MidActsDispensationalist

VIDEO: WHY I HATE RELIGION & LOVE JESUS

2012-01-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

You'll enjoy this short rap-style video with a great message!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

IT'S NOT THE BABY...IT'S THE CROSS!

2011-12-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

My friend, Rita Bauschard (Bible Ambassadors) said it best in her email to me yesterday:

"Wishing you all a thoughtful and Merry Holiday!

I don't wish to remove Christ from the holiday, or from our thoughts, or from our celebration -- just the word, "Christmas," because it really has nothing truthful to do with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He was (and is) Father God's gift to me, and to you. All wrapped up in that gift of Jesus the babe, was the gift of the man, who then, in obedience to the Father, gave himself as the price of the gift of eternal life for those who will rest in that truth alone."

Thank you, Rita; and a blessed day of wonder to all!

NEW ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSAL CAN BRING OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH THE GRACE GOSPEL

2011-12-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

Photo found at blog.al.com

You're probably aware by now that the Roman Catholic Church made some changes to their missal, which is the official handbook of how to conduct oneself at Mass and the exact words to say at proscribed times. Many longtime Catholics are upset about this as it will force them to learn to recite different words by rote or risk embarrassment from their peers. I've spoken to a couple of Catholics about this myself who said that even with the "cheat sheet" pew card, they found themselves repeating the old mantras. Knowing the R.C.C. considers itself to be the "new Israel" and applies the words of Christ to that nation directly to itself, I had to bite back a reference to Matthew 6:7: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Knowing that would be counterproductive, I used the conversation, in one case, to share the good news of a salvation free from works and ritual: by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that he died for the sins of the world, was buried and rose again to justify us from all things (1 Cor. 15:1-4)

and that is what the risen, ascended Lord Jesus Christ returned from glory to tell Paul to tell us.

Rita Bauschard of Bible Ambassadors has for many years had a heart for Catholic souls to be reconciled unto God through his Son, Jesus Christ; and she likes to keep an eye on what the Roman System is doing. She recently sent me this Huffington Post article, along with her incisive comments (below):

"The attitude of this gal is just one reason I don't usually recommend reading the Huffington Post. Seems to be a lot of sexist females there. Putting aside her feminist attitude and her lack of scriptural support for her printed insight, the article does address issues regarding the new R.C. missal, which is why I was reading it after a search for information on it.

"I have always been an advocate of 'equal pay for the same work;' but other than that, I am perfectly willing to accept my role as a female as God Almighty has ordained it (i. e. no women clergy); and I have no doubt that the word, 'man' applies to me when speaking of salvation. It would have been well for Michele Somerville to quote God's words on the matter of salvation today, those words are the power of God. (Note: the R.C. Church is using a word - 'many' - from the Old Testament Scriptures when they framed the new response: 'Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.' God DID only come for 'many' when he came to earth over two thousand years ago: He came for the Jew only.)

"Matthew 26:28: 'For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'

"Matthew 10:5-6: '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 15:24: 'But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'

"God's words have a lot more influence on me than a sour feminist's words. When God says something, I perk up! But, neither has the R.C. Church learned that the O.T. scriptures are written TO the nation Israel and that the following words of Christ from 1 Timothy 2:4 are written to ALL men today:

"1 Timothy 2:4: 'Who will have all men to be saved, AND to come unto the knowledge of the truth (emphasis mine).' (From a book that needs no imprimatur -- the King James Version.)

"When the R.C.C. tries to steer you away from something, beware. It's usually because they have changed something in their own teaching or wish to teach it differently.

"As a writer herself, Michele should know that 'men' in this verse means, 'mankind' and includes me as a female. There is another scripture passage I would recommend to her:

"2 Corinthians 6:17-18: 'Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.'

"Come out from among whom? From among the idol worshipers. Mr. Ratzinger is an idol worshiper. The context of the passage tells us who to come out from among. Mankind today in 'Christendom' is making the same mistakes the nation Israel made; and God set them aside, causing them to be blind as a nation, and is offering salvation to ALL mankind (individual Jews and Gentiles). But God will not always strive with men. HE has a plan. Are you a part of it? Verse 18 tells us that if we obey the words given to us today, God will then be our father, rather than what he said in the O.T. scripture in:

"John 8:44: 'Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.'

"Versus: 2 Cor. 6:17-18: '...and I will receive you, And be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.'

"(For those who question the inclusion of Matthew in the 'Old' Testament, the events and messages of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were under the Old Testament program and the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Nothing had changed as far as God's people being the 'Jew Only' -- the nation Israel. But, after that, God, through the victorious RISEN Lord Jesus Christ, gave a new message for ALL men to the Apostle Paul...See Romans through Philemon.)

"Serving, in Christ,

Rita"

Thank you, Rita, for cutting to the heart of the problem! The Roman System, by ignorance (or design?), chooses to keep their members under the thumb of Israel's now-set-aside gospel of law and works. It's undeniable that playing on people's guilt makes them easier to manipulate and fleece. The old saying that religious institutions such as this, "Wet 'em, whip 'em, and work 'em," springs to mind... I hope and pray that those caught in religious bondage, as Catholics are, will come into contact with a believer who loves them enough to tell them the good news of God's grace to all today that will set them free to truly "go in peace to love and serve the Lord"!

MORNING MUSINGS

2011-12-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Hey, Saints!

Just had some major surgery, so I'm off work for six weeks! One thing I'm definitely looking forward to is reading as many of the articles as I'm able on Janet Sirovy's blog, Morning Musings. She has a refreshing, very sincere style, and keeps her perspective focused on the Lord Jesus Christ according to Pauline Bible truth. I encourage you to give it a visit!

Love eternally in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Deborah

THE MISSLERS' MISTAKEN MYSTICISM!

2011-09-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Dear readers:

I received email correspondence today from a reader named Patricia, who, while listening to Missler teaching and reading some of Chuck and Nancy Missler's published material (particularly Nancy's) became concerned by parallels she recognized to the writings and quotations by others of famous Catholic mystics (some of which were not approved by the Catholic Church but are still influential in some Catholic circles). Here are some of Patti's comments:

"My husband and I have been listening to Chuck's commentaries now for several months. We do not agree with all he has to say, but have really enjoyed his commentaries.

I finally ordered Nancy's triology of books. Feel like I've been hit with a 'Mack' truck this week.
I could not believe her deep involvement with Madame Guyon; and how could one so involved in the word not see the error in this woman's teachings? Nancy's book, 'Faith in the Night Seasons,' is just a reprint of Guyon's mysticism in a revised edition from Nancy.

