Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ephesians 4:15

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

15. speaking the truth ] The Gr. (one word) is wider and deeper, including the thought of living and loving truth. Alford renders “ being followers of truth.” And the context is in favour of this. Not speaking truth, but avoiding false teaching, is in question. The Christian is to cultivate an instinct for Divine Truth, as against its counterfeits, in thought and in life. R.V., “speaking truth” and (margin) “dealing truly.”

in love ] The holy condition under which alone the “follower of truth” would follow it truly, free from bitterness and prejudice, intent only on the will of God. It has been well said that some men find love the easier precept, some truth; but that the Gospel enjoins the harmony of both.

grow up] The metaphor of the living Body reappears. See above, notes on Eph 4:12-13.

into him ] So as to deepen the realization of “in-ness” in Him, and more richly to derive its blessings. Just possibly we may render “ unto Him.” In that case the Lord would be viewed as the Archetype to which each believer, in his spiritual development and growth, growingly conforms. But this is less in harmony with the imagery of the Body and Head which we have here.

in all things] Lit., “ as to all things.” Our growing sense of incorporation is to affect our whole being, not a part; “spirit, soul, and body” (1Th 5:23).

the head ] See on Eph 1:22.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

But speaking the truth in love – Margin, being sincere. The translation in the text is correct – literally, truthing in love – aletheuontes. Two things are here to be noted:

(1) The truth is to be spoken – the simple, unvarnished truth. This is the way to avoid error, and this is the way to preserve others from error. In opposition to all trick, and art, and cunning, and fraud, and deception, Christians are to speak the simple truth, and nothing but the truth. Every statement which they make should be unvarnished truth; every promise which they make should be true; every representation which they make of the sentiments of others should he simple truth. Truth is the representation of things as they are; and there is no virtue that is more valuable in a Christian than the love of simple truth.

(2) The second thing is, that the truth should be spoken in love. There are other ways of speaking truth. It is sometimes spoken in a harsh, crabby, sour manner, which does nothing but disgust and offend When we state truth to others, it should he with love to their souls, and with a sincere desire to do them good. When we admonish a brother of his faults, it should not be in a harsh and unfeeling manner, but in love. Where a minister pronounces the awful truth of God about depravity, death, the judgment, and future woe, it should be in love. It should not be done in a harsh and repulsive manner; it should not he done as if he rejoiced that people were in danger of hell, or as if he would like to pass the final sentence; it should not be with indifference, or in a tone of superiority. And in like manner, if we go to convince one who is in error, we should approach him in love. We should not dogmatize, or denounce, or deal out anathemas. Such things only repel. He has done about half his work in convincing another of error who has first convinced him that he loves him; and if he does not do that, he may argue to the hour of his death and make no progress in convincing him.

May grow up into him – Into Christ; that is, to the stature of a complete man in him.

Which is the head – Eph 1:22 note; 1Co 11:3 note.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Eph 4:15

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

Lovingly real

Although ale?theuein has in usage the special force of expressing truth, yet here it seems to be the expression by a whole life and conversation, and so to answer to the recent phrase–too recent to find place in a great version; the phrase of being real. It means the tone of true life answering to true conviction. For the apostle, with a crash of images, bids us not be infantile, and not toss and twist as the waves of opinion surge to the breath of every new system, system ever so fortuitous, ever so scheming, ever so methodically misleading; but counter to all this, bids us form a purpose of steady growth, a growth depending on our own will, a growing into Jesus Christ. Of this mystic attainment, the moral intelligible meaning at this present is: To be real–in love–reality in contrast to illusion, love in contrast to self-seeking. Is not this the worlds problem of life? The very epigram of ethics–Lovingly real. It is easy to be straightforwardly real, and show no tenderness for anyone but yourself. It is easy to express devoted interest by voice and look, and to be a dissembler. But to be real oneself and to be in love even with those that are not real and not loving, requires such an ejection of self-pleasing and self-seeking, as must be troublesome to the best, and intolerable to the most. There is an honesty of manner which, as Cicero says, makes a brow look not so much a brow as a pledge to society, an austerity like that of an archaic bust, a massive simplicity on which an age or a kingdom might lean; yet (says he) such a man may be a deceiver from his boyhood, his spirit shrouded by his looks, and his doings by four wails. Or the selfish may wear no disguise at all. As in a vivid portrait lately exhibited to us–the motive of his talk was never an appeal for sympathy or compassion, things to which he seemed indifferent, and of which he could make no use. The characteristic point with him was the exclusiveness of his emotions. He never saw himself as part of a whole, only as the clear-cut, sharp-edged, isolated individual needing in any case absolutely to affirm himself. The feigning of the actor and the indifference of the egotist are equal, though contrasted tributes to the worlds high honour of honesty. But in neither of them is there a grain of love. Love has its tributes too. All the forms of society are penetrated and saturated with the expression and exhibition of our interest in each other. And these forms are hollow only if you choose to make them so. Genuine courtesy fills every one of them with meaning.

I. Testimony for Christ. And here we have a first application of this antithetic unity of reality and love:–Independence with considerateness, dignity with humility, self-respect free from self-consciousness, and kindness without assumption. It is reality which Christ seems to require as a first condition of our remaining within the circle of His own influences present and to come. And how effective it is! Even the rudest personal testimony, the forced-out declaration in clumsiest English of what He hath done for my soul, seems to clench the holdfast of the speaker, and to pierce like nails into the consciences of hearers.

II. A loving word of faithful warning to rich men.

III. Loving reality in worship. If the great antithesis of reality and lovingness is a help in the guidance of our own heart, and has a bearing on the present fast-changing relations between rich and poor, ought it not further to contribute something to our view of the modern agitations of the Church? It cannot be without significance even to an unconcerned looker-on (if the literature of the time can allow us to imagine such a person), that these agitations centre upon worship. But has not reality as much to do with the question as lovingness? For what is worship? Is it not a recognition of the truth of things, how things are in the world? Was it not so framed of old by God, has it not so been felt by man to be the most expressive, the most solemn recognition of realities unseen, of veritable relations filling all the region around man? (Archbishop Benson.)

Truth in love

Everyone here knows how much depends on the way in which a thing is done. You may do a substantially kind thing in such an ungracious manner, that the person to whom you do it will rather feel irritated, and wounded, and sorry that he needs to take any favour from you, than grateful and obliged to you. And, unhappily, there are in this world some really good and Christian people, who are so unsympathetic; so devoid of the power of entering into the feelings of others, and so regardless of the feelings of others, that when they do a kindness to anybody, and especially to a poor person, they do it in much the way in which you would throw a bone to a hungry dog. You will sometimes find a real desire to do good, alloyed with so much fussiness, so much self-sufficiency, and such a tendency to faultfinding, that so far from good being done, a great deal of mischief follows. Then, on the other side, you may have known men and women who had so much Christian wisdom, and such a gift of sympathy and tact, that even in doing a severe thing–even in finding serious fault, or declining to grant some request–they were able to make a friend for life of the person they were obliged to reprove or deny. Now, there are many ways in which a man may speak the truth. You may speak the truth with the view of insinuating falsehood. It was so, when the Pharisees said of our Blessed Lord, This man receiveth sinners. Then you may speak the truth in envy. It was so, when the Pharisees saw Christ going as a friend into the house of the publican Zaccheus; they murmured, saying That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. It was quite true, what they said; but it was the truth spoken in envy that the poor outsider was to be brought within the fold. Then you may speak truth in pure malignity: from a desire to give pain, combined with certain coarseness of nature. It is commonly so with that class of persons who make a boast of speaking their mind, which usually consists in telling anybody something that he will not like to hear. Now, St. Paul tells us in the text how Christian people are to speak the truth. In love. Truth, spoken in love, has incomparably greater force to do good–to direct people, to mend people–than truth spoken in severity, even though it be spoken with good intentions. If a minister, in preaching the gospel, assume a severe, harsh, overbearing manner, then, though what he speaks be Gods truth, his chance of really doing good to those who hear him is greatly diminished. I daresay many now present are aware of the curious way in which my text was written by St. Paul himself in the language in which he wrote it. He put the things more forcibly than we have it in our Bibles; using an idiom which cannot be rendered well in our English tongue; at least in a single word. St. Paul referred to all conduct, as well as to speech. And he meant more than the mere cultivating of a truthful spirit. If we were literally, though awkwardly, to translate his words, they would be truthing it in love; that is, thinking, speaking, and doing the truth in love. Now let us think a little of our duty in regard to the first of the two things which are to be combined–truth and love. Let us think of what is implied by speaking and living the truth. Of course some things here are very plain. Every little child knows what is meant by speaking the truth; and anything like trying to define that simple fact would only perplex it. Yet how truly it has been said by a very thoughtful writer, that each man has to fight with his love of saying to himself and those around him pleasant things, and things serviceable for today, rather than the things which are. We come to difficult matters, thinking of the believers duty of speaking the truth. At this point of our meditation, we come to the question, To what degree is a Christian man bound to speak the truth when it will be disagreeable, in the way of finding fault? Here is a matter for that Christian prudence we must ask from the Holy Spirit. We must avoid the extreme of cowardly appearing to acquiesce in wrong for fear of giving offence: and we must avoid the other extreme of needlessly blurting out whatever is in us, regardless of the pain this may cause. Disagreeable truths are seldom in actual life spoken in love. They are sometimes spoken to the very end of mortifying and wounding; and it is no justification of one who has spoken in that spirit, that all he said is quite true. There has been such a thing as a professing Christian of high pretension saying to a gay, thoughtless young person, Your heart is hardened: your conscience is asleep: Ill pray for you: saying all that (which was all quite true) in so malignant a tone, that it was as bad to bear as a blow or a stab. Ah, brethren, that is not the way to win souls to Christ and salvation!

II. Thus we are led back to the second great characteristic, which is to be in the Christians heart, speech, and life. That is love. And if love be the fulfilling of the Law: if faith, hope, and love be the three great Christian graces, but love the chiefest of all; we need not wonder that our truth is to be leavened with love, like everything else we do. Yes, let the two things always go together: Truth and Love. Truth, without love, will fail to do what God meant it for: and love without truth, would flatter the soul into a false peace, from which the waking would be in woe. Truth is the stern hard thing, like the bare branches of winter: Love is the softener and beautifier, like the green foliage on the summer tree. If you show that you love people, you may tell them truths that condemn them, and vet awaken no bitterness: you may show them how wrong they are, and only make them thankful to you for setting them right. Do you ask how we are to reach this love, that ought to leaven all our speaking, thinking, feeling, and being; how we are to cast out the poor enmities, jealousies, irritations, and self-conceits, that often make people speak the truth in anything but love, and hear the truth in anything but a loving spirit? The answer to that question is ready: and one plain inspired declaration is as good as twenty. Listen to St. Pauls words: The love of God (and that, you know, brings along with it love to man) is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.)

