FOUR STEPS TO DOCTRINAL ERROR

What makes me think that I am right in studying and teaching the Bible rightly divided and so many others are wrong? First of all, I come to the Bible and I believe what it says to whom it says it! I am sorry that this is not being taught in churches or Bible colleges today. In 2 Timothy 1:13…“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” Who is the me? It is the Apostle Paul. From I Cor. 3:11…“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is always the foundation. Peter built on Jesus as he taught the Program of Prophecy to Israel. Paul built on Jesus as he taught the Program of Mystery to the church (Jews and Gentiles). Prophecy is about Israel and Mystery is about the Church. If we fail to make that distinction, we make the Bible a book of contradictions and confusion. All of the Bible is written for us, but not all of the Bible is written about us or to us. 1. The first step in turning from truth to error is turning your back on the Apostle Paul. Everyone had the opportunity to get their doctrine right when Paul was here on earth 2,000 years ago. However, they turned from him according to II Tim. 1:15… “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.” The number one step to error is to turn your back on Paul. In Rom. 11:13 “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:” (Please note that Paul did not magnify his person, he magnified his office) I do not worship the Apostle Paul, but Paul was called by the Lord Jesus to give us sound doctrine about the Dispensation of the Grace of God. Jesus’ ministry was to the nation of Israel “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:” (Rom. 15:8). Paul’s ministry was to Gentiles… “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 15:16) Paul explains this further in Eph. 3:2…“If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward:” That’s a big if!!! I had been to church all my life but I had never heard of the dispensation of the Grace of God. How about you? Paul tells us that he is very special. “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God;” (Col. 1:25 Paul tells us in I Tim. 1:16 that he is a pattern and he is to be placed first in doctrinal teaching… “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” 2. You turn your face to something else. Whenever you turn to something or someone other than Paul, you are heading for doctrinal error. If you turn to the left of Paul’s writings in the Bible, you turn to the law and the dispensation of the Kingdom. If you turn to the right of Paul’s writings, you will put yourself in the Hebrew epistles and prophecy. Some Christians turn from Paul’s sound doctrine to Christian celebrities. Thanks to modern technology, Christians today have easy access to a wide variety of popular Christian leaders. This practice of riding your favorite preacher’s coattails has been around for a long time. 3. You become a resister of truth. Paul warned Timothy of this in II Tim. 3:8… “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” People will call you names when you start believing the Bible and rightly divide it. I have seen so many people get excited about finally understanding the Bible and when they share it with their family or their church the warnings and name calling will begin. If you teach tithing and water baptism everyone will love you. But if you teach Pauline doctrine, watch out. Most people are not worried about finding the truth of the Bible; they are concerned about “fitting in”. Religious people will fight you as you unteach them and they will fight you as you teach them. We have all done this at one time or another. Resistance is a favorite strategy of us all. Rom. 1:18… “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” The churches in your hometown have the truth if they have a Bible; however they are holding the truth in unrighteousness by focusing on Petrine doctrine. 4. To be turned to fables. In II Tim. 4:4…And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. Paul warns that when we turn from him, we embrace fables (stories with a moral application). Most of the preaching today fits into this category. Pastors will read a Bible text and then spend the rest of the time telling stories. Paul told Timothy to “preach the word”!!!

What does it mean to be a new creature?