I am so glad we have not invested in the complete set of commentaries; someone has loaned them to us.

We first stumbled onto a book by Madame Guyon about twenty-five years ago.
We knew then it was a dangerous path. We were 'out of church' and 'out of touch' for nine years. Two years ago, the Lord really sought me out, I know no other way
to explain, as I was just coasting along, not considering my spiritual life,
neither did I question my salvation, but pretty much just going through life.
Anyway, we began to search for a church and body of believers with whom to connect.

We were shocked by the transition of 'The Church' in those nine years. I began to research a lot of stuff on the Internet. The whole 'contemplative, emergent, etc.,' movements amazed me.
I keep seeing this 'mysticism' surface and see how that whole thread handed down through Catholicism is being woven throughout the body of Christ. Even going back to Wesley, you can find references to Madame Guyon.

Her original writings are so confusing that what you get now is basically what a few people have 'translated' what they think she said. One thing she does say 'You can come to the place where you no longer need prayer; the word, God is within you; you only need to look within yourself.'

This type of teaching and practice opens the door to so much error, and it's rampant today.

Ironically, Chuck mentions that he's sort of a 'mystic' himself! I was never
comfortable with that, but just brushed it off......but now........I'm not
so sure.

I doubt seriously they would consider a warning from someone like myself; it would be akin to trying to persuade a Mormon that he did not know the same Jesus. Only God himself can truly reveal to our hearts error that we may have sought to promote.

My part, knowing what I know, I can not and will not support or recommend
the Missler's ministry.

Knowing how intelligent, knowledgeable and intense Chuck is, how is it he didn't
catch the error in Nancy's book and correct her?

Quoting from her very own book:
Faith in the Night Seasons, page 21:

'I yearned for comfort and understanding, but strangely enough, the only references
to the dark night that I could find apart from the Bible were in the works of
two Catholic mystics, St. John of the Cross and Jeanne Guyon.'

There's her mistake!!!! When do we need to look outside of his word?
How can we even suggest we need to look outside of his word.
It's outside of his word where we find error.
Jesus himself used the word to refute Satan.
Everything we need is in his word.

God help us that we think a 'mystic' would have better answers for us."

Thank you, Patti, for alerting us to more Missler error! Readers are invited, of course, to do their own research to assure themselves of the truth. Here's an article by Willie Peterson of Watch Pair warning of Chuck's embrace of new age (kaballah) principles.

See also: "Chuck and Nancy Missler's Protestant Purgatory," and my Book Review of "The Kingdom, Power, & Glory: The Overcomer's Handbook." Also, "Chuck Missler Accuses Critics of Ignoring Whole Counsel of God."

LETTER TO A BAPTIST PASTOR

2011-08-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Teresa and Derek Wood for posting the link to this great article on PaulsThePattern website on Facebook. A believer who has come to an understanding of right division between God's plan for Israel and the plan he's outworking today in the body of Christ saved by grace writes a letter to his Baptist pastor to let him know why his attendance at church has dropped off:

My 95 Theses
by Scott Foust

paulsthepattern.wordpress.com

"When I came to the realization I couldn't follow in the doctrinal footsteps of my denomination, my attendance at church became less and less. My Pastor emailed me and asked me what was going on, ..." (read more)

Great letter!

NEWS BULLETIN (9/7/11): Brother Scott's article, "My 95 Theses" is currently being printed and assembled into a booklet through the talents of Rita Bauschard for Seed Sower Publications to be distributed by Bible Ambassadors
and Scott himself by contacting him through PaulsthePattern@gmail.com. Who do you know who would benefit from receiving a hard copy of Scott's letter to his (former) Baptist pastor?

MORE BREAKING NEWS! (9/23/11): Scott has begun publishing a monthly e-newsletter called, "MASTERBUILDER." Click here to receive every issue free to your in box!

Read Scott's personal grace testimony here.
(Scroll down to Scott's name).

WHERE CAN YOUNG GRACE BELIEVERS FIND EACH OTHER?

2011-07-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hannah McMichael of GenerationNEXT

Are you a young single grace believer from teenager to young adult? Would you enjoy meeting and knowing about other young gracers like yourself who understand right division of God's word according to 2 Timothy 2:15 and look for opportunities to share the "fellowship of the mystery" as encouraged by Paul in Ephesians 3:9? Hannah McMichael in Pennsylvania did and so she opened an avenue to do just that: GenerationNEXT39.org! It's a cool place to go to make contact with other young gracers like yourself and share your feelings, beliefs, memories, fears, loves, victories and defeats as you make your way to full adulthood. Hannah also puts together a satisfyingly meaty newsletter you can receive by snail mail or online. The last issue was filled with feedback from the young people who attended the three-day grace retreat in Pennsylvania that was the brainchild of Hannah who then set up and organized the whole event that she later described as "a glimpse of Heaven." So, even if you're past the target age group for GenerationNext, I encourage you to check out Hannah's site, make it known in your grace circles, and support her efforts any way you can!

DID YOU SIGN SOMEONE ELSE'S CONTRACT?

2011-06-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

To view this article on video, click here.

If you're at all familiar with the Old Testament, you know that God made of Abraham the great nation that he promised and then led them out of Egyptian captivity and provided for them in every way as they made their way to their promised land. When God told Moses his name was “I AM,” it was like giving the Hebrews a blank check that read, “I AM ________,” on which they could write whatever they needed him to be! The only thing God asked from them was faith and he would give them the world – and they responded with a complaining, distrustful attitude, always trying to do it themselves instead. That is why God finally gave them the law – so they could prove themselves worthy if that's what they wanted! Israel collectively signed the law contract in Exodus 19:1-8 when they declared, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.”

It occurred to me the other day that, although today we are under God's grace and not Israel's law, God asks basically the same thing of men now: “Will you simply place your whole trust in me?” God is looking for that same child-like faith and trust in his goodness, mercy, and grace to make it possible for him to shower those who trust what his word through our apostle Paul declares about his Son with everything he has given his Son Jesus Christ!

Today there are countless people who refuse to even believe in him, much less trust Christ! And there are countless others who profess to believe and trust Jesus Christ; but instead of accepting God's mercy and grace, like Israel of old they insist that they can do it themselves by keeping Israel's law. They see God's commandments in the Old Testament and those that the Lord Jesus Christ expanded upon in the four gospels, and filled with self-righteous pride, they declare, like Israel, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do!”

When Israel's program resumes, God will again ask them to cast their cares completely upon him and trust him to get them through the great tribulation scheduled to come. He says in Hosea 14:1-2: “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips.”

