The Prison Epistles are the only Scriptures that reveal the dispensation of the Mystery, and as that glorious truth is the peculiar burden of our ministry, we have placed great stress upon these special epistles.
They are five in number, but as Philemon is personal in character, we often speak of the "Four Prison Epistles", meaning by this statement that these contain the complete revelation of the Mystery.
We do most certainly distinguish between the doctrinal teaching of Romans, such as "justification by faith", which is as true for the church of the Mystery as it was when first written, and such dispensational teaching as "the Jew first" of Romans 1:16, or "the olive tree" of Romans the eleventh chapter, which teaching has no relation to the church of Ephesians, being truth for the time then present.
Fundamentals and the Mystery is a must-read and points out many of the things that differ from those things that are the same and help the Bible student to see The Truth of our calling.
Author: Charles H. Welch