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No.34.
The Chapel of Acknowledgment (1: 15 - 19).
Ton hagion or "Heaven itself".
pp. 121 - 125
The first petition, "what is the hope of His calling", looks back to the will of the
Father (Eph. 1: 3-6), the second, "what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints", looks back to the results of redemption, as set forth under the heading "the work
of the Son" (Eph. 1: 7-12), where the inheritance is first mentioned. When we were
examining Eph. 1: 11 we discovered that the true teaching of this passage was not so
much that WE had OBTAINED an inheritance, as that WE had been TAKEN to be an
inheritance. This translation is discussed in No.24 of this series. The possibilities that
such a calling opens up are overwhelming. To obtain an inheritance in the high glory of
heavenly places, where Christ sits far above all principality and power, staggers the
imagination, but "what is the riches of the glory of HIS INHERITANCE in the saints" is
left unexplained. The Apostle transfers the question to the section dealing with prayer.
We cannot appreciate it while remaining in the "Muniment Room", we can only learn
something of its wonder in "The Chapel of Acknowledgment".
The answer to the question "what the riches" is not found written on the page of
Scripture, but is rather written on the tables of the heart. The eyes of the "heart" must be
enlightened, the renewed mind must readily "acknowledge" if this truth is to be received.
While "inheritance" is the theme in general, it is the "riches of the glory" of the
inheritance that is the particular burden of the prayer. The following are all the
references to "riches" in the Prison Epistles.
Plousios "God Who is rich in mercy" (Eph. 2: 4).
Plousios (adverb) "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col. 3: 16).
Ploutos "Forgiveness . . . . . according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1: 17).
"What (is) the riches of the glory of His inheritance" (Eph. 1: 18).
"The exceeding riches of His grace" (Eph. 2: 7).
"The unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3: 8).
"According to the riches of His glory" (Eph. 3: 16).
"According to His riches in glory" (Phil. 4: 19).
"What is the riches of the glory" (Col. 1: 27).
"Unto all riches of the full assurance" (Col. 2: 2).
It will be seen that we have riches of mercy and of grace issuing in salvation, and
riches of glory, related to our inheritance, to the spiritual anticipation of some of its
glories even now (Eph. 3: 16), the supply of all needs, and the special character of the
Mystery (Phil. 4: 19; Col. 1: 27).
Three passages out of this series stand out as a unit. The prayer of Eph. 1: 18, the
prayer of Eph. 3: 16, and the making known of the peculiar character of the Mystery
(Col. 1: 27). These we will set out more fully.
"What is the RICHES OF THE GLORY of His inheritance in the saints."