Jesus Christ (God's only begotten son: God in the flesh) died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15). "19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5) “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.“ (Ephesians 2) 'Rightly dividing the word of truth' (2 Timothy 2:15) is the key to understanding your Bible.
There’s a God-given time line in the Bible; the word of God, more specifically in Ephesians 2. This time line consists of 3 time periods: the past: “time past”, the present: “but now” and the future: “ages to come”.
Time past:
Ephesians 2:11-12
11 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;
12 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:
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ.
Ages to come:
Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
This makes a lot of sense, if we take heed at the instructions given to us in…
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
There are divisions in the Bible, so studying the word of truth rightly divided has to do with distinguishing between those divisions and different time periods. All of the Bible is written for us; for our learning (Romans 15:4), but not all of the Bible is written directly to us! Not everything is our mail.
The “but now” period we live in is called the dispensation of the grace of God, or the body of Christ program. It started with the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus, in Acts 9. Saul was later called Paul, and made the Apostle to and of the gentiles: our Apostle. The ascended, glorified Jesus Christ, from his place in heaven, revealed the mystery to him. That’s why Paul’s epistles are called “the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery” (Romans 16:25-26). One of the main differences between the “but now” period and the 2 other time periods; “time past” and “ages to come”, is that God today (“but now”) isn’t recognizing any nation above any other nation. Today he’s dealing with mankind as a whole; individually, not nationally. During the Kingdom program; in “time past” and “ages to come” the focus was, and will again be, His chosen nation; Israel. There was, and will again be, a distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles (the heathens, the non-Jews).
We who live during the dispensation of the grace of God, Jew or Gentile…makes no difference, are not under the law of Moses, but under grace:
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Does this mean that we, Gentiles, once were under the law?! Absolutely not, and this is where the confusion starts…
Let’s take a closer look at Ephesians 2:11-12:
Ephesians 2:11-12
11Wherefore remember, that ye beingin time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12That at that time [time past] ye [Gentiles] werewithout Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
In time past a Gentile (a heathen or a non-Jew) was “called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands”; the Jews. Someone who was uncircumcised was considered unclean, a dog (Matthew 15:26-27). The gentiles 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:”. What a position to be in!!!
What about the Jews?
Romans 9:4-8
4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. Forthey are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
What a contrast compared to what we just read about the gentiles!
We know that God made a covenant (the old covenant) with Abraham:
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This nation was called Israel.
Abraham-Isaac-Jacob
Genesis 17:1-8
1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
Abraham had two sons initially: one by his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar, the other by Sarah. The first, Ishmael, was of the bondwoman (Hagar), and the second, Isaac, of the freewoman (Sarah). The first, Ishmael, was not of the Lord, but rather the labor of the flesh, so it was to be cast out.
Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Abraham was to cast out Ishmael and his mother, for he was not to be heir even after Abraham pleaded for him.
Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Notice it doesn’t say in “all thy seed”, but rather in “thy seed”, a particular seed line, the one the Lord gave of the freewoman. The seed which came of Sarah: Isaac. This is the seed with which God would establish His covenant.
Genesis 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Now Isaac has two sons of the same wife. One, Esau, operates in unbelief, has little regard for his birthright and sells it (Genesis 25:27-34) to his brother Jacob. The seed line now passes through Jacob.
Genesis 28:13-14
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
The seed and the blessings now come through Jacob’s seed. However, not all Jacob’s seed operates in faith. This is the real issue, this is why not all Israel is Israel! The real seed of Abraham are those of the faith of Abraham.
Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham responded by faith to what God had to say “and it was counted unto him for righteousness”. It made him right in the eyes of God.
Only the children of the promise, the Jews who took God at his word were and will be true Israel, when God sets Israel at the forefront again, after the dispensation of the grace of God comes to an end. That’s why Paul, in Romans 9:6, says that; “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:”
Romans 9:4-5
4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
The work of the law?
Romans 2:12-15
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Notice it says “the WORK of the law written in their heart”, not the “law written in their heart”, as many change it to mean. When Paul is talking about the gentiles having the work of the law written in their hearts, he’s talking about those who were never placed under the law contract, who supposed their righteousness was coming from their personal goodness. It was ‘the moral code’ the Gentiles supposed was their ‘key to righteousness’. Whether man sets a moral code for himself (his own set of standards), or whether it be God’s moral code called the law of Moses, the fact is, no man can merit a righteous standing before God by ‘what he DOES’. Salvation is of grace, through faith, and has always been by grace, through faith. This is what Israel never understood, and the religious people of this world don’t understand it either.
Circumcision
Let’s continue where we left off, in Genesis 17:
Genesis 17:9-14
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 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.
11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 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.
13 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.
14And 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.
Circumcision wasn’t optional, it was mandatory! It was a token of the covenant between God and Abraham.Those who weren‘t circumcised were cut off from Israel. Being cut off from Israel, was the same as being cut off from God…one and the same thing. Everything God did was through his chosen nation; Israel.
What about all the gentiles who ”were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world”?!
They had to proselyte to Judaism; become a Jewish proselyte. They had to take hold of Israel’s covenant. Today there are no proselytes, because there’s nothing to proselyte to. The Kingdom program; God’s program with Israel, is put on hold in favor of the the body of Christ program, in the dispensation of the age of grace, where God is forming the one new man in Christ…in the person of His Son.
Ephesians 2:13-18
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Colossians 2:10-14
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
1 Corinthians 12:12-14
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 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.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Salvation
The second a lost person believes the Gospel (good news) of Christ they’re baptized BY (not with) the Spirit into the body of Christ. The good news of Christ is that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son; the God-man. He died for ALL our sins, was buried and rose again the third day. This resolved the sin issue ONCE and for ALL, where the entirety of the world’s sin debt was concerned, in the mind of the one to whom the payment for their sins was made; God the Father! To believe this good news is to be reconciled in your mind (Colossians 1:21, 2 Corinthians 5:20), not God’s. It’s a SON issue today, not a SIN issue. The issue isn’t forgiveness of sin. The issue is believing what the cross work of Christ accomplished in your behalf, in order to be identified with and joined to Christ himself: having His test scores (His righteousness and His faith) written on your paper.
What about the 10 commandments? Have the gentiles ever been under those? Are we under the 10 commandments today? The answer is NO!
The 10 commandments were a part of the law, which in fact contained 613 commandments, not just 10. Some interpret the Bible to make a distinction between the moral and ceremonial law. They claim that while we are not under the ceremonial law, we are under the moral law. The problem with this view is that the Bible never makes a distinction between moral law and ceremonial law. Those who are under the law are bound by every statute; they cannot choose certain parts of the law to obey. Had you broken 1, you had broken all:
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
This is where the nation Israel was in error. They thought they had righteousness in and of themselves, and that they were meriting a righteous standing before God by law-keeping. That’s not why God gave that nation the law! The law was given them to show them who they were: sinners. Perfect righteousness is the only righteousness God could and can recognize, and He had to provide it for them, and He would do that if they’d simply recognize that, change their mind (repent), and take Him at His word. We know they didn’t. They rejected God the Father through John the Baptist. They rejected the Son: Jesus Christ, and at last they rejected the holy Spirit through Stephen, a man filled with the holy Spirit, in Acts 7. This resulted in the fall of Israel, where God set them aside for a season, and here we are…almost 2000 years after, and the age of grace continues on!Thank God for that!
Today salvation is readily available to all…Jew or gentile…makes no difference: we’re all saved the same way. The law-The middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles is broken down. Once someone is in Christ they’ve put on Christ, and they’re a new creature.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Colossians 3:10-11
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2
1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Justification. The body of Christ. The faith OF Christ: His faithfulness.
The difference between the Gospel of the kingdom (prophecy), the gospel of God (prophecy) and the gospel of Christ/the gospel of the grace of God (mystery).
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 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:
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Romans 3:20-28
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.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
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:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Ephesians 2:11-12
11 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;
12 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:
Exodus 34:5-7
5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
The gospel of the kingdom:
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
+ Matthew 9:35, Matthew 10, Mark 6
The gospel (good news) of the kingdom (of heaven), Israel’s promised earthly kingdom being at hand:
The good news about the kingdom to be brought down from heaven to earth, when the King (Jesus Christ) returns and sets his kingdom up here.
Repent, and be baptized for the sending away of your sins.
Luke 9:6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
Isaiah 33:24 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.
Matthew 16:21-22
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.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
John 20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Luke 24:25-27
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:44-47
44 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.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Isaiah 53:4-8
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
The presence of the Lord: The 2nd coming of Christ.
Romans 11:26-27
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Only the people of Israel are referred to as God’s sheep:
Psalms 79:13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
John 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
A ransom for MANY:
Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The gospel (good news of God) of God, not the good news of the impending kingdom, not the gospel of the kingdom. That program had been pushed aside (Romans 11).
What was the gospel of God? Jesus Christ was alive; he had risen from the dead! They had crucified him, he had died, he was buried, he had risen from the dead. He was the Son of the living God. The deity of Jesus Christ. While it applies to both programs; the kingdom program and the body of Christ program, it is NOT the saving gospel for today (the dispensation of the grace of God/the age of grace).