What a special relationship those of us in the body of Christ have with God, for we have asked him to “receive us graciously,” and so have we rendered to him “the calves of our lips”! (Think of a loving child lifting his face for his father's kiss.) Have you allowed God to shower you with his grace, or have you stiff-neckedly declared, “Look, God, I can do it myself!” Don't sign Israel's law contract by mistake! They couldn't keep it without the total infusion of the Holy Spirit God promises the kingdom believers – and you can't keep it either! Trust the Lord Jesus Christ – in his death, burial, and resurrection – and be saved!

THE FIVE GREATEST BIBLE MISUNDERSTANDINGS - Part One (GUEST POST by DAVID S. DAVENPORT)

2011-05-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

It comes as a surprise -- indeed for some people a significant shock -- to find out that Jesus Christ's stated mission was not to "offer salvation to anyone who walked up to him and asked” during his 3-year earthly ministry. Nor did he “start” Christianity during his earthly ministry as is taught in the vast majority of modern evangelical churches today.

According to all Bible prophecy to that point, he came to FULFILL JUDAISM rather than to begin a new religion. How do we know this? Because Jesus himself said so:

Matthew 10:5,6: “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.”

For further confirmation, Jesus himself also explained that:

Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

And, later, the Apostle Paul, upon direct inspiration from God, explained that:

Romans 15:8: “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [Israelites] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [prophecies] [made] unto the fathers [Hebrews].”

These truths, once realized, beg the question, “But didn’t God have a plan in place to offer salvation to Gentiles like you and me?” And the answer is clear that God ALWAYS and FOREVER has had a plan in place to save ANYONE ANY TIME who chooses to express saving faith. This is consistent with God’s character of mercy: the blood sacrifice of his only Son would eventually pay off the sin-debt of every human being who has ever lived although every human being also has been required to BELIEVE what God had revealed regarding salvation up to that particular point in history.

But the fact of the matter is that God has progressively revealed DIFFERENT things at different times to different people (as is stated in Hebrews 1:1); and he has required individuals to trust or express saving faith in precisely what he had revealed at various points of history:

For Abel and Cain, it was to express faith (which was not a "work") by simply bringing a blood sacrifice. Later, the Bible explains, Abraham BELIEVED God regarding his promises. After that, when “Jesus came to his OWN, but his OWN received him not,” there was still a remnant of true believers such as the Apostle Peter who obeyed God's requirement to believe in the identity of Israel’s true messiah:

John 8:24: “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.”

At this point in time, it had not yet been “revealed” or “manifested” that Christ’s resurrection from a death by Roman cross was God’s omniscient and eternal plan to achieve redemption for ALL of mankind. How do we know this?

When Jesus informed Peter that he was going to be killed in Jerusalem and after Peter had been preaching “the gospel” (which is a generic word that simply means a message of good news, of which there are actually several in the Bible, including, "The Kingdom is 'At Hand'), Peter's response was:

Matthew 16:21: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this SHALL NOT be unto thee.”

Why did God require Peter to believe in the identity of Israel’s messiah, but NOT to know that the Roman cross was God’s predetermined solution of substitutionary atonement for the sins of the whole world? The Bible answers this question clearly, although the vast majority of evangelical preachers teach something different:

1 Corinthians 2:8 “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

The Body of Christ today is not aware of the reality that God continually OUTMANEUVERS Satan by HIDING certain future truths so that his ultimate plans can be accomplished.

The Roman cross is one such example. Based upon earlier revealed Bible truth, many Jews expected their messiah to be offered up on an ALTAR - as was Isaac by Abraham - not to suffer the humiliation of Rome’s cross. Indeed, when Satan possessed Judas to betray Christ into Rome’s hands to be crucified, surely Lucifer thought that he had finally succeeded in his long travail to snuff out the promised deliverer once and for all, since all of his previous attempts to destroy the seed line had failed.

Once redemption was accomplished - once for all, THEN it could be “revealed” that God had once again outsmarted Satan for his own sovereign purposes:

Luke 18:34: “And they understood none of these things: and this saying was HID from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.”

Romans 3:21: “BUT NOW the righteousness of God without the law is MANIFESTED, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;”

Proverbs 25:2: “[It is] the glory of God to CONCEAL a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.”

All of this is proven out by studying the aftermath of the crucifixion: The disciples did not understand it as God’s ultimate victory, which in turn displayed God’s manifold wisdom; rather, they sulked about Jerusalem as if in a stupor of defeat.

Returning now to the main implication of our topic: "The modern church does not teach or understand that Jesus' earthly ministry was to FULFILL JUDAISM rather than to BEGIN CHRISTIANITY," it is important that we ask the question, "WHY NOT?"

The answer is that God ALWAYS, and for the most part, LITERALLY, fulfills all prophecy - and in this case, that God had always promised that the theocratic nation of Israel was to be the HEAD of the nations, and that salvation was to come to the world THROUGH God's bride, redeemed Israel. She is the chosen vessel or instrument through which God was to offer salvation and bless "ALL NATIONS" (and people).

In this sense, Israel was "chosen" or "predestined" to evangelize the world in the role of "priests" to "the nations," which was to find its ultimate culmination in the "great commission."

It is not that God loved Israelites more than Gentiles, but that his prophetic plan had a particular purpose and order to RESTORE his dominion over the earth through this chosen nation whose redeemed would one day reign as PRIESTS (intermediaries and rulers) from the city of David.

However this chosen "position" of leadership (first established in Exodus 19 when God "birthed" a nation under law through Moses) had deteriorated to the point that the vast majority of Jews had been dispersed into heathen Gentile nations as a judgment for their national idolatry. When the book of Matthew opens, we find a saviour born into the world who is going to call Israel BACK to their chosen status by requiring REPENTANCE evidenced by submitting to the ceremonial law of the Hebrew cleansing rite of water baptism.

It is important to realize that Jesus was not setting aside the law at this time and offering salvation to anyone who "walked up to him and asked to be saved," as is commonly taught in most churches today. We often hear someone today speculate whether they would have believed Christ if they had been living during this time, but the fact remains that Jesus considered Gentiles who had not become proselytes to Judaism through circumcision and the blessing of Israel as DOGS:

Mark 7:26-28: "The woman was a Greek, a Syro-phenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the CHILDREN (chosen Israelites) FIRST be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast [it] unto the DOGS. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs."

Historically, the Gentiles since the Tower of Babel had been allowed by God to "choose their own way" and literally occupied the status of having been "cut off" from God, EXCEPT those who accepted and acknowledged by faith the fact that God would save them IF they came to Him THROUGH His chosen vessel Israel. This was God's sovereign stated plan of prophetic salvation from the time of Moses - and this continued through the earthly ministry of Christ.

