitude and obedience. The law may seem to describe Him in broad strokes, but when one looks closer, beyond the mere statement of a law, we find a great deal more of His character and personality revealed.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Offerings of Leviticus (Part One): Introduction
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Ephesians 4:13
Perfect unity will not occur until we all believe and know, and therefore act, like our elder brother, Jesus Christ. This is why the ministry goes over the same territory Sabbath after Sabbath—because we have not reached perfect unity yet. We have by no means "come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God." We have not come "to a perfect man." We have not come "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," so the ministry keeps on preaching. It is its job, and if the preaching of it becomes trite, repetitive, boring—sorry, that is the ministry's job. Ministers have to keep going over it until the perfect man is produced in the body of Christ. We will probably never reach it in this life, so church members should get used to hearing the same old sermons every week. It is hoped that ministers can come at it from new angles, provide deeper knowledge, explain things in a little bit better way each time, and make it seem fresh and interesting. But God, who gave the ministry this goal, desires that we strive to attain it, and so the ministry, if it is going to be faithful, will keep on preaching because it is in everyone's best interest that it do so. We all want to be in God's Kingdom. It is obvious that the church has not reached perfect unity, and in fact, some of us have regressed in recent years. We can easily see this because, though Christ is not divided, the church is. We have schisms, and schisms are there to prove who is on His side. Paul says there must be schisms, factions, heresies, in the church because they expose, make manifest, those who are really following Christ (I Corinthians 11:19). The goal is that there be no divisions (I Corinthians 12:25), but Paul tells us that there will be, and that is the way God set up the church.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
It Takes a Church
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Philippians 3:16
Verse 16 adds an exhortation not to slip from what has already been attained. Our aim in life is to so know Christ—to be so united with Him—that day by day we share the life He lived, walk as He walked, even suffer as He did. We grow in His faith and come to share His hopes, joys, sorrows, and disappointments. We bear the stake and perhaps, as some have, die the death He died. In this way, we are sharing life with Christ, and through this process, we are perfected. We are not complete yet, so we must press on. God has grasped us as well, not in the same abrupt manner He demonstrated with Paul, but He undoubtedly has laid hold on us. It is comforting to know that in Philippians 1:6 He tells us He is able to finish what He has begun. He will finish His creative work if we give Him the chance. Because of Jesus Christ, God accepts us, and we have access to Him. As we are being perfected, we should see ever more clearly the standard of conduct God requires of us. It is indeed a high standard, but at the same time, our acceptance should give us peace to live confidently. The death penalty is no longer hanging over us; we do not have to feel guilty. Since the standard is to come "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13), we are given goals that will always be higher than we can reach. We will always have something to strive for, so we cannot honestly say we are "rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," as the Laodicean so proudly proclaims (Revelation 3:17).
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Offerings of Leviticus (Part Nine): Conclusion (Part Two)
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Colossians 2:9-10
All the fullness of the Godhead is in Him, in bodily form, and we are complete in Him. It does not mean that we are complete yet. Nevertheless, all the resources for completion and spiritual fulfillment are there - in Christ! And He can bring us to completion! It is available to us in Him! Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-13 says that He gives gifts to men. The purpose of those gifts is so that we might be equipped to come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ! So, if we are in Christ, then all the resources for completion and spiritual fulfillment are available. We know from other places in Scripture that the completion is a process. As Ephesians 4:15 says, we must "grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ."
John W. Ritenbaugh
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Hebrews 5:12
In context, God tells us one of the purposes of His revelation to mankind. The writer of Hebrews scolds his audience for being "dull of hearing" (verse 11). Using an analogy of milk, the nourishment of children, against "strong meat" (KJV), the fare of those "who are of full age," he laments that he needs to "go back to the basics," the first principles of God's revelation. Not using that revelation to exercise their senses "to discern both good and evil" (verse 14), they had failed to grow up. The purpose of God's revelation is to provide the nourishment, the food, by which we come "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). It is God's revelation, His oracles, which allow us to "go on to perfection" (Hebrews 6:1).