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." II Corinthians 5:17 Understanding what it means to be a "new creature in Christ" is absolutely essential for enjoying the abundant life of freedom that Jesus Christ has provided for every believer. Assurance, confidence and consistency will characterize our daily lives as we grow in an understanding of what God has provided for us in Christ. IN CHRIST: While dispensationally it is possible to be "in Christ" either according to the prophetic program of Israel (“In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” Isaiah 45:25) or the mystery program of the body of Christ (“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13), the term itself is actually a redemptive term, as I Corinthians15:22 demonstrates: "For as IN ADAM ALL DIE, EVEN SO IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE." In the current dispensation of grace, when we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit instantly baptizes us "into Christ" and into His Body, the church. Being "in Christ" is often referred to as positional truth. The baptism of I Corinthians 12:13 is correctly viewed as an explanation of positional truth: "For BY ONE SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” There is a lot of religious confusion surrounding the topic of baptism; but in Scripture the main idea behind baptism is total identification. During this dispensation of Grace, this is something that happens to every individual believer the moment we trust Christ: We are totally identified with Jesus Christ. It is in Christ that we are "blessed with all spiritual blessings" (Ephesians 1:3). It is in Christ that we are made complete (“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:10). It is in Christ that "in every thing ye are enriched by Him" (I Corinthians 1:5). In Christ we are made "new creatures." “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” We are no longer "in Adam." Now we are "in Christ." When we step out of Adam into Christ, Christ steps out of heaven into us and makes us into new creatures-members of the "one new man," the Body of Christ. THE OLD CREATION: In order to understand our new identity as new creatures in Christ, perhaps we should start with Adam and the "old things" of which we once were a part. Paul sets forth the story of the old creation in Romans 5 by beginning where the Bible begins, with the first man, Adam: "Wherefore, as BY ONE MAN SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD, AND DEATH BY SIN; AND SO DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED: "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. "Nevertheless DEATH REIGNED from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come" (Romans 5:12-14). (Adam sinned when he was an innocent creature in the Garden; Adam was the only man in history to be created in fellowship with God; Jesus Christ, the last Adam, is the only man in history to be born in fellowship with God) You and I sin because we are born sinners and live in a sinful world. Not so with Adam and Eve) What went wrong with the old creation is that the first man sinned. Paul mentions this repeatedly in Romans 5: 15-19: "...THROUGH THE OFFENCE OF ONE (Adam) MANY BE DEAD... "...IT WAS BY ONE (Adam)THAT SINNED ... FOR THE JUDGMENT WAS BY ONE TO CONDEMNATION... "...BY ONE MAN'S OFFENCE (Adam) DEATH REIGNED BY ONE... "...BY THE OFFENCE OF ONE (Adam) JUDGMENT CAME UPON ALL MEN TO CONDEMNATION... "...BY ONE MAN'S DISOBEDIENCE (Adam) MANY WERE MADE SINNERS" Every person born into this world is "in Adam." The whole race was affected by Adam's sin. Paul identifies at least three results that we all inherit from Adam: "...by the offense of one JUDGMENT CAME UPON ALL MEN TO CONDEMNATION... (vs. 18) "...by one man's disobedience MANY WERE MADE SINNERS... (vs. 19) "...SIN HATH REIGNED UNTO DEATH...” (vs. 21) "Condemnation," "death," "made sinners"-- that's what we receive from Adam. We are born with the same nature and destiny that Adam possessed after his fall. Every grave marker in every cemetery is a testimony that God's Word is true. Because all of us have sinned, death works in us all. "Death reigns" as king over the old creation. And this is more than simply physical death, for Revelation 21:8 declares: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murders, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall HAVE THEIR PART IN THE LAKE WHICH BURNETH WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: WHICH IS THE SECOND DEATH." Adam's legacy is that in our very nature we are sinners. We sin because we are sinners--it's our nature to do so. Sin reigns-it is our master; we are its slave. The testimony of Scripture is clear: We are "the servants of sin" (Romans 6:17,21). In John 8:34 Jesus Christ declares: "...Verily, verily, I say unto you, WHOSOEVER COMMITTETH SIN IS THE SERVANT OF SIN.” Sin has come and gripped us so tightly that it runs all of the old creation. Selfishness, anger, lying, self-centeredness, lust, stealing, malice, bitterness, greed, evil thoughts, pride, is a part of all of our lives. The Bible calls it sin and it so dominates the old creation that these things are thought of as normal human behavior. People do them all the time. We don't think anything of it because "that's the way people are." Sin runs the old creation-it's the boss and no one escapes. In Adam we inherit condemnation, death and a sin nature which can only bring forth evil. This is our identity in Adam; it is who we are in the old creation. THE NEW CREATURE: Paul is the only New Testament writer that uses the term "new creature". Jesus and His Disciples used the term “born again” to teach the change necessary for the sons of Israel to be prepared for the earthly Kingdom. For Christians, far more than preparation for an earthly kingdom is needed. Israel needed only renewal in kind (two births) like Adam; however, we are entirely new creatures. In the old creation we were identified with Adam-his life, his way of thinking and acting, his independent attitudes; Adam was all and in all. When we come into the new creation, "Christ is all, and in all" (Colossians 3:11). Christ is now our life (“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4). He is our mind (“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5) and our walk (“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” Ephesians 5:2). It is Christ who is being formed in us (“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” Galatians 4:19). We have "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27)-His actions, His attitude, His way of thinking. We have a whole new way of life in Christ: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). In place of Adam's condemnation we have Christ's righteousness (“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.” II Corinthians 5:21); in place of Adam's death, we receive Christ's life (“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23); in exchange for Adam's slavery to sin we have glorious freedom in Christ (“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:6,7). Romans 6:3,4 declares: "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” In Christ we are now empowered to "walk in newness of life." The "old things"---condemnation, death, slavery to sin-have passed away and now we have righteousness, life and freedom in Christ. It is absolutely essential that we recognize our new identity in Christ, that we understand who God has made us in Christ. It is only as we recognize this glorious fact that our behavior can be changed. We can never hope to "live the Christian life." It is an impossible task. Only Jesus Christ can live it. That is why Paul emphasizes "Christ in you.” The life of Christ has been placed