`Faithful minister' (Eph. 6:21).

`The ... faithful brethren' (Col. 1:2).

`A faithful minister' (Col. 1:7).

`A faithful minister' (Col. 4:7).

`A faithful ... brother' (Col. 4:9).

`Faithful men', `Faithful saying', `He abideth faithful' (2 Tim.

`The saints' therefore are also the `faithful', and are `in Christ Jesus'.  The

double title suggests the twofoldness of their calling.  As saints they have

been redeemed, called, sanctified and assured of glory.  This however does not

mean that because salvation is not of works, it is not unto works.  Those who

are thus called and sanctified are expected to respond.  They should rise and

walk in newness of life, and this is largely expressed in faithfulness.  More

than half the passages cited from the Prison Epistles are connected with

In the LXX, the word pistos occurs in the passive sense only, and is

usually the translation of the Hebrew emun or aman, the word which is rendered

in the New Testament by `verily' and which is Anglicized as `Amen'.

To this privileged company the apostle sends his greeting, `Grace be to

you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ' (Eph. 1:2).

Charis `grace', is derived from chairo `to rejoice', and only in New

Testament usage does it convey that rich undeserved favour that is neither

hindered by sin, influenced by respect of persons, nor based upon works, which

is the glory of the gospel of the grace of God.  The word occurs in the opening

salutation and in the closing benediction (Eph. 1:2; 6:24), and occurs in the

epistle twelve times altogether.  However, we feel that it would be almost as

big a mistake to enlarge upon the nature of grace here, while dealing with this

salutation, as it would be to attempt to analyse the word `Dear' in the opening

of a business letter, `Dear Sir', or to descant upon the composition of the word

`Goodbye'.  It is safe to say that in the majority of cases they are now used

without regard for their original etymology.

Now we do not suggest that the inspired Scriptures use words without due

attention to their meaning, but we must also allow full weight to the fact that

the apostle was largely adopting the custom of his own day.  We will therefore

confine ourselves here to charis as used as a greeting, waiting until we arrive

at the first occasion when the actual grace of God is intended, as a more

fitting place to deal with that peculiar aspect of the term.

and Milligan give several examples of ordinary letters where the

formal greeting

opens and the formal salutation closes the letter.  Sometimes

these greetings

occupy more space than does the actual message, and Milligan's

comment on this

feature is interesting:

`Their authors, whether they write with their own hands, or, owing to

illiteracy, avail themselves of the services of professional scribes, are

as a rule content to state the matter in hand as briefly and as baldly as

possible, while the lengthy introductions and closing greetings with their

constantly recurring formal and stereotyped phrases, produce a general

effect of monotony'.

Of one such letter Kenyon, of the British Museum, says that the greetings were