Paul�s Dispensation of Grace

By Dave Davenport

Most Bible students know that the Apostle Paul is without question the most important human figure in the New Testament. They also readily recognize his powerful intelligence, faith, patience, and faithfulness. What an amazing man!

Entrusted by God to pen thirteen different epistles (under the inspiration of the Spirit) he cast aside EVERY ONE of his former Hebrew/Jewish advantages and assumed a humble, weak, vulnerable, and often painful existence to preach the �gospel of the grace of God� to the predominantly Gentile but sometimes Jewish (by birth) hearers. In this sense, we might refer to Paul as a �type� of Moses; both were Hebrews of high social rank, both committed murder (or consented to it), and both humbly labored later in life to see the formation of a spiritual people to whom they were entrusted by God to Pastor over. Both men by the grace of God became godly through the _expression of humility(controlled strength).

Moses: Numbers 12:3 �Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)�

Paul: 2Corinthians 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.�

Agreement

Therefore, all bible students know that Paul and Moses both became humble after being exalted (from a human perspective) in their respective lives. But VERY few bible students know something else about the Apostle Paul: that he went to GREAT lengths to get his hearers to understand. It is as if the �blindness� that hovers over the Nation of Israel to this day has extended to the present day Body of Christ. We know this is NOT the case because God states very clearly that He has given us His entire Word for our clear understanding- not for our confusion:

1Corinthians 14:33 �For God is not the author of CONFUSION, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.�

And we have the absolute assurance of Paul that we CAN UNDERSTAND everything he has written:

2Timothy 2:7 �Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.�

With this promise in hand (and the promise is that GOD will give the understanding) it seems amazing that the history of the Body of Christ since the time of Paul has been characterized by nothing BUT confusion! The bible might call these disagreements disputes, schisms in the body, or divisions.

A worldwide examination of the various opinions on what the bible SAYS would consume volumes but it would be safe to say that the thousands of predominant denominations seen today are proof enough that modern �Christendom� agrees on very little when it comes to Biblical interpretation.

An examination of history is equally depressing. Without even mentioning the loss of the doctrine of Salvation by Grace Through Faith Alone prior to the Reformation and Martin Luther, we could mention the Crusades, the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, and the many heresies (such as denying the Deity of Christ) which came to be introduced by satanic cults such as the Mormons and the Witnesses. To add insult to injury, few modern-day �Lutherans� understand the simple saving gospel apart from works of the Mosaic Law that Luther dedicated his life to.

Moses

Before Paul, Moses knew something about dissension among �God�s people�. It may be generally said that the major problem under Moses� management in his dispensation of Israel�s Law was one of BEHAVIOR.

Deuteronomy 4:1� Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.�

Do you see it? The new- formed clan of Israel was put under The Law and they were provided with an ever-present teacher in their very midst! No one could say that they were ignorant of God�s law dispensed out by Moses. Everything was very clear!

What was NOT so clear, however, was the newly-formed Nation�s intention to OBEY Moses� declared statutes. The Israelites were carnal, selfish, self-absorbed, and unthankful ( I can really relate with the Israelites!) . After the miraculous intervention of God to liberate them from slavery, they can be seen sinking to NEW lows:

Exodus 32:8 �They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.�

Incredibly the Israelites were committing national IDOLATRY soon after their liberation. Their behavior merited the judgement of God. God had faithfully DELIVERED the Law, and Moses had DISPENSED it. And many Israelites had REJECTED it through their behavior.

Paul

Would you be shocked to realize that virtually the same thing happened to Paul? Would you be amazed to see history repeated in the pages of the bible and in the history of the church as we follow the lives of Moses and Paul: both once-proud religious individualists, both humbled and then godly, both entrusted by personal visitations with Deity to manage the people of God, both faithful to �dispense� out their programs, and both REJECTED by the masses?

