What are we to understand by the words `rightly divide'? The Greek word used by the apostle is orthotomeo,

which had an established meaning well-known to all readers of the Greek Old Testament. It occurs in Proverbs 3:

`In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct (rightly divide) thy paths' (Prov. 3:6. LXX).

Right division distinguishes between the two ministries of Paul. While he was a free man he was an `able

minister of the New Covenant', and the Gentile who believed under this ministry was joined to Israel in its Salvation

and its Hope, but was not otherwise on a perfect equality, being likened to a wild olive grafted into the true stock.

The prison ministry, however, dealt with a new man, created of the two (Jew and Gentile), in which there now

obtains perfect equality among all the members.

Right division distinguishes between the ministry of Paul and the gospel which he preached, and the ministry of

the apostles of the circumcision (Peter, James and John) and the gospel they were commissioned to preach (Gal. 2:1-

Right division distinguishes between the calling of the earthly people Israel and their restoration after

divorcement, and the Bride, the company of overcomers so named, whose sphere is the New Jerusalem.

Right division distinguishes between `The Bride' and `The perfect Man' (Eph. 4:13), between `The Bride' and

`The Body' (Eph. 1:22,23).

Right division distinguishes between `The hope of Israel' (which is broadly speaking the `Second coming', `The

Parousia' and `The Apocalypse', and which is associated with `The voice of the Archangel', `the Mount of Olives'

and prophetic times), and `That blessed hope' toward which the church of the one body presses, which is `to be

manifested with Him in glory' (Col. 3:1-4).

This principle is endorsed by Christ Himself, when, in the exercise of His ministry, He read Isaiah 61 to the end

of the first clause of verse 2, shut the book, and declared that `This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears' (Luke

4:16-21). Had He continued to read the sentence He could not have said, `This day is this Scripture fulfilled' for

`the day of vengeance' is yet future.

This principle is really the application of the dispensational test to all Scripture, as illustrated by the interposition

of Dispensation between Doctrine and Practice set out on page 68.

In order to bring to a conclusion this attempt to frame a form of sound words, it is necessary that some exhibition

be given of the nature and scope of Paul's second great ministry.

CHAPTER 9

It is a matter beyond dispute that Acts 20 sees the close of one ministry, and the dawn of another. On this

evidence both of Acts 20 and 28, it is also indisputable that the new ministry was a prison ministry; that it was the

subject of a special revelation from the Lord, and that it had the Gentiles specially in view: `The Gentiles, unto

whom now I send thee'. From this imprisoned minister went forth the message:

`The salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles' (Acts 28:28).

To find `the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation' (Eph. 1:13), we must study those epistles that were

written by Paul after Acts 28, which bear the mark of prison upon them. What are these prison epistles? Can we

discover them, or must we trust to the teaching of men?

There are five epistles written from prison after the setting aside of Israel, and we have but to read these epistles

to discover the fact for ourselves.

EPHESIANS IS A PRISON EPISTLE:

`For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles' (3:1).

`I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you' (4:1).

`The mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds' (6:19,20).