Ephesians 4:12 (ASV)

Passage

for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Ephesians 4:12 for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:

Ephesians 4:13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Ephesians 4:14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "perfecting", "saints", "ministering", "building", "body", and "christ". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "perfecting" and "saints", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And he gave some to be apostles..." into verse 13's "till we all attain unto the unity...", so "perfecting" and "saints" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "perfecting" and "saints" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.