The gospel (good news) of Christ: The good news that Jesus Christ (God’s only begotten Son, God in the flesh) died for the sins of the world (past, present, future, incl. everyone), was buried and rose again the third day (raised for our justification). Exclusively revealed to our Apostle; the Apostle Paul, by the ascended, glorified Christ. The saving gospel for today; the dispensation of the grace of God.
A ransom for ALL:
1 Timothy 2:3-7
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I [Paul] 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 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
It’s no longer an issue for forgiveness of sins, the issue is what will we believe; what will those that have been told this good news that sin is no longer an issue with God, what will they believe about their sins no longer being an issue, with God almighty.
If they’re going to bed on their knees in the evening, asking God to forgive the sins that they’re supposed to be believing are no longer an issue because Christ took care of them at Calvary, what are they saying they believe about what Christ took care of at Calvary?
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
“Paul’s gospel must be accepted, it must be believed today, and you can be sure that confusion concerning that gospel through the use of a counterfeit gospel; a gospel that looks so much like Paul’s gospel that you’d not know the difference, if you didn’t clearly know Paul’s gospel, will be Satan’s focus in this age of grace. That’s Satan’s purpose in this age of grace, to confuse Paul’s gospel with a gospel so nearly to it, that we’d not recognize what was missing from it or added to it, and it looks just like Paul’s Gospel. There are many folks out there today, and I hear them all the time, and I hear them in grace circle’s all the time, saying ‘all you have to do is to believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and you’re saved’. How many people believe that today?!
Just about everybody in every assembly in our town believes that. They believe it in the baptist, catholic, pentecostal churches. They believe it in almost every church across the board that Christ died, was buried and rose again, but what do they believe was accomplished by that death, burial and resurrection? That’s the key point! Do they believe it was an all-sufficient reconciliation where the entirety of the world’s sin debt was concerned, or do they believe that they must obtain a new measure of reconciliation every time they sin, and that’s by seeking a new measure of forgiveness from God, that He might be reconciled to them. Who in the world are they asking for forgiveness from? From God, therefore the assumption is that he’s not reconciled when they sin. You see what was going on in their minds? In their minds they were separating themselves from God by their sin, and Paul is saying that he has already reconciled you where your sins are concerned. Who we are and what we have in the person of our Savior is incredible, and I’m using that word in the sense of overwhelmingly wonderful.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Colossians 1:21
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
1 Timothy 2:3-7
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I [Paul] 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.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
A brother in Christ had these questions:
If you add anything, or do not understand the concept of reconciliation, does that mean they are lost? Is that how fine a line it is? Is that what Pastor Curt is saying that it is more than just believing 1 Corinthians 15;1-4?
1: If a person believes Peter and Paul’s gospel are the same, saved or lost? In fact, if they teach that the four gospels are the same as Paul’s gospels,saved or lost?
2. If a person says “they believe”, but add “BUT” we try to keep the big 10, we water baptize as testimony, we try and do the Sermon on the Mount, saved or lost?
…so I sent Curt Crist an e-mail, and this is his response:
Hey Daniel,
I sure do have a response. Merely saying the words ‘Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again’…is no more than a recitation of sounds…unless a person knows and believes what he is saying when he says those words. When a person says…’he died for our sins’…does he truly believe what he is saying? Recitation and belief are two different things. It is ‘believing the gospel’ that saves today according to Paul, not just reciting words. If I say ‘he died for my sins’…but I do not believe that his death for my sins accomplished anything where the sins he died for are concerned…I’m uttering words without attaching a meaning to them. For instance, the Pope says that Christ died for his sins, was buried and rose again. You’ll find this in the Catholic Bible. But, the Pope does not believe that the sins Christ died for…have been ‘put away forever’. The Pope would tell you that you need ‘further absolution’ in order to ‘make heaven’. What does that tell you he actually believes… when it comes to the words he has no problem uttering? Do you see the difference. He died for my sins is meaningless unless I know what it means that he died for my sins. That’s not ‘adding to the gospel’…that’s understanding the gospel we’re reciting.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Now, about the second part of the question your friend raises. A person doesn’t have to understand ‘right division’ in order to understand ‘the gospel’ Paul preached. I’m sure there are those who think Peter was preaching what Paul was preaching because they don’t understand ‘right division’. The question would be ‘does the person who does not understand right division’…understand Paul’s gospel? If they do and they believe it…they are saved regardless of what they believe about Peter or water baptism. However, if they think that water baptism saves….that’s another story! Right division doesn’t save, believing Paul’s gospel saves! Of course, spiritual growth (an issue of the Bema, or Judgment Seat of Christ) most certainly depends upon understanding the Bible rightly divided. A person can be saved and not spiritually mature. But ‘spiritual maturity’ is something believers are called to…according to Paul. Hope this answers your friends questions. Let me know how it works out.
Curt
This newsletter was sent out, by mail, to those who are on Curt Crist’s subscriber list. In case you want his e-mail; Welcometograce.com
Enjoy.
A LETTER FROM DANIEL, A LISTENER IN NORWAY
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU PASTOR CRIST, CONCERNING THE GREAT WHITE
THRONE JUDGMENT. I WROTE SOMETHING TO ANOTHER GRACE BELIEVER AND
HE DIDN’T AGREE WITH ME. HE QUOTED REVELATION 20:12 WHICH STATES:
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their WORKS.
YES, HE STATED, CHRIST DIED FOR EVERYONE’S SINS BUT ONLY THOSE THAT BELIEVE AND TRUST THE GOSPEL HAVE THAT FORGIVENESS ATTRIBUTED TO THEM.
ACCORDING TO THIS GUY, GOD IS STILL HOLDING THE SINS AGAINST EVERY INDIVIDUAL THAT ISN’T SAVED, WHICH MEANS HE’S STILL IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO THEM. THIS SOUNDS CONTRARY TO 2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-21. DO YOU HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THIS? THANKS BROTHER! DANIEL
My reply:
Just because God’s justice has been resolved concerning a person’s sins does not mean that person possesses the very righteousness of God himself. The problem is, God cannot dwell with anyone who fails to measure up to his righteous standard! People read the word ‘works’ there in Revelation 20:12 and they automatically assume that ‘works’ in this passage refers to ‘sins’. I believe it is talking about ‘works of righteousness’. See if this same word translated ‘works’ in revelation 20:12 sounds right, (when read the way it’s often translated), as we consider these statements from the Apostle Paul:
Titus 3:5 Not by works (sins?) of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Titus 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works (sins?) for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
…and let’s be careful not to leave out Ephesians 2:8-9 where Paul wrote..
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works (sins?), lest any man should boast.
You see, the word ‘works’ in these statements is the same word translated ‘works’ in Revelation 20:12, so the word ‘works’ is not always referring to works of unrighteousness as many presuppose (see 2 Timothy 1:9). This is why Paul said that he did not want to be found in his own righteousness which is of the law. Law keeping works were abundant in Paul’s day, as they are in ours! The problem was…Paul’s works of righteousness were insufficient to merit Paul a righteous standing before the Lord (Philippians 3:6-8, Galatians 2:16, 3:10):
Philippians 3:6-8
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we have believed IN Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
The books will be opened at the great white throne judgment, but those in attendance will be judged because their ‘righteous works’ do not measure up to God’s righteousness (his glory; Romans 3:23). Therefore, the decree will be that they cannot dwell with God. As Paul stated in his letter to the saints at Thessalonica, these people will face the sentence of ‘everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord’. There will indeed be ‘weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth’, just as it will be in the kingdom program when the unbelievers of that day find they are not allowed into the presence of their promised ‘King’ (Luke 13:28). Cast out of the Lord’s presence forever! What conscious torment that will be! The bible says, “where their worm dieth not”, and (where) the fire is not quenched”.
I believe what this person is actually saying, is this, Daniel…
“Yes, Christ died for everyone’s sins, but only those who believe and trust the gospel will have their sins actually paid for.” If this is true, then how can God be telling us (through Paul) that we’re to tell those who are lost that God is no longer counting their sins against them because he counted them against his son at Calvary?
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
How can we take the good news message to the lost world, that God is not imputing their trespasses unto them, if God is indeed continuing to count the sins of the lost against them until they believe? Do you see the inconsistency? Does that not sound like ‘religious confusion’ to you? Sure does to me!
Should Paul not rather have said, go to the lost world and say…God hasn’t really reconciled you to himself yet! Thus, Christ didn’t really pay for your sins yet! So, God is continuing to count your sins against you! But if you believe, then, and only then, will Christ’s payment be satisfactory to God the father where your sins are concerned!
Should Paul not have said, “tell the world that god is indeed counting their sins against them, and will continue to do so, until they believe”? You can see how this goes totally contrary to our ambassadorship as God stated it through Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
Why did many in Israel’s program fail to enter into their promised land?
Hebrews 4:6 says they entered not in because of UNBELIEF. (notice, it does NOT say, they entered not in because they had too many sins to be permitted into the land; those with the fewest sins ‘got the property’. No! they entered not in because of UNBELIEF.
