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"According to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is
according to godliness."
God's messengers must deliver the letters entrusted to them according to the addresses
which are written upon them, and the epistle to the Ephesians is addressed to "the faithful
in Christ Jesus" (1: 1). Further teaching is given upon the assumption that the Ephesians
have "faith in the Lord Jesus" and that "the eyes of their heart" have been already
enlightened (1: 15, 18). To those who had been quickened together with Christ, the
further revelation of Eph. 2: was addressed, and only to those who had heard of the
dispensation of the grace of God given to Paul for the Gentiles could be given the
wondrous teaching of chapter 3: The walk of chapter 4: assumes that the calling is
known, and the same principle of interdependence is apparent in the subsequent chapters.
When we meet with some of the Lord's people who violently oppose this faith of
God's elect, whose eyes have not been enlightened regarding the revelation of the
mystery, who do not walk in line with Eph. 4:, and would introduce many conflicting
elements into the unity of the Spirit, we dare not say, "These are not the members of the
Body"--all we can say is that they give no evidence of being members of the Body, and
we can but pray that the Lord will lead every pre-known son into the full light of his high
calling.
And so the objection we have been considering is not valid. We do not make
membership of the body depend upon faith or knowledge; and we have no warrant to
teach that every believer to-day, whatever his attitude to the revelation of the mystery, is
a member of the Body. If we keep close to Scripture we shall "know" our election, as did
the Thessalonians. More than this we cannot do.
#12.
The mystery manifested by God (1: 23-28).
"The afflictions of Christ."
pp. 50 - 56
Those who are acquainted with the teaching of the epistle to the Ephesians will
remember that we have to observe a distinction between "the mystery of Christ", which
was a matter of progressive revelation through the ages, and "the mystery", which was
never revealed until made known to Paul (Eph. 3: 1-13). This twofold mystery has been
the subject of several articles in The Berean Expositor, and for any to whom the
distinction is not clear we give the following extract from the Comprehensive Index,
indicating articles that may prove helpful:--
Two mysteries of Eph. 3: . . . . . Volume I.58 (I.53); XII.56, 87, 88 and XIV.146.
We have just concluded an exposition of Col. 1: 13-23, which is practically a further
and fuller revelation of the mystery of Christ, and is followed, in the section now under
review, by a revelation concerning the mystery itself. In Volume XX, page 57, is given