Paul does not use the adversative `but' (de) again until he takes up

the practical exposition of the truth.  The third Selah is found in Ephesians

4:7.  `The Selah of individual grace'.  Let us see the three together.

The Selah of quickening Love.  (Eph. 2:4) Doctrinal.

The Selah of alienation and access.  (Eph. 2:13) Dispensational.

The Selah of individual grace.  (Eph. 4:7) Practical.

It is useless to speak of `practice' until both quickening Love and

reconciling Grace have done their blessed work.  When, however, the believer

is `made alive', and when he has been `made nigh' then, and then only, one

may expect some corresponding change to become evident in his daily life.

The practical section of Ephesians opens with chapter 4, where the

exhortation is `to walk worthy'.  The first and foremost charge laid upon the

member of the One Body is that of keeping the unity of the Spirit.  This

unity is defined and given its sevenfold character and leads us to the close

of verse 6.  With the opening of verse 7, we meet the adversative `but'.  Why

does Paul use it here?  What is the contrasting thought of verses 6 and 7?

The contrasting ideas are, a Unity in verses 3 to 6, and A Unit in verse 7.

There is always the danger that the individual may be lost in the mass and

while unity is the very soul of the teaching of the apostle here, it is not a

unity that demands self-obliteration, it is rather a unity whose very life

depends upon `the effectual working in the measure of every part' (Eph.

4:16).  In 1 Corinthians 12, where the figure of the `body' is used to

illustrate the relation of the various `gifts' both to other members and to

the church as a whole, there we discover the double emphasis, one upon the

Unity, the other upon the Unit.

`There are diversities of gifts (the Units), but the same Spirit (the

Unity)' (1 Cor. 12:4).

`For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the

word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same

Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another

... miracles ... prophecy ... discerning of spirits ... tongues ...

interpretation ... (Nine separate units).  But all these worketh that

one and the selfsame Spirit (the Unity), dividing to every man

severally as He will' (12:8 -11).

`For as the body is one (the Unity), and hath many members (the units),

and all the members of that one body (the Unity), being many (the

units) are one body (the Unity): so also is the Christ' (1 Cor. 12:12).

`The Christ' here refers to this `Anointed' (2 Cor. 1:21) company.

`For the body is not one member, but many.  If the foot shall say,

Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of

the body? ... If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?

... many members, yet but one body' (1 Cor. 12:14-20).

When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 12, the dispensation of the Mystery had

not been given to him.  In this chapter he is not speaking of the church

which is the Body of Christ as found in Ephesians, but is dealing with

`spiritual gifts' (1 Cor. 12:1) and the members of the body `set' by God (1

Cor. 12:18) are explained as `gifts' including healing and miracles in verse

28, where the same expression `set' occurs.  If we are clear as to the