I know I’m being facetious, but i do so to make a point. At the great white throne judgment, those present will be refused a dwelling place in the presence of the Lord for all eternity because of unbelief in what had already been accomplished at Calvary where ‘their sins’ were concerned! Christ paid for those sins and God the father has already accepted the payment for those sins as the author of Hebrews so clearly tells Israel, in:
Hebrews 9:25-26
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Unfortunately Daniel, there are many who refuse to believe in what Christ’s cross-work actually accomplished. Even the pope states that Christ died for his sins, and was buried, and then rose again from the dead. The problem the pope has is the same problem from which the religious world suffers. While they believe in a death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they fail to understand what the ‘for my sins’ part of Paul’s gospel is all about! They refuse to acknowledge that Christ’s death at Calvary actually resolved God’s justice where the sins he died for are concerned. They continue to hang on the notion that God is hanging on to their sins! How sad!
In other words, the sins Christ paid for have not really been paid for at all! God is going to continue to hold on to those sins and keep imputing them to a person until that person comes to belief. Christ has simply stored up some credit these folks can access when they so choose is the idea of ‘religianity’. This renders Christ’s payment for sin ‘a partial payment’, a ‘down payment’, or a ‘future payment’ at best…rather than ‘a completed and satisfactory payment’ as the bible tells us is true!
If what this person has written is true, Daniel, Christ’s death at Calvary did not resolve God’s justice at all! When Christ said ‘it is finished’ (paid in full), should he not have said…’paid in part’? Future payment to made at the point of a person’s belief? You see what ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) who short-change the ministry of reconciliation by short-changing the accomplishments of the cross have instilled in the minds of those who (like the pope) continue to hang on to the notion that God has ‘not’ reconciled the world unto himself as he has said; he only reconciles believers to himself. (Very close to the calvinist idea, is it not? If the truth is known, Daniel, this is really what lies at the core of the reconciliation issue).
Of course, these folks will oftentimes want to turn ‘belief’ into a ‘work’ but scripture fully refutes that idea. Faith is not a work. There is a work concerning those who ‘have faith’. Rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) is one of those works and that work will be judged at the BEMA (judgment seat) of Christ for reward or the loss of reward, not at the great white throne judgment. ‘Faith itself’ is not a work. Satan’s ministers of righteousness are doing a great job in blinding people’s eyes to the reality of what was actually accomplished for all by Christ at Calvary.
The fact is, God has ALREADY reconciled the world unto himself ‘in his mind’ according to the word of God itself. 2 Corinthians 5:18 states as much. God could not have had Paul state it any more clearly than he has! It’s religious individuals who are not reconciled to that fact in their minds:
Colossians 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
Until they believe Paul’s gospel to be true for themselves, they will not be placed ‘into the person of Jesus Christ’ by the baptizing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and not being ‘baptized into christ’ means these folks are standing in their own righteousness rather than Christ’s righteousness.
This will be the problem at the great white throne judgment, the people there will be dressed in ‘fig leaves’ (their own righteous works – Revelation 20:12), just like Adam was dressed in his, and thus they will be judged to reside throughout eternity in a conscious state of ‘everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord’. Why again? Not because God’s justice had not been totally resolved where their sins were concerned, but because they had rejected the one who resolved that justice. They had rejected the one who died having already paid for their sins. The sin issue has been resolved in its entirety. The gift of salvation has been purchased for all. God will not collect a debt twice! The question is…’will the people of the world for whom the gift was purchased accept the gift’?
A LETTER FROM NORWAY, CONCLUSION….
To accept Paul’s gospel, one must believe that Christ’s cross-work resolved the issue of their sins in the mind of the one to whom the payment for their sins was made; God the father! This is what 2
Corinthians 5:18-21 is telling us. To believe this good news is to be reconciled in your mind (Colossians 1:21), not in God’s. His mind has already been reconciled in that he has counted his son to be sin for the entire human race;
1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
At the point of a person’s belief, that individual is ‘joined to Christ’, thus having Christ’s righteousness freely imputed to their account.
Daniel’s friend seems to believe that Christ satisfied God’s justice for him because he has believed the Gospel, but that Christ’s cross-work has not really satisfied God’s justice for those who have not believed. This would not make this person unsaved because he has indeed trusted that Christ died for his sins, but it surely puts him squarely in the camp of the calvinist’s concept of ‘limited atonement’. I hope he can see this goes entirely contrary to the clear testimony of scripture as given us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. Why alter God’s word?!
Many, in the religious world today, believe the message set forth by ‘ministers of righteousness’. I sincerely hope he reads the passage in 2 Corinthians over and over again until he allows the truth Paul is revealing there to become ‘truth to him’. His faithful role as an ambassador for Christ, ‘telling the world’ that God has already reconciled them unto himself through the cross-work of his son and is therefore not imputing their trespasses unto them…is dependent upon it. This is the best news the world could ever hear. This is what makes Paul’s gospel the ‘good news’ that it truly is!
No, Daniel, Christ did not become a ‘storage tank for sins’; he is not hanging on to some of those sins for a future day when God will snatch them back off of his son and punish them yet again on someone else! Christ’s cross-work was a ‘justice resolution accomplishment’ for ‘all the sins he bore at Calvary’. Since he died for the sins of all according to the Apostle Paul, people will not be in hell for the sins Christ paid for, they will be in hell for their unbelief in (and thus their rejection of) the one who paid for them! Let’s hope your friend comes to accept Paul’s good news for the good news it truly is!
We know there was ‘an earth’ that was God’s house when Lucifer was the covering cherub. (edition 1)
When Lucifer rebelled, that earth was ‘cursed’. God’s brightness had left and darkness was upon the face of the deep. (edition 1 in a cursed condition)
Then, God revisited (didn’t dwell upon), but revisited the earth; let their be light) and prepared it for the first man. (The redemptive creation in 6 days might be considered edition 2). God had to prepare the earth for it’s human inhabitants.
After Adam’s rebellion, the earth became cursed once again. (edition 2 in a cursed condition)
Not the same as the first judgment with Lucifer’s rebellion, but in a cursed state nonetheless. Thorns and thistles, along with an animal kingdom that became carnivorous. Man had to toil to make the earth produce. A food ‘chain’ now necessary.
During the millennium, the curse will be partially lifted on the earth (edition 2, in a renewed fashion). The animal kingdom and the human creation will once again live in harmony. The extent of this renovation we’re not really told.
Then, after the millennium, there will be new heavens and a new earth (edition 3). One thing we’re told about the new earth is that will be no more sea. (Of course, the inhabitants with new spiritual bodies will not need water for survival as we need now). There will also be no more need of the sun, the moon, or the stars for light, because the God of the universe will light it. The same will be true in the millennium according to scripture as the Lamb will be the light of the New Jerusalem (Israel’s inhabitance). It’s my ‘opinion’ that the earth (3rd edition) will be like the earth (1st edition), but I couldn’t prove that by any means.
There’s so much we can only speculate about because the Bible doesn’t fill in ALL the blanks. In the previous (redemptive) creation, God refashioned the earth to sustain man. That earth was ‘divinely altered’ by Adam’s rebellion. It will be divinely renewed for the millennium. (Same earth but God will do the altering)
The new heavens and the new earth, I believe, will be ‘the same earth’, but in a much different form. God will divinely alter the elements, but it will still be called ‘earth’.
E-mail, Curt Crist. October-14-2010:
The expression ‘from the foundation of the world’ is only used in connection with God’s
program with Israel. That makes sense, in that Israel’s was ‘an earthly program’ and God’s
refashioning of the earth’ was done so that God could ‘repossess it’. Remember, God had
dwelt upon ‘earth’ prior to the refashioning of the earth in Genesis 1. The earth had been
God’s throne room. (See the lesson #108 ‘Why Two Programs’). Since God has given the territory of
his original throne room (Eden) to Israel, it only stands to reason that the statement ‘From the
foundation of the world’ would be used in connection with the earthly program. However,
before the foundation of the world, God had ‘the Body of Christ’ (His heavenly program with
those who have a heavenly citizenship) in mind. Thus, the expression ‘before the foundation
of the world’ in light of the mystery revealed to and through the new apostle, Paul.
E-mail, Curt Crist. April-20-2010.
The Bible talks about a new heavens and a new earth. Even though this is to be the case,
Israel has been promised the earth ‘forever’. Therefore, I believe they will still enjoy a
citizen on the earth (albeit the new earth) when that new earth is established. When the earth
that is to come (the new earth) is established, I believe it will be like the earth that was prior to
Lucifer’s rebellion. In otherwords, I do not believe it will be like the earth during Adam’s day
(an earth that had been refashioned from the earth Lucifer was on), but the earth as it was when
Lucifer was actually performing in his role as the ‘anointed cherub that covereth’. How beautiful and
magnificent was that first earth? We can only imagine. The curse will be partially lifted when the
millennial reign comes into effect. What will it be like when it is is entirely refashioned? Will there
be an animal creation? There will certainly be an animal creation during the millennium.
But, what about for the ‘new earth’? Will that animal creation be able to communicate with man?
Who knows the answer to all these things? We can only speculate. But aren’t they interesting
things to ponder?
Romans 14:10-12
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me [Paul], as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
E-mail, Curt Crist. May 5-2010.
Every grace-age believer will stand before ‘the Judgment Seat of Christ’ (Also called ‘The Bema’).
