Paulates-A Program that Produces Perfect Saints

Everybody wants a healthy body; however few are willing to make the hard choices when it comes to diet and exercise that contribute to a healthy body. Today, Americans are bombarded with nutritional information and a never ending array of exercise equipment and workouts that guarantee a healthy and attractive body within weeks. One such program that has swept the Country in the last ten years is Pilates. It was designed by Joseph Pilates, a physical-culturist born in Germany in 1883. He developed a system of exercises during the first half of the 20th century which were intended to strengthen the human mind and body.

I want to recommend to you a program designed by God and introduced to the world by a man named Paul 2,000 years ago. The purpose of the program is to produce perfect saints. There are three parts to this “spiritual workout”. The more “reps” you do in each part, the stronger you will become spiritually. We are reminded in I Timothy 4:8…For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. So let’s get started in your first “Paulates” session.

Paul's purpose in writing the book of Romans is clearly stated at the outset: “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, To the end that ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” (Rom. 1:11-12).

The book of Romans is establishment truth, written to ground its readers in "the mutual faith." The epistle is addressed to those who already were saints (v.7). Paul's desire was that they be firmly grounded in the same understanding of the grace of God which he had.

Paul desired strong believers; saints who were stable… "not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine”; saints who were wise and would not be gullible to "the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”; saints who could endure hardness. He knew this did not "just happen," but that it was the result of being established in sound doctrine.

After setting forth "the faith" he desired the saints to mutually share with him, he concludes with the three part program which is the heart of “Paulates”: "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen" (Rom. 16:25-27).

If the Body of Christ is to be edified by "perfected saints" doing "the work of the ministry," as Ephesians 4:12 states, then it is imperative that we have some “perfect saints”. Are you familiar with that kind of language at your “church“? I doubt it! We have chosen to stick with the strategy God initiated in the first generation of the church, the body of Christ, prior to the completion of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit selected men and gave them "spiritual gifts" to do this "perfecting of the saints" work. How long did God rely upon this method? Ephesians 4:13-14 tells us...Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: [14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; God used the "spiritual gifts" program "till" Paul received the full "unity of the faith", the "fulness of Christ" and God's definition of "a perfect man". There arre no shortage of sermons, seminars, and books today assuring us that discovering and using your spiritual gifts is God’s way of getting His will done on earth through the church. Now the reason for God changing His method from spiritual gifts and gifted men to using a "Perfected Word" (II Timothy 3:16-17) to perfect men is given in Ephesians 4:14...That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Why has the church been in such a mess now for 1,950 years? Because the church has failed to make the transition from relying upon gifted men to relying upon the Perfect Word. We are still dependent on "gifted men" to do the "work of the ministry". As a result, we are "tossed to and fro". It is time the church grew up on the pure milk, meat, bread and water of God's Perfected Word. Psalms 118:8 warns us...It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Will the church repent of its sordid history and dependence on gifted men to lead them to the truth? If the past is a reliable predictor of the future, the answer is no! Every few months we read the shocking details of another "gifted man of God" gone astray. And what is the church's response to this dilemma? Replace him with another gifted man.

Paul’s explanation of how believers are perfected is basic to doing the work of the ministry God’s way. Look again at these verses. It is God Himself who alone has the power to establish the believer. And how does He do so? It is a three part process:

“Now to Him that is the power to stablish you according to my gospel,

The preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery…

The Scriptures of the prophets…”

This is a progressive pattern designed to set forth “the form of sound words” committed to our trust (II Tim 1:13). And it is this pattern of divine thinking which produces the “godly edifying” that results in spiritual maturity. Let’s look at it briefly.