in us so that He can live through us. We do not simply need a change in our behavior, we need a totally new identity. And this is exactly what we have in Christ. As we learn to look at ourselves and our circumstances from God's perspective, we find the secret of Romans 12:2: "...Be not conformed to this world: but BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND..." The key to "transformed" behavior is "the renewing of your mind"-developing a totally new mind-set, a new perspective. Our behavior changes as we replace the old, inferior, worthless way of thinking with a new way of thinking-thinking like God thinks. This is the key to living as a new creature, to having the power of the living God working inside us. LEARNING TO FLY: Paul talked about Christians being transformed by the renewing of the mind. This transformation process can be illustrated in nature by the life cycle of a caterpillar. “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:” (Job 12:7). A caterpillar can teach human beings a lot about life. First of all, caterpillars are all legs and mouth! They spend their whole life crawling around using their mouths to destroy vegetation and fruit. Does that sound like anyone you know? You don’t have to be a scientist to know that a caterpillar can not fly. No matter how hard they try, how much courage they possess, how much faith they have in themselves, a caterpillar can not fly! One major problem that a caterpillar must deal with is the law of gravity. Every time he crawls off the leaf of a plant, he is sure to suffer a serious fall. "The law of gravity gets him every time!" When it comes to flying, failure is his lot in life. The solution to the caterpillar’s problem is fairly simple: If you want to fly, you have got to become a new creature!" How can that possibly be? It would take a miracle in the life of a caterpillar for him to be created brand new! (I interrupt my caterpillar story for a moment to say that we are in just the same situation: Born as members of an old creation, we can't live lives that are acceptable to God. We are unable to escape "the law of sin and death." Try as hard as we may, give it all we've got, be as innovative as possible and we are still bound by sin's slavery. What do we need? To become new creatures; to get out of Adam and into the lord Jesus Christ. No one can do that by themselves. It is a miracle only God can perform.) A caterpillar is unique in nature in that it starts out as one thing and becomes quite another beautiful creature. Caterpillars are capable of building little houses called a chrysalis. Once complete, he crawls inside, shuts the door and goes to sleep. Then a miracle occurs. Even though we can’t see anything from the outside for several months, one day the chrysalis begins to move, cracks open and out comes not a caterpillar, but a brand new creature---a miracle happens and a beautiful butterfly emerges. Now, remember, the same creature came out of the chrysalis but it was completely different. The caterpillar only crawls, spending its life chewing up plants and ruining fruit. The butterfly flies, sipping the nectar from flowers and pollinating them so that there will be more fruit. Now this is just how we are. In Adam we were fruit wreckers in the Garden of Eden; spiritually dead toward God and bound in sin. One day we came to trust in Christ. Understanding from God's Word that He loved us and sent His Son to die for our sins, we stopped trying to save ourselves and simply trusted what He had done for us at Calvary for our forgiveness and salvation. Thus all our sins were forgiven, God counted us righteous before Him and He gave us the gift of eternal life, making us alive in Christ. At that moment when we trusted in Christ, we became new creatures. The old condemnation, death and slavery were exchanged for righteousness, life and freedom in Christ. All this happened when we trusted Christ. We didn't feel it, see it or sense it, but it happened. It is a real spiritual blessing that becomes ours in that moment. Now we need to learn to live like the new creature we are in Christ. Let's think some more about a caterpillar. He's there on that twig again, but now he's a beautiful butterfly. He's the same guy in one sense, but he's different. He is a butterfly. Now he has to learn to think and act like a butterfly. As he considers the change in his life, he is a bit unsure how to proceed. "This is all new to me; how do I do this? I really want to fly. I think I know how; I've certainly tried hard enough in the past." Thus he walks out to the end of the twig and jumps. To His disappointment and horror he again plummets straight to the ground. "I just don't understand it! The law of gravity still holds on to me. I've got to try harder. Maybe I should take flying lessons---nothing seemed to be working. Down he again goes. The law of gravity still held him fast no matter how he tried to free himself. Once again he sits in despair. What is wrong? He racks his brain for an answer. "I've got it! I’ll buy me a gas powered engine. That's what I need-more power!" But the results were still the same. The added power only made things worse, making the crash more devastating than ever. As the caterpillar sits amid the latest wreckage, dejected, defeated and tired-to-the-bone from trying to fly and failing, his mind keeps questioning, "What's the matter with me? I thought I was a new creature---a butterfly. Butterflies are supposed to be able to fly, but everything I try fails. It's simply impossible for me to fly! The law of gravity is too much for me." The caterpillar pours out his frustration until someone comes by and reminds him that you are not a caterpillar, you are a butterfly! God has given you something brand new in your life: Look on your back! Those are wings. You are made for flying! "But what about the law of gravity?" the caterpillar asks. "Look! See how your wings are shaped? They are designed in a special way so when the air passes over their top a vacuum is created and it sucks you UP into the sky. Gravity still works but the new wings God has given you have a new law, the law of aerodynamic lift, and it overcomes the law of gravity. Try it!" "Well, I've never done this before. I know all about the law of gravity, but I'll trust the law of aerodynamics to overcome it." Out on the twig he goes. This time he simply spreads his wings and flaps them naturally in the breeze. Suddenly his feet leave the ground and he is flying. What has happened? He has quit thinking like a caterpillar and has begun thinking like the butterfly he really is. Christian friend, so long as we continue thinking like an old creature, counting on our old ways, our human strength and ingenuity; as long as we put our "confidence in the flesh" we too are destined to fail. "The law of sin and death" will hold us fast. It is when we begin to think like the new creatures we are in Christ that we begin to fly. Then Romans 8:2 will be a reality in the details of our life: "FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS HATH MADE ME FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH." Like the law of gravity, "the law of sin and death" drags us down no matter how we struggle against it. It is only "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" that sets us free. It sets us free from our old habits, our old ways so we can walk in newness of life. Whatever we may be struggling with, the answer is the same: Christ living in us. It is only through this totally exchanged life that we can begin to see the change in life we desire. The Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit has come to live in us to enable us to walk in newness of life. Let’s see just how high the grace of God will let us fly!!!

