Faithful, in Ephesians 1:1, Colossians 1:2 and 2 Timothy 2:2.

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 Sanctification7.  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 Acknowledge1 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

Dispensation1, and Good Deposit (p. 63).  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 Babes1).

Balancing the opening emphasis upon faithfulness is the exceptional

addition to the closing benediction of the words `in all sincerity'

(aphtharsia, `incorruptibility') Ephesians 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.

Family.  This word occurs but once in the New Testament, where it translates

the Greek word patria (Eph. 3:15).  Patria itself occurs three times:

Luke 2:4

Of the house and lineage of David.

Acts 3:25

In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth.

Eph. 3:15

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.

Patria is obviously a derivative of pater, `father', and is itself one of

a `family' of words derived from this `parent' stock.  So we have patroos `the

fathers', patris `country', patriarches `patriarch'.  The family therefore is a

community owning a common father.  The R.V.  reads at Ephesians 3:15 `every

family' instead of `the whole family' as in the A.V.  The employment of the

English word `family' here has somewhat limited the teaching of the apostle.

The word `family' is derived from the Latin famulus, a servant, whereas the

Greek word so translated here is derived from the word `father'.  Joseph was of