It surprises Bible students to find out, as we shall study in the next chapter, that it is not until the Apostle Paul is raised up under a NEW AND DIFFERENT PROGRAM CALLED "THE MYSTERY" that any Gentile like you or me can be saved APART from Israel rather than THROUGH her. This was a dispensational change that we will investigate in depth in a moment.

But in returning to the story of the Syro-phenician woman, this account is usually interpreted incorrectly by modern Christendom: specifically, that Jesus didn't "really" mean it when he stated her status to be as a "cut off mongrel" from God apart from Israel since he eventually granted her request; and thus, this means that any Gentile could be saved simply by "trusting in the finished work of the Cross".

We have already demonstrated that even the disciples did not UNDERSTAND that the Roman cross would achieve redemption for all mankind: God HID this reality from them in order to deceive Satan. If Lucifer HAD KNOWN that the humiliation of the Roman cross was actually the DEFEAT OF SATAN then surely Satan would never have schemed to place Christ upon it in the first place.

The Apostle Paul makes reference to God's brilliant victory:

"[And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15).

The final point to consider is that, despite most modern teaching, Jesus DID NOT set aside the law during his earthly ministry. Instead, he proclaimed:

Matthew 5:18: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from THE LAW, till ALL be fulfilled."

Instead, it would be accurate to say that Jesus EXPLAINED to Israelites that they were (mistakenly and arrogantly) not keeping the law from their inward HEARTS, but rather as an OUTWARD OBSERVANCE. This explains why Jesus continually locked horns with the religious Judaistic establishment (namely, the Pharisees) because they had turned what was "good" into a self-serving social rite that promoted their own personal agendas rather than God's. Paul explains this distinction:

Romans 2:29: "But he [is] a Jew, which is one INWARDLY; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God."

And throughout scripture, we also know that:

1 Kings 15:3: "And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his HEART (inward man) was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the HEART of David his father."

In conclusion, while it is true that God, in his omniscience and "manifold wisdom" knew all along that his "bride" (national Israel) would REJECT her own betrothed, he STILL had dual plans in place to both FULFILL the law, and later, to introduce Christianity through a NEW APOSTLE named PAUL. The basic tenets of Christianity are, of course, that Christ died for the sins of the whole world, that the new "body of Christ" is not "under law," and that we need simply trust in the finished work of Calvary in our hearts for salvation WITHOUT ADDING WORKS OR HUMAN EFFORTS to the process: It is the gift of God that must be received "by faith alone."

During the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, God was fulfilling prophetic Judaism, as clearly stated in the books from Exodus through the early part of Acts. God's purpose is that Israel will reign on earth as priests and minister as a"chosen vessel" to offer salvation THROUGH the theocratic nation that God had birthed in Exodus 19.

Many Bible scholars have recognized these deeper truths by "rightly dividing" Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15) throughout the centuries. Certainly Martin Luther recognized SOME of these truths when he birthed the Reformation by insisting that the overwhelmingly predominant religious system of that day (the Roman Catholic Church) was WRONG, and that salvation was absolutely free - by grace through faith ALONE in Christ - "sola fide." This establishes the reality that the greatest Bible teachers proclaim the full counsel of God regardless of whether it is popular: Indeed, even the Apostle Paul admitted at one point that: "This you know, that ALL those in Asia have turned away from me..."

There have been others, including Sir Robert Anderson of Scotland Yard in Great Brittain during the 19th Century, Darby, Stam, O'Hair, Miles Stanford, Schofield, Chafer, William Reed Newell of Moody Bible Institute, and Charles Ryrie at Dallas Theological Seminary who comprehended the difference between what is taught by Christ's earthly ministry, and what is revealed specifically to men today through his heavenly progressive revelation to Paul regarding the new body referred to as "The Mystery" in Scripture.

It is worth the time to carefully read Ryrie's observations on this topic:

“There is a dangerous and entirely baseless sentiment which assumes that every teaching of Jesus must be binding during this age simply because He said it. The fact is forgotten that the Lord Jesus, while living under, keeping, and applying the Law of Moses, also taught the principles of His future Kingdom, and, at the end of His ministry and in relation to His Cross, He also anticipated the teachings of grace. If this threefold division of the teachings of Jesus is not recognized, there can be nothing but confusion of mind and consequent contradiction of truth.”

"The teachings of grace are perfect and sufficient in themselves. They provide for the instruction of the child of God in every situation which may arise. There is no need that they be supplemented, or augmented, by the addition of precepts from either the Law of Moses or the teachings of the Kingdom.”

“The teachings of Jesus are possibly the most difficult part of the entire Bible to interpret accurately. Why is this so? Because in His humiliation He lived under the Mosaic Law and perfectly kept it; but He also presented Himself to Israel as their King; and when He was rejected as King, He introduced the new part of God's program, the Church, and gave some teaching about it. In other words, He lived and taught in relation to three different dispensations of God's program for this world - the Law, the Church, and the Kingdom. To keep these aspects of teaching distinct and - without confusion is not always easy.

"There are those who consider the Sermon on the Mount a blueprint for Christian living today. To use it this way would require deliteralizing much of what is taught in order to be able to obey it in this unrighteous world. Further, if this is truth for the Church, then why did our Lord not mention the Holy Spirit, so vital for Christian living, or even the Church itself?"

"Others understand the Sermon's primary purpose to relate to Christ's kingdom message. The forerunner, John the Baptist, had announced the kingdom (Matt. 3:2); Jesus Himself began to preach that message (Matt. 4:17). The kingdom they preached and the kingdom the people expected was that messianic, Davidic, millennial kingdom promised in the OT.”

As we shall see in a moment, after most Israelites rejected their own deliverer, God inserted a brilliant INTERRUPTION of prophecy which the Bible calls a "mystery" through a NEW apostle who would reveal a NEW PROGRAM by which anyone can be saved APART from Israel - instead of THROUGH her.

This understanding also explains why Daniel's 70th week has never been completely and literally fulfilled, why Israel cannot be considered a "theocratic nation" today (despite the United Nations declaring it to be such in 1948), and why no prophecy is being fulfilled today.

When the "unprophesied administrational interruption" of Israel's prophecy in favor of the mystery (as entrusted to Paul through progressive revelation, and, as explained in Romans 9-11) is apprehended, other ongoing Bible conundrums come into full focus. A list of these conundrums might include questions such as what the purpose of water baptism was, why God introduced Spirit baptism, whether a Christian is "under" the tithe or the sabbath, and what the purpose of the charismatic sign gifts was, and why they "ceased" at a particular time.

