Verse Lens · Context pointer
Ephesians 4:14 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 14. 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Maturity protects the church from instability and manipulative teaching.
Read It With
- Ephesians 4:7–16
Read Ephesians 4:7–16 as a complete section. Verses 7–10 move from grace to the ascended giver; verses 11–12 name Christ's gifts and their equipping purpose; verses 13–16 show the whole body growing toward mature likeness to Christ.
Why It Needs Context
The list of gifts serves the equipping and maturation of the whole body under Christ; this line should not be turned into an independent ministry system.
Read Ephesians 4:11–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Christ's gifts equip the saints so the entire body grows from instability toward mature truth and love.
Verse 11. 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Verse 12. 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Verse 13. 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Verse 14. 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Verse 15. 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Verse 16. 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Ephesians 4:7–16 — Christ Gives Gifts for a Mature BodySources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: The exact KJV wording and immediate English context for Ephesians 4:7–16.
Exact location: eBible/CrossWire eng-kjv2006 USFM, source files dated 2026-08-19, Ephesians 4; archive and normalized-corpus SHA-256 values are recorded in the library policy.
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: The critically edited Greek wording and sentence relationships used to check the passage.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Eph.txt, Ephesians 4, verses within Ephesians 4:7–16.
Open the Ephesians Greek text file ↗