The BIG Picture (Q&A)

QUESTION: As for Eph. 3:1-3,5,6 how can we claim that we will be fellow heirs of the same body, if we then claim that “WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST” and then there is the nation ISRAEL? Did Jesus not die for all of us? Are we not all Children of God partaking in the PROMISE OF CHRIST? How then can we claim that we are different? ANSWER: There are a whole lot of individual questions in your paragraph above. I will attempt to deal with each question individually. To all those who have turned their hearts to God by believing in His Son, they become the children of God and will partake in a promised inheritance. This is the guaranteed outcome for all who have responded in faith to Jesus Christ. However, this promised inheritance is detailed, and in order to understand the correct context of the promises of God, regarding heirship and inheritance within His full redemption plan, it is very important that we understand the details. In the great redemption plan of God, there are differ...

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...