This judgment is not for sin, but for ‘our work of faith’, our ‘labor of love’ and our ‘patience of hope’. Sins were judged at the cross and therefore, will not be judged again. Our Savior bore them upon himself at Calvary, satisfying God’s justice for them. The judgement believers will undergo is not a judgment for sins, but for our work of faith (that’s how we study the Word of God rightly divided), our ‘labor of love’ (that’s how we relate to one another as fellow members of the Body of Christ) and our ‘patience of hope’ (this has to do with believers who are suffering, putting their patient hope on display (through) that suffering. The statement about ‘according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad’…is in the context of ‘good for reward’ or ‘bad’ (non-reward worthy).This is not a judgment about ‘sins’ but to see the reward-worthiness of the believer. The word ‘fire’ in the expression of ‘the fire will try every man’s works’ is a reference to the refining judgment of God. In other words, it is God who will judge. His judgment is oftentimes referred to as ‘fire’ because ‘fire refines’. God will (in a sense) hit the delete button and all that is non-reward worthy will be deleted to never go into heaven in order to be a ‘look at what I brought’ or ‘look at how I deserve to be here’ testimony. Again, it is not for ‘sins’. Our ‘work of faith’, ‘labor of love’ and ‘patience of hope’ will either stand the test of being ‘good’ (reward-worthy) or ‘bad’ (non-reward worthy). But, rest assured, all your ‘sins’ were already placed upon the Savior at Calvary and he bore them on your behalf. And the good news is, God never collects a debt twice. Christ PAID for you sins. This should motivate us all the more to love him and to serve him by serving others.
E-mail, Curt Crist. September 9-2010
Our ‘work of faith’, of course, has to do with our study of God’s Word in the manner He prescribed through Paul. I believe that most people who have trusted in the finished cross-work of Christ know nothing of the tool of ‘right division’ (2 Timothy 2:15). When they are told about it, they either are open to hear and learn more, or they are closed to that aspect of Paul’s ministry and therefore, not worthy of reward at the Bema. A failure of proper study of His Word is a failure to glory Him in this life. Those who are aware of Paul’s exhortation, and study in the proper manner, by their very study, enable the Holy Spirit to work through their lives on behalf of others who need to learn about it also.
Our labor of love is all about ‘agape’. Here again, its not about ‘reformation’, but about ‘transformation’. The bottom line, again, is our intake of the Word rightly divided. As we take in the Word, that Word is able to ‘transform our thinking’, such that ‘transformed thinking’ begins to manifest itself through transformed ‘relating’. It becomes more about ‘who we have become’, rather than about ‘who we are tying to be’. The more we know about ‘who we were apart from Christ’, and ‘who God made us to be ‘in Christ’, the more we see our own ‘human sin-nature bent’. And thus, the more we can see ‘why’ folks who have not believed the gospel are functioning in the manner they are. The only thing working in their lives is the flesh. And none of us should expect and ounce of goodness (without self attached to it) from the flesh. Unsaved people can do ‘good things’, but only from earthly perspective, because ‘self-elevation’, ‘self-protection’, ‘self-accolades’ lie at the root. God is able to see through all that we think we’ve done for Him that is really ‘self-serving’, rather than God-serving. This is why I believe that most of the Bema rewards will be in those things of which we’re least aware.
Our patience of hope has to do with Romans chapter 8 and being strengthened with His might in the ‘inner man’, rather than trying to get God to alter the circumstances of our outer man. Most folks who consider themselves “Christians” are continually praying for God to ‘fix’ the outer, rather than to strengthen the inner (which, again, comes from a proper intake of doctrinal truth’). The degree of our ‘work of faith’, ‘labor of love’ and ‘patience of hope’ that comes from our staying in, and our study of, His Word, is the degree to which we are glorifying God in the here and now. Paul tells us that our rewards at the Bema (that which remains) will be the degree to which we will be an eternal reflection of His glory through eternity future. In a sense, we could say, the ‘reflection factory of God’s glory’ believers are in ‘this life’, will be directly related to the reflection factory (monument) of God’s glory…they’ll be in heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he [God; The Father] hath made him [Jesus Christ; God’s only begotten son, God in the flesh] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Many (including right dividers) have thought that when Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 that God has reconciled the world to Himself…that only includes the believers of this present age of grace, and that the sins of those ‘not of this dispensation’ are still be counted against them. Not so! God was in Christ reconciling ‘the world’ unto himself. The first thing this tell us is that ‘ALL PEOPLE’ in ‘ALL LOCATIONS’ have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son. Now, the second issue that must be addressed is this: does this mean that God is not ‘counting the sins of the world’ unto the world…ONLY IN THIS DISPENSATION? The answer to this can be found in the reason God gives as to ‘WHY’ He is not counting the sins of the world unto the world. Verse 21 gives us the reason. He counted those sins to His Son! Therefore, His justice has been satisfied for all the sins Christ died for. Which leads us to ask…’how many sins did God put upon His Son’? Only the sins of the folks of ‘the dispensation of grace’? Or, did Christ pay for ‘all the sins of the human race’ (past people, present people, and future people) when he took the sins of the world upon himself at Calvary? You see, the way God designed to take care of ‘ALL THE SINS OF ALL TIME’ was to have His Son die for them. Christ didn’t die for the folks of ‘one dispensation only’. He paid for the sins of all the folks of all dispensations. Of course, this was not revealed to the folks of other dispensations as it has been revealed to us through Paul. God gave ‘pictures’ (called shadows) to the folks before this dispensation ‘through the sacrificial system’ which only God knew ‘pointed to Christ’. Keep in mind, that even Adam had a picture he didn’t understand when Christ provided (and slew) a sacrifice for Adam’s rebellion. Without the shedding of blood, scripture tells us, there is NO remission. So, sacrifices for sin (in time past) was merely a picture that God knew pointed to the future death of his Son Jesus Christ. In the case of Israel, the high priest brought two goats to the tabernacle; one was slain as a sacrifice and one was released (the scapegoat). Thus ‘atonement’ was made for the sins of the entire congregation of Israel, once every year. God did not hold the sins of the people of time past against them…if the appropriate sacrifice was brought by the high priest. Of course, Christ became ‘the better sacrifice’ we’re told in scripture. He entered ‘once’ for ‘all’ the writer to the Hebrews stated, never having need to offer himself again. Christ died not only for the sins of ‘ALL PEOPLE’, but for the sins of ‘ALL THE PEOPLE OF ALL THE AGES’. The issue for the folks of time past as well as the folks of this dispensation…is an issue of ‘righteousness’. How can a person who has had his sins paid for become ‘perfectly righteous’ before God? Through ‘taking God at His Word’ scripture tells us, called ‘faith’. This was true for every age as well. It’s just that what God told the people of time past to believe was changed or enhanced as scripture was progressively revealed. Just keep in mind, once the appropriate sacrifice was brought, the sin for which that sacrifice was brought was no longer held against the one for whom it was brought. The good news for us (which the author of Hebrews told Israel) is that the sacrifice for our sins…was Christ and that offering was for ALL…so we don’t have to worry about ‘new sins’ and having a new sacrifice for those sins…brought over and over. This speaks volumes about people thinking they have to ask for forgiveness over and over again…does it not?
“Now, in the last half of verse 18, Paul gives his goal and his mission. He’s telling us why Christ had wrought these things through him.
Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
“To make the Gentiles obedient”…now that’s an interesting statement. Obedient to what? What is it that Paul was trying to get the Gentiles to obey? Did you know that Paul identifies this very clearly for us here? Most folks would think “the law, he’s trying to get the Gentiles be obedient to the law”. Not at all! Paul explains very clearly what he wants them to believe and to be obedient to.
In Romans 1 and 16, Paul tells us what he wants the Gentiles to obey. It’s very important to see this, because there are a lot of folks, as I said, who would say “let’s obey the word of God”, but they don’t bother to identify what portion of the word of God is meant for their obedience. They just lump it all together, and they come out with some sort of convoluted conglomeration of two very different programs, mixed altogether. Paul doesn’t make a mistake here, he very clearly identifies what the Gentiles are to obey.
Romans 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
For obedience to what does it say here? For obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name. When you see the definite article “THE faith”, Paul has a specific belief system in place. He’s not talking about faith in general. He’s not talking about believing that there was a man named Jesus Christ. Paul identifies two things here “by whom we have received grace”. What kind of grace? We know from Paul’s other writings, he’s talking about the distinctive grace that was given him. What grace is it Paul?
Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Not only was a special dispensation committed to Paul, he was given that unique and special apostleship concerning that special dispensing, that he was to be doing. He mentions both there in Romans 1! So what does he want the Gentiles to be obedient to? THE faith! What he’s telling us here, is that we Gentiles in this dispensation are to obey that message of grace that was given to Paul for us. We’re to obey the message of grace that Paul preached. That’s why Paul said numerous times “be ye followers together of me”. That’s what we’re to obey.
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
This is the unique truth for this age! It’s called the mystery/ the secret.. Paul called it ‘the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery’.