Before answering that I am mistaken to say that Paul�s message has been �rejected� by �Christendom���and that instead his message has been rejected by the �heathen� �..instead let me challenge you to review not only the previously mentioned HISTORY of the church��but let us review the words of Paul HIMSELF:

2Timothy 1:15 �This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be TURNED AWAY from me;�

And the words of the Lord:

Matthew 7:14 �Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it.�

Depressingly, we find in the words of scripture and in the reality of history both the rejection of God, and God�s designated spokesmen in two areas: BEHAVIOR and DOCTRINE.

In the case of Paul we begin to find the seeds of today�s catastrophic divisions: the Body of Christ is plagued by behavioral problems just as in Moses day. But when we examine the words of Paul we find that the primary problem he faced was one of BAD DOCTRINE. He spent his entire ministry and writing efforts to get people to UNDERSTAND. Over and over he labored to minister milk, strong milk, meat, and strong meat to get people to COMPREHEND the doctrine that God had given him to give to us.

Much has been written about �experiencing God� in the past century. In fact, the expressions of knowing God on an experiential level completely typify our generation: �seeker-friendly� churches, a �personal relationship� with Christ, �giving your life to God�, and �God as my co-pilot�. But if these expressions of seeking such an experience are the solution to the working out of God�s promise to reveal �understanding in all things� then it would have to be concluded that God SANCTIONS confusion rather than condemns it! The denominational divide continues today, and confusion is the result.

It is not hard to understand why in one sense. In the generation of �instant gratification� we are not disciplined in the difficult practice of bible study. We would rather be just like the Israelites who got a �personal message� from God through Moses. Without question the Israelites WALKED BY SIGHT. They had signs like manna and miraculous deliverances and miracles which were ever present. But today:

2Corinthians 5:7 �(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)�

Walking by faith (in the revealed Word of God) isn�t easy.

In Moses day idolatrous and rebellious behavior was the major problem, and in Paul�s day (did you know that in First Timothy Paul uses the word �teach� nine times and the word �doctrine� eight times? It might be fair to say that Paul wanted Timothy to TEACH DOCTRINE) ��DOCTRINAL CONFUSION is the major problem. In Moses day, the people were warned to return to Moses admonitions or to suffer the consequences:

Exodus 13:17 �And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:�

Exodus 32:26 �Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto ME.�

The sinful Israelites wanted to return to EGYPT. They wanted to return to their idols. They wanted to return to slavery, and to their comfort foods. But God (through Moses) instructed them to return to MOSES COMMANDMENTS in repentance for their behavior.

Could the solution to the multitude of doctrinal confusion plaguing the Body of Christ today be as simple as RETURNING again to what has been commanded by God for the particular age we are living in today? Are we just as respectively �blind� during the modern age as were the Israelites?

John 9:39 �And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they (Israel) which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.�

Romans 10:2 �For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.�

Personal Question

If you are a person who wants to avoid the spiritual blindness today and avoid the trap of doctrinal confusion does the bible present you with a solution? If you are someone who has �zeal without knowledge� or �experience without understanding� will God help you to recover from your blurred vision?

Thanks be to God that He has PROMISED to help you on one condition. Just as God had graciously provided the Israelites with an ever-present source of truth in the person of meek Moses, He has provided YOU the written words of PAUL. And if you are a Christian, it is God�s stated purpose to TRANSFORM you through the epistles of Paul which are SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED to you today.

It is not your EXPERIENCE or emotional state that God wishes primarily to transform. Experiences and emotions in themselves are POWERLESS to transform you in your inner man:

Romans 12:2 �And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.�

Ephesians 1:18 �The eyes of your UNDERSTANDING being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,�

Do you see it? In previous verses we have seen that it is possible to have ZEAL and emotion and experiences but that if you do not have KNOWLEDGE through doctrinal UNDERSTANDING then you are not in the will of God. Genuine zeal, emotions, and experiences IN THEMSELVES may be effective in encouraging you, but they are powerless to TRANSFORM you, or to assure you of being in God�s Will. If your mind is not biblically transformed through KNOWLEDGE then you are powerless to help anyone else because you will only be spreading disinformation and confusion yourself.

