from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Truth to Learn
Growth of the body depends on all parts doing their part.
Behind the Words
The word “from” is translated from ek, meaning “out of.” This word indicates the source from which something is derived.
“Joined … together” is from sunarmologeō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together,” harmos, meaning “an articulation (a joint), and logos, meaning “a word spoken.” Actually, the original meaning of logos was “to lay forth,” which is the sense in which it is used in this word. Sunarmelogeō means “to be laid-out closely together.” It is a picture of blocks of stone which are laid down together, fitting perfectly because they have been shaped into a perfect fit.
“Knit together” is translated from the Greek word sumbibadzō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and bibadzō, meaning “to uplift.” Thus, sumbibadzō means “to knit together” or “to unite together.” This is a picture of two bushes planted close together which grow into each other so that they form the appearance of a single bush.
The word “joint” is haphē, which refers to “that which connects or joins two things, like a ligament.”
“Growth” is translated from auxēis, which is based on auxanō (which we saw in yesterday’s verse) meaning “growth as a result of an outside power.”
Meaning Explained
This verse starts out with “from whom.” This is a reference to Jesus Christ who is the head of the body. The words between “joined” and “its share” are parenthetical, so to understand the base meaning behind this verse, we could temporarily exclude the parenthetical expression. Thus, we have “from whom the whole body … causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." In other words, it is Jesus Christ working through the church which causes all the body to grow. Keep in mind that the word “growth” refers to that growth which is caused by an outside power. So, the source of growth in the body of Christ is God, but the process of growth is through all the various parts of the body, with each one doing its share.
In the parenthetical expression we are told a little about how the body is put together and how it functions. The words translated “joined and knit together” tell us that every part of the body is specially formed and gifted by God to be perfectly joined to the other parts of the body. But it doesn’t stop there. As we are joined together in service to and with our brothers and sisters, we actually grow together. We become so knit together that we become an inseparable unit (that’s the unity that Paul has been talking about for most of this chapter).
The final point to learn is that the growth of the body depends on every part doing its share. If part of the body is not working, it becomes like a cancer sucking the life out of the church.
Application
From these last few verses we see how important it is for members of the church to be growing. In order for that to happen, though, we all have to be working, performing the function for which God has gifted us. Let’s all get to work!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.