Romans 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
It was always the obedience of faith! It was never anything other than the obedience of faith. It wasn’t obedience to the law of Moses, in order to get those folks saved. It was simply the obedience of faith; it was taking God at his word. It has always been taking God at his word, but if God told you to do something to prove that you are taking him at his word, you would definitely do that thing. Today he’s telling us;
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
God is not giving you things today, in order for you to have an opportunity to prove or disprove that you’re taking him at his word. Today our service comes not out of apprehension to any of those things. Our service today comes based solely on our appreciation for what Christ has already done. Christ fulfilled the law for us, so we are identified with the righteousness of Christ the moment we take God at his word; obedient to the faith, concerning what Christ accomplished on our behalf. Paul called it the ministry of reconciliation. We should all understand what it is. God is reconciled where the sins of the world are concerned. Why? Because he imputed those sins to Christ, that all who would believe what he imputed to Christ, that that resolved the sin issue forever, would be joined to the person of his Son and have his righteousness freely counted to them, or imputed to their account. That’s what we are to obey today; the obedience of faith, the message committed to the apostle of the Gentiles, the apostle Paul. Paul was given that unique body of truth for the age of grace. So you see, when Paul talks about his task here, in chapter 15, as that of making the Gentiles obedient, he’s not talking about obedience to the law of Moses. He’s talking about obedience in regard to his special unique message and apostleship. He’s not talking about obedience to all the Old Testament rules and regulations, or obedience to the religious rituals and practices connected with God’s program with the nation Israel, in connection with their promise of the land. He’s talking about obedience to the Pauline Revelation.”
Join us for ‘Welcome to grace’, where we will discover together the distinctiveness of Paul’s Apostleship, through the rightly divided word of truth. Now, join pastor and Bible teacher Curt Crist, as we explore the unsearchable riches of Christ!
Our text for our study today will come from chapter 15, verses 15 through 23, in the book of Romans. We’re jumping away from Philippians and Acts. We’re in the book of Romans, we’ll read the entire passage to get the overall view and then we’ll start our study.
Romans 15:15-23
15 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,
16 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.
17 I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:
21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.
22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.
23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you;
When we go through the epistle here, verse by verse, we come to those sections where it seems there’s so much detail, but this detail here pertains to what what Paul was doing in the book of Acts. It jumps out at us, because we see why some of the things are taking place in the Acts period.
How many have had the opportunity to help with put out a brush fire? I [Curt] remember those days (this was long ago for me, as I was growing up, about 10 years old, and we lived in a town called Zephyrhills, Florida. Brush fires were a common thing. Somebody would go out, and they would burn the garbage, and wind would come up…flat land and plenty of dead brush and before long it was out of hand and everybody was running to grab a broom, a towel, whatever they could find help to put out that brush fire. It would happen, and it would happen quite often, and then before long the fire trucks would come in, they would help also. Anything to keep that fire from spreading, because there was nothing in its way but dead brush. The interesting thing about trying to fight a brush fire, is that they would run along in front, the fire truck would arrive and they’d hit the patch in front of where all the men were lined up putting out the fire, but as soon as you moved on, just a little ways, what would happen? You would be looking back (I understand it’s the same thing that happens with large forest fires today) and what you thought was put out, has jumped up again, and now somebody is having to run back and put out a new brush fire and to get that fire under control. So it was always someone’s responsibility to keep an eye out behind them. What’s happening behind us? Is there a flare up that we need to take care of. Most pastors can tell you today, (I [Curt] can certainly attest today) that putting out hot spots, as we would call them, is one of the occupational hazards of the ministry that we have, as ambassadors of grace. There’s an occasional need to put out a brush fire too. One pastor said “I spend a lot of time putting out fires. I try to help solve a little problem here, or a little problem over there, and I think I’ve taking care of it. Well, back on track again and just when I began working in a different area, I find that the first problem I thought had been resolved has popped up all over again.” How does this play into what we’ve been looking at so far, in the study of the book of Acts and Paul’s statement…three times; ‘be followers of me’? Well, the Apostle Paul had his share of brush fires. When you go through an epistle (verse by verse) and you come to see those sections where it seems ‘you’ve already covered much of the detail, sitting in those sections’. Some folks say “well, have we not covered that already?” or “you’re repeating yourself here and there”. It’s because brush fires keep cropping up, when it comes to the people who hear our message, just as they did in Paul’s day. “What about this, what about that passage, what’s happening here, what’s happening there?” It’s interesting, and not only interesting, but crucial that we understand why things are happening and taking place in the book of Acts. Well, this is one of those passages we’re looking at today. We’ll try to glean all we can from the seven verses here, and see what’s happening. Paul is putting out what we might call hot spots. He’s back trying to get the blaze under control. Based upon what we’ve seen so far, he found it necessary to fight these brush fires, concerning his unique ministry and message in the age of grace, over and over again. God gave to Paul a special ministry and God is validating it, through Paul and the things that Paul is doing. Paul is having to repeat himself as to his unique role and ministry in the age of grace. Paul is grabbing what I call the doctrinal extinguisher, to challenge that had sprung up regarding the authority of his apostleship. God validated Paul’s apostleship. God made it easy for the folks to see, during that Acts period, the validity of Paul’s ministry and message, so Paul grabs the canister, he has got the canister in hand here; doubt quenching foam of the truth we might call it, and he’s ready to spray it on these hotspots that have come up.
Romans 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:
Jesus Christ came in relation to God’s program and plan with Israel, for the earth. He came confirming those promises to the fathers. He was a Jew under Law and he came in connection with the Jews under law, teaching them what they had not gained through their performance, which was righteousness. He was pushing them forward to understand that truth, and confess that they had never earned their righteousness through their performance. When we come to Romans 15:8 we see Paul saying “ Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” . That goes hand-in-hand with Christ’s statement in;
Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
In contrast to that now, after the Jewish nation rejected their King (we’ve been watching it in Acts), God in his grace set that program on the shelf. He didn’t do away with it entirely, he just pushed it forward, he postponed it. He set it on the shelf for a time, and he reached out to the leader of the rebellion against him; Saul of Tarsus, and he saved him. He made him to be a minister, and he calls himself the minister of the uncircumcision (I should say the Holy Spirit called Paul that). Notice the contrast in verse 16, where Paul says;
Romans 15:16 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.
The gospel of God, not the good news of the impending kingdom, not the gospel of the kingdom. That program had been pushed aside.
What was the gospel of God? Jesus Christ was alive; he had risen from the dead! They had crucified him, he had died, he was buried, he had risen from the dead. He was the Son of the living God. The deity of Jesus Christ.
On the one hand, Christ ministered to the Jews. That was during his earthly ministry, but they rejected their land and the kingdom that was promised to them, and now God begins a brand-new program, with a brand-new apostle; the apostle Paul. That’s where we find ourselves in verse 16 here. Paul has begun to apply the canister of the truth of his unique and special Gentile apostleship, and he’s doing it in one of the epistles that he wrote during that Acts period. In the next three verses, 17 through 19, the doctrine that is going to come out of this fire extinguishing canister, we could say, is doctrine that concerns Paul’s power. Where did he get the power to perform his ministry?
Romans 15:16-18
16 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.
17 I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
Based on Paul’s special commission, which he described in verse 16, he now goes on to give the reason that he has to glory, or to boast. Verse 17; “I have whereof I may glory”, in other words; “I have something special to boast about, I have a reason to boast”, but what does he have to boast about?
17 I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which [“I have personally accomplished”. Is that what it says? Is Paul boasting about his own personal achievements here in this passage? Not what the verse states at all. Paul had a reason to boast alright, but notice why:] pertain to God.
You see, this has nothing to do with the power of Paul, but with the things which were accomplished through Paul, by someone else. Who was that someone else?
Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
So Paul is de-emphasizing himself here, believe it or not. We tend to hang on to Paul; his ministry and message, we hold fast to the form of sound words that he taught teaching us, the Gentiles in an age of grace, a new dispensing given him by the ascended Lord of glory. We got to be very careful, because we will be accused of this, of not elevating Paul the man, of not worshiping Paul the man, of not being more desirous of Paul the man, than we are of being desirous of knowing our Savior in heaven. A lot of people do that, they say “I wanna go where Paul was”, and I’ve thought that myself, you know, no desire really to go Israel where Jesus walked. “I want to go where Paul walked”, but Paul did nothing that the ascended Christ did not empower him to do, and give him to do, in his unique ministry among the Gentiles. So the elevation is still of our ascended Lord of glory; Jesus Christ. Paul is de-emphasizing himself here, but he’s emphasizing Christ. He’s pointing them to the power behind his ministry, that’s what he’s doing here. Since they’re questioning his apostolic authority, he’s redirecting them to the power source of his ministry. After all his ministry had not been his idea, it had come from Christ himself, and there’s something else sitting here as well;
Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me [….“and the twelve before me”. Is that Paul’s statement? No, he doesn’t say that either.], to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
Paul is distinguishing between what Christ had wrought through him, and what Christ had been accomplishing or had accomplished through the 12 before him. So in other words; “I’m not going to talk about the accomplishments of the other apostles. I’m not going to talk about what they were doing or why they were doing it. Why not? Because he’s emphasizing his own distinctive ministry and message; his apostleship. Now on what basis do we say that?
Romans 15:19
19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
2 Corinthians 12:11-12
11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
In both passages Paul mentions mighty signs and wonders; the miraculous, but here in Romans 15 he says; “I’m not going to glory, or talk about the things that were wrought through others. Those mighty signs and wonders were different, they came from different people for a different purpose. I’m only going to glory in the things which Christ had wrought through me”. Because Paul is proud of himself? I think we all know better by now. Not because of that at all, but because he’s proud of the unique and special apostleship to which he had been called. A special office. Paul had a distinct ministry and he’s emphasizing his ministry in Romans.