Salvation

Before continuing, may I insert a brief but alarming addition to our discussion regarding having �ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE� without getting too far off course?

The principle of doctrinal understanding extends far beyond the realm of confusion in the church. It also has application to an even more important issue: salvation itself. Let�s look at the third chapter of Paul�s letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 3:2 �This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?�

Paul had just called these particular Galatians �foolish� in verse one because they were not �obeying the truth� of the gospel. In verse two Paul makes it clear what the conditions for salvation were��.�hearing of faith.� Aren�t you glad that God makes the specific requirements SO CLEAR to us in the New Testament? They are spelled out OVER AND OVER again. He wants us to HEAR which involves the components of physical hearing (or reading in other cases) which leads to COMPREHENSION of the terms of salvation. Additionally, the hearing involves a volitional aspect of the human will:

Matthew 11:15 �He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.�

So it is clear that the preliminary step prior to salvation involves WILFULLY and INTENTIONALLY hearing the TRUE GOD�S WORD and COMPREHENDING IT.

The second step involves THEOLOGY. If we define the word THEOLOGY as the �study of God and His Word� then we can see that Paul�s final requirement of genuine salvation involves CONTENT. The Galatians were described as finding salvation by HEARING��.�OF FAITH�.

The �Of Faith� aspect of the genuine salvation involves believing SPECIFIC DOCTRINE. It is God�s revealed and stated word. The terms of salvation are given and revealed by GOD. It is not open to private interpretation. Just as Adam was made �In God�s Image��..we must believe in �God�s DOCTRINE� to be saved. If we ADD or SUBTRACT or CHANGE and PERVERT any aspect of God�s doctrine as revealed in the bible alone regarding the terms of salvation then we are NOT SAVED.

Do I say this judgementally?

No, for I am following the Apostle Paul as he reveals his warning to the Galatians repeatedly that they not believe �in vain�:

Galatians 3:4 �Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.�

The word �vain� means �ineffectually�. Paul is concerned for the Galatians! He had faithfully spoken and written to the Galatians so that they had �HEARD� the gospel. He had also faithfully delivered the doctrinal requirement for genuine salvation (the OF FAITH) aspect. But he was concerned that some of them had NOT BELIEVED EFFECTUALLY. In that case, they had believed IN VAIN.

Paul�s desire was for all of the Galatians to BELIEVE EFFECTUALLY unto salvation. The legal term for Pauline salvation is �JUSTIFICATION�. By definition, the word justification means �imputed righteousness�. Paul uses the word three times in the book of Romans:

Romans 4:25 �Who (Jesus) was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.�

And Paul refers to imputed righteousness in our Galatians passage:

Galatians 3:6 �Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted (imputed) to him for righteousness.�

But Paul�s constant references to �believing in vain� prove to us that some of the Galatians had not believed effectually by HEARING, COMPREHENDING, and UNDERSTANDING THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION FOR IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS.� There is a heavy price to pay for not understanding doctrine. You cannot be saved without understanding it and you cannot be in the will of God or transformed as a Christian without it. It matters not that you have zeal, emotion, or experiences for they cannot save or transform you.

And what IS the required doctrinal comprehension that Paul asserted would be �of faith�? Let us turn to First Corinthians:

1Corinthians Chapter 1: �Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;�� By which also ye are saved, IF ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in VAIN�� For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;��. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:��

There it is. We must express saving FAITH in the effective blood sacrifice of Christ through the death (the shedding of His blood), burial (the proof of his death), and the resurrection (the proof of God�s approval of the effective sacrifice). And how do we express our faith?

Ephesians 1:13 �In whom ye also TRUSTED, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,�

Ephesians 2:8-9 �For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:��. Not of works, lest any man should boast.�

The word TRUST is used to show the final dynamic of saving faith. It is not enough to BELIEVE INTELLECTUALLY in the effective blood sacrifice for your salvation. You must TRUST IT PERSONALLY.