Speaking the truth in love

The Spirit in which the truth is spoken is as important as the utterance of truth itself.

I. A few illustrations of speaking the truth in love.

1. If I speak the truth in love, I shall delight in all, who exhibit that truth, even though in many things they differ from me.

2. If I speak the truth in love I shall rejoice in the exhibition of truth, even by those who are personally offensive or injurious to me. This thing Paul did (Php 1:15).

3. If I speak the truth in love I shall not seek to magnify myself by the utterance of the truth, at the price of the degradation or disparagement of others.

4. If I speak the truth in love I shall defend it in a loving spirit.

5. If I speak the truth in love, I shall be moved by a loving purpose in the utterance of truth. My spirit will be benevolent and my aim will be within the sphere of love.

II. Some considerations by which we maybe moved to endeavour whenever we speak the truth to speak in love.

1. Christian truth is revealed as a means of bringing us men back to love. The apostasy of man is a wandering from love. The moral restoration of man is restoration to perfect love. And Christian truth is revealed as a means of restoring us to love.

2. Christian truth is best illustrated and enforced by the voice, and by the countenance, and by the hands of love.

3. No aim or object, however important, can justify the transgression of the law which demands perfect love. If it be right to be bitter and unloving in speaking the truth, it would be right to steal or to kill for the truths sake.

4. Except as we speak the truth in love, we cannot expect to spread widely the knowledge of the truth. The man who speaks the truth, but not in love, may succeed in diffusing it; but he who speaks it in love will surely prosper. The one is like a man sowing good seed while a rough wind is blowing, or when surrounded by fowls, which devour it up–the other is like a man sowing when the atmosphere is calm, and no creature is near to prevent the seed falling into the ground.

5. Unless we speak the truth in love we are liable to depart from the truth. Between the state of our affections and our religious beliefs there is a close and abiding connection. Departure from love, if it be more than temporary, will involve some departure from the truth. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love.

6. There are temptations incident to speaking the truth, and manifold temptations connected with much speaking, and these are best met and resisted by the power of love. He who speaks the truth is in danger of making his advocacy of the truth a personal matter–a means of exalting himself, and of serving himself, and he is in jeopardy of enlisting for his service pride and vanity; but he who speaks the truth in love, loses himself, and forgets himself, and becomes absorbed in the manifestation of the truth. Thus speaking, the speaker is to the truth, as the easel is to a painting, and as a candlestick is to a light.

7. Schism is promoted if the truth is not spoken in love.

8. We are servants of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in speaking the truth, only so far as we speak in love. Failing here, we are the servants of some sinful lust or passion. We wear the livery of truth as our professed Master, and do the work in that livery of another master, who is opposed to him whom we profess to serve. We admit that it is very difficult in some circumstances to speak in love. The anger which is aroused by contradiction, the fear of being worsted which is called into play by opposition, the desire for a creditable share of personal strength, which is awakened, with its attendant pride and vanity, unite to render it difficult. But a true and loyal Christian is not a man to put aside a duty because it is difficult. It was a difficult matter to him to repent, but he has repented; difficult to believe, but he has believed. He is the child of a Father who only doeth wondrous things. Truth needs not the service of passion, yea nothing so dissevers it as passion when set to serve it. The spirit of truth is withal the spirit of meekness. (S. Martin, D. D.)

Loyalty to truth and love to men issuing in likeness to Christ

The special object which the apostle has in view here is to warn the Ephesian Christians against error and false doctrine, capricious winds blowing about them the tricks of the theological conjuror, the craftiness of the cunning deceiver. The best security against this, he seems to think, is in the cultivation of a truth-loving spirit, and a truthful tongue. They who are themselves deceivers are, in their turn, commonly deceived, for, however suspicious and cunning they may be, falseness so twists and perverts the moral faculty, so distorts the vision, and blunts the touch, that such men will often suspect where they ought to confide, and confide where they ought to suspect. The most inveterate liars will sometimes be easily imposed upon, and believe the lie of some mere clumsy charlatan, who is, after all, far less cunning than themselves. So the blind lead the blind, and by a righteous retribution, both fall into the ditch; while he who is once on the track of truth, if he will but pursue her fair and gracious form, shall hold his steadfast course, falling neither into ditch nor quagmire, till at length he come along the shining way to the door of the Fathers house, where truth and righteousness dwell forever. A merchant, on a railway journey, happened, by good fortune, to find himself in the same compartment as Bishop Wilberforce. Turning his opportunity to account, he thus addressed the worthy prelate: I have often, my lord, wished to ask of such a person as yourself which is the right way in religious matters; the sects are so conflicting, the roads seem so diverse–Catholicism, Protestantism, Free Churchism, and what not–that, to a plain man like me, it is difficult to know which road to take. Can you tell me? Nothing easier, said the Bishop; take the first turning to the right, and then keep straight on. It is much to be feared that there are many who know the first turning to the right, but will not take it, or, if they take it, do not keep straight on.

I. Loyalty to truth. What a changed world this would be, and what a glorious Church, if there were no treasons, no rebellions, no wrongs against the truth.

1. Truth in the commercial world.

2. Truth in social intercourse.

3. Religious truth.

II. Love to man, in conjunction with loyalty to truth.

III. Likeness to Christ. (J. W. Lance.)

The mission of the clergy; or, the faithful preacher

I. What is the duty of the faithful preacher? The text answers, to preach the truth in love. What is truth? The first great truth of religion is the knowledge of God.

II. What constitutes a faithful preacher? Now some would say, preaching the truth does so. Not exactly, my brethren. For it is possible to be convinced of a thing without being very well pleased with it.

1. In the first place, whosoever will speak the truth in love, before all things it is necessary that he be himself of the truth. Your lips to be truthful must be the exponents of an indwelling Divine and deep seated love.

2. Furthermore it is necessary to truthfulness of speech, or faithful preaching, that we preach the truth in love to mens souls.

3. But with all his faithfulness the faithful preacher must take care what manner of spirit he is of. True, he must not shun to declare all the counsel of God–true, he must nothing extenuate nor allow the wicked to remain in their sins, and vainly content themselves with a peace which does not belong to them. Still, on the other hand, he must not set down aught in malice, or preach the truth, however faithfully, with the spirit of bitterness, or sarcasm, or spiritual pride. Especially is it laid upon us, reverend brethren, to speak the truth in love to those who dissent from the character or convictions of our church. If we are lovers of the truth, the truth will be spoken by us elsewhere than in the pulpit: the pulpit doubtless offers a prominent opportunity of speaking the truth and enforcing its obligations with all that fervour and faith which belong to a heart that is itself in the fear of God: but true preachers of God will not rest here.

III. Why preachers should be faithful in the way I have pointed out. (W. Fisher, M. A.)

Truthful dealing

1.The text assumes that if we are Christians our daily conversation will be mainly with our fellow Christians. If our relations with our fellow Christians were only occasional, it would be vain to think that our truthful discharge of those relations could ensure growth in the whole spiritual life; but the true Christian cannot be merely in occasional and accidental contact with those who are radically united with him in Christ.

2. The blessed fruits of the fellowship into which we enter inwardly and spiritually in our union with Christ, and visibly and outwardly in our public profession of faith as members of the Christian Church, can only be manifested by truthfulness and loyalty. We are to be truthful to our profession. A profession of obedience to Christ is a profession of willingness to sacrifice ourselves for them that are His.

3. Where there is this honesty of purpose towards the brethren, we shall be sure to find candour, simplicity, and plain truthfulness in every act of life. The man who is seeking his own things, who associates with his neighbours only to make a profit of them, requires to hide his purpose by untruthfulness; but the man who knows that no Christian can venture to have an interest of his own apart from the interest of the whole Church needs no concealment. Surely, when professing Christians deal with one another in secresy and guile, they are either confessing that they have not felt the power of grace in their own souls, or they have basely doubted the power of grace in their neighbour.

4. If our actions were always pure in the sight of God and man, if our Christian life were perfect, if we were not still under the power of sin, so often intent on selfish ends, it would be easy for us to be candid and sincere to one another. The test of Christian truthfulness is to be found in its power to assert itself as the rule of our life in spite of the sins that disturb even Christian fellowship.

5. It is plain that truthful dealing in these and many other ways, is possible only if, as the apostle says, it is truth speaking in love, not merely that we are to speak the truth lovingly, not harshly. To live a life of open-hearted candour towards our brethren, if we have no love to Christ in our hearts, is the greatest of all hypocrisies. (W. R. Smith, M. A.)

Power of love in winning souls

A convict condemned to die was visited in his cell at different times by ministers and Christian philanthropists, who tried to awaken him to a proper sense of his condition, and to prepare him for his end; but none of them succeeded in making any impression upon him. He seemed hopelessly hardened. At last a humble but venerable preacher came, and sat down beside him, and talked so tenderly and so directly to his heart, that he broke down, and conversed freely, and exhibited signs of genuine repentance, The good man prayed with him, and left him in tears. I couldnt stand that, the convict said, telling the gaoler how his visitor had dealt with him; Why, he called himself a sinner–and said he needed a Saviour as much as I did! That wasnt the way the others talked.

Helpfulness of love

A famous painter at Antwerp called Quentin Matsys was in early life a blacksmith. He fell in love with a young woman, but her father refused to let her marry the blacksmith unless he painted a great picture. He knew nothing about the easel, but much about the anvil. He did not, however, give up his purpose. He studied and painted early and late, and in six months he produced his famous picture, The Misers, and won his wife. On his own portrait he wrote the words, Love made me a painter. (G. Fleet.)

Speaking the truth in love

The manner of saying a thing is of as much importance as the thing said. Apples of gold, when taken out of their pictures of silver, and hurled at your head, may become the instruments of great pain, much harm, and even murder. So words that are not fitly spoken. They may in themselves be good and true enough, but if uttered in a rude, insolent, arrogant, and offensive manner, they will probably result in evil rather than good. The question of manner is, therefore, something worth taking into consideration, equally by him whose office it is to instruct, advise, rebuke, and exhort his fellow men. For while not everyone can be like the shepherd of King Admetus, whose–

Words were simple words enough,

And yet he used them so,
That what in other mouths was rough,

In his seemed musical and low,

there are yet very few who, by taking heed thereto, may not cultivate an agreeable, gentle, winning manner, even though by nature they be rough and harsh. The heart is the source of the manner of speech as much as of the words. Temper and soften that; fill it with Christs charity. Let your words be winged by love, and their own sweetness will heal the wound they strike. (Christian Age.)

Gentleness in reproving

A skilful physician having to heal an imposthume, and finding the person to be afraid of lancing, privately wrapped up his knife in a sponge, with which, while he gently smoothed the place, he lanced it. So, when we encounter an offending brother, we must not openly carry the dagger in our hand, but with words of sweetness administer our reproof, and so effect the cure.