Romans 15:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:
The 12 had preached Christ according to his kingship over Israel, and in connection with that land; the promised kingdom where the king would be ruling and reigning. Paul was preaching Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. Two quite different things! Two totally distinct and unique aspects of the very same foundation, the foundation behind both of those things: Jesus Christ. Now understand though, one being Christ as King of the earthly kingdom, and in connection with the land promised Israel. The other being Christ as head of the body, head of those with a heavenly citizenship. That would be believers of the age of grace. Same foundation; Jesus Christ, the foundation of both programs, but two distinctive and special aspects of that same foundation. Paul’s point is the that he never built upon the foundation that the 12 before him had set forth. That had not been Paul’s commission. In other words, he never went to kingdom saints, trying to convert those who had accepted Christ as Messiah, trying to convert those who were part of that earthly kingdom promised in that land, over into body of Christ Saints. There’s a very real good reason why the body of Christ is never called the bride of Christ in scripture, why you never see the bride of Christ mentioned by the apostle Paul. There’s a difference, but that’s another study. Paul never went to try to convert believers, those who accepted Christ’s Messiah ship, and change them over to body of Christ Saints. You don’t see him going to synagogue for that purpose. Paul went there to find unbelieving Jews where he could lay his foundation; according to the revelation of the mystery.
1 Corinthians 7:17-18
17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
This has to do with what was going on with those who were obeying the law, during the Acts period, who were part of Paul’s assemblies. It also has very much to do with kingdom saints not being converted over into the body of Christ assemblies.
1 Corinthians 7:19-20
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
Why?
It was not Paul’s purpose to preach to circumcision saints. Keep in mind that folks of both programs were living at the time Paul was writing these things. People who had been born under that law program were still alive. People who had been part of the earthly kingdom program were still alive. The earthly kingdom saints marching in place, in a sense, because their program nationally had been put on the shelf. Paul was not interested in reaching the circumcision saints with his message, not at all. The unbelieving of Jewish heritage, those folks were up for grabs as far as Paul was concerned, so Paul could try to bring them to a point of belief, and he did that. It was the first group he always approached when he went on his office journeys, but never did he try to make kingdom saints out of these unbelieving Jews he ministered to during the Acts period.
His interest was that he might might save some of them, as he said, that’s what they wanted to find. He wanted to find unbelieving Jews, who he could convert into body of Christ saints. That they might become members of his program, the program he was commissioned to lead. That’s his point in Romans, he’s saying “I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ had not wrought through my ministry”. Now there was another point here that can be made. Not only was Paul only reaching unbelieving Jews, not Jews of another program, but the purpose was for winning some of these unbelieving Jews over through jealousy. Things were happening to the Gentiles that were supposed to be happening to the Jews. This had been part of Peter’s program with the Jews, now some of these things were not only validating who Paul was and his apostleship, the Gentiles were saying “we’ve got to follow Paul, because his apostleship is being validated by the Holy Spirit”, not only that, but Jews where these things were supposed to be occurring and were not any longer, in connection with them getting their land, could be jealous that the Gentiles were being given what rightly belonged to the Jews. Not their land or their promise of an earthly kingdom, but some of the spiritual benefits that had belonged to the Jewish program.
Now, in the last half of verse 18, Paul gives his goal and his mission. He’s telling us why Christ had wrought these things through him.
Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
“To make the Gentiles obedient”…now that’s an interesting statement. Obedient to what? What is it that Paul was trying to get the Gentiles to obey? Did you know that Paul identifies this very clearly for us here? Most folks would think “the law, he’s trying to get the Gentiles be obedient to the law”. Not at all! Paul explains very clearly what he wants them to believe and to be obedient to.
In Romans 1 and 16, Paul tells us what he wants the Gentiles to obey. It’s very important to see this, because there are a lot of folks, as I said, who would say “let’s obey the word of God”, but they don’t bother to identify what portion of the word of God is meant for their obedience. They just lump it all together, and they come out with some sort of convoluted conglomeration of two very different programs, mixed altogether. Paul doesn’t make a mistake here, he very clearly identifies what the Gentiles are to obey.
Romans 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
For obedience to what does it say here? For obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name. When you see the definite article “THE faith”, Paul has a specific belief system in place. He’s not talking about faith in general. He’s not talking about believing that there was a man named Jesus Christ. Paul identifies two things here “by whom we have received grace”. What kind of grace? We know from Paul’s other writings, he’s talking about the distinctive grace that was given him. What grace is it Paul?
Ephesians 3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Not only was a special dispensation committed to Paul, he was given that unique and special apostleship concerning that special dispensing, that he was to be doing. He mentions both there in Romans 1! So what does he want the Gentiles to be obedient to? THE faith! What he’s telling us here, is that we Gentiles in this dispensation are to obey that message of grace that was given to Paul for us. We’re to obey the message of grace that Paul preached. That’s why Paul said numerous times “be ye followers together of me”. That’s what we’re to obey.
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
This is the unique truth for this age! It’s called the mystery/ the secret.. Paul called it ‘the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery’.
Romans 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
It was always the obedience of faith! It was never anything other than the obedience of faith. It wasn’t obedience to the law of Moses, in order to get those folks saved. It was simply the obedience of faith; it was taking God at his word. It has always been taking God at his word, but if God told you to do something to prove that you are taking him at his word, you would definitely do that thing. Today he’s telling us;
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
God is not giving you things today, in order for you to have an opportunity to prove or disprove that you’re taking him at his word. Today our service comes not out of apprehension to any of those things. Our service today comes based solely on our appreciation for what Christ has already done. Christ fulfilled the law for us, so we are identified with the righteousness of Christ the moment we take God at his word; obedient to the faith, concerning what Christ accomplished on our behalf. Paul called it the ministry of reconciliation. We should all understand what it is. God is reconciled where the sins of the world are concerned. Why? Because he imputed those sins to Christ, that all who would believe what he imputed to Christ, that that resolved the sin issue forever, would be joined to the person of his Son and have his righteousness freely counted to them, or imputed to their account. That’s what we are to obey today; the obedience of faith, the message committed to the apostle of the Gentiles, the apostle Paul. Paul was given that unique body of truth for the age of grace. So you see, when Paul talks about his task here, in chapter 15, as that of making the Gentiles obedient, he’s not talking about obedience to the law of Moses. He’s talking about obedience in regard to his special unique message and apostleship. He’s not talking about obedience to all the Old Testament rules and regulations, or obedience to the religious rituals and practices connected with God’s program with the nation Israel, in connection with their promise of the land. He’s talking about obedience to the Pauline Revelation. Now, in verse 18 and 19, Paul gives three methods that he used to lead the Gentiles to obedience; to believe in his unique apostleship and message.
Romans 15:18-19
18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
There they are, the three things the Holy Spirit, through Paul, used as validations of his ministry. First of all he said by word, now what would that mean? Well, this would have to do with Paul’s preaching, teaching and proclamation of the revelations he was receiving from the ascended Christ. See how Paul is extinguishing a possible brush fire here, as far as his unique apostolic authority is concerned. That’s his point. He went from town to town proclaiming the truth, that was committed to him by the ascended Lord of glory. Part of becoming obedient is hearing the word of God.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
That’s why I like to use a lot of scripture in my teaching. It’s the word of God, that does the work of God! It’s the word of God that effectually works in the believer, who takes it in and accepts it as true. The fact of the matter is, the more we’re exposed to the word of God rightly divided, the more we become established or built up in faith. That’s what Paul meant by making the Gentiles obedient by word. Now let’s say somebody receives the word, they understand Paul’s unique ministry and message. They begin to understand the truth of reconciliation, but then they return to the denomination, to whatever belief system that that they’ve grown up under, where they like maybe the building, people, friendships, programs or the music and they sit under that for a while. What does that do to their obedience to the faith? The more we sit under untruth, the more we gravitate naturally toward that, rather than staying with what we are supposed to remain with, which is Paul’s words!
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.
I used to think we can sit and filter, but I no longer believe that. I don’t believe you can sit and filter out. I believe their untruth is more likely to rub off on you over a period of time, than your truth will ever rub off on those folks.