Therefore, without belaboring the point ( is it even possible to OVER analyze the doctrine of �soteriology�- saving faith) we can conclude:

I must willingly listen, hear, comprehend, and express personal trust in the effectual blood-sacrifice of the virgin-born Deity- Jesus Christ - as historically proven through His death, burial, and resurrection on the Cross�.resulting in my Imputed Righteousness (Justification) APART from WORKS of Moses Law and received as a free gift and not personal effort. Anything else results in believing �in vain�.

Doctrine

With the groundwork in place establishing the absolute essentiality of understanding DOCTRINE in order to be justified and transformed (which is a progression which the bible makes clear) comes in this sequential order: CONVICTION, JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION, GLORIFICATION:

Romans 8:30 �Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.�

Let�s return to the issue of the importance of understanding doctrine in order to dispel the constant confusion plaguing the church in both Paul�s day and our own.

Remember when I made the remark earlier that I believed that our DOCTRINAL problems today are a result of a biblical mandate to follow PAUL��.just as the BEHAVIORAL problems in Israel�s day were a result of the Jews failure in following MOSES? And do you recall that I said that there was a modern-day �blindness� in the Body of Christ that resembled Israel�s �blindness� as described by Jesus and Paul in the book of Romans:

Romans 11:25 �For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that BLINDNESS in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.�

We have previously discussed Moses for a reason. I�m going to make a statement in a moment that you may disagree with but I am going to challenge you to STUDY the bible over the next couple of years according to the bible�s own FORMULA for determining truth. Remember how we discussed the terms of salvation and how God REQUIRES us to trust a SPECIFIC gospel unto salvation? We are not to believe our own opinions, experiences, or feelings, but rather we are to believe WHAT GOD HAS SAID.

In the same way, the bible provides us with a two- part formula for determining biblical truth in its proper context and we would do well to heed it:

Acts 17:11 �These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.�

2Timothy 2:15 �Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.�

The first requirement to (as Paul promised) �understanding ALL things is to have a ready mind in SEARCHING diligently the bible for YOURSELF.

The second requirement is to search the bible in a PARTICULAR WAY: �rightly dividing the scriptures.� v 2Timothy 2:15 �Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.�

The greek word Paul uses for division is �to cut straight�. It is �ORTHOTOMEO.� Paul was a tentmaker by profession and he used this particular word for a reason. What he had in mind involves CUTTING a straight line between two entities. The result is that they are UNIQUELY SEPARATE and not mixed together.

But what are we to separate IN the bible? Doesn�t ALL of it apply to us today? Why would we need to �divide� it if God inspired it all and �GOD NEVER CHANGES�?

Let us go to the book of Hebrews for an answer:

Hebrews 1:1-2 �God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,��. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;�

We are able to see that while God never changes Himself (what we call the doctrine of �immutability�), He DOES change in the matter of how he chooses to REVEAL Himself to mankind, and in WHAT HE REVEALS TO and REQUIRES OF them. We see in the Old Testament that God spoke to Moses:

Exodus 33:11 �And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.�

1Kings 3:5 �In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon IN A DREAM by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.�

From the above we can see that God CHOOSES to speak to various men in various ways according to His own sovereign purposes.

Someone has expressed it this way: �God speaks at different TIMES, in different WAYS, to different PEOPLE.�

But we can also understand that God REQUIRES varying things from specific people throughout the bible and that we need to �DIVIDE� or �Keep Seperate� those requirements lest we �MIX� them up. To MIX them up would result in doctrinal confusion and chaos and disputes and divisions.

Before consulting the Old Testament on this matter, let us look at one obvious scripture that comes to mind from the pen of Paul:

Galatians 2:12 �And the law IS NOT of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.�

Do you see the two entities that are mentioned here? LAW and GRACE. The �of faith� description has to do with the GRACE program as revealed by Paul!

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

Do you see it there? Paul is telling us something along the lines of his admonition in Timothy to RIGHTLY DIVIDE two entities and to NOT MIX them together. One is the LAW program. One is the GRACE program.

