Category Archives: BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, Have we been “grafted into Israel?”, Have we been “grafted into Israel?”, Have we been “grafted into Israel?”, THE NATION ISRAEL

Have we been “grafted into Israel?”

HAVE WE BEEN “GRAFTED INTO ISRAEL?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

Have we been grafted into Israel? Is that what Romans 11:16-24 teaches? As always, my dear readers, we look at the Bible and let it interpret itself. We should not have a denomination or religious tradition to promote. We should have a Person to exalt, and the Lord Jesus Christ is magnified when His Word is studied and believed no matter whom it contradicts!

No question about it. There is much controversy surrounding Romans 11:16-24. Honestly, there are some very outlandish ideas about what it teaches. Beloved, we should never, ever isolate a Bible passage. This set of verses is especially critical to our understanding as members of the Church the Body of Christ. We must get it right or we will face unanswerable confusion for the rest of our lives on Earth. Remember—Context! Context! Context! There are five preceding verses that lead up to Romans 11:16-24, and we need to heed them, lest we stumble over the verses they precede.

ROMANS 11:11-14

We begin reading Romans chapter 11: “[11] I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.”

According to the Old Testament, Israel was to rise to kingdom glory and be the channel of blessing and salvation to the Gentiles/nations (Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:3-6; Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 60:1-3; Isaiah 61:6; Zechariah 8:20-23). Through Israel (in her literal, physical, visible, earthly kingdom), Gentiles were to have a relationship with the one true God. Israel was to be God’s kingdom of priests. That has yet to happen. Something interrupted that prophetic program. It is our Dispensation of Grace, called “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:2). In light of Romans 16:25, we can call it “the mystery program.” (Contrasted with Israel’s “prophetic program” of Acts 3:21). This present-day administration or arrangement was a mystery (secret) that God hid in Himself until He revealed it to the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1-11; Colossians 1:24-29). In Romans chapter 11, we are reading about some truths that make up that revelation the resurrected, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ gave to the Apostle Paul.

Romans chapter 11 declares that Israel has fallen before God. She has now lost her special status before God, albeit only temporarily Israel is fallen. That was the secret God kept hidden in the Old Testament. That was the mystery that He finally revealed to the Apostle Paul. In our Dispensation of Grace, Israel has lost the opportunity to be the head of the nations. She cannot be God’s channel of salvation and blessing to the Gentiles (nations). Gentiles cannot approach God through Israel and her kingdom. Why? Because Israel herself is in unbelief and Satanic captivity. Yet, we Gentiles have access to God today, and we Gentiles have had access to Him for almost 2,000 years now. How is this possible?

As we read earlier in Romans 11:11-12, Israel is temporarily “cast away,” fallen before God. By God removing Israel from her privileged position, Romans 11:11-12 explains what this means for the whole world: “[11] I say then, Have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

In our dispensation, “the world” (all people/nations) has been “reconciled” to God. All people (Jew and Gentile) can now approach Him—not through Israel or her kingdom—but through Paul’s ministry (Romans 11:13) and Paul’s Gospel. God no longer makes the distinction between Jew and Gentile—to God, even Jews are “Gentiles.” Unlike in time past, in the but now, there is no “special nation of God” today. God only sees people in His Son (whether Jew or Gentile), and people outside of His Son (whether Jew or Gentile).

Romans 11:13, again: “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office.” Paul is our apostle. That is, the risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ commissioned him to preach to us—all nations (Romans 1:5; Romans 16:26)—the good news of Calvary (“the Gospel of the Grace of God;” Acts 20:24). Reading from 2 Corinthians 5:19,21: “[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. [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.”

Now, “the world” (all nations) has the opportunity to be made “nigh” (near) to God by Christ’s shed blood. It has nothing to do with Israel because Israel is not an issue with God today. We have not been “grafted into Israel” because there is no “Israel” to be grafted into! Let us see Ephesians 2:11-13: “[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: [13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

“In Christ Jesus,” in this context (verse 13), is a reference to members of the Church the Body of Christ. “The blood of Christ”—the Gospel Message that Paul preached—is the means whereby we approach Father God today. When we trust the shed blood of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for our sins, God credits that to our account as righteousness, and we are fit for heaven forever (Romans 4:1-8). There is no redeemed Israel here. There is no earthly Israeli kingdom here. Our salvation is dependent entirely upon what Jesus Christ did at Calvary, not upon what we do or do not do, not upon Israel, not upon her kingdom, not upon anything else.

While more could be said, for brevity’s sake, we must move on to the rest of Romans chapter 11.

