The passage above bears on the difficult question as to whether the whole Church finally will reach perfection. Of the concept set forth by this passage there can be no doubt. It is clearly scriptural.

Who composes the "we all"?

The answer to this is found a few verses earlier:

There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— One Lord, one faith, one baptism; (Ephesians 4:4,5—NIV)

Now think carefully. The "we all" who will come to the level of maturity of the whole measure of the fullness of Christ refers to the whole Christian Church. Would anyone like to claim this takes place, or has taken place, only on the earth?

Not nearly! Not nearly!

Therefore, if the Scripture is to be fulfilled, the work of bringing the righteous to perfection must take place in the spirit realm. And why not? Worldliness and lust are poisonous forces that have come to us from the spirit realm. And self-will is self-will whether in Heaven or on the earth. This being the case, and if God judges the dead as well as the living, what passage of Scripture, what pattern of logic, denies that the growth to maturity of the believer cannot occur in the spirit realm?

If we cannot grow spiritually after we die, then all is lost. The vast majority of God's people have died before they came to the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, to the stature of the fullness of Christ.

But does the Bible state clearly that the day will come when God's people are free from the bondages of sin?

And to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:27—NIV)

Without stain!

Without wrinkle!

Without any other blemish!

Holy and blameless! Blameless!

To suggest all of this is by imputation is to remove one's self from reality. Just looking at the verse at face value leaves the impression we are speaking of actual perfection of holiness.

Would the Lamb desire a Bride who was morally filthy but holy by imputed righteousness? Personally I think such an idea is not reasonable. Sometime, somewhere, somehow God is going to make new creations who are righteous, holy, and sternly obedient to the Father. The Lamb is going to receive a Bride who will be His glory, not His shame.

I am suggesting that such transformation is beginning now with a Gideon's company so to speak who will bring total victory to all of Israel. I think the cleansing of the remainder of the Bride, those who have been chosen by the Lord but for whatever reason were not able to go through moral transformation during their lifetime, will take place during the thousand-year Kingdom Age and is the reason for the Kingdom Age.

Again, let me state I am not presenting a second chance to those who today are drifting along carelessly. If we do not use our talent now we will not be sent to school, when the Lord returns, but to the outer darkness. Also our talent will be given to another.

To be continued.