Paraphrasing might help: �But NOW (a change from THEN) Justification comes to a people who are NOT UNDER LAW and this change is MANIFESTED and witnessed.

Now we know that the law of Moses never was able to SAVE anyone. Justification has always been by grace through faith in what God had instructed people to believe at any particular time in history. But the Nation of Israel was STILL under law UNTIL the time when they were BLINDED and SET ASIDE according to Paul�s explanation in Romans chapter nine through eleven. v In fact, The Messiah was born UNDER, affirmed, and TAUGHT the LAW OF MOSES Himself! So what Paul is describing happened AFTER the resurrection of the Messiah. The Nation of Israel still existed and was under LAW during the Messiah�s earthly ministry, but later under Paul the newly formed BODY OF CHRIST was NOT UNDER LAW.

What a change! Let�s look at the differences:

The Messiah is born UNDER the LAW and came to FULFILL and TEACH the LAW:

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

But Paul is ministering to the Body of Christ which is NOT under the Law:

Romans 6:14 �For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are NOT UNDER LAW, but under grace.�

Do you see the distinction? One group of people is UNDER the law. The other is NOT UNDER LAW. To MIX them together would result in utter confusion. To apply the requirements demanded in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John when the Messiah was FULFILLING AND TEACHING the LAW��� to the Body of Christ TODAY (not under law) would be disastrous! That is the exact point Paul is making in the book of Galatians:

Galatians 5: 1-5 �Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage�� Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing�.. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law�.. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace��

Under the Law of Moses, circumcision was a requirement to be a member in good standing in the Nation of Israel. In fact, the consequences were severe for refusal:

Genesis 17:14 �And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.�

It is obvious from the balance of scripture that circumcision ITSELF never saved anyone! In fact, NONE of the works of Moses law saved anyone, including the sacrifices that were required under the law:

Hebrews 10:4 �For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.�

Did that mean that any Israelite could ignore the requirements of Moses law? No. For while the statutes of the law could not TAKE AWAY sins they were required expressions of faith for Israelites under their whole �program�. Israel�s program involved a land covenant (Abraham), a city (Jerusalem), a throne (Davidic), a sign program (�for the Jews require signs), a law contract, an ordinance program, feast days, sacrifices, �.and then the OFFER of the Kingdom (Millenium) �at hand�, the rite of water baptism for priestly purification , signs and miracles, a tithe, a temple worship plan, the Priesthood, favored National status, the seed line of the Messiah, and the recording of the �oracles� of God.

But while under Moses the observance of the law, circumcision, and the sacrifices were EXPRESSIONS of faith AT THAT TIME, they are EXPRESSIONS OF DOUBT today. Paul can not make it any more clear that something has CHANGED. The Body of Christ TODAY is not under that law and if anyone desired to be circumcised he is DENYING the faith rather than confirming it.

In this sense we come to the heart of many of the modern-day doctrinal disputes and arguments over the nature of saving faith:

It is possible to be SCRIPTURALLY correct but DISPENSATIONALLY incorrect.

For example, when Cain and Abel were required to bring sacrifices the bible is clear that Cain�s sacrifice was superior from a human perspective to Abel�s. But it was ABEL�S sacrifice that was accepted!

Why?

Because apparently Abel had brought the BLOOD sacrifice that was required during that DISPENSATION. He was obedient to God�s required revelation for that time.

