Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
What does it look like when we are grown up? There are many answers to that question. It would depend on who you ask. If you ask the Apostle Paul you might get the repeat of those above words. Paul was so spiritual minded. As he should (and as we should) he thought of life’s questions in the context of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. In chapter four of this letter he is writing about the Church, the Body of Christ. He has little interest in the things of this world regarding growth in the context of this earthly life. He was so focused upon the things of Christ that his entire life philosophy was summed up in the Body of Christ. His definition of growth would be that we are looking more and more each day like the image of Christ. Later in this chapter he will write:
Ephesians 4:20-24 (ESV)
But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul wanted in growth in the church and he knew that was through the growth of individual believers to become in the likeness of God. He tells us we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. That is how we grow, why we grow and the goal of our growth. We are not to grow to look more mature than others. We are to grow to look more mature like Christ. Christlikeness is our goal. The world’s measurements are not on the table. Christlikeness is our only goal.
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