PAUL’S PRISON EPISTLES AFTER THE ACTS PERIOD - Part III

[Brother Marvs]

PAUL’S PRISON EPISTLES AFTER THE ACTS PERIOD
Part III


We are now in a position to approach the writings of the Apostle Paul with the consciousness that through them we have the message of the exalted Christ to us and “for us Gentiles”. As we search the seven post-Acts epistles, we shall look in vain for the repeated references to the Jew – to Israel nationally, and to Abraham as found in the earlier writings. The word “Jew” only occurs once and then negatively (Col. 3:11); Israel twice, once negatively and the other looking back to Paul’s unconverted days (Eph. 2:12; Phil. 3:5). References to Abraham are nil. We are dealing with a new calling which has no connection with the nation of Israel or to the promises made to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On the other hand, we shall certainly discover aspects of truth that are unique and not found elsewhere in the range of Scripture, which is what one would expect if dealing with a new phase of revelation.

(1) Time period – “Before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). The church of this calling was chosen in Christ before the beginning of time and the overthrow of the world. 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2 literally read “before age times”. No other company of the redeemed are associated with such a period. The expression is only used elsewhere of Christ Himself (John 17:24; 1 Peter 1:20). Other companies of believers are said to belong to that aspect of the kingdom which has been prepared by God since the foundation of the world (Mat. 25:34). “Before” an event, and “since” an event cannot refer to the same time if words mean anything at all. This church has the greatest “look back” into the past.

(2) The title – “The church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23). Here is a title, gigantic in conception. In Christ Himself dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9) and each member of this company is filled to the full (complete) in Him (10). Christ is the fullness of God. This church is the fullness of Christ and each individual member is filled to the full in Him. What a trilogy of truth! and how we need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to grasp to any degree the reality lying behind these words. Such language is above anything given to Israel, wonderful though their blessings were.

(3) Status – Ephesians 3:6 gives the relationship of each redeemed member of this company. In the original Greek there is a three-fold emphasis on equality which is lost in the Authorized Version. Literally it reads that the Gentiles should be “joint-heirs and a joint-body and joint-partakers of His promise in Christ.” Here is a complete equality between Jew and Gentile at last. The Jew as a nation has gone with all the privileges they had in the flesh (Rom. 9:3-5). In the flesh the Jew had the first place in God’s purpose and the Gentile was an alien from the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:11,12), he was an outsider (Matt. 15:24-27). This church, however, is taken out of the realm of the world and flesh and blessed in the sphere of the spirit, in the heavenlies where Christ sits in glory. Consequently, all earthly distinctions vanish. Jew and Gentile cease to exist as such and Christ is all (Col. 3:10, 11). Although the Pentecostal Church had a perfect standing in Christ, the Gentile believer had no such equality, for he was taught that he was but a wild olive grafted into the true olive tree (Israel) and that he did not bear the root, but the root (Israel) bore him (Rom. 11:17,18). In other words the Jew was still first (Rom. 1:16, 2:9,10). The Church of the Mystery has a new and unique constitution. It is a new creation – not an evolution (Eph. 2:14,15 where the word “make” should be translated “create”). It is a new man and its goal is to grow to a full grown male (A.V. perfect man Eph. 4:13). May God give us the spirit of perception (Eph. 1:17) in order that we can distinguish what he has made to differ (Phil. 1:10 margin) and so be in a position to receive by faith the things in His Word which are more excellent.

(4) The sphere of blessing – This is described as being in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). The reader will notice that the word “places” is in italics and has therefore been supplied by the translators to make sense. Some have questioned the accuracy of this and have put forward the idea that this phrase does not refer to place but to a spiritual experience in the life of the believer. When Christ has become all to the child of God in his experience, then, we are told, he is in the heavenlies. The accuracy of this statement can easily be checked by noticing how this phrase is used in this epistle. It occurs five times (1:3,20, 2:6, 3:10, 6;12), and the next reference takes us to where Christ is stated to be raised and seated at the Father’s right hand in the heavenly places (1:20). Now the Lord Jesus must be localized somewhere for He has a glorified body. The disciples saw Him leave the earth bodily and were assured that He would return in the same way (Acts 1:9-11). In Him, at the present time, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9), and believers look forward to the day of glory when they shall have bodies fashioned like His glorious body (Phil. 3:21). He is presented as sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Col. 3:1), and Ephesians 1:20 assures us that the right hand of God is in the heavenly places. So the Authorized Version is correct.

The Lord Jesus has been exalted to the highest pinnacle of glory, and the phrase “in the heavenly places” is only another way of describing this supreme sphere. Elsewhere this is described as being “far above all heavens’ (4:10). Now Ephesians 1:3 assures us that the members of this most favoured company of the redeemed have been blessed with every blessing that is spiritual in this same sphere. And if this was not tremendous enough, 2:6,7 goes further and asserts that such are not only raised but seated together where He is in the same heavenly places. Chapter 1:20 gives us a seated Christ in this highest of all spheres and 2:6 a seated church there also in Him. It is impossible to get higher than the glorified Christ and so we come to the CLIMAX OF DIVINE REVELATION IN THE WORD OF GOD, so far as the redeemed are concerned. This revelation is so overwhelming that it leaves the human mind completely staggered. No wonder Paul prayed that the Ephesian believers might know something of God’s exceeding great resurrection power; that they might be strengthened with might by His Spirit (3:16). In and of ourselves we are utterly inadequate to fully grasp anything so tremendous as this. It is no wonder that Christians stumble at such teaching and many frankly do not accept and believe it. If the reader thinks this is exaggerated let him try to pass this truth on to other believers and note their attitude. He will probably be pulled up with a jolt! But this must not affect our reception of, or our witness to God’s truth. Let us humbly bow in His holy presence with utter thankfulness and realize that the least we can do is to believe what He has said. Anything less than this makes Him a liar and shows the basest ingratitude.

The phrase “in the heavenlies” occurs only in Ephesians and so is another feature that is peculiar to this calling. The word “heavenly” occurs frequently throughout the New Testament, but we must learn to distinguish what is heavenly in character and what is not only heavenly in character but in sphere of blessing as well. For instance the Hebrew believers of Asia Minor were described as having “tasted of the heavenly gift” (Heb. 6:4). The gift was heavenly in character, but they certainly did not taste it in heaven or in the heavenly places where Christ sitteth. This epistle reveals a seated Priest at the right hand of the Majesty on high (1:3, 8:1), but we shall search in vain to discover a seated church there with Him.

We can say that the blessings of Ephesians 1:3 and 2:5,6 are unique. They are part of the tremendous revelation of the Lord Jesus given through Paul to us Gentiles who believe in Him. Why is it then that so few believers today have any real heartfelt appreciation of these things? Blindness, tradition, spiritual laziness and the confusing of the differing purposes of God revealed in His Word all contribute to this sad state of affairs.

Even the Ephesian saints must have found this new teaching a challenge to their faith for early in the first chapter the Apostle Paul prays that they might have the veil removed from their eyes, and be given divine understanding to receive these exceeding riches of truth (1:17,18). The “spirit of revelation” in verse seventeen is literally the spirit of unveiling. The fact is that so many read the Scriptures with veiled eyes and its words remain just words and nothing more.

If we have been led to receive the spiritual wealth of Ephesians, what shall be our response but to live in such a way that will bring glory to His name, and seek to witness and pass on these unsearchable riches to others that they may share in our supreme joy.

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