Clearly anyone that brings his own �blood sacrifice� today would be SCRIPTURALLY correct in a sense. God HAD required a certain sacrifice at that time but NO MORE. We are living under a different DISPENSATION:

Ephesians 3:1-7 �For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the DISPENSATION of the grace of God which is GIVEN ME to you-ward:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the MYSTERY; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Just as Moses was given the DISPENSATION (a word that means �to deal out or manage a house order from God to man)��Paul was given the DISPENSATION of the grace of God APART from Moses law. Not only this but we are also informed that this whole plan was a MYSTERY�..hid in God�s wisdom�.NOT made known until Paul. This mystery was NOT revealed by Israel�s Messiah because He was still fulfilling His plan and promises and purposes for the NATION of Israel. That plan was still under law during his earthly ministry. After the Resurrection, and the rejection of God by Israel as a nation, God introduced a brand new dispensation APART from law called the �body of Christ�. In this body (according to Ephesians 3) the Jews no longer had any ethnic, religious or spiritual advantages over Gentiles. In God�s wisdom He put Israel�s plan on hold and introduced a new dispensational body in which everyone is on equal footing. No longer do Gentiles have to �join themselves� as proselytes to Israel.

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:�

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.�

Right now, all of Israel�s ordinances, laws, requirements, and prophetic timeclock are on HOLD until the �times of the gentiles� has come in. During Israel�s blindness millions of gentiles are coming to faith apart from the Nation.

It is essential that you understand this because unless you are aware of this new dispensational body that Paul was entrusted to �dispense� you will unknowingly �MIX� the requirements of the two programs together! You will be mixing �grace and law�:

Ephesians 2:15 �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;�

If you are trying to live under Israel�s law dispensation you are living under the WRONG Apostle and observing the WRONG instructions:

Romans 11:13 �For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:�

Galatians 5:2 �Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.�

No matter how sincere you may be, and no matter how SCRIPTURAL you may be if you are putting yourself under Israel�s CIRCUMCISION program for salvation then you are believing in vain. Under Paul�s dispensation there are specific requirements for salvation-to not MIX any requirements of Israel into Paul�s program. Under Paul we are to believe ALONE:

Romans 4:5 �But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.�

(Interestingly we find a parallel scripture related to the required rite of water baptism (when the Law was still in effect) that was for a purification rite for the Nation of Israel�s Priesthood:

Luke 7:30 �But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.�

The rite of water baptism was required of the Israelites but the Pharisees were REFUSING to be water baptized and they were revealing their LACK of faith and rebellion at this time.)

It is not hard to imagine the other controversies which might arise through a FAILURE to DIVIDE the programs of LAW and GRACE beyond the disputed topics of circumcision, the sacrices, and water baptism!

Disputed Topics

The list would be (AND IS) practically endless: tithing, Spirit baptism, the sign gifts, the Rapture(eschatology) requirements of salvation(Soteriology), Calvinism vs. Arminianism, Calvinism vs. Dispensationalism, the role of The Ten Commandments, Theocratic Government, church government (Ecclesiology) tongues, prophecies, dreams, visions, The Sermon on the Mount, The Lord�s Prayer, praying in public, keeping the Sabbath, playing sports on Sunday, the role of Women in the church, which foods to eat, �..

The list is endless. Paul was dealing with the same issues THEN. Little has changed. Every one of the above issues is in dispute TODAY and each issue can be solved by doing exactly what Paul told us to do in the Book of Timothy: RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF TRUTH. DON�T MIX LAW AND GRACE. DON�T MIX MOSES� program with PAUL�S program.

Paul�s program

Why do we refer to the grace program as Paul�s program? Wasn�t the GRACE program introduced by Jesus ? After all:

John 1:17 �For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.�

The answer is that the grace program WAS introduced by the Messiah but NOT UNTIL THE LAW WAS SET ASIDE. When He came physically and was born under Moses Law, He would later tell his disciples something that makes it obvious that the Nation of Israel, and Moses law was STILL IN EFFECT at the time:

Matthew 10:5-6 �These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:�. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.�

And we also learn that:

Matthew 15:24 �But he answered and said, I am NOT SENT but unto the lost sheep of the house of ISRAEL.�

Do you see it? You may have trouble learning this at the denominational church that you currently attend because they are going to teach you ( the author spent twenty years in denominational churches so he speaks from experience) that THIS VERSE DOES NOT MEAN WHAT IT CLEARLY SAYS.

