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related to the revelation of the Mystery, for with that as a basis, he is
free to pray for knowledge in the matter of the hope, the inheritance and the
power that are peculiar to this calling. It is this faith that must be kept
as a distinctive item in the Unity of the spirit.
Coming to the next reference we have a glorious statement concerning
the character of salvation.
It is by grace, it is through faith, it is the gift of God, it is not
of works, it is unto good works. The phrase `and that not of yourselves' is
often read as though it said `and faith is not of yourselves, it, faith, is
the gift of God'. The word pistis `faith' is feminine. Touto `that' is
neuter and cannot therefore refer to the word faith. What we must do is to
look upon the scheme of salvation as a whole like this
`The grace-by-faith-salvation'
`that', is not of self but God.
This, therefore, must be included in the
`one faith' that we must keep.
The third reference is in Ephesians 3:12 where we meet the peculiar
expression `through the faith of Him'. We must shun the temptation to
explain this away, and to reduce it to merely meaning `through our faith in
Him'. There are a number of passages where `the faith of Jesus Christ' or
`the faith of Jesus' refers to the Lord's own faithfulness unto death, rather
than to our faith in Him. Pistis `faith' occurs about thirty times in the
LXX and generally translates the Hebrew word emunah `truth'. We find by
comparing Romans 3:3 with Romans 3:7 that `the faith of God' and `the truth
of God' alike indicate His `faithfulness'.
In the epistles of the Mystery, this `faith of Christ' is mentioned
three times.
`Boldness of access ... through His faith' (faithfulness) (Eph. 3:12).
`Righteousness ... which is through faith of Christ, the out -of -God
righteousness upon faith' (Phil. 3:9).
`Buried ... also raised with Him through the faith of the inworking of
God, Who hath raised Him from the dead' (Col. 2:12).
The first reference links this faith with the One Body and One Spirit
of Ephesians 2:18, which gives `access' to the Father.
The second reference makes certain doctrinal passages found in Romans
and Galatians true for the church of the Mystery (Rom. 3:22; 3:26; Gal.
2:16).
The third reference by its use of the word `inworking' brings us back
to Ephesians 1:15 -19, and the `faith that is according to you'.
The three references in the practical section are:
`One faith' (Eph. 4:5);
`the Unity of the faith' (Eph. 4:13); and
`the shield of faith' (Eph. 6:16).
The One Faith which we are to keep, is most evidently set forth in 4:13
as `the unity of the faith'. This unity of the faith is spoken of as