How to proclaim the truth

When I was a very young student, perhaps about sixteen years of age, I breakfasted with Caesar Malan, of Geneva, at Dr. John Browns. When the doctor told him that I was a young student of divinity, he said to me, Well, my young friend, see that you hold up the lamp of truth to lot the people see. Hold it up, hold it up, and trim it well. But remember this: you must not dash the lamp in peoples faces. That would not help them to see. How often have I remembered his words! They have often been of use to me. (Dr. Morrison.)

Truth, in love

The portrait is like me, but too good looking, was the criticism once made to an artist, which called forth the significant reply, It is the truth, lovingly told. (Spencer Pearsall.)

The work of Christs living Body

I. The nature of the Christian church as a body. No one would ever draw from the inspired pages the modern notion of the Church as composed of various self-originated societies, with conflicting creeds, diverse government and discipline, with changeful worship and ordinances, adapted to the taste or humour of their capricious founders. No. The Church presented in the Bible is like Jerusalem, a city which is at unity in itself. The Church is not only a society having common interests, a city with a general charter, a kingdom having one Sovereign. These comparisons do not sufficiently illustrate its unity; but it is one Body, under the direction of one Head, animated by one vital Spirit.

II. The union and communion between the ministers and members of the Church and its Divine Head.

III. The means by which the growth and extension of the Church are promoted. Like the human body, to which it is compared, the Church of Christ does not attain its growth at once, but passes through infancy and childhood to the full vigour and maturity of manhood. The growth of the Church consists not only in the advancement of its own members in faith, holiness, and love, but also in its aggressive movements upon the world, the conversion of sinners through its instrumentality, and the adding unto it of such as shall be saved. How then are we, my brethren in the ministry, to effect our part in the edification of the Church and the conversion of the world? All the duties of our high function have a tendency to these glorious ends; but preeminent among them, as if including all others, and giving to them all their efficacy, is that specially noticed in the text–speaking the truth in love. The truth of God must ever be held in connection with the Church of God. It is at once her support and her adornment. She is the tree of life, which bears those leaves of truth that are for the healing of the nations. But truth in all its beauty, integrity, and fair proportions, is found only in union with the Church. But what is to be the spirit of our teaching? We must not only inculcate the truth as it is in Jesus, but do it in the spirit of Jesus, which was the spirit of love. Teaching the truth in love. (Bishop Henshaw.)

The Head and the Body

I. Our union to Christ–The Head, even Christ.

1. Essential to life.

2. Essential to growth.

3. Essential to perfection.

4. Essential to every member.

II. Our individuality–Every joint; every part. Each one must mind his own office.

1. We must each one personally see to his own vital union with the Body, and chiefly with the Head.

2. We must be careful to find and keep our fit position in the Body.

3. We must be careful of our personal health, for the sake of the whole Body; for one ailing member injures the whole.

4. We must be careful of our growth, for the sake of the whole Body. The most careful self-watch will not be a selfish measure, but a sanitary duty involved by our relationship to the rest.

III. Our relationship to each other–Joined together; that which every joint supplieth.

1. We should in desire and spirit be fitted to work with others. We are to have joints. How could there be a Body without them?

2. We should supply the joint-oil of love when so doing; indeed, each one must yield his own peculiar influence to the rest.

3. We should aid the compactness of the whole by our own solidity, and healthy firmness in our place.

4. We should perform our service for all. We should guard, guide, support, nourish, and comfort the rest of the members, as our function may be.

IV. Our compact unity as a Church.

1. There is but one Body of Christ, even as He is the one Head.

2. It is an actual, living union of a mere professed unity, but a Body quickened by the effectual working of Gods Spirit in every part.

3. It is a growing corporation. It increases by mutual edification. Not by being puffed up, but by being built up. It grows as the result of its own life, sustained by suitable food.

4. An immortal Body. Because the Head lives, the Body must live also. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Head and members

There is a great fitness in the figure of the head and the members. The head is–

1. The highest part of the body, the most exalted.

2. The most sensitive part, the seat of nerve and sensation, of pleasure and pain.

3. The most honourable part, the glory of man, the part of mans body that receives the blessing, wears the crown, and is anointed with the oil of joy and of consecration.

4. The most exposed part, especially assailed in battle, and liable to be injured, and where injury would be most dangerous.

5. The most expressive part, the seat of expression, whether in the smile of approval, the frown of displeasure, the tear of sympathy, the look of love. (G. S. Bowes.)

Oneness with Christ

The moment I make of myself and Christ two, I am all wrong. But when I see that we are one, all is rest and peace. (Luther.)

Growing up into Christ

1. Of the things into which we are to grow up, I should place, first, assurance–an assurance of our own forgiveness–an interest in Christ, and in all the promises. Assurance, or, which is almost the same thing, peace, is entirely a matter of growth. It develops like the harvest; and many seasons have to pass over it. It begins in a little seed of trembling hope, which scarcely gives a sign, or sends out one shoot. Then you go on to a feeling of faith, which comes and goes, as capricious as an April day. Then you proceed to a trust, which begins to settle itself, and to spring upward. Then that trust becomes firmer and firmer; while, in exact proportion, the life rises visibly, but feebly, higher and higher, till you reach, through much discipline, and after many pains, and perhaps only at the very last–to an unquestioning faith, and entire confidence, and a belief that has not a shadow, that He is yours and you are His–that you can lie, covenanted, undertaken for, safe forever–sure as the everlasting hills–steadfast as the throne of God; while, all the time, the richness of the fruit bears ample testimony to the depth of the root.

2. Another thing into which we grow, and a sure accompaniment of this increase of faith, and without which you may very justly suspect whether it is faith at all, is humility. Never think that humility belongs most to the young Christian, or to the earlier stages of the Divine Life.

3. Side by side with a deepening humility will come the exquisite grace of simplicity. Simple thoughts about truth, simple views of Christ, simple language about religion, simple manners, simple dress, simple conduct. The fine, and the showy, and the effective all belong to infancy.

4. Then another part of growth is, to grow out of self. They have got high up who have escaped from themselves. First, from self-indulgence; then from self-exaltation; self-consciousness. And, still higher, those who, scarcely looking into themselves at all, never seek in self what is only to be found in Christ. It was the characteristic feature of Christ Himself, that He pleased not Himself. Let me tell you one or two of the great secrets of growth. You must be happy. You wilt never grow till you are happy–happy in your own soul with God. Nothing will ever grow out of sunshine; and the sunshine of the heart is the felt smile of God. Then you must have communion with the holy, invisible things of another world. Growth is an influence from above. The higher atmosphere draws up the plants. Place yourself where the showers fall. Take in the virtue of strength through the drops of truth. And remember we grow from within. The heart first, the life afterwards. And use well what you have. Action is the key of growth. Therefore, the fierce winds blow over the forest–that each tree, and bough, and little spray, being moved, and shaken, the sap may the better run. Stirring things are to quicken us–that Gods grace may operate, that we ourselves, not being stagnant, but active, and busy, and diffusive–may grow; grow up to that great Worker, who so travailed for us all. And you must yield yourselves to the Pruners hand. Now there would be very little to gather in your gardens but for the dressers knife. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)

Christ the Head of the Church

Let us consider Christ–

I. As head of the body. From this union so complete, the meanest member derives benefit: separate from the Saviour, the Church is nothing; united to Him, all her members grow and thrive. But there is one very important point not to be forgotten–the sympathy of the Head and of the Church (1Co 12:26-27).

II. As the covenant-heart of the Church (see Eph 1:20-22). Adam was the head of the human race, and their welfare or ruin depended on his obedience or disobedience to God. Christ was chosen to be the representative or federal Head of the family of God; and in Him they are all made alive.

III. As Head of the Church in the exercise of his kingly authority.

IV. As the Head or fulness of divinity (see Col 2:9-10). What a glorious display does this give us of our Immanuel! Possessed of the fulness of the Godhead, He is at the head of creation as Lord of all (Col 1:15-18). (Essex Congregational Remembrancer.)

Obeying the Head in all things

Patterns of the obedience which we should yield to Jesus Christ, the members hesitate not to obey the head, even to their own loss and painful suffering. Take the hand, for instance. Archbishop Cranmer stands chained to the stake. The fagots are lighted. With forked tongues the flames rise through the smoke that opens, as the wind blows it aside, to show that great old man standing up firm in the fiery trial. Like a true penitent, he resolves that the hand which had signed his base recantation shall burn first; and how bravely it abides the flame! In obedience to the head, the hand lays itself down to suffer amputation; in obedience to the head, it flings away the napkin, sign for the drop to fall; in obedience to the head, as was foreseen by some of our fathers when they attached their names to the League and Covenant, it firmly signed the bond that sealed their fate, and doomed them to a martyrs grave. Let the head forgive, and the hand at once opens to grasp an enemys, in pledge of quarrel buried and estrangement gone. Would to God that Jesus Christ had such authority over us! Make us, O Lord, thy willing subjects in the day of Thy power! Ascend the throne of our hearts! Prince of Peace! take unto Thee thy great power, and reign! The one body:–Now let us, for a few moments, observe what the head does in the natural body, and then see what that spiritual Head does for His mystical body.

1. The head directs. The ends of all the nerves are gathered within that wonderful arch, the skull, which might be called the electric telegraph room of the body, communicating instantly by thought, through those fine white wires the nerves, with every part, and the most distant extremity of the body. If the Christian acts rightly, it is Christ who directs him: He of God is made unto us wisdom; and the Christian, feeling his ignorance, and asking for wisdom, according to the promise, If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, is generally guided into all moral and saving truth.

2. The head nourishes. If the nerves are once severed, all below the part severed becomes dead, for the communication is stopped between the head and the members; and if the communication were once stopped between Christ and a member, that member would instantly become paralyzed, or die. As it is in the natural body, the limb withers, the flesh shrinks, the muscles collapse, and the man becomes a mass of bones and shrunken sinew; as I have myself for a long time visited one who was dead from the head downwards, from some such accident as this–whose hands were tied over his body, perfectly lifeless, perfectly motionless. So, if the communication only be imperfect, though not stopped, nutrition and growth are immediately impeded; the heart begins to palpitate, so that disease might be supposed to exist there; and if the leading nerves do not work, if the nervous energy be impaired, the health of the member at once becomes weakness. Christ is the Head of the body; and all the spiritual nourishment which that body receives is as directly received through its union with the Head, as the nourishment of the body is through its union with the natural head.

3. The head unites. My hand and my wrist are next door neighbours; but, near as they are, it is only through the head that they sympathize. Were the nerves separated, they would have just as much sympathy as two corpses laid in the same room. If my hand holds communion with the wrist, it is through the union of both with the head. As one hand holds communion with the other at the opposite quarter of the body, so does the nearest member, as well as the farthest. And so it is with Christians. The nearest believers are united, not by neighbourhood–for we know in this monstrous city that men may live next door to one another, and know nothing whatever of each other, and care less–but by union with Christ, the Head, the members sympathize with the nearest, as well as with the farthest, because they are both one in Christ.