ROMANS 11:15-24

Reading Paul’s words in Romans chapter 11: “[15] For if the casting away of them [Israel] be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? [16] For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. [17] And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; [18] Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. [19] Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. [20] Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: [21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. [22] Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. [23] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. [24] For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?”

What Romans 11:16-24 is talking about is that we (“the world,” the nations; see verse 15) have now been given access to God, the access Israel enjoyed before she fell, the access we were to have as Gentiles had Israel not fallen. Because of Christ’s finished crosswork, we can partake of the spiritual things once offered to Israel—eternal life, justification, sanctification, peace, forgiveness, love, acceptance, et cetera. Olive wood is a symbol of access or entry into God’s fellowship/blessings. The Temple, God’s house, had olive doors (1 Kings 6:31-32). Access to God’s glory back then involved passing through olive-wood doors.

One day, God will “cut off” the nations of the world (verses 20-22). They will no longer have access to Him apart from Israel. As Israel’s unbelief led to her fall, the nations’ unbelief (rejection of Paul’s Gospel) will eventually lead to their fall (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Once prophecy resumes, Israel will again be brought to the forefront in God’s dealings with mankind. When our program ends with the Rapture, Gentiles who remain on Earth will have to approach God through Israel as Gentiles did before our Dispensation of Grace began. That is the warning of Romans 11:20-24. (It is not loss of salvation for members of the Body of Christ. People make that mistake here. It is talking about unsaved Gentiles losing their “without-Israel” method of access to the God of the Bible.) God’s grace will not always be offered to mankind as it has been in our Dispensation of Grace. Gentiles who are not part of the Body of Christ are urged not to be prideful, bragging about how Israel fell so they (Gentiles) could enjoy God’s blessings, for one day Gentiles will lose the privilege we as the Body of Christ members now enjoy. Israel will be restored one day, and those Gentiles outside of the Body of Christ will have to bless Israel to fellowship with the one true God (Matthew 25:31-46). Once Israel’s program resumes after our program, those Gentiles who do not bless Israel will wind up in everlasting hellfire (again, see Matthew 25:31-46).

We are not grafted into Israel. Israel is “fallen” and “enemies of God” (Romans 11:11,28). In 1 Thessalonians 2:16, Paul says, “the wrath [of God] is come upon them to the uttermost.” What advantage is there in being grafted into a nation that God does not acknowledge? It is nonsense. Is it really a privilege to be in a nation that God’s wrath has fallen upon, which wrath caused that nation’s fall? Of course not.

We (Gentiles, the world) have been “graffed in” in that God has paid for our sins at Calvary and He offers us fellowship with Him without Israel’s participation. We have access to Father God by faith in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork. In fact, Jesus Christ’s faith is His trust in God the Father’s Word to send Him to Calvary. Notice again what Paul wrote to us Gentiles. “For through him [Jesus Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). “[Christ Jesus our Lord] In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ephesians 3:12). There is nothing about Israel’s involvement. We have fellowship with Father God through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork at Calvary. Jesus Christ alone is the one Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

CONCLUSION

Romans 11:15-24 is basically saying that all Gentile nations are “graffed in” in the sense of we having equal access to God through Calvary (Ephesians 2:11-15). All nations can approach God today without Israel. In fact, even Israel is considered as a Gentile nation. Olive wood in the Bible symbolizes access to God: for example, the doors of the Temple were olive wood (1 Kings 6:31-34).

One day, after our Dispensation of Grace, God will resume His dealings with Israel, thus “cutting off” the Gentile nations. At that time, Israel will have preeminence again and every nation will have to approach God through Israel (as prophecy dictates). The Gentiles should not boast about God cutting off Israel today, since God will one day restore Israel and judge and destroy those Gentiles who fail to approach Him through Israel (verses 20-24). This passage, contrary to common belief, is not talking about the Church the Body of Christ being cut off (as in “loss of salvation”), but rather the warning in Romans 11:19-22 is spoken to those Gentiles who do not become members of the Body of Christ. If they do not become members of the Body of Christ by faith in Paul’s Gospel, they will have spurned God’s offer of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19-21), and they will be lost in Israel’s program when it resumes under the Antichrist’s reign (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

Also see:
» Can you please explain Paul’s “Acts” ministry?
» What is “Replacement Theology?”
» Is prophecy being fulfilled today in the Dispensation of Grace?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, How many daughters did Lot have?, How many daughters did Lot have?, JUST ASKING / CURIOUS QUESTIONS

How many daughters did Lot have?

HOW MANY DAUGHTERS DID LOT HAVE?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Friend, I once had a problem with this. Others have had difficulty with it as well. It really is not complicated as we make it out to be. We simply read the English Bible text and use a little common sense.