The Lord's Spokesman to the Gentiles---The Apostle Paul

There will always be those who insist upon following the teachings of the Lord Jesus while He was upon this earth. However, the Lord Himself makes an interesting statement regarding those who reject His spokesman. He states in John 13:20: ”Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” The warning here is obvious. If anyone is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ, he must do so through the Lord's chosen messenger. And the Bible states in at least 14 different places that Paul was the apostle through whom the Lord spoke to the Gentiles. 1. The Lord tells Ananias in a vision that He has chosen Paul to go to the Gentiles. “But the Lord said unto him (Ananias), Go thy way: for he (Paul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” (Acts 9:15) 2. Paul, in front of an angry mob in Jerusalem, relates how the Lord chose him specifically to minister to the Gentiles: “And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.” (Acts 22:21) 3. When Paul defends himself before King Agrippa, he describes the circumstances surrounding his conversion. In doing so, he relates the Lord's promise to send him to the Gentiles. “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:15-18) 4. Paul and Barnabas reprimanded the unbelieving Jews in Anticoh. This was Paul's first recorded sermon in the Bible; he also emphasized his ministry to the Gentiles. “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:46-47) 5. After the Jews in Corinth rejected his message, Paul stressed his Gentile ministry. “And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.” (Acts 18:6) 6. Paul specifically claims to be "the" apostle of the Gentiles. “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:” (Rom. 11:13) 7. Paul again emphasizes his calling as "the" minister of Christ to the Gentiles. “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 15:15-16) By contrast, it is interesting to note that in this same chapter, Paul states that Christ ministered to "the circumcision" (Israel), in Rom. 15:8: “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:” 8. Another passage that demonstrates Paul's unique apostleship to the Gentiles, in which he distinguishes between the gospel he was preaching and the gospel the other apostles were preaching, is Gal. 2:7-9: “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” 9. Paul continually emphasized his ministry to the Gentiles. “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: “ (Eph. 3:1-2) 10. Paul states that he preached the "unsearchable riches of Christ" among the Gentiles. “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” (Eph. 3:8-9) 11. It is also important to note that Paul never claimed to be the Lord's "only" minister to the Gentiles. To make such a claim would be foolish, since others (such as Barnabas) ministered with him. Paul was, however, the spokesman the Lord sent to the Gentiles with a specific message. We can understand why Paul would lay claim to being "the" apostle of the Gentiles. “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” (Col. 1:25-27) 12. In view of the fact that the 12 apostles confined their ministries to the nation of Israel, Paul is also the only writer in the Bible who claims to be a "teacher" of the Gentiles. “Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.” (1 Tim. 2:7). 13. Paul states that he is a "teacher" of the Gentiles, in 2 Tim. 1:11: “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” 14. In this same epistle - probably written just prior to Paul's death - it is clear that his ministry to the Gentiles has been successful (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Paul's final victory as the Lord's messenger to the Gentiles is also obvious from 2 Tim. 4:17: “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” In addition, as the apostle of the Gentiles, Paul repeatedly instructs us to follow him: “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” (1 Cor. 4:15-16) Paul also instructs the Gentiles to follow him as he followed Christ in His heavenly ministry, not Christ’s earthly ministry. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1) Phil. 3:17-19: “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” In fact, the "enemies of the cross of Christ" are not limited to unsaved people alone. Such enemies also include religious people who walk contrary to Paul's example, and who therefore attempt to impose teachings and promises which the Lord gave only to Israel.

THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE

Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. (Luke 11:52) Did an all-wise God write a Book that cannot be understood? That wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense now, would it? Especially since, everywhere in Scripture, God holds man responsible for obeying His Word. Some would agree that the Bible was written to be understood; it does say, "The entrance of Thy Word gives light," but then suggest that it was written to be understood by some spiritually elite "clergy". But the verse goes on to say that "it gives understanding to the simple" (Psalm 119:130); certainly this would not restruct understanding to preachers/ministers. Take the book of Romans for instance. It is evidently written to the person in the pew as much as to the man in the pulpit… “to all who are in Rome, beloved of God..” Rom. 1:7. So, the person in the pew is expected to study it, grasp its meaning, and live and minister by its contents. The Corinthians are not told that they are incapable of understanding the Grace Message and that they must depend upon some religious leader who can explain it to them. They are told that the Spirit of God indwells them that they may know the things freely given to them by God (1 Corinthians 2:12). The Holy Spirit, then, is the Interpreter of the Bible...not the Church. As a matter of fact, the Pauline Scriptures (Romans-Philemon) have authority over the Church, and not the other way around; for much of what was written by the Apostle Paul was written to correct error already being taught in the Church by church leaders! Do I say then, that every man can understand every verse in the Bible? Theoretically, yes; practically, no, for the Bible compares itself to a mighty ocean… “Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.” (Psalm 36:6) and no man can explore an entire ocean in a lifetime. But any man can recognize an ocean, master its fundamentals readily, learn to sail it correctly, profit from its bounty, explore it daily in a profitable search for new and wonderful facts, and explain what he learns to others. If all this is true, why are there so many dozens of denominations and so many hundreds of splinter groups? Why do educated men dispute essentials, and why is there no majority view on some of the most important issues? I believe there is one major answer to this perplexing problem. Most men have not seen, and many men refuse to see, the uniqueness of Paul’s apostleship and the distinctiveness of his message. Paul’s place in God’s program as steward over the household of God on earth for the last nineteen centuries is a great key that unlocks the Bible (Ephesians 3:1-11). There are other keys too. The Bible is History’s greatest legal document and, like all legal documents, there are rules to be followed in order to understand it. My mortgage agreement may call for the monthly transfer of $800.00 from one party to another but I would wait in vain for a check to arrive. There is a great difference between "The party of the first part" and "The party of the second part." I am the one who must send the check; the Bank is the one who receives it. It would not do for me to ignore the rule of who is being addressed and fail to carry out the instructions of the mortgage agreement that apply to me. Let’s illustrate another way. Suppose a mother, upon leaving the house to go shopping, places two notes on the refrigerator door--one for her eight year old daughter and one for her sixteen year old son. The daughter’s note instructs her to clean up her room, putting her toys away, and to set the dinner table with an extra setting as Uncle Fred is coming over for supper. The son’s note requests that he take the family car to the car-wash and have it washed and waxed as Mom and Dad plan to use it next day to attend a wedding. Now the son can learn from reading his sister’s note. Her room is messy, her toys need putting away, Mom wants her to do it, and Uncle Fred is coming for the evening meal. Just so, the daughter can learn from her brother’s note. The car needs washing and waxing, Mom wants it done, and there is going to be a wedding on Saturday. All very well, unless the son mistakes his mother’s instructions to her daughter for his own, and the daughter jumps into the car and heads downtown without a license and without any driving experience. The notes are equally the word of the mother, but they are written to different people to accomplish differing ends. In the Bible, God has many messages to many individuals and groups. We can and should learn from all of them. They are all equally the Word of the Father, but they are not all the Father’s Word to us. We Grace Believers can no more apply everything God says to Israel to ourselves than we could apply everything God says to Satan or to Christ. Church history is a history of making this mistake. The entire Bible is for us; the Pauline Epistles are to us and about us. As the daughter’s note is more important to the daughter and the son’s note more important to the son, the Pauline Epistles are most important to us. Other important "keys": Man’s needs change (e.g., Adam’s needs after the Fall vs. his needs before the Fall), God’s revelation progresses (e.g., the New Covenant revealed after the Old), God’s program advances (descent of the Spirit to Israel at Pentecost), Man’s responsibility changes ("Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" replaces prior salvation messages), God’s provision increases (the Believer’s position "in Christ" exceeds all previous provisions). Fallen Adam could not go back to his old responsibility as Eden’s landscaper after being evicted; that option no longer existed, even though it had once been based on a command of God. Jews living under the New Covenant in the future will not return to the provisions of the Old Covenant which has been done away. When God resumes Israel’s program after the Rapture of the Body of Christ, Israel will have the Holy Spirit’s Pentecostal power which she did not have before the events of Acts Chapter Two. Jews are not saved today by believing in Christ as Messiah, the Son of God as previously, but are saved by trusting the finished work of Christ on Calvary, just like Gentiles are required to do. Most of the 36 values of the Cross which presently "work together for good" (Romans 8:28) to today’s Christian were not available to believer’s in previous dispensations, and some will not be available to the believers who follow us in the next Dispensation. So one major key to unlocking the wonders of God’s Word is the uniqueness of Paul’s apostleship; he is not one of the Twelve, nor even the Thirteenth, but that "other" apostle...the steward of this present economy or DISPENSATION OF GRACE. Another major key is who is being addressed. You and I have not been told to tend a garden, build an ark, drive out Canaanites, eat a kosher diet, observe Sabbaths, avoid Gentiles, live communally, repent and be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit...etc. We have been told to follow Paul! (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1).

THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE

The Bible is the world's only supernatural book, all because it is God's book. It is important to recognize that God has also provided us with a divinely prescribed method for understanding it. II Timothy 2:15 shows the way: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Our study of the Word is for the purpose of showing ourselves "approved unto God." This is to be our one great goal: to have God's approval to be workmen who have no need to be ashamed before Him. But how is this objective to be reached? "Rightly dividing the Word of truth." This is the key to having God's approval on our service for Him-the key to understanding His Word.

The clear implication of II Timothy 2:15 is that there is a wrong way to divide it. Paul says we are to make right divisions (correct, proper distinctions). Since it is Paul who instructs us to rightly divide the Word, it would seem safe to ask Paul just how this should be done. So, let's turn to Ephesians 2 and see if Paul can help us understand just how to "rightly divide."

A THREE-FOLD DIVISION

In Ephesians 2 the Apostle Paul gives us an overview of the way God's dealings with mankind have been divided. He does this by making a clear and easily identifiable threefold division: Time Past (vs. 11, 12) “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world”; But Now (v. 13) “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ”; The Ages to Come (v. 7) “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

God Himself never changes. In His person, essence and character He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His dealings with man, however, have undergone various changes down through history-changes made necessary by changes in man himself. Identifying these changes is a basic issue in studying the Bible dispensationally. A dispensation is a particular program that God administers for man's obedience. To the sincere seeker of truth it is obvious that God's program for man has changed from time to time. Compare the following Scriptures:

· “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 31:15) Vs. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” (Colossians 2:16)

· “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19) Vs. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

· “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.” (Psalms 51:11) Vs. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Eph, 4:30)

· “And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.” (Genesis 17:11) Vs. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Galatians 6:15)

TIME PAST

During "Time Past" there was an unmistakable distinction made between the circumcision (the nation of Israel) and the uncircumcision (the Gentiles): “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Eph. 2:11-12).

The terms circumcision and uncircumcision identify a basic physical and racial distinction; one that was "in the flesh" and "made with hands." This physical distinction only pointed to the more important spiritual position the Jews occupied in Time Past. The basic issue in Time Past is this division between the circumcision and the uncircumcision, between Israel and the Gentiles. We know where circumcision came from. It began with Abraham as a sign of the covenant God made with him and his seed after him. In Genesis 17 the Lord confirmed His covenant with Abram, changed his name to Abraham and instituted the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant-circumcision: "And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; EVERY MAN CHILD AMONG YOU SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and IT SHALL BE A TOKEN OF THE COVENANT BETWIXT ME AND YOU.

"And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, MUST NEEDS BE CIRCUMCISED: AND MY COVENANT SHALL BE IN YOUR FLESH FOR AN EVERLASTING COVENANT. AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED MAN CHILD WHOSE FLESH OF HIS FORESKIN IS NOT CIRCUMCISED, THAT SOUL SHALL BE CUT OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE; HE HATH BROKEN MY COVENANT" (Genesis 17:9-14).

“Circumcision in the flesh made by hands," was a sign of the special status given to the seed of Abraham by God. It was an outward sign of the spiritual privilege God had given to them and was a required mark of their identity and covenant privileges.

So the division between the circumcision and the uncircumcision began in the book of Genesis. It was there, with Abraham, that God began to erect "the middle wall of partition" between Jew and Gentile by giving to Abraham and his seed circumcision as "the sign of the covenant." In Genesis 22:17,18 God states His purpose in that covenant and in separating the nation Israel from all other nations of the earth: "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED; because thou has obeyed by voice."

Numbers 23:9 declares concerning Israel's special status: "... LO, THE PEOPLE SHALL DWELL ALONE, AND SHALL NOT BE RECKONED AMONG THE NATIONS."

God not only erected this "middle wall," He also reinforced it by the giving of the law through Moses: "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. FOR WHAT NATION IS THERE SO GREAT, WHO HATH GOD SO NIGH UNTO THEM, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And WHAT NATION IS THERE SO GREAT, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day" (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).

We see from this that what is generally referred to as the "Old Testament" is in fact part of Time Past. But when does the change occur? When do we move into the But Now status? And what about the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Paul sheds light on this question when he writes: "Now I say that JESUS CHRIST WAS A MINISTER OF THE CIRCUMCISION for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Romans 15:8). Our Lord's earthly ministry is defined as His being "a minister of the circumcision” That means the period covered by the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is part of Time Past. For example, in His first great commission to His Apostles, Jesus declares: "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, GO NOT INTO THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE NOT: "BUT GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Matthew 10:5,6).

Later when they ask Jesus to work a miracle for a Gentile woman, He pointedly told them: "I AM NOT SENT BUT UNTO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Matthew 15:24).

John 4:22 records Jesus’words to the woman at the well in Samaria: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: FOR SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS."

These words mean what they say and their teaching is clear: the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ is a part of Time Past.

The early chapters of the book of Acts are also a part of Time Past. Jesus explained to His Disciples after His resurrection from the death that Israel would still have the first opportunity to be forgiven for rejecting and crucifying Him: “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:44-47).

After some 40 days of personal instruction from their resurrected Lord in things "pertaining to the kingdom of God," the apostles understood that the program of God still focused on Israel and her coming kingdom: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) Peter proves that the early chapters of the Book of Acts is Time Past when he spoke "as the Spirit gave utterance,” stating three times in Acts 2 that his message is to the nation Israel only: “But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words.” (vs. 14) “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:” (vs. 22) “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (vs. 36)

The understanding of Peter and the other Disciples as to just where they stood in the program of God gives clear evidence that they still functioned in the Time Past division, when Israel was still in the place of honor and advantage.

Peter is identified in Galatians 2:7-8 as the apostle of the circumcision and that he preached "the gospel of the circumcision”. In his capacity as Apostle to the Circumcision (Jews) and with this message that he declares to his nation: “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:25,26).

In Acts 5 the Pentecostal believers declare their testimony that: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, FOR TO GIVE REPENTANCE TO ISRAEL, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:30-32).

In fact, Israel's special privileged position extended even after they were scattered from Jerusalem by persecution, for Acts 11:19 tells us: "Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, PREACHING THE WORD TO NONE BUT UNTO THE JEWS ONLY."

The record is clear: The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the early part of the book of Acts properly belong in Time Past.

BUT NOW

During But Now there has been a change in the way God deals with the nations, for "the middle wall of partition" has been "broken down.” No longer are Gentiles considered "far off" but rather this distinction has been eliminated: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;” (Ephesians 2:13-14).

When, then, does the change to the But Now position occur? When did the circumcision and the uncircumcision being reconciled into one body begin to take place? Ephesians 3 supplies the answer: "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, IF YE HAVE HEARD OF 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... 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 PROMISE IN CHRIST BY THE GOSPEL" (Ephesians 3:1-3,5,6).

These Scriptures make it clear that the Apostle Paul was the minister our Lord used to begin the program of grace for the Gentiles by way of a message he calls "the mystery"-a secret purpose which God kept "hidden" in Himself until He revealed it to and then through the Apostle Paul. With the raising up of Paul we move from Time Past into the But Now section and cross what in fact is the most important boundary line of the Bible

There is clearly a great difference between Peter's preaching of that "which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21) and Paul's proclamation of that "which was kept secret since the world began" (Romans 16:25).

Paul’s message has to do with the breaking down of the middle wall of partition and the placing of Jew and Gentile into one body on an absolutely equal basis through simple faith in the cross-work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13-22). How is it that this "mystery" message can now go to the Gentiles without regard to Israel's former status? Romans 11 answers: "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather THROUGH THEIR FALL SALVATION IS COME UNTO THE GENTILES, for to provoke them to jealousy....THE CASTING AWAY OF THEM [IS] THE RECONCILING OF THE WORLD...For I WOULD NOT, BRETHREN, THAT YE SHOULD BE IGNORANT OF THIS MYSTERY, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that BLINDNESS IN PART IS HAPPENED TO ISRAEL, UNTIL THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES BE COME IN" (Romans 11:11,15,25).

Our Lord set the nation Israel aside during the Acts period and then introduced a new program through a new apostle. With the revelation of this new program we move into the But Now period and thus we read Paul now declaring: "FOR I SPEAK TO YOU GENTILES, INASMUCH AS I AM THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES, I MAGNIFY MINE OFFICE" (Romans 11:13).

Romans through Philemon are the books, then, that fit into the But Now division. These are the books that detail what God is doing during the present dispensation of grace.

THE AGES TO COME

After the present dispensation is brought to a conclusion, there is still much that God has to accomplish. Since His prophetic program for the nation Israel has currently been interrupted in order to form the Body of Christ, the first order of business would logically be the completion of Israel’s program. It should not surprise anyone that the grouping of books following the Pauline epistles is called the Hebrew Epistles. They, in fact, fit doctrinally into the Ages To Come. Consider Hebrews 2:3,5: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, WHICH AT THE FIRST BEGAN TO BE SPOKEN BY THE LORD [Matthew through John], and was CONFIRMED UNTO US BY THEM THAT HEARD HIM [early Acts];” "For unto the angels hath He not put into subjection THE WORLD TO COME, WHEREOF WE SPEAK [Hebrews through Revelation]."

The distinction between the circumcision and uncircumcision is also again necessary in the Hebrew Epistles, and thus we find such things as: "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, TO THE TWELVE TRIBES which are scattered abroad, greeting" (James 1:1). "BUT YE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, AN HOLY NATION, A PECULIAR PEOPLE..." (I Peter 2:9).

SUMMARY

Thus we see that the Word of God itself provides us with the key to its own proper understanding and right division:

Time Past: In Matthew through John we find the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ to the nation Israel. In the book of Acts we have the fall of Israel and salvation going to the Gentiles through the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

But Now: Romans through Philemon provide the doctrine for the present dispensation of grace.

Ages To Come: Hebrews through Revelation focus on the ages to come when God will bring to completion His purposes for both the nation Israel and the Body of Christ.

We are not the only people in the programs and purposes of God. People in other ages need Scripture to instruct them in the specifics of God's dealings with them just as we do. Remember: All of the Bible is for us but it is not all to us nor is it all about us. If we fail to recognize this important fact we will never be able to properly understand just what God is doing today nor will we know just what He would have us do.

One important question remains: Who is your apostle? There can be no answer but that Paul is our apostle. (Romans 15:16). Jesus said…"Verily, verily, I say unto you, HE THAT RECEIVETH WHOMSOEVER I SEND RECEIVETH ME; AND HE THAT RECEIVETH ME RECEIVETH HIM THAT SENT ME" (John 13:20).