1. My Gospel: This is the foundation of God’s purpose. Differentiating between the various "Gospels" or "good news" revealed in Scripture is a must if a person has any hope of getting established in the faith. For instance, Paul tells us that he was saved and separated unto the "Gospel of God" in Romans 1:1. However, in that same chapter (vs. 16) he tells us he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for "it" is the power of God unto salvation. Paul was brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by the same Gospel that Peter and the Twelve preached to Israel after the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The religious leaders of Israel and the nation as a whole rejected that Gospel and God countered by revealing more "good news" to "whosoever will". Paul refers to this additional good news as the "Gospel of Christ". In other places he calls it "my gospel" because the Lord Jesus revealed it to him alone as God ushered in a new dispensation of grace (Eph. 3:1-3).The components of the Gospel of Christ that saves a person is set forth in I Cor. 15:1-4 and fully explained in II Cor. 5:17-21. While most people do not have a problem believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; they do not understand it as the Holy Ghost led Paul to explain it in II Cor. 5:17-21. The difference between the Gospel of God and the Gospel of Christ is evident  at the very first component of each Gospel. UNDERSTANDING THIS DIFFERENCE IN GOOD NEWS IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR SALVATION. THEREFORE THIS TRUTH IS NO TRIVIAL MATTER. YOUR ETERNAL DESTINY DEPENDS ON COMPREHENDING---HOW THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. For a period of time, the Gospel of God was preached by the Twelve to the nation of Israel and it was God's plan to extend the Gospel to all nations (John 3:16; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16). According to this Gospel, if a person believed who Jesus was (King of Israel, Son of God, Life Giver, Judge of all the earth) and was water baptized---his or her sins were remitted (forgiven). Now keep that thought in mind. and compare it with the truth disclosed in the Gospel of Christ that our sins have already been forgiven at the Cross. This is called by Paul in II Cor. 5:18---the ministry of reconciliation. God reconciled the world of sinners by the death of Christ on the Cross; God does not save you "IF" you confess your sins, or "IF" you repent of your sins. Understanding and believing that Christ has already forgiven your sins is the means by which God has been saving people for the past 2,000 years. I challenge you to tell me one preacher in America today who is telling lost sinners this glorious Gospel truth? Regardless of religious affiliation, preachers are telling lost sinners that salvation is based on the sinner admitting, confessing, repenting of his/her sins. Preachers today are very creative when it comes to salvation and they try to persuade people to "invite Jesus into their hearts"; "confess Jesus as Lord of their lives"; "give their lives to Jesus"; "have a personal relationship with Jesus"; and the all time favorite "ask the Lord to forgive you of sins based on the fact that you believe Jesus died, was buried and rose again". I assure you my friend, that does not save you. Why? Because it denies the first component of the Gospel of Christ which is different from the Gospel of God---Jesus Christ has already forgiven you your sins at Calvary; sin is off the table as far as God is concerned! So what is left on the table as far as God is concerned? Righteousness!!! Not yours; Christ's. When a lost sinner believes what Christ has already done about his/her sins and believes that grace truth---God saves you. Upon your understanding and believing what Christ has already done for you, God proceeds at that moment to the second component of the Gospel of Christ and that is He baptizes you into the death of Christ by the Holy Ghost  (I Cor. 12:13) and imputes to the new believer the righteousness of Christ (II Cor. 5:21...  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Rom. 4:6... Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works). Satan and "his ministers of righteousness" (II Cor. 11:15) are consumed with keeping our eyes on our sins both before and after our "salvation experience". Looking at your righteousness before or after "salvation" is the exact wrong place to look. If you mess up this component of the Gospel, the Cross of Christ is on none effect unto you. Obviously, this is serious business. Satan knows this and that is why he keeps us fixated on our sins and our human righteousness. Deceive a person on this point and nothing else really matters. Preachers today proclaim salvation based on sins forgiven the moment you believe the gospel. That is not the way the Gospel of Christ operates. (To see more about this distinction of gospels see my study on Romans 1)

• Failure to recognize the distinctive nature of Paul’s apostleship and message brings endless confusion as to where we stand in the program of God. Such confusion is foolish, however, for Paul plainly declares: “For I speak to you gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the gentiles, I magnify mine office” (Rom 11:13). Paul is our Apostle—in contrast with Peter and the Twelve who were Israel’s apostles (Matt. 19:28, Gal. 2:8). Thus Paul’s gospel is our gospel—in contrast to that proclaimed by Peter and the Twelve before him (Gal. 1:11,12; 2:6-9). This is all the more important when we remember Paul’s solemn pronouncement that one day soon “God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (Rom. 2:16).

· It is not enough to simply know who our Apostle is—we must know what he has said to us. We must be oriented to the grace of God as revealed through Paul. It has too often been assumed that an understanding of the distinctive ministry of Paul made one a “grace believer.” This simply is not the case: We must go on to an understanding of the grace and love of God to us in Christ if we are to be genuine grace believers.

That Paul’s gospel deals with salvation in Christ through his work on the cross is clear from 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Paul was given the capstone of divine revelation concerning the cross-work of Christ. In Romans Paul lays four foundation principles of grace:

· Justification by grace (Rom. 1-5): The finality of the cross is set forth here as nowhere else in Scripture. The justice of God is demonstrated to be free to give eternal life to anyone having perfect righteousness (1:18-3:20). Since we lack this righteousness, He is thus free to give both righteousness and eternal life to everyone who “believes in the cross-work of Jesus” (3:21-4:25). This new “grace wherein we stand” provides complete security, both during present troubles as well as into eternity future (5:1-21).

· Sanctification through grace (6-8): Next, the reality of the resurrection life through our total identification with Christ is set before us. Because we are no longer “in Adam” but are now “in Christ” (5:12-21) we are to live consistent with our position in Christ (chapter 6), the current program of grace (chapter 7), and the power of the Holy Spirit (chapter 8).

· Dispensation of Grace (9-11): The fall and future of Israel are examined so that no one will think Israel’s program is still in effect today or that it has been done away with permanently. The present interruption of prophecy and its future resumption are clearly explained.

· Presentation of Grace (12-16): The fruits of our Sonship status in Christ are practically demonstrated. Practical instructions in grace-age-living give the believer a model for decision making by the “renewed mind” grace produces.