In Genesis chapter 19, when the men of the city of Sodom came to have sexual relations with the angels staying in Lot’s house for the night, Lot offered to them his two virgin daughters. These women had not yet known men in the biblical sense. Notice:

“[4] But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: [5] And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. [6] And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, [7] And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. [8] Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.”

The angels had come to destroy Sodom for their sexual immorality (sodomy, homosexuality). Verse 14 says that Lot went to warn his sons-in-law and his daughters they married. This means he had at least two married daughters. “[14] And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”

In verse 15, the angels tell Lot to take his wife and his daughters and leave. Verse 16: “[15] And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. [16] And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.” Verse 30 also mentions two daughters. By the end of the chapter, his two daughters have children by him.

So, how many daughters did Lot have? The common assumption is that he only had two daughters. However, that number does not fit the passage. At minimum, Lot had four daughters. He had at least two married daughters (often overlooked) and two unmarried/virgin daughters (who later had children by him).

Also see:
» Were there five crosses on Calvary?
» Did David’s father Jesse have seven or eight sons?
» Were there really three wise men?

Are Galatians 1:18-19 and Acts 9:26-28 contradictions?, BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED

Are Galatians 1:18-19 and Acts 9:26-28 contradictions?

ARE GALATIANS 1:18-19 AND ACTS 9:26-28 CONTRADICTIONS?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“Are Galatians 1:18-19 and Acts 9:26-28 referring to the same event? If so do they contradict each other (in Galatians, Paul saw only Peter and James; in Acts, Barnabas introduced Paul to all the apostles)?”

Thank you, friend, for submitting that question. We should always give the Bible the benefit of the doubt. Whenever we find verses or passages that appear to be mistakes, that should motivate us to study God’s Word to learn special insight about the verses or passages in question. Let me show you what I mean.

First, Galatians 1:18-19: “[18] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. [19] But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.”

Now, Acts 9:26-28: “[26] And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. [27] But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. [28] And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.”

Are these really contradictions?

  • Paul went to Jerusalem, saw Peter and stayed with him for 15 days, Paul seeing none of the other apostles but James the Lord’s brother (Galatians 1:18-19).
  • Paul went to Jerusalem, and Barnabas brought Paul to the apostles (Acts 9:26-28).

Note that Luke does not provide the names of these “apostles” in Acts 9:26-29. He simply uses the plural noun. There is no explicit indication that Saul/Paul met all 12 apostles at first, either, when he came to Jerusalem. Verse 27’s “apostles” means at least two but not necessarily all 12. Galatians 1:18-19 says Saul saw Peter and James. These equal two apostles, the least number needed to meet the qualification “apostles” in Acts 9:27. Maybe Galatians 1:18-19 and Acts 9:27 are talking about the same two apostles. We cannot be certain.

Acts 9:27-29 indicates Saul spent some time preaching in Jerusalem. That may have been the 15 days with Peter referenced in Galatians 1:18. Paul may have met the rest of the 12 apostles here. I think the point in Galatians was that he simply did not meet all 12 apostles at once. He only met Peter and James at first, and then maybe—though not clear here—he met the rest of the apostles at some later time during that same visit to Jerusalem.

Here is what we know for sure:

  1. Acts 9:25 matches Galatians 1:17.
  2. Acts 9:30 matches Galatians 1:21.
  3. So, Acts 9:26-29 would fit during Saul’s visit to Jerusalem in Galatians 1:18-19. Saul evidently only visited Jerusalem once in this context. It was one visit to Jerusalem, but Paul provides only some details while Luke provides other details.*
  4. Saul spent 15 days in Jerusalem with Peter (Galatians 1:18).
  5. Sometime during that one visit to Jerusalem, Saul also met James the Lord’s brother (Galatians 1:18).

If we give the Bible the benefit of the doubt that there is no contradiction, we can combine the testimonies of Acts 9:26-29 and Galatians 1:17-19 to see this timeline:

  1. Saul leaves Damascus and comes to Jerusalem three years later (Galatians 1:17-18; cf. Acts 9:22-26).
  2. He attempts to join some of the Kingdom disciples but they are afraid of him (Acts 9:26). Galatians omits this.
  3. Barnabas finds Saul and brings him to the apostles (Acts 9:27). Meeting the “apostles” here may be the meeting with Peter and James (Galatians 1:18). Acts does not give names or numbers here so we have to use Galatians that provides names and numbers. Somewhere during this time, Saul stays with Peter 15 days (Galatians 1:18).

