4:13 To what does the phrase "unto a perfect man" refer here?
4:13 To what does the phrase "unto a perfect man" refer here?
Paul uses the phrase here metaphorically of the church being brought to maturity - a man of mature understanding - in Christ (CP V11-16). Man in this context is from the Greek word aner, which refers specifically to a male.
This begs the question, why, if God Himself refers to the church specifically as a man, a great many Christians refer to it as a woman - the bride of Christ. Nowhere in scripture is the church called a woman or referred to by a feminine pronoun, yet a teaching persists in the church that it is the bride of Christ.
This is also despite the fact that the true bride of Christ is clearly identified in scripture as New Jerusalem, which is also called "the mother of us all" in scripture (CP Ga 4:25-26 with Rev 19:7-9; 21:2, 9-10).
For more detailed studies on this subject see comments on Ro 7:4, 2Cor 11:2, Eph 2:15-16(B), 5:25-32, Rev 19:7-9, 21:2 and author's study The Bride of Christ in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1).