4. The growth of the body depends on the health of every part; and it is this which the apostle directs our attention to, where he says, According to the effectual working in the measure of every part; and in this way it is that the body maketh increase to the edifying of itself. A healthy body is that in which each part is healthy. No part can be disordered in the natural body, without affecting the whole, more or less. The festered little finger will make the whole head sick, and the whole heart faint, will communicate throbs through the whole body to the brain, spread inflammation, break up sleep, take away appetite, impair digestion, bring on the flushing of fever, or the paleness of atrophy in the cheek. Growth is the result of every part of the body doing its work. Not only is the daily waste made up, and the daily loss repaired, but the body is increased by the addition of fresh particles. The food we take is incorporated, and becomes part of our wonderful body: the salts, the alkalis, the different elements in food, are all carried by the arteries and veins to the different parts, and the stream of life lands and deposits each cargo of supplies at the wharfs along the shore. The very bulb at the root of the hair is fed, and without that nourishment it would not grow. Now, this supply cannot be carried on except the head is united to the members; but it is by each joint of the body receiving its supply, and doing its work, that the body grows. The supply is received in order that the work may be done; and as the work could not be done except the supply were received, so neither will the supply be given if the work is not done. All parts have not, indeed, the same office in the natural body, but all have their own; each part has its own particular work; and the body will be healthy or not in proportion as each part does its own work. No part of the body is idle. The hand, indeed, does not support the body, like the foot; but it supplies the food, and helps it in many ways. The eye does not feed the body, like the hand; but it enables the hand to do so better. The little hidden arteries, that creep along those wonderful hollows, and valleys, and trenches in the bones, and through the skin and the flesh, cannot be seen like the veins; but they are all at work, conveying the stream of life safely and carefully along. No part is idle; each is at work; and it is by each doing its work that the body grows. The whole body, says the apostle, 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. So is it in Christs body the Church. Every member has its work to do–its own place in the mystical body, and its own work in that place. Now, this work is not only the work of the minister of the gospel–not the work purely of the bishop, or the elder, or the deacon. How fearful would be the witness against the nominal Christian, if this were the testimony of a servant! Now, it is by each member bearing this in mind, and endeavouring to act out his part, that the Church spreads, and grows, and acts on the world. Think, beloved brethren, what would be the effect on the world at large, if all those only who met together in this house of God every Sabbath day went forth with Christian consistency of conduct, and simplicity of motive and dependence, to exhibit the example of their Redeemer in the world on the weekdays. Think, if every part did its work with energy, what that work would be. (W. W. Champneys, M. A.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 15. But, speaking the truth in love] The truth recommended by the apostle is the whole system of Gospel doctrine; this they are to teach and preach, and this is opposed to the deceit mentioned above. This truth, as it is the doctrine of God’s eternal love to mankind, must be preached in love. Scolding and abuse from the pulpit or press, in matters of religion, are truly monstrous. He who has the truth of God has no need of any means to defend or propagate it, but those which love to God and man provides.

Grow up into him] This is a continuance of the metaphor taken from the members of a human body receiving nourishment equally and growing up, each in its due proportion to other parts, and to the body in general. The truth of God should be so preached to all the members of the Church of God, that they may all receive an increase of grace and life; so that each, in whatever state he may be, may get forward in the way of truth and holiness. In the Church of Christ there are persons in various states: the careless, the penitent, the lukewarm, the tempted, the diffident, the little child, the young man, and the father. He who has got a talent for the edification of only one of those classes should not stay long in a place, else the whole body cannot grow up in all things under his ministry.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

But speaking the truth in love; or, following the truth in love: q.d. Not only let us not be seduced by the craftiness of men, but constantly adhere to, and persevere in, the belief of the truth, joining love with it, in which two the sum of Christianity consists; and this will be a means of our growing up, and being no more children.

May grow up; this is opposed to being children; we are not to stand at a stay, but grow to maturity, Heb 6:1.

In all things; in knowledge, faith, love, and all the parts of the new man.

Into him which is the head, even Christ; our growth must be with respect to Christ our Head, as the end of it; we must grow in our acknowledgment of him, and dependence on him, as he by whom we are influenced, and from whom all our proficiency and strength proceeds; so that whatever increase we make, must tend not to the magnifying ourselves, but exalting our Head.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

15. speaking the truthTranslate,”holding the truth”; “following the truth”;opposed to “error” or “deceit” (Eph4:14).

in love“Truth”is never to be sacrificed to so-called “charity”; yet it isto be maintained in charity. Truth in word and act, love in mannerand spirit, are the Christian’s rule (compare Eph 4:21;Eph 4:24).

grow upfrom the stateof “children” to that of “full-grown men.” Thereis growth only in the spiritually alive, not in the dead.

into himso as to bemore and more incorporated with Him, and become one with Him.

the head (Eph1:22).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

But speaking the truth in love,…. Either Christ himself, who is the truth, and is to be preached, and always spoken of with strong affection and love; or the Gospel, the word of truth, so called in opposition to that which is false and fictitious; and also to the law, which is shadowish; and on account of its author, the God of truth, and its subject matter, Christ, and the several doctrines of grace; and because the spirit of truth has dictated it, and does direct to it, and owns and blesses it: this, with respect to the ministers of the Gospel, should be spoken openly, honestly, and sincerely, and in love to the souls of men, and in a way consistent with love, in opposition to the secret, ensnaring, and pernicious ways of false teachers; and with respect to private Christians, as they are to receive it in love, so to speak of it to one another from a principle of love, and an affectionate concern for each other’s welfare, to the end that they

may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even “Christ”: the work of grace upon the soul is a gradual work, and an increase of this in the exercise of faith, hope, love, and spiritual knowledge, is a growth; and this is a growth in all things, in all grace, as in those mentioned, so in others, as humility, patience, self-denial, resignation of the will to the will of God, and especially the knowledge of Christ; for it is a growing into him, from whom souls receive all their grace and increase of it; for he is the head of influence to supply them, as well as the head of eminence to protect them; see Eph 1:22 and now the preaching of the Gospel, or the sincere speaking of the truth, is the instrumental means of such growth.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

In love ( ). If truth were always spoken only in love!

May grow into him ( ). Supply and then note the final use of the first aorist active subjunctive. It is the metaphor of verse 13 (the full-grown man). We are the body and Christ is the Head. We are to grow up to his stature.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

Speaking the truth [] . Only here and Gal 4:16. In classical Greek it means to be true, to arrive at truth, and to speak truth. Here the idea is rather that of being or walking in truth. Rev., in margin, dealing truly.

In love. Some connect with grow up. The parallel construction, tossed and carried about in the sleight, in craftiness, speaking truth in love, favors the A. V. and Rev., as does the awkwardness of speaking truth standing alone. Moreover, Paul ‘s habit is to subjoin, and not to prefix, his qualifying clauses.

Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament

1) “But speaking the truth in love” (aletheuontes de en agape) “But speaking truth in love;” but on the other hand, in contrast with crafty deceivers, “dealing truly, holding the truth in love,” or confessing the truth in love, Gal 4:16.

2) “May grow up into him in all things” (auksesomen eis auton ta panta) “We may grow with relationship to him in all respects or all points,” in knowledge, grace, works, and experience, Eph 2:10; 2Pe 3:18.

3) “Which is the head, even Christ.” (hos estin he kephale christos) ” Who is the head, even Christ,” the head of the church which is the body (assembly) of Christ, Eph 4:12; Eph 1:22-23; 1Co 12:27. He is the Master and Lord over His church who one day will return to require an account from her, Mar 13:34-37.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

15. But, speaking the truth. Having already said that we ought not to be children, destitute of reason and judgment, he now enjoins us to grow up in the truth. (145) Though we have not arrived at man’s estate, we ought at least, as we have already said, to be advanced children. The truth of God ought to have such a firm hold of us, that all the contrivances and attacks of Satan shall not draw us from our course; and yet, as we have not hitherto attained full and complete strength, we must make progress until death.

He points out the design of this progress, that Christ may be the head, “that in all things he may have the pre-eminence,” (Col 1:18,) and that in him alone we may grow in vigor or in stature. Again, we see that no man is excepted; all are enjoined to be subject, and to take their own places in the body.

What aspect then does Popery present, but that of a crooked, deformed person? Is not the whole symmetry of the church destroyed, when one man, acting in opposition to the head, refuses to be reckoned one of the members? The Papists deny this, and allege that the Pope is nothing more than a ministerial head. But such cavils do them no service. The tyranny of their idol must be acknowledged to be altogether inconsistent with that order which Paul here recommends. In a word, a healthful condition of the church requires that Christ alone “must increase,” and all others “must decrease.” (Joh 3:30.) Whatever increase we obtain must be regulated in such a manner, that we shall remain in our own place, and contribute to exalt the head.

When he bids us give heed to the truth in love, he uses the preposition in, ( ἐν,) like the corresponding Hebrew preposition ב, ( beth,) as signifying with, — speaking the truth With love (146) If each individual, instead of attending exclusively to his own concerns, shall desire mutual intercourse, there will be agreeable and general progress. Such, the Apostle assures us, must be the nature of this harmony, that men shall not be suffered to forget the claims of truth, or, disregarding them, to frame an agreement according to their own views. This proves the wickedness of the Papists, who lay aside the word of God, and labor to force our compliance with their decisions.

(145) “ ᾿Αληθεύοντες does not seem properly to denote so much ‘speaking the truth,’ as ‘embracing and adhering to it;’ and, to render the Christian perfect, he must add to this regard to truth, love, or universal affection and benevolence. It was a noble saying of Pythagoras, agreeable to this sentiment of our apostle, ‘These are the two loveliest gifts of the gods to men, τό τε ἀληθεύειν καὶ τὸ εὐεργετεῖν, to embrace the truth, and be beneficent.’ AElian. 1. 12, c. 58.)” — Chandler.

(146) “ ᾿Αλγθεύοντες ἐν ἀγάπη, means much more than ‘ speaking the truth in love;’ it signifies thinking, feeling, acting under the influence of ‘the truth, which worketh by love.’” — Brown.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(15) But speaking the truth in love.It has been doubted whether the words in love should not be connected with may grow up, &c., exactly as in Eph. 4:16, maketh increase of the body . . . in love. But both order and sense seem to point to the connection given in our version. The correct rendering is, being true in love; including in this the being true to others, by speaking truly and acting honestly towards them (as in Gal. 4:16), but including also the being true absolutelythat is, the loving the truth, and clinging to it at all costs. The latter element, indeed, is the one which stands here more properly in antithesis to the childish instability described in the preceding verse; as it is in itself the more important, and is, in fact, the only basis for the other.