The denominational church is going to tell you that Jesus REALLY WAS sent to the gentiles and preached the SAME GRACE MESSAGE that Paul taught (�Not under Moses law). And that denominational church is going to teach you from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and MIX THE LAW AND GRACE PROGRAMS TOGETHER which Paul SAID NOT TO DO.

But you can read the scripture for yourself. The Messiah was born under the law, taught the law, fulfilled the law, and explained the spirit of the law.

At this point you are probably asking a very perceptive question and you would be right in doing so.

�But if the Messiah was sent ONLY to the LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL then how were the gentiles to be saved?�

It�s important that you understand at this point that the GENTILES COULD ALWAYS BE SAVED. In fact, under the law the Gentiles were to be saved in EXACTLY the same way that the Jews were to be saved- By grace through faith but UNDER the LAW of Moses. But there was one exception:

Acts 2:10 �Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,�

A gentile that wished to be obedient during the time of Israel and Moses law had to become a proselyte by submitting to the rite of circumcision and putting himself UNDER the law of Moses. Gentiles were saved THROUGH Israel. Today there IS NO ISRAEL. It is set aside and the gentiles are on EQUAL footing.

Ephesians 2:15 �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;�

Today there is no �Jew� or �Gentile�. In fact there is neither!

Galatians 3:28 �There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.�

There are Jews by birth by there are no Jews by �religion� today. You are either a member of the new �one new man� body of Christ or you are not. God made of �twain� (jews and gentiles) into one new body.

And so when the Messiah came to FULFILL the Law of Moses and to fulfill the PROMISES made to the fathers regarding the Abrahamic and Davidic COVENANTS:

Romans 15:8 �Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision (Israel only) for the TRUTH (see John 1:17) of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:����.

He was giving GRACE AND TRUTH to that Nation of Israel and every Gentile PROSELYTE that had joined him or her-self to the Nation. The Law was full of grace and mercy! But nevertheless, the Messiah while on earth ministered under the LAW program even though He fulfilled grace and truth during His incarnation. This was achieved under Israel�s PROPHECY program. After His resurrection He would, in His Omniscience and perfect plans, minister as the RISEN Christ and set aside and blind the Nation of Israel for a season and minister something BRAND NEW which had never been prophesied This would occur under the Body of Christ�s MYSTERY program!

2Corinthians 5:16 �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.�

The Risen Christ, and Paul�s Mystery

In God�s omniscience He KNEW that Israel and the Law program would reject the Messiah! Nothing takes God by surprise:

John 1:11 �He came unto his own, and his own received him not.�

Jesus KNEW that the rebellious nation (as a national entity) would REJECT Him. But while He publically came to offer the KINGDOM (as KING) of heaven AT HAND (offered but not yet realized) to ISRAEL and to FULFILL the Law, and to fulfill the Covenant promises�.

He also came to pay for the sins of ALL mankind:

2Corinthians 5:14 �For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:�

Mystery Dispensation

If Paul was given an unphrophesied MYSTERY program according to the �hidden wisdom� (1 Cor) of God, where is it first described in the bible and what is it called?

Ephesians 3:1-9 �For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,��.. If ye have heard of the DISPENSATION of the grace of God which is given ME to you-ward:�..

How that by REVELATION he made known unto me the MYSTERY; (as I wrote afore in few words,�.. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the MYSTERY of Christ)�..

Which in other ages was NOT MADE KNOWN unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;�..

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the SAME BODY, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power��

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;�..

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the MYSTERY, which from the beginning of the world hath been HID in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:�

I hope you read those verse CAREFULLY! It might be the most amazing section of scripture in the entire bible.

