Ephesians 4:11-16
11 “And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
He gave some as apostles: All biblical apostles received information firsthand from Jesus. Paul himself was tutored by the risen Christ (Galatians 1:16-24). So, Paul does not seem to be leaving room for the existence of modern-day apostles.
Prophets: Prophets speak to people in order to strengthen, encourage, and comfort them (1 Corinthians 14:3). So, Paul is not speaking about future-telling here. He is talking about exhorting people in Christ.
Knowledge of the son of God: The spiritual gifts are about helping Christians grow in their knowledge of Jesus. Christianity is not about gaining Bible knowledge but about growing in relationship with God, so the spiritual gifts serve this purpose.
Grow up in all aspects into Him: As we grow in our understanding of Jesus, we will be more mature in our thinking. As a result, we will be able to detect counterfeit Gospels and lies.