To thine own self be true,

And it will follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

This being true is expressed in many forms. Sometimes as being of the truth (Joh. 18:37; 1Jn. 2:21; 1Jn. 3:19); sometimes as abiding in the truth (Joh. 8:44), or having the truth in us (1Jn. 1:8); sometimes as doing the truth (Joh. 3:21), and walking in the truth (2Jn. 1:4; 3Jn. 1:4). In all cases it is closely connected with the idea of unity with Him who is Himself the Truth (Joh. 14:6).

With the phrase being true in love we may compare the corresponding phrase of loving in truth . . . for the truths sake, which dwelleth in us (2Jn. 1:1; see also Eph. 4:3, and 3Jn. 1:1). In both we recognise the harmony of the two great principles of individuality and unity, on which true humanity, and therefore likeness to God, depends. In the contemplation and love of truth each of us is alone; even in the speaking and doing truth towards others we have to consult only God and our own conscience, which is His voice within. In love, on the contrary, we deny and sacrifice self, merging our individual being in humanity or in God. Taking the first alone, we have a hard, almost stoical, self-concentration; taking the other alone, it may become towards man an idolatry, to which both truth and freedom are sacrificed, and even towards God may pass into a mysticism, in which all active energy is lost. Uniting both, we have the perfect humanity, at once individual and social, at once free before God and lost in God. Accordingly, it is thus that we grow up into Him who is the Head, even Christ, who, by perfect truth and perfect love, manifested to us in His humanity all the fulness of God.

The head, even Christ.In this name of our Lord we have the link of connection between the individual perfection and corporate unity. He is (as in 1Co. 11:3) the Head of each man. He is also the Head of the whole Church.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

15. Speaking the truth Not only speaking, but in every respect being and acting in truth; or, to coin a precisely parallel participle, truthing in love. As all these isms are systems of untruth, let us be embodied truth bathed in love: for in this trueness in love is not only firmness but growth, both individual and churchly.

Into him the head As the great reconciler of all things in and under himself as head in Eph 1:10-11.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘But speaking truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the Head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of every part, makes the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.’

We need to recognise here that Christ is both Head and body. He is the Head because He is Head over all things (Eph 1:22) and especially of His church (Eph 5:23). And He is also the body (Eph 2:16; 1Co 10:16-17). For we are only the body because we have been united as one with Him in spirit in His spiritual body, in His death and resurrection (Eph 1:19 to Eph 2:10).

Some have this the wrong way round. They see the Head as in Heaven and the church His body on the earth. But this is not Paul’s teaching. He has taught that both Head and body are in heavenly places. Christ’s body in Heaven and the body on earth are one body in heavenly places, in the spiritual realm. Paul never loses sight of the fact that we are one with Him in His body (1Co 10:16-17). This is why he can say ‘Christ’ when we expect him to say ‘the church’ (1Co 12:12). This is what Eph 1:19 to Eph 2:10 teaches us.

‘But speaking truth in love.’ Literally ‘truthing it in love’. It can refer to both words and actions. This is the result of true growth in Christ, truth spoken and truth lived from a heart of love. This then contributes to our growth into Him Who is the Head for He is the Truth (Joh 14:6). When we stray from this we hinder our own growth. Note the contrast with falsehood taught from the heart of deceit (Joh 14:14). Yet what seems a loving heart can be deceitful, for men easily deceive themselves. We need to ensure that what we hear is the truth and this can only be by comparison with the whole word of God. And if someone introduces ‘a new thing’ we need to doubly beware.

‘May grow up in all things into Him who is the Head, even Christ.’ The consequence of speaking truth in love will be that we grow up ‘in all things’ into Him Who is the Head i.e. the One Who is Head over ‘all things’ (Eph 1:22), the sovereign King of the universe. We grow up into our glorious heritage which we will share with Him.

‘Even Christ.’ This intervenes between ‘the Head’ and the next statement. He does not want ‘the Head’ too closely linked with the idea of the body lest a mistaken impression be gained. He does not want us to see Christ as the head in contrast with the church as the body (see Appendix). Thus what follows relates to Christ as the body rather than as the Head, although closely linked to His Headship (when the ancients thought of the body being directed it was by the heart or the ‘inner parts (bowels)’, not by the head).

‘Even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of every part, makes the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.’ Through the guidance and direction of Christ, and in union with Him, those who are united with Him in His body grow together, becoming joined in love, perfectly fitted together, with each part working together with the remainder and fulfilling its responsibility towards the whole. Thus the body grows, building itself up in love.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Paul’s exhortation and supplication for the Church as the body of Christ:

v. 15. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints,

v. 16. cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

v. 17. that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

v. 18. the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

v. 19. and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,

v. 20. which He wrought in Christ when he raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,

v. 21. far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come;

v. 22. and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church,

v. 23. which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.

A long and remarkable sentence, presenting the loftiest conception, both of Christ’s own supremacy and of the grandeur of that Church of His, of which the Ephesians have been made members. The distinction between Jews and Gentiles is no longer mentioned; Paul addresses his readers as a body: For this reason I, too, having heard of the faith among you in the Lord Jesus and of the love toward all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. For this cause, by reason of all the wonderful blessings which he had enumerated in the preceding section, because all these benefits have come upon us Christians in such rich measure, the apostle is constrained to give thanks. For he knew that his readers were believers, having had abundant evidence to satisfy himself upon that point when he was present with them, and having received additional information to the same effect since. They were in a state of faith, of which fact they also gave proof by their love toward all the saints. That was the first and immediate manifestation of their faith: they were united with all the believers, both Jews and Gentiles, by the bond of true brotherly love. This encouraging circumstance caused Paul to continue his practice of making continual grateful mention of them in his prayers. On their behalf he sent up ceaseless prayers of thanksgiving to the throne of grace; he never failed to remember them in his prayers. The reports which were reaching Paul concerning the gratifying prosperity of the Ephesian congregation in spiritual matters were such a source of cheer to him that he was constrained to continue his intercession for them.

The content of Paul’s intercessory prayer was: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full understanding of Him. With all the progress which Christians make in this world they do not reach the state of perfection which is held out before them as the desirable goal. It is God that must continue the work of sanctification and bring it to the point agreeable to His will. This God is the God of Jesus Christ, the singular state of Godhood and Fatherhood being combined in His essence. But Jesus Christ is our Lord, and so the God of Jesus Christ, through Christ, is also our Father, of whom we may confidently expect everything that pertains to our salvation and sanctification. He is the Father of glory, for glory is His essential attribute, Act 7:2; 1Co 2:8. Perfection, magnificence, divine majesty and excellence is found in Him. The God thus characterized can give to the believers of all times the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Holy Ghost, who comes into the hearts of men when they come to faith, teaches them to understand the heavenly, divine things, He reveals to them the mysteries which would otherwise be hidden from them, the chief part of His work in this respect consisting in this, that the Christians obtain an ever clearer and sharper understanding of God. They advance from truth to truth, from knowledge to knowledge.

The apostle continues in his description of his prayer: (That God may give you) the eyes of your heart as enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. The heart, in Biblical language, is the center, not only of feeling, but also of thinking, willing, and understanding. Through His Holy Spirit God must enlighten the understanding of the Christians; for then only will they know what the hope of God’s calling is. Not only faith and love are wrought in the heart by God in conversion, but also hope. This hope, planted into the heart of the Christian by the call of the Lord, grows and becomes more fervent with his increase in spiritual life. The believers always have before the eyes of their mind the wonderful blessing which has been promised to them, the riches of the glory of God’s inheritance among the saints. The apostle piles up the nouns in order to bring home to the Christians, in some measure at least, the glory which is awaiting them by the promise of God. The perfected blessedness which shall be ours in heaven is a rich and magnificent inheritance; it is heavenly joy, bliss, and salvation, the reflection of the divine majesty and glory. We Christians are all too apt, while sojourning in this world, to have our attention distracted by the fool’s gold of this world, and therefore it is necessary to be trained to think of the inheritance of the saints in light.

Christians must furthermore learn to understand, as Paul here prays: And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us, namely, to those that believe according to the operation of the strength of His might. Stronger expressions could hardly be found in human language to bring out the absolute inability of man to do anything toward his conversion and salvation. Our conversion was made possible by the surpassing greatness of God’s power alone, as it was manifested toward us, exerted itself in our hearts and minds. That we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior was made possible only by the operative power which expressed His almighty strength, by which the Lord overcame the resistance of natural man, made us obedient to the Gospel, and now keeps us in the state of faith.

There is only one adequate measure of the exceeding greatness of God’s power, namely, the resurrection of Christ, as Paul writes: Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand in the heavens. Christ, in His state of exaltation, is the Mediator of the effective power of God, as it is shown in our conversion. By His resurrection and subsequent ascension to the right hand of power Christ was declared to be the Son of God with power, of the same degree of might and honor with the Father. Our state of faith is a work of power, a miracle of the Triune God. Note: The same Christ who as a true human being died, and through His blood earned the forgiveness of sins for all men, has been raised from the dead by God and placed at His right hand in the heavenly places. We therefore confess that Christ, through His resurrection and ascension, entered into the full possession and use of the divine majesty also according to the human nature which He adopted, a majesty which, however, he possessed during the entire state of humiliation.

This reference to Christ’s state of exaltation now causes the apostle to expand this thought, almost in doxological form: Far above all rule, and authority, and power, and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the coming one, and has placed all things under His feet. So much the exaltation of the despised Son of Man comprises. By setting Christ at His right hand in the heavens, God has put all things under His feet, has given Him, also according to His human nature, the free and unbounded dominion, not only over all power and authority in the physical world, but also over all the spirits of heaven, over the angels with their superhuman strength and power. No matter what the name and importance of any created being in this world and in the world to come may be, the power and authority of Christ, being that of omnipotence, is greater. Christ is the supreme Lord, to whom all creatures must yield obedience, Psa 8:1-9.

But far more important than this supreme position in the Kingdom of Power is Christ’s position in the Kingdom of Grace, of which Paul sags: And (God) gave Him the Head over all to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. In His capacity as Head over all things God has given Christ as a present to the Church, which is His body. All the believers, whether of Jews or of Gentiles, are here expressly placed together and designated with the collective name “Church,” which is the fellowship of all saints, of the elect children of God on earth. God has now made this arrangement, that Christ is the Head of this Church, and the Church is His body. Not the entire creation, hut the Church, the communion of the believing, chosen children of God, is the body of Christ. See Col 1:18. It is a wonderful and most intimate union which thus obtains between Christ and the believers, for it results in making the Church like a vessel which is filled to the top, brimful with blessings. “The conception is that, the plenitude of the divine powers and qualities in Christ having been imparted by Him to His Church, the latter is now pervaded by His presence, animated with His life, filled with His gifts and energies and graces-a true vessel of His mercy. ” All in all He fills, the Head of the universe is also the Head of the Church.