Charles Whitaker
The Oracles of God
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2 Peter 3:9
The subject of God's sovereignty has sparked endless thoughts, conversations, debates, and commentary. Most professing Christians will at least agree that God is sovereign, but there is a wide range of beliefs with regard to just how involved God is in their lives. Some believe—and act—as if God wound up His Creation, set limits on it through a set of immutable physical and moral laws, and now merely watches things progress. On the other end of the spectrum, some believe in predestination and sovereignty that relegates humanity to a collection of pawns with every move on the chessboard already planned out for them in advance. In this view, the statement that God is "not willing that any should perish" is seen as proof positive that all of mankind will eventually be saved. The root word will in II Peter 3:9 primarily means "to have a purpose," "to be minded," or "to will deliberately." The secondary meaning is "to desire." Is it God's eternal purpose that none should perish? Has He already ordained that none will be lost? Or is it only God's desire that none should perish, with the recognition that some will? It should be plain that it is at least God's desire that none should perish. Psalm 74:12 says that God is "working salvation in the midst of the earth." II Timothy 2:4 likewise says that our Savior "desires [will[s] (KJV); wishes (Amplified)] all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Undoubtedly, mankind's salvation is one of the things that God is working toward—though certainly not the only thing. But has God already set it in stone that all of mankind be saved? If II Peter 3:9 were the only scripture on the subject, the scales would be tipped in favor of this proposition. But a number of other scriptures must be factored into this equation. Innumerable verses exhort us to be zealous and faithful in our responsibilities and obedience. Earlier in Peter's second epistle, he tells us to make our calling and election sure, implying that they are not sure right now (II Peter 1:10). Paul exhorts us to work out our own salvation—with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). The book of Hebrews is written to stir up Christians who were slipping away and neglecting their salvation (Hebrews 2:3). Why would such an exhortation even be needed if salvation were universally assured? Furthermore, we know that God's threat of punishment in the Lake of Fire is not an idle one—He would not warn us about it if He were not prepared to follow through (Hebrews 10:26-31). Six times in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ warns of a rejection by God that involves "weeping [or wailing] and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). He gives all these warnings, even though He is still "not willing" that any should perish. But it is already recorded definitively that at least two men will not be saved: the Beast and the False Prophet (Revelation 20:10). It certainly is God's will—His desire—that all come to repentance, but He is not going to force it on anyone. Human nature does not willingly accept God's sovereignty. Most people will fight tooth and nail rather than accept that they do not have complete control over their own lives. Others will accept God's sovereignty but then abuse its ramifications by diminishing their own responsibility in the sanctification process. They may believe the events of each day are already ordained ahead of time, even though the Psalmist beseeches God to "teach us to number our days [set them in order], that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12). We are told to set the priorities of our days, rather than assuming that God will do it all for us, or assuming that, if something happens, God must have willed it. Such an approach by men unwittingly involves God in their own sins—if He has predetermined all the events in a day, He must have also "willed" each sin. Another abuse of the doctrine of the sovereignty of God comes when its application blots out the instructions that God has already recorded. Some willingly acknowledge God's sovereignty without also paying heed to the fact that God works in set patterns. His standards are identifiable, and consequently, those individuals who are being called to salvation at this time are also readily identifiable by the conduct of their lives. It is a serious presumption to believe that because God is sovereign and can work through any situation that He will work through any situation. Throughout the Bible, there is a tension between God's sovereignty and mankind's choice. Both factors are intricately involved in the salvation process. While God's sovereignty is categorically the stronger of the two, there is a danger when one focuses on it to the exclusion of the part we have to play. God unquestionably desires everyone to be saved. What is more, He desires that everyone also come to be "a perfect man," according to "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13), which requires tremendous spiritual growth. He desires sons and daughters in His image, and He is working to this end. This requires tremendous effort on the part of the individual, in conjunction with everything God willingly supplies. But the choice to have a place in His Kingdom is one that He has set before us—not forced upon us.
David C. Grabbe
An Abuse of Sovereignty
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Revelation 2:24-26
Having been commended for their deeds, love, service, faith, and patience, those who reject Satan will be fine if they hold fast the doctrines and character they have shown. Christ lays on them no further burden beyond holding fast. He does, however, give the same admonishment to them that He gives to all the churches: Overcome and keep Christ's works to the end (Ephesians 4:13). No matter what our spiritual state is, we all must continue to grow in the stature and fullness of Christ throughout our walk to God's Kingdom (I John 2:24).
Staff
The Seven Churches (Part Six): Thyatira
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