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INNER CIRCLE: In Every Respect

INNER CIRCLE: In Every Respect

Last updated on: October 2, 2026 at 10:20 pm by Keith Giles

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INNER CIRCLE: In Every Respect 2026-10-02T22:20:00+00:00 Keith Giles

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Ephesians 4:13-23, 25

“…until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge (epignosis) of the Son of God to become the perfect man (Son of Man), attaining to the whole measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

“So, I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the blindness of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

“That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness…For we are all members of one another.” (emphasis mine)

The Apostle Paul continually reminds the people in Ephesus of the importance of unity; both among themselves and with Christ. When he speaks about it here, he stresses both “the unity in the faith” and “unity…in the knowledge (epignosis) of the Son of God (so that we can) become the perfect man,” or the Son of Man, and attain “the whole measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Our unity culminates in the epignosis of Christ, which goes beyond mere knowledge or information to something deeper. Epignosis refers to a superior, intimate, and transforming understanding that comes through personal experience and relationship rather than simple academic learning. This experiential “knowing” of Christ is what inspires our unity with one another. As we become more intimately aware of our “Oneness” with Christ, our oneness with everyone else becomes obvious.

This epignosis of Christ, (Son of God), empowers us to become transformed into the perfect man (Son of Man). These two concepts are not separate, but refer to different facets of the same state of being. Christ is both Son of God and Son of Man. We are also the Sons (or Children) of God and the Sons (or Children) of Man (Humanity). Paul’s point here is that there is a unity of these things that we must realize in order to, as he says, “attain to the whole measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Later, he repeats this idea, saying, “we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of…Christ.” Note his use of the term “in every respect” and “attaining the whole measure of the stature of the fullness” of Christ. This is not a metaphor. He is not suggesting that we are “almost like” Christ, or that we are imitators of Christ. He is saying, as clearly and emphatically as he possibly can, that we are one – in every way – with Christ, and he ends this passage by proclaiming that this “way of life” we are learning is part of how we are being “made new in the attitude of (our) minds…to put on the new self.” Why? Because we are “created to be like God.”

If the Apostle Paul didn’t want us to think that we are one with Christ in every respect, or that we could attain “the whole measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” or that we were being “made new,” because we are “created to be like God,” then he shouldn’t have said exactly that in this letter to the church in Ephesus.

But he did say this, and so he does want us to think it, and believe it, and know it.

Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has appeared on CNN, USA Today, Coast To Coast with George Noory, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.” He co-hosts the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast.

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