Summary

After opening his letter with an inspiring doxology in praise of the eternal election of grace and its blessings, the apostle states the content of his prayer for the Ephesians to be that they might come to the knowledge of the glory of their future inheritance, of the power of God in working and preserving saving faith in their hearts, and of the position of the exalted Christ as the Head of the Church.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Eph 4:15 . Still connected with , Eph 4:14 .

] after the negative protasis: on the other hand, yet doubtless . See Hartung, Partikell . I. p. 171 f.; Klotz, ad Devar. p. 360 f. In order that we on the other hand, confessing the truth, may grow in love , etc. means nothing else than in Gal 4:6 , verum dicere , opposite of (comp. Xen. Anab. i. 7. 18, iv. 4. 15; Mem. i. 15; Plat. Demod . p. 383 C; Phil. Leg. Alleg . II. p. 84 A; de resip. No , p. 280 E), which here, as contrast to the , is the confession of the evangelic . belongs to . (comp. already Lucifer: “crescamus in caritate”), the ethical element of which it denotes; for love (to the brethren) is the sphere, apart from which the growth of the mystic body, whose members are held together by love (comp. Chrysostom), does not take place, Eph 3:18 ; 1Co 12:12 ff., comp. 1Co 13:1 . With how great weight is this element here placed at the beginning and Eph 4:16 at the end ; and how definitely is the hint already thereby given to take together with ., in keeping with its connection in Eph 4:16 ! Others , nevertheless, connect it with , in doing which some explain, yet not without diversities in specifying the sense, [226] veritatem sectantes cum caritate (Valla, Erasmus, Calvin, Bullinger, Calovius, Wolf, Michaelis, Zachariae, Koppe, Stolz, Flatt, Rckert, Bleek, de Wette? et al. ), others: sincere diligentes (Luther, Bucer, Grotius, Loesner, Morus, et al. ; comp. also Beza and Matthies). But neither of these interpretations is to be linguistically justified, since never means to strive after truth, or to hold fast the truth, to possess the truth, or the like, but always to speak the truth (comp. also Pro 21:3 ; Sir 31:4 ), to which, likewise, the sense of to verify , to prove as true, found e.g. in Xen. Anab. vii. 7. 25, Isa 44:26 , may be traced back. Against the second of these interpretations (Luther, etc.) there is also in particular the context, seeing that sincere love would be a quite unsuitable contrast to the spiritual immaturity given up to the false teachers, which is described Eph 4:14 . If, however, we should seek to connect in the correct sense of verum dicere with ( confessing the truth in love ), then only the love not towards others in general (this in opposition to Hofmann), but towards those of another confession , could be meant; and this too, would here, where the latter are described as deceptive teachers of error, be at variance with the context. Harless, it is true, rightly connects with ., but explains : being true in evangelical disposition , and then brings together. Against this may be urged, not indeed the hyperbaton (Bernhardy, p. 460; Khner, II. p. 627 f.), but the fact that . is not taken in accordance with correct linguistic usage, and that the definition “ in evangelical disposition ” is imported at variance with the context (since we have here a contrast not to the of the false teachers, but to the childish . . .); as also that the corresponding of Eph 4:16 shows that in Eph 4:15 does not mean love to Christ . Wrongly also Baumgarten-Crusius, although connecting with ., renders: possessing the truth.

] dependent on , Eph 4:14 , is not to be taken, according to classic usage, transitively (1Co 3:6 f.; 2Co 9:10 ), as Valla, Moldenhauer, and others held, but intransitively (comp. Eph 2:21 , and see Wetstein, I. p. 335), to grow ; for, in keeping with the figure , it represents the progressive development of the Christian life . Comp. Eph 4:16 . Bengel aptly observes: “haec media est inter infantes et virum .”

] in reference to Him . Christ is indeed the Head of the body, the growth of the members of which thus stands in constant relation to Christ , can never take place apart from relation to Him as determining and regulating it, to whom the course of the development must harmoniously correspond. The commentary to is furnished by the following . . .; the relation of the growth to the head, which is expressed in an ascending direction by, , is expressed in a descending direction by . [227] The sense: into the resemblance of Christ (Zanchius and others), is opposed to the context (since Christ is thought of as head ); as also the explanation of Koppe and Holzhausen (comp. de Wette and Bleek): “ to grow up in Him ,” is inappropriate, since the body as little grows up to the head, or reaches forth to the head (Hofmann), as it grows into the head (in opposition to Matthies: “ to grow into Him , i.e. ever more deeply to become absorbed into His infinitely true and holy nature”). Others have taken for , [228] but this was a mistaken makeshift, whether it was explained with Cornelius a Lapide: “Christi capitis virtute et influxu ,” or even with Grotius: “ipsius cognitione .”

] is rightly explained: in all points, in every respect (comp. 1Co 9:25 ; 1Co 10:33 ; 1Co 11:2 , and see on Act 20:35 ), in which case, however, the article has not generally been attended to (so still Meier and Matthies). Harless refers it to the previously mentioned in its contrast to the wavering of unsettled knowledge. But since the of Eph 4:12 appears as the goal to be attained by the growth, and since, moreover, not several things (a plurality) are thereby denoted, to which the plural might relate, this view cannot appear in keeping with the context. The explanation which most naturally suggests itself is: in all the points of our growth, wherein the emphasis remains upon . Our growth shall, in all points in which we grow, proceed in relation to Him , who is the Head, etc. Koppe, Wahl, and Holzhausen regard as nominative , explaining it of all the members . But in that case must have been written. Comp. Eph 4:13 .

] significant more precise definition and very emphatic naming of the subject intended by , although this subject was self-evident. Paul did not write (as apposition to ), but in accordance with the usual Greek construction he drew the apposition into the accessory clause. See Stallbaum, ad Plat. Apol. p. 41 A: , . Pflugk, ad Eur. Hec. 771. Comp. 2Co 10:13 ; Winer, p. 469 [E. T. 669]; Ellendt, Lex. Soph. II. p. 368. According to de Wette, . is merely to serve for facilitating the construction with the following , and thus to have merely a formal significance. But of such a facilitating there was no need whatever.

[226] Calvin and most expositors: “veritatis studio adjungere etiam mutuae communicationis studium, ut placide simul proficiant.” Castalio, Bullinger, Rckert: “ to hold fast to the truth received and investigated so that our firmness may be tempered by a friendly consideration for the weaker.”

[227] This treating of and (ver. 16) as parallel is not “paradoxical” (de Wette), but represents the relation as it is . Christ the goal and source of the development of life in the church, i.e. to Christ withal is directed the whole aim which determines this development, and from Christ proceeds all endowment, by which it is rendered possible and takes place. Analogous, and just as little paradoxical, is the conjunction of ( ) and , Col 1:16 f.

[228] Luther, in the original editions, has not: “an dem das Haupt ist,” but “an den , der das Haupt ist.”

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ver. 15. But speaking the truth ] Or, doing the truth, as the Vulgate hath it, . Truthifying, or following the truth, as one rendereth it. St John bids, love in truth, 1Jn 3:18 . St Paul, speak or do the truth in love. And again, let all your things be done in love.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

15 .] but (opposition to the whole last verse; introducing as it does, not only , but the below) being followers of truth ( cannot here mean merely to speak the truth , as the whole matter dealt with is more general; the particular follows, Eph 4:25 . The verb has the widest meaning of being and (as Stier remarks) not without a certain sense of effort, ‘ sectari veritatem .’ The Vulg. gives it well, but perhaps with too exclusively practical a bearing, ‘ veritatem facientes :’ Bengel, ‘ verantes :’ the old English versions, ‘ folowe the truth ,’ which gives too much the objective sense to truth. It is almost impossible to express it satisfactorily in English. I have somewhat modified this last rendering, restoring the general sense of ‘truth.’ The objection to ‘followers of truth’ is that it may be mistaken for ‘searchers after truth’ but I can find no expression which does not lie open to equal objection) in love (must be joined with , not with . For 1) the mere participle with would stand most feebly and awkwardly at the beginning of the sentence: and 2) we have already observed the habit of the Apostle to be, to subjoin, not to prefix, his qualifying clauses. is added, as the element in which the Christian must take place: it is not and cannot be an at all hazards a ‘fiat justitia, ruat clum’ truthfulness: but must be conditioned by love: a true-seeking and true-being with loving caution and kind allowance not breaking up, but cementing, brotherly love by walking in truth) may grow up into (increase towards the measure of the stature of; to the perfect man in Him. Again an allusion to the incorporation of all the Church in Christ: see below) Him in all things (accusative of reference; the article implying, in every department of our growth, ‘in all things wherein we grow,’ as Meyer) who is the Head (see ch. Eph 1:22 ), namely, Christ (the nominative is best regarded as an attraction to the foregoing relative, just as in ‘urbem quam statuo vestra est’ the substantive is attracted to the following relative. So we have, Eur. Hecub. 754, , : and Plato, Apol. p. 41 A, , . , . . In the face of these examples, there is no occasion, with De W. and Ellic., to suppose that the Apostle places . at the end to give force to which follows. Beware of Eadie’s rendering, ‘who is the Head, the ( .) Christ,’ as alien from any design apparent in the argument, or indeed in the Epistle),

