the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no

hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2: 12).

The word "without" (Choris) occurs nowhere else in Ephesians, but is found thirteen

times in the epistle to the Hebrews, and, while it deals with a variety of subjects, it is

never once used to teach that the Hebrews were ever "without Christ".  In fact, a

reference to Rom. 9: 1-5 will show how both the reference to Christ Himself and to the

covenants and promises, provides a final means of distinguishing the Hebrews from the

Gentiles, for the blessings indicated in Rom. 9: 1-5 were specifically enjoyed by Israel

"according to the flesh" whereas the blessings indicated in Ephesians are all "spiritual",

the flesh having no place in them whatsoever.

A word that demands a study to itself is diatheke, "covenant", which is one of the key

words of Hebrews, occurring in that epistle no less than seventeen times. In Ephesians

the word occurs but once and then in a negative sense. To remove it from Hebrews

would be to eviscerate the epistle, even as the insertion of it into the calling and

dispensation of the mystery would be to empty that calling of its essential characteristics.

The Ephesians Gentiles were originally in a state that could be described as that of

persons "having no hope and without God in the world", but the Hebrews, while they

might lapse into that condition known as "lo-ammi", were never abandoned by God, for

His gifts and callings are without change of mind, and the New Covenant, which is

enlarged upon in the eighth chapter of Hebrews, stresses that when that covenant comes

into force the promise will apply that says, "I will be to them a God, and they shall be to

Me a people" (Heb. 8: 10).

(2) In Eph. 3: 1 the Apostle reveals that his very imprisonment was related to the

distinctive ministry to which he had been called, declaring that it was "for you Gentiles".

He does not say "for both of you, whether Jew or Gentile", as he could have done when

speaking of the ministry he exercised during the period covered by the Acts of the

Apostles up to his imprisonment in Rome. He insists upon the Gentileward direction of

this new ministry, and associates it with "the dispensation of the grace of God given me

to you-ward".

(3) Eph. 3: 6 indicates the constitution of the calling of this epistle. It is a threefold

equality, and addressed to the Gentiles. It is a misinterpretation to make this passage

teach that the Gentiles were now being introduced to an existing calling, from which they

had been previously "aliens", or that the new calling envisaged two companies, the one

Hebrew believers, the other Gentile believers, the two being jointly blessed as such. On

the contrary, it is the threefold unity of the newly-created New Man.

(4) In Eph. 3: 8, 9 Paul makes the claim, that to himself--all unworthy though he

be of the high privilege--it had been given that he should preach among the Gentiles the

unsearchable riches of Christ, and enlighten all as to what is the dispensation of the

mystery. This ordination, with its clearly stated object, is a definite revelation and

binding upon all who profess to acknowledge the inspiration of the Scriptures. No such