(To Be Continued...)

David S. Davenport

104 Summerwalk Place

Simpsonville, SC 29680

(864) 386.3430

WHY DIDN'T ADAM DIE THAT DAY?

2011-03-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17).

Well, they did eat of it and they didn't die that day! Theologians for centuries have gotten around this one by stating that Adam and Eve died spiritually the moment they ate the forbidden fruit; but could there be another simpler, more elegant explanation? "The wages of sin is death;" and we understand that to mean physical death, do we not? My sister in Christ, De Trefethen, has posted an article on her Departure Ready Forum (a truly interesting one to join, btw!) that offers a different solution to the dilemma that may sound an inner chord in your spirit as it did in mine! She also offers an opportunity to explore the subject of soul-spirit-body and to join the discussion.

Here's that link once again. I hope you'll take a look; you will be prompted to look at this scripture (and others) in a fresh, perhaps more literal light.

POPE ARTICLE RIGHTLY-DIVIDED...ALMOST?

2011-02-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Check out this article in The Independent World News online:

"Pope's Organs Too Holy to Donate to Mortals Says Church". Aside from the distasteful subject matter -- not sure I'd want the Pontiff's spare parts anyway -- something buried in the text of the article jumped out at me: that his holy roller-ness is "the successor of St. Paul." What did that say? "St. Paul"? I've always read that he's the successor of St. Peter, or maybe of both Peter and Paul, as in, he has their "keys," but never just of Paul! (Actually, I'm tempted to believe that the Simon "Magus" of Acts 8:9-24 is the "Peter" of whom the popes are really successors!)

It can't be what the Roman Catholic Babylonian Institution would officially say, but maybe, just maybe, the archbishop quoted in the article has perhaps noticed that by the end of the Acts period, Paul has definitely replaced Peter as God's spokesman in this new dispensation of the grace of God that has replaced Peter's dispensation of the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy! Of course, nothing could be further from the truth than to say that the Romish Pope is the successor of either Peter or Paul, who both would have forcefully opposed the pagan superstitions of Romanism and its demonic queen mother worship that enslaves the darkened minds of the masses!

Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles and as such has no successor as God "hath magnified" Paul's office. (Romans 11:13). He did however tell his son in the faith, Timothy, "That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwellest in us;" (2 Tim. 1:14); "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." (2 Tim. 2:2). Today we have Paul's writings in our own English language in the King James Bible. Paul has no need of "successors" - just faithful men (and women) who recognize and make known that gospel he cherished.

I'd rather have a heart like Paul's than all the "sainted" relics of the Roman system. Wouldn't you?

TRADITIONS OF MEN

2011-01-26T18:43:00.000-08:00

Fellow grace believer Rita Bauschard of Bible Ambassadors shares her insights on how easily the errors of religionists can creep into the thinking of even genuine believers who seek to honor the word of God in all they do, say, and write. Thank you, Rita, for this and everything else you do so tirelessly for the gospel of Christ.

Here's Rita's post:

"Satan (diabolos, devil) means "something that is thrown between." He is a separator; He is an adversary; He’s someone who tries to separate you from God."

The above quote is another example of something that editing has helped me learn. But not only editing. Learning where various Bible translations come from impacted me so much that I CANNOT simply ignore capitalization of every pronoun that may refer to our Lord Jesus Christ or God in the writings of men. Why? Re-read the above sentence and notice that doing so becomes such a habit we do not even notice when we have attributed the "honorary" (religious type honor) capitalization to Satan.

At first I merely looked up the verses in question, or the words in question, and learned that the King James Version (the Bible we claim to be our authority) had no such capitalization.

Then I decided to look further into this and found that the 'tradition' seems to have embedded itself into our minds before we adopted the KJV as our only trustworthy authority. Are we hanging on to a 'religious tradition' that came to us through the Roman influence in modern translations?

Col. 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Read Chapter 7 of Mark's gospel to learn how God feels about the "traditions of men." These of course refer to 'religious' kinds of traditions which become rituals. It seems very definitely to have become a ritual to use capitalization of all pronouns when writing of God or his Christ.

But, praise be to God, we can change it! It was easy for me to make the decision to stop giving honor to Satan by following a tradition passed on in apostate writings. How about you?

Think about it.

Additional comments from Rita (2/14/11):

Some have read my "rantings" on over-capitalization of pronouns as dictates against grace and as establishing law in writing. They were not intended in that way, but as an encouragement for each to examine his own heart motives when about to capitalize the pronouns "he, his and him," etc. believed to refer to God or the Lord Jesus Christ mid-sentence or mid-paragraph.
In our human wisdom and human good, we think we shall honor God if we capitalize these words. Or we may think it will clarify of whom we write. I am not against honoring my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and Jehovah God. Regardless of which reason, what I have endeavored to point out is a recognition that this act of human good leads to HABIT and habit leads to error, as demonstrated previously in several paragraphs quoted from non-secular writings.
I am presently reading a secular book that attempts to educate the un-educated (which is why I am reading it ) about the Muslim world. And again, I have come across a sentence that demonstrates my point about our "human good" habits.
The following is from the book, The Grand Jihad by Andrew C. McCarthy:

"Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor (sic) evaded. Allah has ascribed great importance to Jihad and has made the reward of the martyrs and fighters in His way a splendid one. ... "

I am willing to bet the author did not intend to honor "Allah" by capitalizing "his" in that sentence as it is a book exposing the errors of Islam.

TITHING - IS IT FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY?