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Eph 4:15 . : but truthing it . A participial clause qualifying the following and introducing the positive side of the change in view as contrasted with the negative aspect of the same in the clause. The has the force of “but rather” or “but on the other hand”. Opposition of one thing to another is usually expressed by ; but the advers. is also used at times with that force, with the difference, however, that connects while it contrasts or opposes; cf. Win.-Moult., p. 551. The precise meaning of is disputed. The RV marg. makes it “dealing truly”; but that is a doubtful sense. Calvin takes it = veritati operam dare ; Rckert, “holding fast the truth”; Ell., “holding the truth”; Olsh., “walking in truth”; Alf., “being followers of truth”. But in classical Greek the verb seems to mean to speak truth as opposed to (Plato, Rep. , p. 589 c; Xen., Anab. , i., 7, 18, iv., 4, 15, etc.), and that is its sense also in Gal 4:16 . It is best to take it here, too, as = “speaking truth”; or more definitely “confessing the truth”. The point of this brief, but significant clause, therefore, may be this these Ephesians had learned the saving truth ( ; cf. Gal 2:5 ; Gal 2:14 ; 2Co 4:2 ; 1Pe 1:22 ; Heb 10:26 , etc.) of Christ. They had been exposed to the treacheries and risks of false teaching. Christ had given them Apostles, prophets, and evangelists to secure them against all teachers of craft, and they are here charged to continue to confess the truth in which they had been instructed and so grow to the maturity of the Christian life. : in love . The question is to what is this to be attached? It is connected by many (Syr., Eth., Theophy., Oecum., Erasm., Calv., Rck., Bleek, de Wette, Alf., AV, RV, etc.) with the , and it is taken to express the idea that love is the element in which truth is to be spoken (or the truth confessed), if it is to conduce to unity and brotherliness. This construction is supported by the considerations that the simple would be somewhat bald if it stood wholly by itself; that it is natural to associate love and truth ; that the position of after the and also the parallel structure of Eph 4:14 point to this connection; and that we thus get a contrast between and and again between and . The main argument for connecting the clause rather with the following (= “but speaking truth (or rather, confessing the truth) may in love grow up”) is the fact that in Eph 4:16 , where the climax is reached, qualifies the main thought that of the growth or the edification of Christ’s body. This is a consideration of such weight as to throw the probability on the whole on the side of the second connection (Mey., Alf., Haupt, etc.). : may grow up unto him in all things , , which is under the regimen of the , has here, as in Eph 2:21 and in various other passages of the NT, the intr. sense of growing . In earlier classical Greek it meant to cause to grow . That sense it has in the LXX and also occasionally in the NT (1Co 3:6-7 ; 2Co 9:10 ), while the pass. is used to express growing . But from Arist. onwards it came also to have the intr. sense. Meyer takes to mean simply “ in reference to him”. The idea then would be that it is only by being in relation to Christ that we can grow. But while it is true that the growth which is set before us as our aim depends wholly on our remaining in living relation to Christ, the phrase can scarcely bear this out, but, as restricted by Meyer, would mean only “as regards him”. The must have a more definite sense. It might mean “into him” (AV, RV, Ell., etc.), in the sense of becoming wholly incorporated in Him, or made one with Him, or in the sense of growing till our life has “its centre in Him,” as Ell. would put it. But this is an idea difficult to grasp, and not quite in harmony with the conception of Christ as Head . For the members to grow into the head is not a congruous idea. It is best, therefore, to give the sense of “unto,” Christ the Head being the end and object of the growth of the members. This means more than that we are to grow into resemblance to Him, or that our growth is be according to His example . It means that as He is the source from which ( , Eph 4:16 ) the grace or power comes that makes it possible for us to grow, He is also the object and goal to which our growth in its every stage must look and is to be directed. This is more in harmony with the previous and , . . . The extent or scope of this growing into Christ is expressed by (the acc. of def. or acc. of quantitative object.; cf. Krger, Sprachl. , 46, 5, 4), = in all that belongs to our growth; in all the power and circumstances of our growth. The simple is so used in 1Co 9:25 ; 1Co 10:33 ; 1Co 11:2 . Here is in place, the idea being, as Meyer rightly observes, the definite idea of all the points in which we grow . , : who is the head even Christ . With [410] [411] [412] [413] , Chrys., etc., the TR reads . The article is rightly omitted, however, by LTTrWHRV on the authority of the oldest and best MSS., [414] [415] [416] [417] , with Bas., Cyr., etc. Instead of the ordinary form of direct apposition , , the relative form is adopted, probably with a view both to emphasis, and to definiteness in the connection with , . . . Such constructions were usual in Greek of all periods; cf. Win.-Moult., p. 665; also 2Co 10:13 ; Plato, Apol. , p. 41 A; Eur., Hec. , 764.

[410] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.

[411] Codex Boernerianus (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Dresden, edited by Matthi in 1791. Written by an Irish scribe, it once formed part of the same volume as Codex Sangallensis ( ) of the Gospels. The Latin text, g, is based on the O.L. translation.

[412] Codex Mosquensis (sc. ix.), edited by Matthi in 1782.

[413] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.

[414] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.

[415] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.

[416] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).

[417] Codex Ephraemi (sc. v.), the Paris palimpsest, edited by Tischendorf in 1843.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

speaking the truth. Literally truthing it. Greek. aletheuo. Only here and Gal 4:16. See App-175Eph 1:2.

may grow up. See Eph 2:21.

Which = Who.

Head. See Eph 1:22.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

15.] but (opposition to the whole last verse; introducing as it does, not only , but the below) being followers of truth ( cannot here mean merely to speak the truth, as the whole matter dealt with is more general; the particular follows, Eph 4:25. The verb has the widest meaning of being -and (as Stier remarks) not without a certain sense of effort, sectari veritatem. The Vulg. gives it well, but perhaps with too exclusively practical a bearing, veritatem facientes: Bengel, verantes: the old English versions, folowe the truth, which gives too much the objective sense to truth. It is almost impossible to express it satisfactorily in English. I have somewhat modified this last rendering, restoring the general sense of truth. The objection to followers of truth is that it may be mistaken for searchers after truth-but I can find no expression which does not lie open to equal objection) in love (must be joined with , not with . For 1) the mere participle with would stand most feebly and awkwardly at the beginning of the sentence: and 2) we have already observed the habit of the Apostle to be, to subjoin, not to prefix, his qualifying clauses. is added, as the element in which the Christian must take place: it is not and cannot be an at all hazards-a fiat justitia, ruat clum truthfulness: but must be conditioned by love: a true-seeking and true-being with loving caution and kind allowance-not breaking up, but cementing, brotherly love by walking in truth) may grow up into (increase towards the measure of the stature of;-to the perfect man in Him. Again an allusion to the incorporation of all the Church in Christ: see below) Him in all things (accusative of reference; the article implying, in every department of our growth, in all things wherein we grow, as Meyer) who is the Head (see ch. Eph 1:22), namely, Christ (the nominative is best regarded as an attraction to the foregoing relative, just as in urbem quam statuo vestra est the substantive is attracted to the following relative. So we have, Eur. Hecub. 754, , : and Plato, Apol. p. 41 A, , . , . . In the face of these examples, there is no occasion, with De W. and Ellic., to suppose that the Apostle places . at the end to give force to which follows. Beware of Eadies rendering, who is the Head, the ( .) Christ, as alien from any design apparent in the argument, or indeed in the Epistle),

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Eph 4:15. , speaking the truth) In antithesis to error []. On this same word, truth, see Eph 4:21; Eph 4:24.- , in love) by which the body is compacted together. Here we have the beginning [the prow], and in Eph 4:16 the end [the stern: prora-puppis]. The words, speaking the truth, and in love, are conjoined. The latter is the more simple.-, we may grow) This depends on that (), in Eph 4:14. This , increase, [as it is expressed in] Eph 4:16, comes in between the [state of] children [Eph 4:14] and that of the full-grown man [ , Eph 4:13].- , into Him) Paul has Jesus in his mind, and first says Him, and then afterwards shows of whom he is speaking.- , all things) supply , according to, in; we severally, one and all, in all things.-, who) This refers to Christ. The Head is put in the way of a distinct clause.[61]- , Christ) Ploce,[62] emphatic [the Christ]. For previously it had been said, into Him; though is nevertheless afterwards mentioned at the end very emphatically, as if he were to say, Christ is (the) Christ. To Him all things are to be referred.

[61] Beng. seems to translate thus:-Grow up unto Him, who is Christ, the Head. Not as Engl. V., Unto Him, who is the Head, (even) Christ.-ED.

[62] See App. The same word, Christ (Him, Eph 4:15, = Christ, Eph 4:13), twice put; previously as the proper name: here as an appellative, or distinguishing title.-ED.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Eph 4:15

Eph 4:15

but speaking truth in love,-Speaking the truth in love is the means of promoting the growth and harmony of the body of Christ. Men are not only brought into the body of Christ through the truth, but their growth and work in the church are promoted through the truth.

may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;-The Christian, being grounded and rooted in the faith in Christ, who is the head of all things, should move as he directs, just as all the members of the fleshly body move at the will of the head. Christ practiced perfectly what he taught The things he taught were the outgrowth of his own life, so that were we to practice fully the truths he taught, our lives would conform to the life of Christ,

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

But: Eph 4:25, Zec 8:16, 2Co 4:2, 2Co 8:8

speaking the truth: or, being sincere, Jdg 16:15, Psa 32:2, Joh 1:47, Rom 12:9, Jam 2:15, Jam 2:16, 1Pe 1:22, 1Jo 3:18

may: Eph 2:21, Hos 14:5-7, Mal 4:2, 1Pe 2:2, 2Pe 3:18

which: Eph 1:22, Eph 5:23, Col 1:18, Col 1:19

Reciprocal: Exo 36:29 – coupled Son 4:4 – neck Son 7:1 – the joints Son 7:5 – head Rom 12:4 – General 1Co 6:15 – your 1Co 11:3 – the head of every 1Co 12:12 – as 1Co 14:20 – not Gal 3:16 – which Gal 3:28 – for Eph 1:4 – love Eph 3:6 – the same Eph 4:16 – edifying Eph 5:9 – truth Phi 1:10 – that ye may be Col 2:10 – the head Col 2:19 – all 1Th 3:8 – if 1Ti 4:6 – nourished

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

(Eph 4:15.) , -But imbued with truth, that in love we should grow up to or into Him in all things. The construction still depends upon in Eph 4:14, placing the following positive clauses in opposition to the preceding negative ones. We must hold, against Meyer, that the context requires to be understood as meaning not speaking the truth, which it often or usually means, but having and holding the truth,-truthing it; for it is plainly opposed to such vacillation, error, and impositions as are sketched in the preceding verse. Had the false teachers been referred to, speaking truth would have been the virtue enjoined on them; but as their victims, real or possible, are addressed, holding the truth is naturally inculcated on them. We cannot say with Pelagius and others, that it is truth in general to which the apostle refers; but we agree with Theophylact, that the allusion is to , though we cannot accede to his additional statement, that it specially regards and inculcates sincerity of life. Nor can we adopt the translation of the Syriac -being confirmed in love. The Gothic renders sunja taujandans-doing truth, and the Vulgate-veritatem facientes. Many of the professed interpretations of the words are, therefore, inferential rather than exegetical. So far from being children tossed, wandering, and deluded with error, let us be possessing and professing the truth.

Many expositors join to the participle, and impute very various meanings to the phrase. Perhaps the majority understand it as signifying striving after the truth in love-and such is in general the view of Erasmus, Calvin, Koppe, Flatt, Rckert, de Wette, and Alford. Some refer it to studium mutuae communicationis; others regard it as meaning a species of indulgence to the weaker and the erring brethren; while others, such as Luther, Bucer, and Grotius, take the participle as pointing out the sincerity and truthful quality of this -sincere alios diligentes. Conybeare’s version is very bald-living in truth and love. But while it is evident that truth and love are radically connected, and that there can be no truth that lives not in love, and no love that has not its birth in truth, still we prefer, with Harless, Meyer, Passavant, Olshausen, and Baumgarten-Crusius, to join to the verb -for the words in the conclusion of the following verse have plainly such a connection. Besides, in Pauline style, though Alford denies it, qualifying clauses may precede the verb. See under Eph 1:4. The chief element of spiritual growth is love- being repeated.

is used not in an active, but in an intransitive sense, as OEcumenius, Theophylact, and Jerome understood it. The verb has reference at once to the condition of the -children immature and ungrown, and to the -the full stature of perfect manhood. Our growth should be ever advancing-spiritual dwarfhood is a misshapen and shameful state. Besides, as believers grow, their spiritual power developes, and their spiritual senses are exercised, so that they are more able to repel the seductions of false and crafty teachers.

