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claims, or anything approaching it, is found in the epistle to the Hebrews where the only
preaching of the gospel that is found takes us back to O.T. times, and is therefore at the
extreme pole from that which is announced in Eph. 3: The reference to it is as follows:
"For unto us was the gospel preached (euaggelizo) as well as unto them . . . . . they to
whom it was first preached (euaggelizo) entered not in because of unbelief"
(Heb. 4: 2-6).
This quotation exhausts the occurrences of euaggelizo in Hebrews, while the noun
euaggelion, "The gospel", does not occur at all. No system of interpretation worthy the
name could therefore possibly confuse the gospel of Eph. 3: 8, 9 with the gospel of
Heb. 4: 2-6.
(5) In Eph. 4: 17 is found the last occurrences of ethnos in the epistle, where the
Apostle exhorts believers to a walk that shall be the very reverse of that which once
characterized them "by nature" (Eph. 2: 1-3), the word "alienated" being reintroduced in
a new connection, and confirming the state already described in Eph. 2: 11, 12.
Such is the internal evidence from Ephesians. Now let us turn to the epistle to the
Hebrews.
First, as we have already observed, the word "Gentile" does not occur in it. The
opening of the epistle addresses those who were intimately connected with "The fathers".
In Paul epistles, "The fathers" relates always and only to Israel.
"Whose are the fathers" (Rom. 9: 5).
"Beloved for the fathers' sakes" (Rom. 11: 28).
"Promises made unto the fathers" (Rom. 15: 8).
"All our fathers were under the cloud" (I Cor. 10: 1).
In each case the context supplies the words "Israelites", "All Israel", "The
circumcision" and "Moses", making it impossible, in any place, to include the Gentile, in
any way.
"Spake in time past unto the fathers" (Heb. 1: 1).
"Your fathers tempted Me" (Heb. 3: 9).
"The covenant that I made with the fathers" (Heb. 8: 9).
Here, once again, the Gentile is excluded. To Israel alone were entrusted the oracles
of God; Israel tempted God in the wilderness, and with the fathers of this same people,
and with no other, the covenant at Sinai was made.
When Paul uses the pronoun "us" in Heb. 10: 15, "Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a
witness to us", the Gentile is ruled out by the context (see verses 16-18). And when he
uses the pronoun "we" in Heb. 10: 26 he speaks still of those addressed in Heb. 6: 1-6,
where the conditions are entirely contrary to the grace revealed in the epistle to the
Ephesians. The word that is set over against "Gentile" in Ephesians, in Hebrews is laos,
"people".