Second thing Paul says here is “by deed”. First was “by word”, he proclaimed to them the message they were to believe, the second here he says “by deed”. Now, we’ve been watching that, have we not(?), during the past several lessons. Paul not only preached, they had his life to look at. Paul never injured their consciences. He never taught against the things those folks of his his program, of this dispensation; grace age believers, Paul never taught against the Jews among them, who had their consciences tied to those things of the Jewish law. Paul not only preached, they could look at his his life and they could see that he had integrity; “this man speaks the truth, he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk”. Paul never abandon those things which the Jews who were among him, had linked to their consciences, they were linked to Paul’s, but what did he teach? “You’ll never gain your righteousness through the doing of these things, that wasn’t the purpose of the law in the first place”, so Paul not only preached, they had his life to look at. Paul not only preached to the Gentiles, he practiced what he preached in front of the Gentiles. Paul backed up his words with his life.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
It’s one thing to say “here’s what you ought to do”, it’s quite another thing to do what you ought to be doing. That comes from what again? Back to the word, as that word transforms our thinking, and now we’re doing something, not because we have to do it, or were supposed to do it, or because the pastor pointed out a new nine, or ‘the faithful five’ for members of the age of grace. That’s being done all over the place today, but that’s not why we do them. We do them because God has changed our thinking about himself, ourselves and others, as we take in his word and dwell on that. Practicing and preaching agape/charity go hand-in-hand with having agape-type thinking, through the transformation of our minds. That comes through staying in the word, relating to God and others, as that word changes the way we think about them. Paul led by example in that area. That’s why Paul could say “be followers together of me”. Paul was following Christ in the sense of wanting to be related and conformed to the image of Christ’s death, on behalf of serving others. “Do it the way I do it” Paul tells us, that’s leading by deed. He even goes as far to say ‘mark them, or single those folks out, who lead by the deed. Single those folks out that you can see have transformed thinking, and that transformed thinking has affected their doing. Single these folks out, they’re following my pattern’ Paul said, so we’ve got by word and we’ve got by deed, and finally in verse 19 of 20, notice what he states here:
Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
This third method of validation of Paul’s unique Gentile apostleship, and the authority of that apostleship, is a critical one to understand! There are those today who are using this very passage, to say that God is working miracles in the church of this dispensation, and they point us back to what was happening at Pentecost. If you say the church the body of Christ did not begin at Pentecost, it began with Paul, they lead you back to this passage. “Here!” and they say “Paul did it, did he not?!”, just like they lead us back to the baptisms. “If Paul is the apostle for this age and he performed miracles, then miracles are a valid test of a valid ministry” these folks would say, therefore they tell us that speaking in tongues and miraculous healings are legitimate practices for the church of this dispensation; the age of grace.
They’re ready to jump on the bandwagon with everything that comes down the pike, and they claim that as being from God! The word “power”, you’ll hear it over and over in ministries that have to do with money. I call it miracles for money, and it’s out there, it’s implied of nothing else. “Step out on faith” they say, “give from what you do not have and God will give it back to you”, so we have investment believers out there. Investment Christians…. “We’re gonna give to God to see how he makes what we gave him grow back, as he gives back to us”. What’s the motivation for that? What’s the motivation for your giving there? Is it that others would come to know the gospel of the grace of God, or is it to enrich self through what God gives back to you, because you’ve thrown your seed faith his way? Isn’t it interesting that our apostle says “give from your abundance”, he doesn’t say “give from what you don’t have”?! He says “give from your abundance”, but the preachers out there saying give from what you don’t have; “Step out on faith, make a pledge. God will have to make it good if you make the pledge” are putting their address on the money you plant. The money goes to them and they’re enriching themselves, and we can see it over, and over, and over again. People believing everything that happens today comes from God, how do we answer that? When Paul began his Gentile apostleship, yes God did perform miraculous manifestations at the hand of our apostle, but two things are crucial for us to understand, if we’re not to fall into the heresy of much of current day religianity. We’re going to spend the balance of our time right here. What about Paul’s miracles? Well, first let’s take a quick look at the miracles of the kingdom program. Signs, mighty works and miracles were part and parcel of the kingdom program, and the promise of the land. That was the natural place for the miraculous. Why again? Because God had made a covenant with Israel to do those things. To look at that we need to go back to the book of Exodus, to sort of set the stage here. In this passage Moses was talking to God about Israel being a stiff necked people. He’s asking God to pardon their sin. Notice what God tells him here:
Exodus 34:10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible [a literally awesome] thing that I will do with thee.
Here the nation Israel is having the miraculous performed. Why? So that the nations might see what’s happening to Israel, and would want what Israel has. What did Paul tell us was the reason that he was going to the Jews first? To provoke them to emulation, now so the Jews can see what’s being given to the Gentiles, and Paul is trying to save some of them. Not only is Paul’s ministry and message being validated as authentic by the Holy Spirit, but now Gentiles can see things happening among the Gentiles! The Jews might say “well, that’s part of our Old Testament promises”, and the Jews might be provoked to jealousy; to listen to the message the apostle Paul is preaching. The awesomeness of God would be manifest in both a positive and a negative way, in regards to his earthly people. We see the listing of blessings and cursings, sitting back in Leviticus 26. Israel had only to look at their present-day circumstances, and they could know whether or not they were in God’s favor. Tell me was Israel obedient or disobedient when it came to the covenant? They were disobedient! Over and over again they merited, not the blessings, but the curses. It’s interesting though, in spite of the clear promises of the covenant, they always cried out “Why me?! Why me?!” when calamity struck.
Judges 6:13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
What miracles would that be Gideon?! Well, what had God promised them?
Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight [that’s dealing with God according to the law contract], and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
What kind of diseases was he talking about, in relation to Israel’s covenant? It’s not a pretty picture!
Deuteronomy 28:27 The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
How would you like to go to your doctor today, have that thorough examination; puts a stethoscope on, sticks a light in your throat, looks in your ears, feels around the lymph nodes, and says “well, I’m afraid you got the botch of Egypt!”. It’s not something I want to hear! I don’t know what was, but I wouldn’t like my physician say “Oh my, I believe you have the botch of Egypt!”. I don’t know what it is, but I know I don’t want it. Is that health, wealth and prosperity? It’s what folks are preaching today, is it not?! The health, wealth and prosperity message, in regards to your planted seed faith….with the ministers address written on it! They had had to be in obedience to the contract, not partial obedience or lukewarm obedience, but solid obedience to how many of the commandments? All of them, if they’ve broken one, they’ve broken them all. How much health, wealth and prosperity did those folks earn or deserve, under their covenant?
Deuteronomy 28:59 Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful [or a wonderment, not good! ], and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
You see how important obedience to the contract was, and what God was showing them? “You’ll never be that obedient Israel! You swore falsely when you said you could do all these commandments, and that I could count you righteous according to your performance!” God is showing them their performance would never cut it. Disobedience to the covenant brought calamity upon calamity, when it came to human wealth and health. The best doctors around wouldn’t be able to cure them, according to verse 27, not even the best holistic physicians. No cure according to verse 27; “whereof thou canst not be healed”. The only one who could help these folks would be God himself, and in order for God to help them, they’d have to do what Leviticus 26:40 called for.
Leviticus 26:40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
They would have to confess that they had never lived up to the contract in the first place. They would have to confess the fathers before them had not lived up to the contract. Nowhere are they called upon, in connection with this confession, to list the sins they and the fathers before them did on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. I suppose they probably didn’t know all the individual sins the fathers before them had committed. I certainly don’t know mine. They were to confess that they had not lived up to the contract for righteousness, and neither had any one of the nation Israel obeyed that contract sufficiently, to merit the blessing side of the contract, nor to get their land. When they made that confession, God would have mercy and grace on them, when it came to that land. They would have to confess their iniquity. God gave them opportunity to do that, over and over again. When Christ came to minister to Israel, God gave them an opportunity to make that confession.
He had given them that opportunity when John came, prior to Christ. “Make that confession. Get back to the contract if you think you’re living up to it, be perfect under it!”. Were they perfect? No!
Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
…he kept injecting mercy and grace.
Paul comes along and what is he doing?
2 Corinthians 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
The same thing, not the same thing he was doing with Israel, but he was validating Paul’s ministry, message and apostleship, through the things that Paul was able to do, so that was reason number one; a validation of Paul’s ministry. With Israel’s rejection of the messengers, God set that program aside. He began a brand-new program through brand-new apostle, Paul, but here’s the thing; The Jews required a sign. Did they not always require a sign?
1 Corinthians 1:23-24
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
God dealt with those folks according to signs. The kingdom program put on the shelf, and now God is dealing with individual unbelieving Jews, through Paul, having set his program with Israel aside. What were those individual Jews being given to see? Signs, and they can believe that Paul is indeed telling them the truth when he talks about his ministry, his message. We need to understand that as long as those folks were alive, and they were alive during that 30 year Acts period, Kingdom saints and Jewish folks who had been born under that law contract, who would’ve known about those promises, but had previously thought they were living up to them, they could see that God was doing something unique through a new man/person. I think for Peter to see the Holy Spirit fall on Cornelius, before anything was said about the remission of sins at all, or any confession, Peter could see the miraculous taking place at the house of Cornelius, but other things took place in regard Paul and his ministry. The kingdom program was on hold, but Jews who had yet to believe that Christ what had risen from the dead, much less that he was the son of the living God; Israel’s promised Messiah, were still alive. Paul was trying to reach these folks, and God was dealing with these folks through Paul, and as these folks began to see these things were happening among Gentiles, they might be provoked to jealousy or emulation, to believe Paul and his message and to follow after. This is why Acts is called a transition period.
Some folks think it is a transition in the sense that that program is alive and well in God’s mind until Acts 28, but that program was set on the shelf when we come to chapter 9; the conversion of Saul/Paul. God is still reaching individual folks, who had been part of that sign program.