2011-01-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Mrs. Accountability for this guest post on tithing and whether we should give them in the Age of Grace! (Mrs. Accountability writes about getting out of debt at her personal finance blog, Out of Debt Again.) Mrs. A writes:

A couple of years ago I learned that all the guilt I've experienced regarding tithes was absolutely unnecessary.  Thank the Lord for the understanding I've come to by learning how to rightly divide the Word of Truth.  I grew up in the Pentecostal religion and we were expected to tithe 10% of our gross income, and if we did not, no excuses accepted, we could expect God's wrath to come down on us.  I spent many years of my adult life worried and afraid, because I was unable to make that 10% tithe.  I'd like to share a memory which made a great impact on me when I was five years old.  My mother joined the church shortly after my father deserted us.  My mother was at a very vulnerable time in her life, considering that she was pregnant, a baby on the way and two little daughters to support with no job experience (she'd married my father at 17 and had been a stay at home mother for several years).  The church helped us out at first, but once my mother was on her feet with a job (which barely paid the bills), she was expected to begin paying tithes.  The full 10% and it didn't matter if she didn't have enough money for food, she was to expect that God would take care of everything.  She impulsively gave the last $15 she had in her purse after a rather frightening sermon on tithing was issued from the pulpit.  Several hours later, she started to worry about her children going hungry so she decided to return to the church and ask to have her money back. She was chastised and promised that God would take the money away from as punishment for not believing.  My mom and my sisters and I went to the grocery store and bought food to last for the week.  We got out to the car and my mom got the three of us secure in our seats and drove back home. When we arrived there, the groceries were nowhere to be found. It was then that my mother remembered the "prophecy" uttered to her, and she also remembered placing the groceries on top of the car.  We drove back to the store and found a few items lying in the gutter, but the rest was gone.  My mother dissolved into tears, convinced that she had been punished directly by God. We are told in the Bible that we are not to have the spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7 KJV) and I wish my mom had heeded that scripture verse.  But she was afraid to disobey God again, and she always paid her tithes, even if it meant taking money from the mouths of her three little girls. She continued to do so for the next twenty years, and over the years it sometimes meant that we were evicted from our home because the ten-fold blessings never materialized even though she was faithful and paid the tithes as directed.  Now that I have learned about dispensationalism, I know that God does not punish us today like he did the Israelites in the Old Testament.  We are not the Israelites and we are not being cursed or blessed like they were.  Many Bible verses are twisted to try to control Christians today, but these laws were actually for people in a different dispensation, not to us.  I now know we have been told by our Apostle Paul to give with a cheerful heart. I feel blessed knowing that the Lord is okay with my best, he doesn't expect a percentage. I am no longer affected when I hear televangelists who actually tell me it's perfectly okay to go into debt and use my credit card to “sow a thousand dollar seed”.  I am no longer worried that I have been forsaken because my tithes don't come back to me ten-fold.  Once again this is something promised to a different dispensation.  I have learned through the teaching of my pastor (who only teaches from the King James Version of the Bible) that we are in the Age of Grace and are instructed by our apostle Paul (who was appointed by Jesus Christ from heaven Galatians 1:1 KJV) in this verse: II Corinthians 9:7 KJV Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
 Strong's Greek Concordance gives us the meaning of the words used in the Bible:   We are to “purpose” in our hearts; to choose for oneself before another thing.
  We are not to give grudgingly [sadness, grief, grievous, heaviness, sorrow].
  God loves it when we are cheerful [prompt, willing] in our giving.
 
 The Lord instructs us (through His Word and our apostle Paul) to be cheerful when we give, he doesn't want us to give out of fear or because someone says we should.  Find the amount to give that you can be cheerful about giving, and freely give that to the Lord. It doesn't have to be a percentage, do the best that you can.  The 10% tithe is mentioned Leviticus 27:32 KJV, and Numbers 18:26 KJV, but you will can also find verses which instruct us to tithe oxen, sheep, wine, corn and other items. Why do we disregard those instructions today?   Many ministers and televangelists do their best to try and convince their members that they must pay tithes in order to be saved.  I now know there is only one sure way to know that you have your salvation and that is to simply believe Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary, he was buried and rose again - he gave His life willingly to pay the price for your sins (Acts 16:31 KJV).  For all time, even before you sin!  All of the things people are taught and told they must do in order to be saved - all the works - from asking forgiveness for every sin, saying your prayers before you go to bed at night, including that 10% tithe, in reality is disrespecting the work our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did at Calvary. He hung on the cross so that we could be saved, and you need do no more than believe in what He did for you and me.  Do you honestly believe you can secure your way into heaven on your own merits (Ephesians 2:8 KJV)? God gave His only son who was crucified to save us from our sins, but we honestly believe we can do it ourselves by following some set of laws given to a different people in a different time? When you really think about it, you'll find yourself asking yourself "What was I thinking?" Salvation is a free gift.  A free gift that you simply accept.  You don't have to do anything to get it, when you do try to get there by works, we are told in the Bible that Grace doesn't mean anything (Romans 11:6 KJV).  I was quite thankful to learn this, because along with the fear and guilt I've felt, somehow it often felt like paying my tithes was similar to gambling.  We're told that our tithe will multiply ten times and we're told to expect blessings to abound when we give. Now I don't have to feel like I'm on some scoring system and when I get enough points I'll be certain where I'm going when I die.  Now that I know the truth, I can give to the Lord and there is no wondering when the blessings will begin to flow my way.  No more wondering why they didn't either!

GRACE ON WHEELS

2010-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

When I first met Allen Bradley, we were both just kids. My family was moving into my Grandma's house after she passed away. Allen's cerebral palsy and extreme poverty forced him to have to scoot himself along the sidewalk on the seat of his pants using only his very strong arms and understandably dirty hands. We didn't have much money ourselves, but my parents immediately took up a collection around the neighborhood and bought Allen a little red wagon at cost from my Uncle Bob's hardware store. That sure saved wear and tear on the little guy's pants!

My own brother, Dick, had recently died also, from the Muscular Dystrophy that had put him first in a wheelchair and then in a hospital bed; so to me, it was almost like God gave us Allen to love and protect in Dick's place. Coincidentally or not, as I grew up and moved to different parts of the city, Allen never lived far from me, although he also moved.

When I married my husband John three and a half years ago, I didn't realize it, but I was giving Allen the best friend he ever had! John is retired and it is truly his pleasure to drive Allen to the doctor, grocery store, bank, do his laundry, and even take him with us to our grace church followed by lunch at a restaurant. The two of them have an almost Laurel and Hardy (or Abbott and Costello) comedy act going on all of the time!

Al, who has the IQ of maybe a twelve-year-old, may not know a lot about theology or right division, but he does treasure having God's word in his lap in his big old King James Bible with extra-large print. During the message at church, he does his best to flip to the right passages and sometimes cheers when he finds one. He especially loves fellow-shipping with the saints, holding his large hand out and saying in his falsetto voice, "Hi, I'm Al! What's your name?" And he more often than not will remember it! (Which is more than I can say!)

If you haven't met him here on earth, don't worry, you'll meet him in heaven; for, since he was a little boy on the sidewalk, he's been waiting for the Lord Jesus to come and get him, transform his weak and wasted body into a glorious body like unto his own, and show him the beauties of the universe. He's known since then that the Lord Jesus Christ died for his sins and rose again just for him. When he sees injustice or unkindness in his fellow men, Allen likes to say, "They don't know the Lord Jesus!" Well, Allen sure knows him and trusts him with his life with a childlike faith that comes straight from his heart...and he's not afraid to make him known!

