This, of course is the true order. Unless He has called us, we have no calling. There

may be no intentional connexion, but the use of the interrogative tis in Eph. 1:-3: is

Most certainly is it true, that only as we comprehend these four great subjects, will we

comprehend what is the breadth, length, depth and height of the mighty purpose of grace.

What is the hope of His calling?  Hope looks forward in expectation, but it is

intimately related with faith. Coming for a moment to another calling, namely the

heavenly calling of Heb. 3: 1, we learn that all they who entertained this calling and its

hope died, not having received the fulfillment of the promises; they died in "faith"

(Heb. 11: 13), so, we read in verse one:

This must not be construed as a definition of faith as though Paul were writing a

doctrinal treatise. He is speaking to those who had suffered the loss of their goods, and

needed encouragement to persevere. Faith, he says is the "substance" of things hoped

for. The Greek word translated "substance" is hupostasis, a word which has come into

English in connexion with scientific, philosophic and theological statements. In medicine

it means a sediment. In theology it means personality, especially when speaking of the

three Persons in the Trinity, and in metaphysics, it refers to that which subsists, or

underlies anything, as opposed to attributes or "accidents".

Take a crude illustration of the metaphysical usage. Let us imagine we have before us

a brick. Its shape is philosophically an "accident"; it is not of the nature of essence, for a

brick can be reduced to powder without altering its chemical composition or its weight.

Its colour too is reflected light, and if the light be changed, its apparent colour too will

change too. In this way we may remove one after another of the "attributes" of a brick

until the mind begins to inquire "what IS then a brick?" and we are brought face to face

with the fact that even in the world of such palpable stuff as "brick", a world with which

we are acquainted, we are after all only acquainted with the superficial; the underlying

reality of matter is still beyond our ken. It is for this reason that we find the word

hupostasis in Heb. 1: 3, where it is translated "Person". Here again is a word in common

use. Yet here again we use a term that is highly significant. The word "person" comes

from the Latin persona "to speak through" and means a mask, especially one worn by

play actors. So Jeremy Taylor writes:

In Heb. 1: 1-3 Christ is said to be "the Express Image of His Person". Here we have

two suggestive Greek words in apposition, character "express image", and hupostasis