Paul went to the Jews who had a familiarity with and in most cases were steeped in that law program, they could see the promises and now these things were happening to Gentiles around them, through Paul no less. It was during this period, and only during this period, that the miraculous was evident in Paul’s program. You see, God’s word to the Gentiles concerning his mystery program had not yet been written. Paul had not written, at this point, his epistles. These folks couldn’t open their scriptures and read about their new apostle, or about the mystery, because Paul had not written his epistles yet. They couldn’t turn to Romans through Philemon, and see what what God had in store for them. They were going to need something, would they not? Wouldn’t they need to be able to prophesy, prior to the revelation through Paul’s writings, of what was happening in their day? They were given that gift, we see it in operation in Corinth, while folks who had been born under that (kingdom) program were still living. God validated his new messenger and the message. He validated Paul’s apostleship in the same manner that he validated the ministry of the other apostles, through the miraculous. He was not only validating the message of a new and unique apostle, he was sending information regarding this new program, to the assemblies of that new program, before Paul’s letters were written. We’ve got to understand some of these things, if our doctrine is to be be correct. It’s crucial that we understand that the manifestation of the miraculous was time-limited, and didn’t go on forever. The folks who’ve been born under that law program, and the promises of the miraculous, were dying out. It lasted no longer than the time during which the Jews who had been born under that program, were still alive, and no longer the time it took Paul to complete his letters to the church, which was Christ’s body. You see, those miracles ceased after that period of time. How do we know that? Well, we have the scriptural evidence to prove it! Let me show you the contrast here. Consider Paul during the time when those folks, who had been born under the that program, were still living. If you want to picture this, you might think of the mystery program as being in the embryonic state, kinda like the caterpillar before the butterfly emerges. The walk of faith program is alive and well, but it’s operating in a cocooned stage of its existence. The mystery scriptures are not yet available, that’s why I say it is in a cocooned stage of its existence.
Acts 9: Paul is saved.
Acts 14: He’s together with Barnabas, at Iconium.
Acts 14:1-3
1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they [Paul and Barnabas] went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.
2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
3 Long time therefore abode they [Paul and Barnabas] speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
Paul and the miraculous! A testimony of the authenticity of Paul’s apostleship, not only to the unbelieving Jews of the region, but also, as it says here, to the unbelieving Greeks. You see, during that time period Paul had the ability, through the Holy Spirit, to speak in previously unlearned languages (tongues), and also to heal the sick.
Acts 14:6-10
6 They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
7 And there they preached the gospel.
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
Authentication of Paul’s apostleship, message and ministry. The mystery program is in a “walk by faith, not by sight” cocoon, as this new program’s messenger is being validated by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:11-12
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Paul always went to unbelieving Jews first. His ministry and his message is being validated, but you see Gentiles were having the same things happen to them. When we come to the end of Paul’s ministry time, where Jews who had been born of that program and under the promises that program, were no longer there, were no longer living, what do we see Paul say? What does he tell Timothy, in 1 Timothy, as that period is winding down and those people are dying off.
1 Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
No prayer cloth! The cocoon is gone.
2 Timothy 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
We now have the completed word of God, for the dispensation in which we live; we have Paul’s epistles for the age of grace. The apostle makes it clear to us that for as long as this dispensation of God’s long-suffering and grace is in effect, we’re now subject to the sufferings of this present time. We have that in his epistles. In fact, to put it bluntly, because of the bondage of corruption, the status of our physical health is going to constantly vary. There are going to be times when we’re healthy. There are going to be times when we’re exactly the opposite. We’re going to be in and out of sicknesses, weaknesses and infirmities, according to Paul. Doesn’t sound anything at all like the time period prior to the completion of his epistles, to the age of grace.
Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
How many folks who are sick, and in their minds it’s worse perhaps than the botch of Egypt, how many folks have gone to the doctor, have heard the diagnosis, are suffering today, how many of those folks do you suppose are resting in 2 Corinthians 4:17 and Romans 8:18?
How many of us are looking to that hope, and not hope of recovering from a present-day circumstance? “For our light affliction”, what we’re going through in these 70 years; nothing! Most of us don’t go through anything until we’re in the latter years.
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul’s apostleship, ministry and message validated at the entrance of his ministry, during a period of time while people who were connected to that program, in their minds and by having been born under it, but had not accepted Christ as Messiah, were seeing that things were happening, not only among the Jews, but among the Gentiles at the hands of this new apostle. Certainly a validation of his ministry and his message, but likewise they, these Jews who had not accepted Paul’s message, could say “what’s happening to them, and why is it not happening to us?” Paul was in hopes of reaching some of these people, with the new message that God had given him. That’s why we see the things that are happening are happening, during that Acts period.
We’re not to go back to the beggarly elements, we’re not to go back and try to walk by sight, when Paul say you’re walking by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Thank you for joining with us in your endeavor to discover the truths in God’s Word. Pastor and teacher Curt Crist and the entire fellowship of Welcome to Grace Ministries, would like to thank you for your support of this ministry of Grace. If you’re enjoying the teachings and want to share with others, please write us at: Welcome to Grace Ministries, P.O. Box 90, Penrose, North Carolina 28766. You may call us toll free at 877-770-7098 or visit us on the web at http://www.welcometograce.com. Again, thank you for joining us, and we look forward to hearing from you.
*AGES TO COME (the future): Ephesians 2:7 (Hebrews thru Revelation). Also see "times past" and "but now".
*APOSTLE [apostolos]: A delegate/messenger/spokes man. The greek word "apostolos" was a military rank or title used to designate the commander-in-chief or admiral of the fleet. Paul is the apostle: commander-in-chief of and to the gentiles.
*BODY OF CHRIST: The one new man. The spiritual organism which is the church today. Had its beginning in Acts 9, when The Apostle Paul was saved (1 Timothy 1:16-17). Everyone who is saved is a member of the body of Christ. The second a lost person believes the Gospel of the grace of God, they're baptized BY the holy Spirit into the body of Christ; joined to and identified with the Saviour himself; his test scores (his righteousness, his faith) written on their paper. This baptism abolishes all national, social and sexual distinctions in Christ. Colossians 3:10-11.
*BUT NOW (the present: the dispensation of the grace of God): See Ephesians 2:13+. Acts 9 (Paul is saved on the road to Damascus) thru 28 & Romans thru Philemon. Also see "times past" and "ages to come".
*DISPENSATION [oikonomia]: Economy/administration/household/stewardship.
A God-revealed body of information and instructions given for man's obedience during a certain period of time.
*DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD/THE AGE OF GRACE: The dispensation we're living under right now. A mystery/secret/parenthetical. Revealed and given to the Apostle of and to the gentiles; Paul. Referred to as "but now" in Paul's epistles (Romans thru Philemon). God is not recognizing any nation above any other nation today. He's not dealing with A nation; Israel today, like he did in times past and will in the ages to come. God's focus today are individuals and forming the one new man, in Christ. Jew or Gentile, makes no difference! See "body of Christ".
*FAITH [pistis]: Taking God at his word. Taking your stand where God takes his stand. If you want to know that you have faith, simply take your stand where God takes his.
*GENTILE [ethnos]/THE UNCIRCUMCISION [akrobustia]: A non-jew. Also referred to as heathen, nations, the uncircumcision (unclean, unregenerated) and dogs. See "dispensation of the grace of God" and "body of Christ".
*GIFT [dōron]: Ephesians 2:8-9. A present; no strings attached. Unlike a reward, it isn't something you work for or something you deserve. In order to get a gift you have to receive/accept it. Salvation is the gift of God.
*GOSPEL [euaggelion]: Good message/news.
*GRACE [charis]: Unmerited favor. God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. God giving us what we do not deserve; Saved from the death and penalty of our sins, rescued from our past condition of spiritual deadness, heaven +++
*JEW [Ioudaios]/THE CIRCUMCISION [peritomē]: Someone of hebrew/jewish origin. Also referred to as the circumcision (clean, regenerated). See “dispensation of the grace of God” and “body of Christ”.
*JUSTIFICATION [dikaiōma, dikaiōsis]/JUSTIFIED [dikaioō]: To render just or innocent. To declare righteous. See "righteousness/righteous"
*PAUL'S GOSPEL/THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST/THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD: The gospel for today. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, 1 Timothy 2:3-7, Ephesians 2:8-9. It's called Paul's Gospel because it was exclusively revealed and given to the Apostle Paul by the ascended, glorified Jesus Christ, as he spoke from heaven.
The Apostle Paul called it "my gospel" in Romans 2:16, 16:25 and 2 Timothy 2:8.
*RECONCILIATION [katallagē]: A change in status. Restoration to favor. Forgiveness. SON issue, not SIN issue! 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
*RIGHTEOUSNESS [dikaiosunē]/RIGTHEOUS [dikaios]: Basically means the same thing as justification/justified. Innocent, holy, just, meet, right, equitable/equity. The saved are righteous in Christ, because they possess Jesus Christ’s righteousness; God's righteousness-the only righteousness God can recognize.
*RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH/RIGHT DIVISION: 2 Timothy 2:15. Distinguishing between what's written FOR us; for our learning, and what's written TO us: Separating Israel's mail (Genesis thru Acts 8 & Hebrews thru Revelation) from our mail (Acts 9-28 & Romans thru Philemon).
*SANCTIFICATION: Set apartness. The body of Christ.
*TIMES PAST (the past): Ephesians 2:11-12. Genesis (Abram/Abraham) thru Acts 8. Also see "but now" and "ages to come".
*WORD OF TRUTH: The gospel (Ephesians 1:12-14). There are several gospels, and doctrines associated with each gospel, in the Bible. The requirements for salvation and how God has dealt with man have changed throughout history. See "rightly dividing the word of truth/right division".
ROMANS thru PHILEMON 