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#12.
Heavenly Places.
pp. 41 - 44
A.--I believe you teach that the sphere of blessing peculiar to the church of the one body,
viz., "heavenly places", is something distinct.
B.--That is so. I believe we can truthfully say that it is "far above all".
A.--Well. I have been told by those who know, that precisely the same Greek word that is
used in Eph. 1: 3, is used in Matthew, John, I Corinthians and Hebrews, and
therefore that you have been carried away by zeal that is not according to knowledge in
teaching that the heavenly places of Ephesians indicate a position distinct from, and
superior to, that of the church as revealed in the Gospels or Hebrews.
B.--We will not be too much concerned about the opinions of those "who know", for
Gal. 2: reveals that such at times have to be set aside. We are however concerned about
the truth, and therefore we will "search and see".
A.--The word is, I believe, epouranios.
B.--Yes, it is a compound word made up of epi, meaning over, above, or upon, and
ouranos, meaning heaven.
A.--It is used in Matt. 18: 35 in the phrase, "My heavenly Father" (though some texts
read ouranos) and in John 3: 12 of "heavenly things". In I Cor. 15: 40, 48 and 49 it is
used five times, where Paul speaks of "celestial bodies" and their glory, and of some who
are "heavenly" and who shall "bear the image of the heavenly".
Heb. 3: 1
speaks of those who are "partakers of the heavenly calling".
Heb. 6: 4
speaks of those who had "tasted the heavenly gift".
Heb. 8: 5
speaks of the "shadows of heavenly things".
Heb. 9: 23
speaks of the "cleansing of heavenly things".
Heb. 11: 16
speaks of a "heavenly country", and
Heb. 12: 22
speaks of the "heavenly Jerusalem".
B.--It does my heart good to see this earnest search, and to listen to this presentation of
the occurrences of the word. The concordance can be one of your greatest servants, but
you must not think that a mere accumulation of texts of itself constitutes an argument. I
should like to hear what you learn from these passages that makes the teaching advanced
concerning the one body to be untenable.
A.--Well, you have very definitely taught two things, viz.:--