The BIG Picture (Q&A)

QUESTION: If we look at the bible through the “three-fold division” of Ephesians 2, the Old Testament is the time past. However, I’m not sure if all the Gospels <Matthew, Mark, Luke and John> also fall under this time past. Can you please clarify? ANSWER: To answer this statement, one must bear in mind that when Paul wrote the passage, he used the words, “But now”, to indicate his current time. This means that everything before his writing “but now”, is in times past. Since Paul wrote his epistles long after Jesus had ascended to heaven, it effectively means that “time past” includes the content of gospels of Matthew to John, since their contents is all about Jesus’ earthly ministry. To take this further, the “but now” is currently still in operation. Why? Well, Paul’s writings introduce the mystery doctrine which is applicable for us as the grace believers in the Body of Christ. All of Paul’s writings is still valid today and will remain valid until we are caught up to h...

When you consider the progression of the dispensations and that in each dispensation, God had a different relationship with humans, the answer to this question becomes clear. As a simple example, consider that when Noah lived, there was no Israel nation and Mosaic law. Obviously, Jesus had not come yet and there was no prophesy concerning His life and death. So, how then would Noah be saved? It could not be by Jesus or the cross! When we understand progressive dispensations and we take the text in the Bible for what it is, then the answers start to form in the Word. Noah and his family were saved because Noah obeyed God’s word. What was God’s good news to Noah? Build a boat. So, Noah obeyed God and built a boat and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is...

QUESTION: “Rightly dividing the Word” doesn’t mean to divide the word against itself, accepting some things, and rejecting others, (I guess because scripture is faulty). In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul is instructing Timothy to rightly divide the word of God. Scholars defines ‘right division’ as to handle correctly, to set forth truthfully. So, we are not to divide it up, but unite it together bringing it all in context. The correct understanding is that they must agree.   To do so, some people desperately need the Holy Spirit’s guidance as to how to do this, not throwing away Paul for Jesus, or the other way around. Both need to be united together to be produce correct doctrine. ANSWER: Dear reader, if scripture is faulty then it is in the faulty interpretations of the mind of man! Let God be true and every man a liar. I agree that dividing the word is not accepting some things and rejecting others. The whole Word is the full counsel of God and the whole Word provides us the full co...

QUESTION: Dispensational models have a tendency to falls apart. There is no agreement on the number of dispensations. What is the full set of proposed dispensations with the triggers for their start and end points? ANSWER: I can agree that there are arguments on dispensational models; some say this, and others say that, but that doesn't mean that there aren’t dispensations. I too disagree with some over-the-top models where too much is read into scripture and things are twisted to fit man’s imagination, but again, even though some of these models are out these, it does not disqualify the fact that the bible does clearly mention dispensations, (as per the verses below). When God judged humanity and set up a covenant with Abraham, a new dispensation began. In other words, God would reveal Himself through a nation that He would raise up through Abraham. When God called Paul to go to the Gentiles, a new dispensation began where God would save Gentiles without the means of Israe...

The kingdom gospel to the Jews is to believe in and confess Jesus as their Messiah and then to do works to prove their faith in their confession. The works to do are to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sin, so that they can receive the Holy Spirit, Act.2:38-39. That is their gospel. In addition to this they were expected to continue faithfully in the Mosaic law, to sell all their possessions and live in common with each other in the church, and endure to the end until their salvation comes at the return of Christ. The grace gospel to all nations is to hear and believe in the cross work of Jesus Christ; that Jesus, as God’s Son, completely righteous and perfect, died in our place as a willing offering, so that God could impute His righteousness on us and justify us by the price of that sacrifice. There are no works to perform to qualify faith because Jesus did all the work necessary to justify us, and we are not saved by our own faith, but by the faith of Christ Himse...

Salvation has NOTHING to do with you. Ask yourself these simple questions. Do you believe that the cross work of Jesus is your only hope? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected for your justification? Do you truly trust that you cannot do anything to save yourself and are wholly dependent on what Jesus did for you? If you say yes, THEN YOU, my friend, ARE SAVED! …. And there is NOTHING you can do to ‘unsave’ yourself because God has sealed that contract in heaven. Your righteousness and justification are not dependent on your performance or choices. Your righteousness and justification are settled because of the performance and obedience of Jesus. I’m sorry to say, but once you are saved, you, my friend, CANNOT get out of it, whether you want to or not. Have you ever seen a baby get ‘unborn’. It is physically impossible. Likewise, it is spiritually impossible to become ‘unsaved’. Just make peace with it and continue to grow in the only other instruction th...

When it comes to advice on choices or decisions in life, Paul provides some incredible information in Romans 14. Rom 14:5 Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Also, Rom 14:22-23  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.  (23)  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat [do], because he eateth [does] not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. The above verses have nothing to do with feelings. They have to do with conviction. Feelings are fickle and can change depending on your mood. Conviction is stable, as it has to do with your faith, or an inner truth (conscience) of right or wrong. In addition, the above verses have nothing to do with laws or rules which is the very thing that brings condemnation. In your question, you mention condemnation, which tells me that you made some human rule in your mind about reading the Word and now because you failed to live up to the r...

QUESTION: You say that in Jesus earthly ministry he was preparing and saving Israel to inherit the earth. If Jesus was only preparing Jews for an earthly kingdom, why did he talk about the kingdom of heaven in Mat 5:19-20? ANSWER: Your scripture reference reads, Mat 5:19-20 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (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. Although (only) Matthew uses the phrase  “kingdom of heaven” , we can be sure, according to a myriad of additional prophecy in the bible, that this kingdom is the ‘earthly’ inheritance of God’s people when Jesus comes back at His second advent. This  “kingdom of heaven”  can easily be un...

James is not a book written to or addressed to you. Notice who James is writing to, Jas 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,  to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad , greeting. James is writing to Jews under the “Kingdom” program. In this program they required to prove their faith with works. The grace program is a completely different program, with different conditions and criteria. The grace program does not ever need works to prove salvific faith. This is because Jesus has already done all the work that was needed to redeem us. Paul therefore says, Rom 4:5 But to him  that worketh not, but believeth  on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved  through faith  [only] ; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9)  Not of works , lest any man should boast. Our doctrine, the principles we need to understand and apply in practicing our Chri...

Justification is the FIRST step in being saved. It starts by hearing the grace gospel. What is the gospel? It is to come to the understanding that without Christ, you have no hope and you have fallen short of God's righteousness because you are a sinner and at enmity with God. It is then to know that because of God's love for you, Christ died for you and through His death, burial, and resurrection, you have a way to come into right standing with God. Having heard these things, it is a matter of choosing to believe in Christ, and trust that His cross work has the power to save you. It is to understand that because of your decision to trust in God's Son, He will justify you and seal you unto that day of redemption. Understand that your choice to trust in Christ sets in motion a transaction in heaven that permanently and utterly saves you. All this is God's work, that once done, due to your decision to trust Jesus Christ, is irreversible and sealed. God cannot go against...