Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Ephesians 4:16

"from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in [due] measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love." — Ephesians 4:16 (ASV)

Christ is at once the One into whom all Christians grow and out of whom the church consolidates itself in love. This process depends on the interrelationship of the various parts of the body. The whole is continually being integrated and kept firm by each separate ligament. The precision with which these medical terms are employed makes us wonder whether Paul checked the details with Luke. It is only when each part is working properly that the body receives the support it needs and will be able to grow as God intended it.