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said to inhabit "the praises of Israel." "Praise is comely," and like mercy "His praise
endureth unto the olam (age)." If the Lord can say of Israel, "This people have I formed
for Myself, they shall show forth My praise," shall He not say it much more of those
whom He has created in Christ Jesus? It is well to remember the words of Ps. 106: 2,
"Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, who can shew forth all His praise?" for as
Neh. 9: 5 declares, that His blessed Name "is exalted above all blessing and praise."
As fresh revelations are made of His grace, so fresh calls are made for His praise, until
in a fulness which perhaps never entered the mind of the human instrument who wrote
Ps. 150:, we shall be able to say, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
Hallelujah. "
#13.
"Accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1: 6).
(See member A | b of Structure, Volume IV/V, page 1).
pp. 49 - 51
In the Structure the corresponding member is "The believer blessed in Christ," which
in verse 3 is subdivided into spiritual blessings, and the heavenlies. Here in verse 6 the
teaching, after having carried us along the line of purpose dating back from "before the
overthrow of the world," now returns to praise the glory of His grace, wherein, it
declares, He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.
Twice in this passage do we get the word "in"; "in which," "in the Beloved." The
little word which agrees in gender with the word grace, and we are here instructed that it
is "in" that grace that we are made accepted "in the Beloved." We have already
considered a little the fulness of that grace (pages 17-20), as it is set forth in this Epistle.
Very similar to this passage are the words of II Tim. 1: 9:--
"Who saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before
eonian times."
We now devote our limited space to considering the remainder of the verse, He hath
made us accepted.
The word "grace" (charis) appears in these words, "To make accepted" (charitoõ).
Grace has graced us. Grace has come down and completely removed from sight all
ungraciousness, supplying in its place all the grace that resides in the Lord Jesus.
Two figures occur in the book of Leviticus which seem to have something of this
precious teaching in them. The first is found in Lev. 1: 4, 17:--
"He shall lean with his hand upon the head of the burnt offering: and it shall be
accepted for him to make an atonement for him . . . . . a burnt sacrifice, an offering made
by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord."