Pop’s Lessons— Part Twenty Eight

10/25/81

Ephes. 4.13—  ‘Until we all come unto a perfect/complete person, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’

An intelligent person does not work without an aim.  God has a purpose for his universe. That purpose encompasses every part the universe, even the individual human being.  And He has definitely told us what our portion in this great purpose is.  To come unto perfection. Lest we misunderstand the ideal, he has defined perfection for us. It is the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, or as John phrases it— ‘we shall be like him’. This does not indicate a standardization with all individuality purged out. On the contrary John becomes a Christ-like John, and Peter becomes a Christ-like Peter. Paul sums up both the elements in one trenchant statement–‘Christ lives in me’. Christ, in taking possession of Paul did not destroy the ‘me’.  he entered into it and lived in it, manifesting himself through it.  God’s purpose for us being our perfecting, we should make that our purpose too. We should long for it and strive for it.  But we are not left to strive to achieve this humanly impossible goal unaided.  As Christ was both human and divine we by receiving the Holy Spirit become humans partaking, in one sense, in the divine nature.  And when the Holy Spirit has completed his work in us we will be ready to be measured with the complete work in Christ. He will present us faultless, with exceeding joy to God.