Harless connects with -in love to Him. But the position of the words forbids such a connection; and though the hyperbaton were allowable, the idea brought ought by such an exegesis is wholly out of harmony with the train of thought. Khner, 865. The idea of Harless is, that the spiritual growth here referred to, is growth toward the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, and that this depends on love to Christ. Now, we know that love to Christ rules and governs the believing spirit, and that it contributes to spiritual advancement; but in the passage before us such a connection would limit the operation of this grace, for here, as in the following verse, it stands absolutely. describes the sphere of growth, and the meaning is, not that we are to grow in love, as if love were the virtue in which progress was to be made, but that in love we are to grow in reference to all things-all the elements essential to perfection; love being the means and the sphere of our advancement. The phrase does not mean in Him, according to the erroneous rendering of Jerome, Pelagius, Grotius, and Rckert; nor yet like Him, as is the paraphrase of Zanchius; but to Him, to Him as the end or aim of this growth, as is held by Crocius, Estius, Holzhausen, Meyer, Olshausen, and de Wette; or into Him, into closer union with Him, as the centre and support of life and growth. Buttmann, Neutest. Sprach. p. 287.

It is almost superfluous to remark, that the syntax of Wahl, Holzhausen, Koppe, and Schrader, in making equivalent to , cannot be received. The words mean as to all- being the supplement, if one were needed; but such an accusative denoting contents or compass often follows verbs which cannot govern the accusative of object. Madvig, 25. And the phrase is not simply , but . We cannot acquiesce in the view of Harless, who restricts the words to the of Eph 4:13. Stier, giving the article the same retrospective reference, includes faith, knowledge, truth, and love. That has often a special contextual reference, the passages adduced by Harless are sufficient proof. But it is often used in an absolute sense (Rom 11:36; 1Co 8:6); or if these, from their peculiarity of meaning, be not reckoned apposite references, we have in addition 1Co 15:28; Mar 4:11; Act 17:25; Rom 8:32. Besides, the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, is the end to which Christians are to come, and cannot therefore be well reckoned also among the elements of growth. Meyer’s idea is, that denotes all in which we grow, and he supposes the apostle to mean, that all things in which we grow should have reference to Christ. Luther, Beza, Rckert, and Matthies, render pro omnia, or prorsus. The article gives an emphatic sense-the whole; and as the reference of the apostle is to a growing body, may signify all that properly belongs to it; or, as Olshausen phrases it, we are to grow in all those things in which the Christian must advance. The apostle first lays down the primary and permanent means of growth, holding the truth- ; then he describes the peculiar temperament in which this growth is secured and accelerated- ; then he specifies its aim and end- ; and, lastly, he marks its amount and harmony- . The body becomes monstrous by the undue development of any part or organ, and the portion that does not grow is both unsightly and weak, and not fitted to honour or serve the head. The apostle thus inculcates the duty of symmetrical growth, each grace advancing in its own place, and in perfect unison with all around it. That character is nearest perfection in which the excessive prominence of no grace throws such a withering shadow upon the rest, as to signalize or perpetuate their defect, but in which all is healthfully balanced in just and delicate adaptation. Into Him-

, -who is the head-Christ. D, E, F, G, K, L, prefix the article to , but A, B, and C, with other authorities, read without the article, perhaps rightly. The article in the New Testament is oftener omitted than inserted. When Alford warns against our former rendering-the Christ-he evidently puts a polemic meaning into the phrase-which is not necessarily in it. The meaning of in such a connection has been already explained; Eph 1:22. That Head is Christ- being placed with solemn emphasis at the end of the verse-being in the nominative and in assimilation with the preceding relative. Stallbaum, Plato Apol. p. 41; Winer, 59, 7. The Head is Christ-one set apart, commissioned, and qualified as Redeemer, and who by His glorious and successful interposition has won for Himself this illustrious pre-eminence.

Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians

Eph 4:15. Speaking the truth in love. It is possible for one to be very strict in his compliance with the demands of truth from a “doctrinal” or technical motive, and yet not manifest the proper spirit toward those whom he addresses. Paul speaks of certain ones who received not the love of the truth (2Th 2:10). Those people would outwardly admit the truth because It Is so evident they could not deny it, yet they had no real love for it and hence did not profit by it. In our passage the apostle teaches that full-grown Christians will love to speak the truth. Truth is the substance upon which the disciple of Chirst may grow–grow up into Him in all things. Physical bodies will not thrive unless they are under the control of the head where all the directing impulses originate. Likewise it is necessary for the spiritual body (the church, chapter 1:22, 23) to have its growth and activities controlled by Christ its head, which will be considered in full detail with the next verse.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Eph 4:15. But introduces the positive side, in contrast with Eph 4:14

Holding the truth. Not simply speaking the truth, but being true, following truth, walking in truth. Holding the truth is correct, if the truth is not referred to true doctrine.

In love. Some connect this with grow, but it is better to join it with the participle, which otherwise would stand awkwardly alone. A true-seeking and true-being with loving caution and kind allowance (Alford).

May grow up into him; unto and into Him as the goal and standard of our growth (Eph 4:13), with a secondary thought, afterwards unfolded (Eph 4:16), of the incorporation of all the body in Him.

In all things, all those things in which Christian growth consists, faith, truth, knowledge, love, etc.

Who is the head, even Christ. Comp. Eph 1:22-23. The position of the phrase renders it very emphatic. Growth is possible only because the Living Christ is the Head.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Our apostle had set forth the excellent end of the ministry, in the foregoing verse, for furthering their stability and steadfastness in grace; here he declares the admirable fitness of it, for helping forward their proficiency and growth in grace. Speaking the truth in love: that is, cleaving to the truth of Christ’s doctrine, and living in love with one another, you may grow up in Christ by making progress in all christian graces, being united to him as members to the head.

Here note, How the apostle draws a comparsion between the natural and mystical members, and the increase of both: as there must be a fellowship betwixt the natural head and members, so must there be a union betwixt Christ, the spiritual head, and believers, his mystical members; and as there is further required a mutual communion and fellowship of the members of the body within, and amongst themselves, in order to growth and increase, so must there be concord, love, and unity, amongst believers, if they expect to see grace growing in themselves, or in one another.

Are the members of the natural body severally distinct from one another, some principal, others ministerial; but all concurring to the service of the whole? So, in order to spiritual growth, must all the members of Christ’s mystical body keep their rank and order, and act in their own sphere, with spiritual wisdom and humility; the eye not doing the work of the hand, nor the hand the work of the foot; but everyone in the calling wherein he is called, must there abide with God.

Again, is there a supply from head to members in the mystical body, and from one mystical member to another: one is apt to teach, another ready to comfort, a third able to convince, a fourth willing to exhort, a fifth to advise and counsel; and all these, and every one of these, contributing all they can to the welfare and growth of the whole. Happy is it both for the natural and mystical body, when the members of both are subservient to each other, and contribute all they can to the mutual growth and improvement of one another, and especially for the benefit and advantage of the whole.

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament

Eph 4:15-16. But speaking the truth Or, as may be rendered, teaching, or maintaining the truth; in love To God and one another, or in that charitable temper which the gospel enjoins, and without which our clearest and most extensive knowledge will be but of little use to us; may grow up into him Into his image and Spirit, and into a full union with him; who is the head of guidance, as well as of government, to all the members of his mystical body, the chief teacher and director, as well as ruler of his churches; from whom That is, by wisdom and grace derived from him; the whole body Of true Christians; fitly Or orderly; joined together Every one being put in his proper place and station: or all the parts of his mystical body being fitted for, and adapted to each other, and most exactly harmonizing with the whole; and compacted Knitted and cemented together with the utmost firmness; that is, closely and firmly united to Christ and each other, by the Holy Spirit, in faith and love; by that which every joint, or part, supplieth Through proper channels of communication; according to the effectual working in the measure of every part According as every part, in its measure, effectually works for the support and growth of the whole; maketh increase of the body Of the whole church, collectively considered, and of each particular member; to the edifying Or building up; of itself in love So that all the members may attain unto a greater measure of love to God, one another, and all men; or, by the exercise of love. For, as no animal body can either have health or growth, unless the members thereof continue in union with each other, each performing its office; so neither can Christs mystical body possess spiritual health or growth, unless its members cleave to each other in love. The passage, as the reader sees, is a beautiful allusion to our natural bodies, composed of different joints and members, knit together by various ligaments, and furnished with vessels of communication from the head and heart to every other part. And the apostles meaning, explained more at large, is, That as the human body is formed by the union of all the members to each other under the head, and by the fitness of each member for its own office and place in the body, so the church is formed by the union of its members under Christ the head. Further, as the human body increases, till it arrives at maturity, by the energy of every part in performing its proper function, and by the sympathy of every part with the whole; so the body, or Church of Christ, grows to maturity by the proper exercise of the gifts and graces of individuals for the benefit of the whole. By comparing the church to the human body, the apostle teaches, that there ought to be no envy nor ill-will among Christians, on account of the gifts which individuals possess, Eph 4:3. That every one should pay to others that respect and obedience which they owe to them on account of their station and office, Eph 4:11. That no teacher should pervert the doctrine of the gospel, Eph 4:15. And that each, by employing his gifts and graces properly, should extend the knowledge and influence of the Christian religion to the utmost of his power. Macknight.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

Again, that thought of maturing – becoming like Christ in all ways that we can.

“Speaking the truth” or as some suggest “holding the truth” as opposed to the false of the previous verse. I suspect there is a little interpretation in those going with “holding the truth” since that is not the meaning of the word which suggests speaking or telling of the truth, however to do so, one must first hold the truth.

Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson

4:15 {11} But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

(11) By earnest affection of the truth and love, we grow up into Christ: for he (being effectual by the ministry of his word, which as the vital Spirit makes alive the whole body in such a way that it nourishes all the limbs of it according to the measure and proportion of each one) quickens and cherishes his Church, which consists of various functions, as of various members, and preserves the need of every one. And from this it follows that neither this body can live without Christ, neither can any man grow up spiritually, who separates himself from the other members.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Another result is that believers can maintain truth in love in both speech and conduct. Paul contrasted the deception of heresy with the integrity of the gospel.

"This fundamental concern for the truth is the secret of maturity in the church." [Note: Wood, p. 59.]

The church that stresses both the truth and love will produce spiritually mature, Christ-like believers.

Loving, effective confrontation involves speaking the truth in love. The truth may be as medicine to the person who needs it, but love is the sugar that, added to the medicine, makes it palatable. Remember Mary Poppins’ prescription: "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)