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that love Him," and it is equally true that in each case it may be added, "but God hath
revealed them to us by His Spirit." The definition of faith given in Heb. 11: is often
misapplied. Like the Epistle to the Hebrews itself, the faith there mentioned is not the
faith that is connected with salvation from sin; it is the faith of the saint in connection
with the patience of hope. It is set in strong contrast with Heb. 10: 38, 39, where "drawing
back" is put in opposition to believing to the "acquiring of the soul." There in Heb. 11:
we read, "Now faith is the substance of thins hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Hope, therefore, will simply be faith realized. There are those who think, despite the fact
that some believers totally deny the distinctive ministry of Paul, the unique calling of the
One Body, and the peculiar character of the dispensation of the Mystery, that they will
nevertheless find themselves enjoying the hope of that elect company in the day to come.
That there is commendable humility and charity in the thought we readily admit, but we
do not believe it to be true nevertheless. Faith now is linked with hope, it is the substance
of things hoped for. Many a believer if asked to detail his hope would be found
expecting the heavenly calling on the same grounds as Abraham. The hope of one day
entering the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, or of meeting the Lord in the air as He comes
to earth once more, these are the things that constitute his hope. The position resolves
itself into this. "You tell me your calling, and I will tell you your hope." Hence it is that
in Ephesians we read twice of hope as connected with a distinctive calling. Chapter 1: 18,
"That ye may know what is the hope of His calling," and 4: 4, "One body and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." Here hope is related to His
calling and to your calling. The word "His" in 1: 18 refers to God, as may be seen by
reading on to verses 19, 20, "His power. . . . which He wrought in Christ." Our hope is
connected with the calling of God. We cannot help seeing something more than mere
grammatical necessity that makes as a possible reading, "Who is the hope of His
calling"--for Col. 1: 27 very clearly links the hope, the riches, and the glory of Eph. 1: 18,
not with something, but with Someone--"To whom God would make known what (or
who) is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which (or who) is
Christ among you, the hope of the glory." When we turn to the practical section
commencing with chapter 4: then we read not of "His calling," but of "your calling." It
is clear from the statement made, that the one body is connected with one hope, which in
turn is connected with the definite and particular calling revealed in the Epistles of the
mystery.
One of the distinctive marks of the calling of the one body is its heavenly destiny.
The word "heavenly" is not full enough to convey all that the word used in Ephesians
implies--super-celestial is nearer. In the original of the New Testament two words are
employed, both translated "heavenly" (ouranios and epouranios). The added word epi
signifies upon or over, and refers to the heavens that are above the firmament, and
beyond the limitations of the present creation (compare Genesis 1: with Psalms 148: 4,
I Kings 8: 27, and Heb. 7: 26).
Further, there is used in Ephesians with this word epouranios, the words which
indicate a real locality, and not merely a heavenly character. The words are en tois, "in
the." Matt. 5: and 6: make several references to the heavens in the same way. "In the
heavens" en tois epouranios. "Great is your reward in heaven" (5: 12). The church of