Whether he gets there first, or you get there first, there will come a day when he'll say to you, "Hi, I'm Al! What's your name?"

2 CHRONICLES 7:14 is NOT FOR US!

2010-10-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email (for like the fifth time) urging me to listen to Andrea Bocelli sing "The Lord's Prayer," and to read text on the screen asking all Christians to turn to God in the spirit of II Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Now this disturbs me greatly; how do I count the ways? Maybe most of all because I see that this time the forward originated from a grace believer who has attended a Mid-Acts Dispensational church for several years.

Let's see. Shall we begin with the fact that the scripture quoted is from Israel's Law Program?

Israel was (and will be in future) under an "if, then" relationship with God. "If you do that, then I will do this." The whole human race was under that system beginning with the test of obedience in the Garden! Israel had a chance to change all that when God conveyed to them by his providential care of them in their escape from Egypt that he was willing to be a "blank check" they could cash for their every need if they would but trust him. Of course, they didn't want to trust him and displayed a "Look, ma, I can do it myself!" attitude all through their history; so God gave them what they asked for by issuing the ten big ones and the 613 small ones and treated them according to their performance level. Israel's refusal to trust and rest in their God was the very sin he promised to forgive in the 2nd Chronicles verse!

When God cast Israel's program aside for a time after their rejection of his Son, Jesus Christ, their promised Messiah, he began a new relationship with the human race through a series of messages through the Apostle Paul. He proclaimed through Paul (2 Cor. 5:19) that the sacrificial death of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and has given everyone a permanently clean slate as far as sin is concerned with only one question left to answer: Do you believe my Son did this for you? Those who let him know they do are instantly sealed into Christ and given not only the Holy Spirit but "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Eph. 1:3) If we have all the blessings we're ever going to receive, then the blessing of "healing" our land isn't one of them or we'd already have it! One of the "all spiritual blessings" that we do have upfront is forgiveness of sins! (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). So, to pray to God, humble ourselves, and turn from our wicked ways in order to obtain his forgiveness is totally unnecessary today and anyone who has actually read Paul's letters should already know this! The language is certainly not hard to understand.

Now, don't get me wrong; it's always okay to pray and ask God for anything we want. He wants to hear from us. Paul writes, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Php. 4:6). But God's message to us through Paul contains no certain promises that our requests will be granted. We need to keep in mind that we are here to "suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Rom. 8:17).

In addition to its use of a promise made to another people in another dispensation, the forward also has "The Lord's Prayer" being sung as if it's something we should use today. These words of Christ to his little flock, who were to have shortly gone through the time of "great tribulation," do not reflect the grace relationship we have with God today, but are a reminder to them of the "if you do this; I'll do that" relationship Israel had with God until they complete all the courses of punishment and testing laid out in Leviticus 26 (which will conclude in the kingdom). For believers today to pray this prayer is an admission by them that they have an inadequate understanding and appreciation of the grace we have in Christ. (Please see: "Why I Would NEVER Pray the Lord's Prayer!").

Please don't think I don't understand the heartfelt sentiment behind this attractively packaged presentation; I do. But, come on, Christians everywhere, let's not encourage other Christians to waste time asking God to do something he's made it clear he's not doing today in this dispensation of the grace of God; and let's instead do things that make known to the world the reconciliation they've been granted by God's grace through his Son's accomplishments at Calvary, and how easy it is for them to partake of the blessings of the inheritance God is offering in Christ to those who will simply believe what has been done by him on our behalf, and be reconciled to God. This kind of grace won't be offered forever; and after we're gathered to our federal head, Jesus Christ, perilous times will come on the earth for those who were not found in him.

P. S. Those blonde-haired "Jesus" images are, in my opinion, more likely a representation of how Satan appears as an "angel of light," than the Lord Jesus Christ! Do not be deceived: We shall see his face in glory and not before.

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO HIM

2010-10-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

I've been very privileged to enjoy relationships with children of all ages and from all walks of life. Kids are full of curiosity and approach life with a "slate" that's a lot cleaner than ours as adults. They have a refreshing way of looking at things, even spiritual things, that I treasure.

Sometimes how they view "God things" is delightfully comical. I remember a group of kids discussing the fact that "Jesus made this whole world." A 5-year-old girl with just enough Sunday school to be dangerous replied, "Well, duh! He was a carpenter!" Another little girl proudly announced that she had Jesus in her heart, to which I replied, "So do I!" She looked at me with pity and said, "No, you don't! He's only ONE guy!"

Then there are those precious moments like when I overheard a small boy, playing with wooden blocks with another boy, ask him, "Did you know that Jesus died for you?" And the times - more than once - that a child asked me if I was saved. Or the time a six-year-old Christian evangelical girl grieved over something wrong she had done and I reminded her that Jesus died for that sin. She looked up with tears in her eyes, and asked in wonder, "He did that for me?"

The little boy in the photo at the top of this post is named Noah. Once upon a time, he sat on my lap and we talked about heaven. He told me that since I was "old" (Hey!), I would surely get there first and would I save him a place? But less than two years later he died in a tragic accident, and now Noah is saving me a place. His mom, who at the time was a Sunday school teacher for their local Catholic parish, told me recently when we ran into each other at a restaurant that she and the rest of Noah's family had just become Protestants, joining the Lutheran church near their home. A step in the right direction to be sure!

Speaking of Lutheran members of Christ's body, I just want to share with you a special moment with a 3-year-old Lutheran girl who's 8-year-old brother (see his drawing below) plans to become a pastor someday. She asked me why we should go to church, and I replied, "So we can learn more about what Jesus did for us." "Like make kittens?" she asked. I quickly added, "And don't forget chocolate!" We laughed and then I added, "But most important, how he died on the cross so we can go to heaven." She nodded and then did the most remarkable thing: She stretched out her little arms at the shoulders and let her head drop forward so her dark brown locks hung in her face, and we shared a moment of silence while we let ourselves feel what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us that long ago day. The 50+ age difference between us meant absolutely nothing while we both mentally returned to that "hill far away." I'll never forget that moment as long as I live.

LETTER TO A PENTECOSTAL (GUEST POST)

2010-09-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

A fellow grace believer on the Internet, known only as "Dano," shared with me an article on grace he put together for a Pentecostal friend who insists on adding works to faith for salvation. I'll put a link to the document here so that you can read it at your leisure and rejoice once again in the awesome grace we are offered by God today through the work already accomplished for us by his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Dano's Article for a Pentecostal and All Who Add Works for Salvation. This link is to Google Docs, but the article is republished below:

EXTRA BONUS!!! Dano's "Time Zone" Tract:

(Right click and save to your pictures where you can enlarge it for viewing or printing.)

