I.　In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God's purpose, we need to grow up into Christ in all things—Eph. 4:15-16, 24:

A.　To be no longer little children (v. 14), we need to grow up into Christ; this is to have Christ increase in us in all things until we arrive at a full-grown man.

B.　We all need to grow up into Christ in all things, that is, in every single thing, whether big or small—v. 15.

C.　There are still many things in which we have not grown up into Christ; in these things we are not in Christ but are outside of Christ.

D.　When we all grow up into Christ in all things, we all will be one in Christ; this is the universal one new man—v. 24.

E.　Ephesians 4:15 says that we grow up into the Head; the word Head here indi-cates that our growth in life by the increase of Christ should be the growth of the members of the Body under the Head.

F.　Growing up into Christ in all things is for the practical existence of the univer-sal one new man—v. 24.

G.　To grow in life is to grow with the growth of God; this means that true growth is the increase of God, the addition of God—Col. 2:19.

H.　Ephesians 4 speaks of the perfecting of the new man through the growth of life:

1.　In Ephesians 2:15 we see the creation of the new man organically; in 4:13-16 we see the perfecting of the new man in relation to his function.

2.　The organically perfect new man needs to be perfected through the growth of life in order to function in a proper way—vv. 13, 15, 24:

a.　The more the new man grows through receiving the proper nourish-ment, the more he will function normally.

b.　The growth into Christ in verse 15 equals the putting on of the new man in verse 24.

3.　For the growth of the corporate new man, we need to experience the cruci-fied, resurrected, ascended, and descending Christ so that the all-inclusive Christ is wrought into us to be our everything; then the organically perfect new man will become perfect functionally—3:16-17a; 4:13, 24.

II.　In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God's purpose, we need to learn Christ as the reality is in Jesus—vv. 20-21:

A.　The living of the one new man should be exactly the same as the living of Jesus—vv. 20-21:

1.　The way the Lord Jesus lived on earth is the way the new man should live today—Matt. 11:28-30; John 6:57; 4:34; 5:17, 19, 30; 6:38; 17:4.

2.　Our standard of living must be according to the reality in Jesus, the reality lived out by the Lord Jesus when He was on earth—Eph. 4:20-21:

a.　He was one with God, and He lived a life in which He did everything in God, with God, and for God.

b.　Jesus lived in a way that always corresponded to God's righteousness and holiness—v. 24.

c.　The human living of Jesus was according to the reality, that is, according to God Himself, full of righteousness and holiness.

3.　We need to learn Christ and to be taught in Him to live a life of reality— v. 20; 2 John 1; John 4:23-24.

4.　As a corporate person, the new man should live a life of reality, as the reality is in Jesus—a life of expressing God.

5.　If we live according to the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:23), we will have the daily living of the corporate new man—a living that corresponds to the real-ity in Jesus.

B.　In order to live the life of the new man as the reality is in Jesus, we must put off the community life of the old man and put on the community life of the new man—vv. 22, 24:

1.　To put off regarding the "former manner of life, the old man," is to put off our way of living—v. 22.

2.　To put on the church life as the one new man is to put on a corporate entity produced by the mingling of the divine Spirit with the regenerated human spirit; in this marvelous entity there is only Christ as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit mingled with our spirit—Col. 3:10-11; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17.

3.　The church life is the daily walk of the corporate new man, a walk that is absolutely new in nature and in manner—Eph. 4:17-32.

4.　Since the one new man is according to God Himself, with God's life and nature, the new man must have a life that is divine; such a life will be cor-porate, not individualistic—v. 24.

III.　In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God's purpose, we need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind—v. 23:

A.　According to Ephesians 4:23, the key to putting off the old man and putting on the new man is in being renewed in the spirit of our mind:

1.　When the life-giving Spirit, who dwells in and is mingled with our regener-ated spirit, spreads into our mind, this mingled spirit becomes the spirit of our mind; it is by this mingled spirit that our mind is renewed.

2.　The renewing Spirit is mingled with our regenerated spirit as one mingled spirit to spread into our mind to renew our entire being as a member of the new man—1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 4:22, 24.

3.　The only possibility of God's purpose being fulfilled in this age is that we would all be willing to be renewed in the spirit of our mind—1:9; 3:11; 4:23.

B.　The renewal of the mind is for the full existence and real practice of the one new man—vv. 22-24; Col. 3:10-11:

1.　The focal point of our being renewed in the spirit of our mind is the one new man—Eph. 4:23-24.

2.　Throughout our life, our national and racial mentality has been built up, but for the existence of the one new man, this mentality must be renewed— Col. 3:10-11:

a.　Our natural and national mentality was educated and built up according to our racial and cultural background; this is the greatest hindrance to the existence of the new man.

b.　In order for the one new man to come into full existence, we must expe-rience a thorough renewal of our mind, which has been built up according to our nationality and culture.

3.　The only way that the one new man can be realized practically is by our mind being renewed—Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23-24; Col. 3:10-11:

a.　We need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind actually and daily in our living; otherwise, there is no way for the Lord to have the new man.

b.　In our prayer we need to have a desire to enter into the practicality of the one new man; thus, we need to ask the Lord to renew our mind for the one new man—Rom. 12:2.

c.　When we drink of the Spirit, we will be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and this renewing will make us all into one new man—1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:23-24.

d.　When our mind has been renewed, the one new man will come into exis-tence in a practical way—v. 24.