Thus Romans gives the foundation for the grace-life. It gives members of the Body of Christ an understanding of how we have been equipped and motivated to live on a daily basis in the details of our lives by God’s grace and for His glory.

2. The preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery: This is the fullness of God’s purpose. Understanding God’s previously unrevealed intent to form a new agency, the Body of Christ, gives us an orientation to God’s purpose for the church which grounds us in the ultimate plan of God.

Once we understand who we are in Christ and how that new identity has equipped us with amazing divine assets, we are ready to move on to the advanced issues of just why God is forming the Body of Christ. This is the special focus of “the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.”

This unprophesied program is, of course, in stark contrast with the long prophesied program preached prior to Paul. A simple comparison of Acts 3:21 with Rom 16:25 sets forth conclusively: In Acts 3:21 Peter is preaching that “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” The message of Rom 16:25, on the other hand, “was kept secret since the world began.” If words mean anything, these are two different messages.

Prior to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ was presented as the prophet, priest and king of the nation Israel (Deut. 18:15, Psa. 110:4, Jer. 23:5,6)—all in accord with what God “spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Luke 1:70, Acts 3:21). Paul presents Christ in a new way—as the head of the Church, the Body of Christ. This unprophesied purpose of God is in addition to the way Israel and the prophets had proclaimed Christ.

This unprophesied program was first revealed to and through the Apostle Paul. He declares: “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that BY REVELATION HE MADE KNOWN UNTO ME THE MYSTERY; (as I wrote afore in a few words...) WHICH IN OTHER AGES WAS NOT MADE KNOWN unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit: That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his holy promise in Christ by the gospel” (Eph 3:1-6).

It is vital that believers get the “big picture.” Notice that Paul assumes the Ephesians had already grasp “the gospel”—he assumes their prior grounding in Romans-truth, just as Romans assumes the believer will proceed on to the further truths set forth in Ephesians. These are not two different messages but rather two different aspects of one message: foundational truth and advanced truth built on that foundation.

After being grounded in our equipping in Christ to function as member of the Body of Christ on planet earth (Roman’s foundational truth), Paul now moves on to explain the place for this new agency in the plan of God. This is the special purpose of the book of Ephesians. There we learn of our:

Calling(1-3): The wealth associated with our calling as members of the Church, the Body of Christ is detailed so that we might “abound in wisdom and prudence.” “The hope of His calling”—what He has called the Body of Christ to accomplish; “the glory of His inheritance in the saints”—how Christ will take possession of a redeemed universe through the saints; “the greatness of His power to us-ward”—sharing in Christ’s authority as Head of all things; these are the advanced truths which set forth the goal of God’s present purpose.

Conduct (4:1-6:9): The worthy walk as members of the Body of Christ is dealt with in clear and practical terms.

Conflict (6:10-6:24): The warfare brought about because of our conflict with the Satanic policy of evil designed to thwart God’s purpose for the Body of Christ is explained and the believer’s armor is identified.

3. The Scriptures of the prophets: This is the future of God’s purpose for the Church, the Body of Christ. Just as the first component orients us to the Gospel of Christ that makes us a Christian, the second component explains the purpose and plan of God in forming the Body of Christ.  This final crowning component in the edification process orients us to the glory of God to be manifest in the ages to come. While the first two make up the scope of the special message committed to Paul, the “scriptures of the prophets” encompasses all of Scripture—in light of Paul’s revelation. Understanding how the programs of prophecy and mystery relate into one great overriding purpose provides an orientation to God’s glory as we see these programs come to fulfillment.

Just as the great doctrinal books of Romans and Ephesians match the first two components of Romans 16:25-26, the letters to the Thessalonians fit the third component. The Thessalonian letters make up the final great doctrinal books and focus on Christ’s coming both in mystery and prophecy. I Thessalonians details the events surrounding the closing of the dispensation of grace and the "catching up" of the Body of Christ from planet earth. The Rapture is mentioned at the closing of each chapter and we learn details concerning its pre-tribulation scheduling (1:10), the judgment seat of Christ (3:13), the actual details surrounding our catching up to meet the Lord in the air (4:13-18) as well as the faithfulness of God to see these events to completion (5:23,24).

II Thessalonians focuses on the revelation of Christ at His prophesied “second coming” and its distinction from His unprophesied "catching up". Again, this prophesied coming is detailed in two of the three chapters with one of the Bible's most complete descriptions of the rise and career of the Anti-Christ given in II Thess. 2:3-12. Is clear that the only thing holding back these prophesied events is God’s present purpose—a purpose which has temporarily interrupted the prophetic program.

DIVINE DESIGN---Paul wrote Timothy about this edification process: “As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightiest charge some that they teach no other doctrine. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned” (I Tim. 1:3-5).

Don’t be a spiritual wimp; don’t be a confused saint. Let us move on to perfection God’s way.