A Gospel. Paul makes it clear in Galatians 3:8, that the initial promise `In thee shall all nations be blessed'

contained in germ both the doctrine of justification and the preaching of the gospel to the Gentile saying:

`And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen (Gentiles) through faith, preached before the

Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed'.

It is therefore clear that we must not confuse the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles, which was never a

secret, and which is the basis of such an epistle as Romans, with calling of the Gentiles during the dispensation of

the Mystery, which is the theme of the epistle to the Ephesians.

ABSENT. The meaning and implications of the apostle's words `absent from the body', found in 2 Corinthians 5:8,

will be better understood if studied in their wider association with such subjects as HOPE2, PRIZE3 and

RESURRECTION4,7 to which articles the reader is directed. See also Doctrinal Analysis.

The only comment that seems called for here, is that Paul did not announce as a doctrine, `Absent from the body

is to be present with the Lord', which is the interpretation foisted on the passage by wishful thinking.

ACCEPTED. Acceptance in the Scriptures covers a variety of related doctrines. The great types of Leviticus show

that the believer is accepted by virtue of the sacrifice of Christ (Lev. 1:4), and that only a `perfect' offering could

ever be accepted by the Lord (Lev. 22:21). These aspects of the subject lie rather in the doctrinal sub-division of

truth than the dispensational, for they are as true to-day as when Moses gave the law. The one great dispensational

use of the word `accepted' is that of Ephesians 1:6, which comes as the crown and climax of the first division of the

Charter of the Church of the Mystery. This will be more easily understood if the structure of Ephesians 1:3-14 is set

out here, but for the relation of the subdivision to the structure of the epistle as a whole however, the reader must be

referred to the article EPHESIANS p. 275.

A 3-6.

The WILL of the Father.

B -6.

To the praise of the glory of His grace.

A 7-12.

The WORK of the Son.

B -12.

To the praise of His glory.

A 13,14-.

The WITNESS of the Spirit.

B -14.

To the praise of His glory.

The reader will observe the threefold refrain of verses 6, 12 and 14, and will also doubtless have noted that in the

first, the words `of His grace' are added. Were we reading the original Greek of Ephesians 1:6, we should

immediately be aware of the close connection intended by the apostle between the words `grace' and `accepted', for

`grace' is charis and `accepted' is charitoo, the margin of the A.V. reading `lit. hath graced us'.

The only other occurrence of charitoo is in Luke 1:28, where the salutation of the angel is recorded, `Hail, thou

that art highly favoured among women'. If all that is written concerning the initial promise in Eden concerning `the

Seed of the woman' be believed, and if all that is revealed concerning the miraculous conception and birth of Him

Whose name was Emmanuel, `God with us' be true, then it must go without saying that Mary occupies a unique

place in the whole creation of God. Never before was such grace and favour shown to a daughter of Adam, even as

there will never be a repetition of this same miracle of Divine love. Equally true must it be said of those thus

addressed in the epistle to the Ephesians. No other calling or company, whether of Israel or of the Gentiles has been

so `highly favoured' as those Gentiles who constitute the Church of the Mystery, Gentiles who of themselves were

far off, without God, without Christ, and without hope, strangers and aliens from covenants and promises. This

acceptance is not only unique in itself, but it is said to be `in the Beloved', a title used of Christ once and once only

in this particular form. In another form, Christ is spoken of in the Gospels as the `Beloved Son', but even that title is

never employed by Paul. Ephesians 1:6 is doubly unique, unique in the use of the word `accepted', unique in the

sphere of this acceptance `in the Beloved'.