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DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH
Faithful
By Charles H. Welch
Faithfull, in Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:2 and 2
Timothy2:2. The epistle to the Ephesians is addressed to believers in a twofold
character, "saints and faithful". Saints are primarily such by reason of
redemption, their after saintliness is a matter of growth in grace. See
Doctrinal Analysis under the heading SANCTIFICATION. A company like the church
at Corinth could be addressed as "saints" yet rebuked for carnality. It is
otherwise with the conception of faithfulness. No one can be made "faithful" by
imputation, it is a personal attribute, embracing some degree of responsibility,
and is the essential qualification for a steward (Matt. 25:21,23, Luke 12:42,
16:10, 1 Cor. 4:2). If this be recognized, then we can see that the teaching of
the Ephesians is not addressed to all the redeemed
as such, it is addressed to the believer
as a steward, and this may account for
the limited acceptance of this epistle by believers generally. The article
entitled ACKNOWLEDGE presents this personal
and responsible side of truth in much the same light, and the reader would
profit by referring to that article, of which the present is but a supplement.
This sense of stewardship and responsibility is found in Paul's injunction to
Timothy:
"The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same
commit thou to faithful men, who shall
be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2).
For further light upon this aspect of the truth, see articles entitled
DISPENSATION,
GOOD DEPOSIT. There are some of the Lord's people who, having realized the
depth of the teaching of the Mystery, and how difficult many find it to
understand, have thought to help the general reader, or "the babe", by writing
on the subject in simple language and with much more extension -but the attempt
is vain because illogical. An adult person would not be right in saying "this
steak which I am enjoying is not fit for a baby as it is-I will cut it up
smaller" -the truth would be that a steak is no food for a baby at all, and what
the babe in Christ needs is not Ephesian truth put through a mincer, but the
milk of the Word. See the article BABES.
Balancing the opening emphasis upon faithfulness is the exceptional addition
to the closing benediction of the words "in all sincerity" (aphtharsia,
"incorruptibility") Eph. 6:24. These are words full of solemn import and many
departures from the teaching of Ephesians may be explained by these searching
qualifications required of those who profess to hold and teach the truth of the
Mystery.
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