Thank you, Dano, for the wonderful reminder of who we are made to be in Christ! (Read Dano's grace testimony here.)

Frustrating The Grace of God:

The Law in the Gospels

The purpose of this paper is to open and allege, from Scripture itself, that those who claim they believe they are “not under the law but under grace,
have no business turning around and violating the grace principle by also believing the books of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John are instruction in righteousness for the Body of Christ.

Those who disagree, simply because this does not agree with their beliefs and or convictions, might do well to follow Acts 17:11, “searching the Scriptures daily, whether those things are so.”

According to Scripture, the purpose of the Law was “the knowledge (awareness) of sin, (so) that (by that awareness) every mouth might be stopped, and all the might world become (aware of its sinful condition) before (a just and Holy) God.

God having both proven by the law what he’d meant to prove, that all the world is guilty of sin, as well as having provided someone able to keep the law on our behalf – the Lord Jesus Christ - for any believer to then turn around and put either their self or another believer under the law either for their righteousness/ salvation, or as a means of maintaining that righteousness, is said by Scripture itself to “have fallen from grace”

Galatians:

{5:4} Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Galatians

{2:21} I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

{3:1} O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? {3:2} This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? {3:3} Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

In other words, having begun your new life in Christ by what God alone, through His Spirit did for you, declared you righteous the moment you believed Christ died for your sin, placed you in His Son, sealed you there until the day of His redemption of you, His purchased possession, a possession He purchased with His own Son’s blood, are you now going to frustrate God’s grace by somehow adding to it your works (Paul was speaking to saved people).

Romans 3:

{3:19} Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. {3:20} Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. {3:21} But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; {3:22} Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: {3:23} For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; {3:24} Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

{3:25} Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation

Romans 4:

{4:4} Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. {4:5} But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Let’s take a look at the law in Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, through the eyes of Scripture itself:

Galatians 4:

{4} “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, {5} To redeem them that were under the law.”

According to Scripture itself, Jesus was made under the law, while the Law was still in effect.

Luke

{2:21} And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. {2:22} And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord; {2:23} (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) {2:24} And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

If you’re interested, that law is found in Leviticus 12.

Moving on, we see these people under the law in the soon to be parents of John the Baptist, who was born six months before Jesus (Luke 1:36):

Luke:

{1:5}There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife [was] of the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elisabeth. {1:6} And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Note Deuteronomy 6 on this:

{6:24} And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as [it is] at this day. {6:25} And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.

Okay, so when did being under the law end for these people in Mathew, Mark Luke and John?

In Mathew 8:2 - 4, the Lord heals a Jew of leprosy. According to Luke 3:23 “Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age” when He began His ministry. Meaning that His healing of this man of leprosy took place some 30 years after Galatians 4:4 says Jesus was made under the law.

Here is that account - note carefully what the Lord then tells this man to do:

{2} And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. {3} And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. {4}And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Mark 1:44’s account of this event adds one more detail, “And (Jesus) saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”

The Lord’s instruction to this man is straight out of Leviticus 14: 1-7. Verse 5 is the gift Jesus is talking about – an animal sacrifice – while verse 7 is the testimony:

{1}And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {2}This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: {3}And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; {4}Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: {5}And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: {6}As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: {7}And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

That was Mathew 8, note the how law is still in effect in Mathew 23:

{23:1} Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, {23:2} Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: {23:3} 23:3} All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

That’s right, as far as Mathew 23, in the very same chapter in which He later lays out both the Tribulation and His Second Coming to them, and just three chapters before He dies on the Cross, “to redeem them that were under the law” (Gal 4:4), He is seen still teaching His disciples to obey the law of Moses.

By the way, perhaps you will notice how all that effects the meaning of the Lord’s words to His disciples, in Mathew 24:20’s, But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day,“ during the “great tribulation” (24:21) He had more than once told them they would could expect to be going through prior to His Second Coming (Matt. 10:23, Matt. 24 and 25, Acts 3:19 -24) but for an interruption of events He kept to Himself (Acts 1:7) until He later revealed why to Peter through the Apostle Paul (Gal. 2:1, 2, 9, Rom. 9:22, 24; 2 Peter 3:15, 16).

Anyway, to wrap this up John 1:17’s “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” is a reference to

1 Peter’s the {1:10} “salvation” (which) the prophets (all of which were under the law, had) enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: {1:11} Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

It’s a reference to that truth which would one day replace the law, the old covenant, with a new, prophesied covenant of grace promised to the house of Israel (Jer. 31:31 – 4; Rom. 11:26 – 27; Heb. 8:8 -13), made possible only after Calvary, “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

In short, number one, “if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Two, “Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? {3:3} Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

Problem is, many believers have been taught poorly. As a result, not “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man,” (1 Tim. 1:9) exactly whoGod has made them in Christ – righteous – they do not know that {2:11} “the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, {2:12} Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11, 12), they do not know that God’ has provided, within His grace a teaching for dealing with sin which has nothing to do with the law, which Christ “took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col. 2:14).

Understanding all this, I recall how that once, once, while sharing the gospel with someone, when I asked him a few questions afterwards, as I normally do, I asked them, “okay, now what happens when you sin?” Being a new believer not yet confused by all the religion out there which merely poses as the grace of God, he simply responded, ‘Well, Christ died for my sin, so that means I’m forgiven.’ Just as quickly, though, he grinned and said, ‘Oh, so that means I can do anything I want…”

At which point God’s way of teaching us – through grace - that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” came to mind.

Right there in Romans {6:1} What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? {6:2} God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? {6:3} Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” {6:14} For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Together with Galatians 5:16’s “walk in the Spirit and ye shall not obey the lusts of the flesh” and 5:5’s “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” And 5:6’s “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision (a work of the law) availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision (nor not works); but faith which worketh by love” faith motivated by an attitude of gratitude, itself motivated by the love of God, by a focus on both what He did for us in Christ, and what He wants to do in us, in Christ.

Of course, this individual was fortunate. Not full of ideas, he heard out this message about God’s grace principle – His means of enabling us to “walk in newness of life” by that very principle

Something which the law was neither never meant for (Rom. 3:20; 7:7-13), nor ever able to do, in that “the strength of sin is the law” (1 Cor. 15:56).

I’ll end this paper with Acts 17:11, 12, praying that you do this much, where the assertion of this paper is concerned:

{11} These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. {12} Therefore many of them believed.