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#10. The Muniment Room (1: 3 - 14).
The Threefold Charter of the Church.
"Before the foundation of the world."
Part 1: In which the word "katabole" is examined
and the testimony of the LXX exhibited.
pp. 61 - 65
The unique blessings of the Church of the One Body are "according" to an elective
purpose. Now, it is by no means true to say that "election" or "predestination" is a
peculiarity of the dispensation of the mystery, the very distribution of these terms
sufficiently disproves such a statement, and no one has ever put such a proposition
forward. Yet there is something unique in Eph. 1: 4 that, when once perceived, makes
the calling of the Church of the One Body completely separate from that of any other
company spoken of in the Scriptures. The peculiarity of this calling does not rest in the
word "foundation" whatever the word shall ultimately prove to be, it rests on the word
"before", this is the unique feature. All other callings are related to a choice and a
purpose that is dated "from" or "since" the foundation of the world; this calling of
Ephesians alone is related to a choice and a purpose that goes back "before" that era. As
a certain amount of doctrine must be built upon these two prepositions "before" and
"from", some acquaintance with them seems called for.
Pro "before" is a preposition that indicates place, time and preference.
(1)
Before in respect of place:
"The Judge standeth before the door" (James 5: 9).
(2)
Before in respect of time:
"Judge nothing before the time" (I Cor. 4: 5).
(3)
Before in respect of preference:
"He is before all things" (Col. 1: 17).
Apo "from" is a preposition that indicates separation or origin. The primary use of
apo is with reference to place, but by a recognized transition, it can be employed of the
distance of time, of the temporal terminus "from which".
"From that time Jesus began to preach" (Matt. 4: 17).
"From two years old or under" (Matt. 2: 16).
"From the beginning of the world" (Eph. 3: 9).
The two expressions "from the foundation of the world" and "before the foundation of
the world" occur as follows:
FROM THE FOUNDATION.
(1)
With reference to the use of parables, in speaking of the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven.