Post by ambassador on Aug 22, 2009 0:28:19 GMT -5
“Rightly Dividing” the Scriptures: Do We Discard the Old Testament and the Four Gospels?
Pauline dispensationalists are falsely accused of throwing away the Old Testament and the Four Gospels. Use the following information to show our critics that we Pauline dispensationalists study the ENTIRE Bible, Genesis through Revelation. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV: “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
We acknowledge that all Scripture—not just the Pauline epistles—is “God-breathed,” or “inspired of God.” The goal of dispensational Bible study is to distinguish what God said to Jews under the Law from what He says to us Gentiles under Grace. Of course, it is the same God, just two separate programs with two separate sets of instructions given to two separate peoples. The Bible is so crystal clear if you “rightly divide,” but people refuse to do it. That is why they suffer from spiritual confusion and dwell in spiritual darkness.
Nearly 30 times the Apostle Paul quotes the Old Testament. Examples are Romans 1:17, Romans 3:10, 1 Corinthians 9:9, and 1 Corinthians 10:7. Everything that Paul is writing about is resting on the Old Testament promises: Israel’s Messiah/King has become the Gentiles’ Savior. Paul never instructs us to throw the Old Testament away. In fact, Paul never tells us to throw away the Four Gospels either because he quotes Jesus in His earthly ministry in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and 1 Timothy 5:18.
Most of Christendom has done something shameful. They have ignored the Lord’s apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul, and they literally “live in the past.” They follow Christ in His earthly ministry and the Old Testament Mosaic Law. I read the Old Testament and the Four Gospels, but I spend most of my time in Paul’s epistles because THAT IS WHAT GOD IS DOING TODAY. Today, Jesus is not ministering to Jews under the Law and on the basis of the Old Testament covenants. God is doing something different, apart from the Mosaic Law, apart from the Nation Israel, apart from Israel’s covenants. We are not exalting Paul, because Paul was a man; we exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into Heaven. No one but Paul addresses these critical doctrines, which is why we rely so heavily on the Pauline epistles. Only Paul looks at God’s plans from the non-legalistic standpoint. Only Paul received the “revelation of the mystery” and “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:2).
In Romans 15:4 KJV, we read: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Again, Paul is making a reference to the Old Testament, the things that were written “aforetime.” Everything that we believe today in the Dispensation of Grace is resting on the promises of the Old Testament. The same Messiah promised to Israel in times past is now our Savior. The same JEHOVAH that dealt with Israel in Law now deals with us in Grace. We are simply making the distinction when God deals with a segment of humanity in a particular way: this is dispensational Bible study.
Never do we take away from what Jesus Christ said in His earthly ministry; on the contrary, what Jesus Christ has to say to us today in found in Paul’s writings. These are not Paul’s opinions; these are God’s instructions to us today as members of the Church, the Body of Christ.
Pauline dispensationalists are falsely accused of throwing away the Old Testament and the Four Gospels. Use the following information to show our critics that we Pauline dispensationalists study the ENTIRE Bible, Genesis through Revelation. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV: “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
We acknowledge that all Scripture—not just the Pauline epistles—is “God-breathed,” or “inspired of God.” The goal of dispensational Bible study is to distinguish what God said to Jews under the Law from what He says to us Gentiles under Grace. Of course, it is the same God, just two separate programs with two separate sets of instructions given to two separate peoples. The Bible is so crystal clear if you “rightly divide,” but people refuse to do it. That is why they suffer from spiritual confusion and dwell in spiritual darkness.
Nearly 30 times the Apostle Paul quotes the Old Testament. Examples are Romans 1:17, Romans 3:10, 1 Corinthians 9:9, and 1 Corinthians 10:7. Everything that Paul is writing about is resting on the Old Testament promises: Israel’s Messiah/King has become the Gentiles’ Savior. Paul never instructs us to throw the Old Testament away. In fact, Paul never tells us to throw away the Four Gospels either because he quotes Jesus in His earthly ministry in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and 1 Timothy 5:18.
Most of Christendom has done something shameful. They have ignored the Lord’s apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul, and they literally “live in the past.” They follow Christ in His earthly ministry and the Old Testament Mosaic Law. I read the Old Testament and the Four Gospels, but I spend most of my time in Paul’s epistles because THAT IS WHAT GOD IS DOING TODAY. Today, Jesus is not ministering to Jews under the Law and on the basis of the Old Testament covenants. God is doing something different, apart from the Mosaic Law, apart from the Nation Israel, apart from Israel’s covenants. We are not exalting Paul, because Paul was a man; we exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into Heaven. No one but Paul addresses these critical doctrines, which is why we rely so heavily on the Pauline epistles. Only Paul looks at God’s plans from the non-legalistic standpoint. Only Paul received the “revelation of the mystery” and “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:2).
In Romans 15:4 KJV, we read: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Again, Paul is making a reference to the Old Testament, the things that were written “aforetime.” Everything that we believe today in the Dispensation of Grace is resting on the promises of the Old Testament. The same Messiah promised to Israel in times past is now our Savior. The same JEHOVAH that dealt with Israel in Law now deals with us in Grace. We are simply making the distinction when God deals with a segment of humanity in a particular way: this is dispensational Bible study.
Never do we take away from what Jesus Christ said in His earthly ministry; on the contrary, what Jesus Christ has to say to us today in found in Paul’s writings. These are not Paul’s opinions; these are God’s instructions to us today as members of the Church, the Body of Christ.