The BIG Picture (Q&A)

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. In fact in Romans 3:9-20 the Apostle Paul gives a very negative view of each and every one of us. He says there is none righteous, none that does good, unprofitable, none that understands, liars, and destruction and misery are in our ways. All the world is guilty before God (Romans 3:19). It is God’s law that declares each and every one of us as guilty before him, and therefore as Paul declares, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. The word "justified" means to be found free of guilt, (just as if I had never sinned). The law cannot justify us because it’s the very thing that declares our guilt. God is a just and righteous judge. God must be legally and morally right in all that he does. His righteousness and justice will not allow Him to justify a guilty man, therefore the dilemma is how can God justify the guilty and he himself remain just? God’s righteousness without the law ...

COMMENT Good judgement requires us to see others as Jesus saw the wicked Samaritan. Jesus didn’t say the Samaritan had to become a Jew nor had to believe in him. Instead, he called the Samaritan GOOD, right where he was because of the loving act he performed for his enemy. Theology is on the back burner to the two great commandments, loving God with all your heart by loving others as yourself. Forget your theology and let love be the primary function of your ministry. No need to tell others what they must believe or not believe, it will be evident what you believe when nothing but love flows from your lips. May you find the peace that passes all understanding—including theology—by loving others. MY RESPONSE I’m 100% in agreement with your statements; love of course is the fulfillment of all other commands. Nevertheless, besides giving one’s life for another, the greatest act of love is to share the grace gospel with others. The gospel provides the hearer with the opportunity to find Ch...

From beginning to end, Paul's ministry was an uphill battle. Even the Lord said that Paul was to suffer many things for His name (Acts 9:16). Paul had to constantly reiterate his calling and qualify his doctrine (Galatians 1:1; Galatians 1:11; 1 Timothy 2:7; Galatians 2:8). This was to be expected as He was not only preaching that Jesus Christ was alive, but he was also preaching that salvation comes by faith in Christs death and resurrection, and he was taking his message out not only to Jews but to the godless Gentiles in his day. Nevertheless, the Lord provided enough evidence that Paul was legitimate and that his message was endorsed and authorized by the Lord Himself. The trend of skepticism and rejection of Paul still continues today. On an individual level and even on a denominational level, Paul's message is either belittled, ignored, or denied. I recently had a reply to one of my posts which spoke of the credibility of Paul and his ministry. It read as follows, COMMENT...

Fellow Pauline dispensationalist, if you are asked one question more than any other, it is the following: "If dispensational Bible study is true, why do not more people believe it? Why do so few people attend your church or Bible study group?" (The same  dumb  question is asked about the King James Bible—"If the KJV is the preserved Word of God, why do so few read it?") Rather than an inquiry asked by a sincere seeker, this is really an objection meant to intimidate you into silence. The assumption is that since dispensational Bible study is so rare and embraced by so few, it must not be true. If we are not recruiting thousands upon thousands (as in the "mega-churches"), then there must be something wrong with what we are teaching. Are these safe suppositions? Does the majority ever really determine what is true and what is not? Has truth ever had many adherents? We simply have to look in the Bible and conclude, "No, numbers do  not  matter when it...

The following is a forum discussion with someone who is clearly still trapped in the law dispensation. If you find yourself with this mindset today, then your views of the Bible and Christianity need to be adjusted as God is not working under the law today, He is working by grace.  Please note that I am not shooting down the law or the administration depicted in the Gospels. In actual fact, the person below has a very good understanding of the law dispensation, but what I am saying is that this dispensation is not in operation today. Today is the dispensation of GRACE, which is administered in a VERY DIFFERENT way! The purpose of this post is to compare law vs. grace. Comparisons, or discussions between these administrations can be a great way to learn both sides and properly discover how God is administering His will in the world today. Let's look at the discussing, paying close attention to the differences between law and grace.  LAW ARGUMENT A “kingdom” is a government ru...

The concept of rightly dividing the Word of Truth is certainly one of the most misunderstood. In "rightly dividing" the scripture, the Bible becomes a source of  wisdom , instead of being a source of  confusion and contradiction . 2 Timothy 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed,  rightly dividing the word of truth . The few examples in the table below illustrate how one separates Israel (the Jews), from the Body of Christ according to this verse: 1 Corinthians 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the  Jews , nor to the  Gentiles , nor to the  church of God [Body of Christ] : Israel is not reckoned among the nations (Num.23:9). God works with Israel in a different program to Gentiles. The church today has not replaced Israel, physically or spiritually! God has provided the Gentiles with a new (different) program based on the doctrine provided to Paul in his epistles. This is the grace program in wh...

QUESTION: Based on 1 Corinthians 4:15 and Philippians 3:17, are we to follow the example of Paul today? TYPICAL REPLY (Non-Dispensational) : Are we to base our faith on a sentence fragment and a scripture verse taken out of context? No. Your use of fragments of scripture is dishonest and misrepresents the meaning of the scriptures you purposely abuse. ANSWER: I cannot disagree more on this statement! Paul was chosen by the risen Christ to be the first into the body of Christ and likewise, to be the pattern and format for all that come to salvation through the grace gospel. 1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting . The two scriptures posted in the question are hardly fragments. It is clear that Paul introduced a new gospel and doctrine specific for the body of Christ. Who better to be that pattern to follow than imitating the ...