Contrary to most teaching which only CONFUSES the body of Christ by MIXING the Law Prophecy and Grace MYSTERY programs together , Paul is telling us the SECRET about an incredible change that took place as He created a BRAND NEW ENTITY called the Body of Christ. The gentiles are now FELLOW HEIRS and of the SAME BODY as the Jews. No longer do gentiles have to join themselves to the Nation of Israel UNDER the law. In fact, there is absolutely NO ethnic identity at all! In fact, there is no ISRAEL in the present DISPENSATION since there is no such thing as an ISRAELITE:

Galatians 3:28 �There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.�

After the Nation of Israel REJECTED her Messiah God should have JUDGED that Nation in the PROPHESIED GREAT TRIBULATION. That was to be the beginning of Daniel�s 70th week. When He �came to His own and His own received Him not� the only thing left was for Him to JUDGE the Nation. After all, the Jewish nation needed to be obedient in her role of being PRIESTS to the Gentile nations but she was REFUSING this role!

In God�s �hidden wisdom� He had decided (but kept secret) to raise up an entirely new DISPENSATION (managed by Paul and NOT Moses) in which the Gentiles had NO NEED TO GO THROUGH THE NATION OF ISRAEL FOR SALVATION. God literally dissolved (for a season) and blinded Israel and raised up a brand new DISPENSATION in which the gentiles and physical Jews (having lost their national religious advantage) had to simply believe(trust) the finished work of Christ for their salvation. Nothing could be simpler! The law was set aside! Circumcision, sacrifices, and the statutes and laws for the Nation of Israel were no longer required as �evidences� of genuine faith:

Romans 3:21 �But now( in the new dispensation) the righteousness (justification) of God without the law (Israel blinded and set aside) is manifested (the SECRET revealed), being witnessed by the law and the prophets;�

Israel�s prophetic �timeclock� was temporarily postponed and the judgement for the Nation was delayed as God manifested a brand new �system� apart from Israel. When the Mystery Program entrusted to Paul has accomplished its PURPOSE (when the last gentile has come in):

(Romans 11:25 �For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the FULNESS OF THE GENTILES be come in.�)

Then Israel�s prophetic timeclock will resume. The secret mystery organism called the �Body of Christ� will have a mystery exit which is the resumption of God�s purpose for the Nation:

1Corinthians 15:5-52 �Behold, I shew you a MYSTERY; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,�. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.�

Conclusion

Most people today know that circumcision is NOT required for salvation today. Or we might say �In Paul�s dispensation of grace- the time of the gentiles- the mystery period instead of the prophecy- NOT under Law instead of UNDER law- without ordinances- the time of the nations instead of the NATION-�..

In fact circumcision is FORBIDDEN today. To require circumcision, water baptism, lordship salvation, law, ordinances, observances, feast days, would be SCRIPTURALLY correct but DISPENSATIONALLY incorrect.

Most people do not know that the two programs have to be CUT APART (orthotomeo), divided, dissected in order to prevent mixing law and grace requirements.

But if they will understand Paul�s unique ministry and FOLLOW his instructions instead of Moses instructions then their confusion will begin to end. They will understand that most of the denomination disputes can be easily resolved by �rightly dividing the Word of God.�

1Corinthians 11:1 �Be ye followers of ME (paul), even as I also am of Christ.�

Galatians 2:7 �But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel OF the uncircumcision was committed unto ME, as the gospel OF the circumcision was unto Peter;�

Let�s look at one final verse before concluding:

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,�

I�m going to challenge you with a question. Are you being established according to PAUL�S gospel? Are you preaching Christ ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY? Are you aware of why it was kept secret? Are you aware of the differences between Israel�s PROPHECY and the Body of Christ�s MYSTERY (did you know that the word mystery is used six times in the book of Ephesians?).

I challenge you to take this year to study these questions and differences and see if it makes clear the doctrinal confusion that characterizes evangelicalism for the past 2000 years since Paul�s 13 epistles. For sure there will be challenging times but you will be rewarded for your persistence just like Peter was:

2Peter 3:16� As also in all HIS (paul) EPISTLES, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.�

If Peter had to labor in understanding of Paul�s unique Dispensation (Ephesians 3), Apostleship (Romans 1:1), Gospel (Galatians 2:7), Office(Romans 11:13), Mystery(1Corinthians 4:1), and Epistles(2Peter 3:16) so do we.