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#3. A guiding principle discovered by the analogy of Scripture.
pp. 186 - 191
In our former papers we sought to show that "super-heavenly" was warranted as a
translation of epouraniois in Eph. 1: 3, in the light of 1: 20, 21 and 4: 10. We
suggested that while all spiritual blessings were most truly ours "in Christ", they were not
yet ours "in heavenly places", for the good reason that we were not actually there; but
that what we did possess here, while we walked by faith yet still held by mortality, was
the earnest of our inheritance, "until the redemption of the purchased possession", "unto
the day of redemption".
In this connection a passage in Rom. 8: is sometimes quoted: "For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God"
(Rom. 8: 19). This must not read as though the sons of God were manifested now, for
verse 23 shows that not only does the creature wait, but "ourselves also, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, the redemption of our body". The sons of God will be manifested, as such, at
the resurrection, but till then they, too, must "groan" and "wait".
Ephesians tells us that we have "the earnest", not the full inheritance at present;
Rom. 8: 23 repeats the thought by describing us as having "the firstfruits of the Spirit".
Now the firstfruits were by no means the harvest, but a small pledge or earnest of the
harvest yet to be. Christ Himself is the "Firstfruits of them that slept" (I Cor. 15: 20).
Their resurrection is assured, and they may, even now, rise and walk in newness of life,
but they dare not teach that "the resurrection is past already", for such would be
serious untruth (II Tim. 2: 17, 18). The word "manifestation" in Rom. 8: 19 is
apokalupsis, and it can easily be seen that just as the Lord Jesus is not yet "revealed",
but is "expecting" (Heb. 10: 13), so also must we, though sons of God, wait with
earnest "expectation" for that day of revelation (Rom. 8: 23). Not only so, but
Rom. 8: 24, 25 proceeds to remove any idea that the "revelation of the sons of God",
or "the redemption of the body" obtains now, by saying:--
"For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth,
why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience
WAIT FOR (expect) it."
An O.T. illustration.
It may throw light upon the subject if we refer to a notable illustration of the principle
underlying the scriptural answer to the question before us. It is provided by Abraham.
Heb. 11: 8 tells us that when Abraham was called to leave Ur of the Chaldees, he knew
that the place to which his steps were directed was to be his inheritance, yet he was an