John Calvin Commentary Ephesians 4:15

"but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, [even] Christ;" — Ephesians 4:15 (ASV)

But, speaking the truth. Having already said that we should not be children, lacking reason and judgment, he now instructs us to grow up in the truth. Though we have not arrived at maturity, we should at least, as we have already said, be advanced children.

The truth of God should have such a firm hold on us that all the schemes and attacks of Satan will not draw us from our course. And yet, since we have not until now attained full and complete strength, we must make progress until death.

He points out the design of this progress: that Christ may be the head, that in all things he may have the pre-eminence, (Colossians 1:18) and that in him alone we may grow in vigor or in stature. Again, we see that no one is excepted; all are instructed to be subject and to take their own places in the body.

What aspect then does Popery present, but that of a crooked, deformed person? Is not the whole symmetry of the church destroyed when one man, acting in opposition to the head, refuses to be counted as one of the members?

The Papists deny this and claim that the Pope is nothing more than a ministerial head. But such quibbles do not help them. The tyranny of their idol must be acknowledged to be altogether inconsistent with the order that Paul here recommends.

In a word, a healthy condition of the church requires that Christ alone must increase, and all others must decrease. (John 3:30). Whatever increase we obtain must be regulated in such a way that we will remain in our own place and contribute to exalting the head.

When he instructs us to speak the truth in love, he uses the preposition in (ἐν), like the corresponding Hebrew preposition ב (beth), as signifying with—speaking the truth With love.

If each individual, instead of attending exclusively to his own concerns, desires mutual interaction, there will be agreeable and general progress.

Such, the Apostle assures us, must be the nature of this harmony: that people should not be allowed to forget the claims of truth or, disregarding them, to form an agreement according to their own opinions.

This proves the wickedness of the Papists, who set aside the word of God and labor to force our compliance with their decisions.