B -- Think the subject over, and let us talk it over again.

Heavenly Places

A -- I believe you teach that the sphere of blessing peculiar to the

church of the One Body, viz., `heavenly places', is something distinct.

B -- Yes, that is so.

I believe we can truthfully say that it is `far

above all'.

A -- Well, I have been told by those who know, that precisely the same

Greek word that is used in Ephesians 1:3 is used in Matthew, John, 1

Corinthians and Hebrews, and therefore that you have been carried away by

zeal that is not according to knowledge in teaching that the heavenly places

of Ephesians indicate a position distinct from, and superior to, that of the

church as revealed in the Gospels or Hebrews.

B -- We will not be too much concerned about the opinions of those `who

know', for Galatians 2 reveals that such at times have to be set aside.  We

are, however, concerned about the truth, and therefore we will `search and

A -- The word is, I believe, epouranios.

B -- Yes, it is a compound word made up of epi, meaning over, above, or

upon, and ouranos, meaning heaven.

A -- It is used in Matthew 18:35 in the phrase, `My heavenly Father'

(though some texts read ouranios) and in John 3:12 of `heavenly things'.  In

1 Corinthians 15:40,48 and 49 it is used five times, where Paul speaks of

`celestial bodies' and their glory, and of some who are `heavenly' and who

shall `bear the image of the heavenly'.

3:1 speaks of those who are `partakers of the heavenly

6:4 speaks of those who had `tasted the heavenly gift'.

8:5 speaks of the `shadow of heavenly things'.

9:23 speaks of the `cleansing of heavenly things'.

11:16 speaks of a `heavenly country', and

12:22 speaks of the `heavenly Jerusalem'.

B -- It does my heart good to see this earnest search, and to listen to

this presentation of the occurrences of the word.  The concordance can be one

of your greatest servants, but you must not think that a mere accumulation of

texts of itself constitutes an argument.  I should like to hear what you

learn from these passages that makes the teaching advanced concerning the One

Body to be untenable

A -- Well, you have very definitely taught two things, viz.:

The Church of Ephesians is blessed in a sphere called the super -

heavenlies, and is distinct from all other companies of the redeemed:

That those addressed in the epistle to the Hebrews are to be

distinguished from the church of Ephesians, and that their hope does

not place them so high as does the hope of the One Body.