Remember, Paul’s intention in Galatians chapter 1 is not to give a detailed explanation of everything in Acts chapter 9. His main argument in Galatians is to prove that he had no contact with Israel’s 12 apostles for the first few years of his Christian life. In other words, the 12 did not teach Paul doctrine. Jesus Christ Himself taught him directly (Galatians 1:11-12). Paul had been saved at least three years (Galatians 1:18) prior to meeting with Peter and the other 11 apostles of Israel. Again, Saul may have met all 12 apostles in Acts 9:27, we cannot be sure. If he did meet all 12, then according to Galatians chapter 1, his coming to Jerusalem involved meeting Peter and James first before meeting the others.

* Luke and Paul do not have 100 percent identical accounts because they are from different points-of-view. Furthermore, they have different reasons for writing in their respective books. The testimonies of independent witnesses will always have slight differences, even when describing the same event. That actually strengthens their claim for authenticity. There is no word-for-word account provided by both Luke and Paul, so the Bible critic cannot cry out, “Fabrication!” (Just a little food for thought, friend!)

Also see:
» Were there five crosses on Calvary?
» Why does the Bible give two accounts of Judas’s death?
» Do Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9 contradict each other?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, DENOMINATIONS, CULTS, & FALSE TEACHING, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, What is Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology?, What is Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology?, What is Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology?

What is Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology?

WHAT IS THE “ACTS 9/28 HYBRID SYSTEM” OF THEOLOGY? IS IT SOUND BIBLE HERMENEUTICS, OR THE TRADITIONS OF MEN WITH A “GRACE FACE?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

In recent months, especially within the last several weeks, I have received numerous emails involving a certain type of so-called “grace teaching.” According to these contacts, the proponents of this system do indeed promote Paul’s special ministry. Yet, they attach certain odd doctrines to the Pauline dispensational paradigm. Examples of these “strange and confusing” doctrines were provided. This teaching has become rampant on social media (particularly Facebook and YouTube). For simplicity’s sake, I call it the “Acts 9/28 hybrid system.” This is the term I will use throughout this study to describe the system.

Exactly what is this system? Should we embrace it, or should we avoid it entirely? As always, we do not take anyone’s word for it. We should always look at the Scriptures before we blindly accept any theological position, even if it claims to be “grace” teaching. It does not matter what any grace preacher says, or any grace teacher says—that includes me especially! Beloved, if the King James Bible rightly divided does not support it, forget it, no matter who teaches it!

In celebration of our 200th Bible Q&A article, by special request, we release this massive ministry project! Rejoice with us in Jesus Christ!

A Refutation of Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology (five, one-hour Bible study videos)

A Refutation of Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology (original 60-page full-length article)

A Refutation of Acts 9/28 Hybrid Theology (special 25-page condensed article)

Dispensational Timelines Compared (Diagrams) – Acts 9, Acts 28, & Acts 9/28 Hybrid

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, Who are those “afar off” in Acts 2:39?, Who are those “afar off” in Acts 2:39?

Who are those “afar off” in Acts 2:39?

WHO ARE THOSE “AFAR OFF” IN ACTS 2:39?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Are we Gentiles included in Peter’s famous Pentecostal sermon of Acts chapter 2? Some say we are. But, as Bereans, we ask, “For what saith the Scriptures?”

Religious people are always looking for clever ways to hang on to Pentecost. They ignore all the verses that prove that Acts chapter 2 does not refer to us the Church the Body of Christ. Pentecost is constantly on their minds. To lose it is to lose their traditional Bible viewpoint. They will lose their denominations, offend their egos, lose their salaries, and lose all their members. That is the honest truth, friend.

Despite the fact that Peter said three times as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance (verse 4), “Ye men of Judaea… Ye men of Israel… Let all the house of Israel know assuredly…” (verses 14,22,36), people today still want to say that he was preaching to us Gentiles as well. They use Acts 2:39. Verses 38 and 39: “[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. [39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

An evangelist and Bible teacher of old wrote the following lengthy paragraph about Acts 2:38-39:

“Here Peter in the preceding verse declares exactly what the promise is to which he refers. He says: ‘Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.’ The promise, then, is the promise of the ‘gift of’ or ‘the baptism with the Holy Spirit.’ … Let us then read the verse in the light of this settled fact: ‘for to you is the promise,’ that is, to the people whom he was addressing, who were for the most part Jews, thus far there is nothing in it for you or me for we were not there, and we are not the Jews. But Peter did not stop there: ‘and to your children,’ that is to the next generation of Jews, or, if you will, to all coming generations of Jews, and that does not take many of us in. But, thank God, Peter did not stop there, but added: ‘and to all that are afar off.’ That does take us in, for we are the Gentiles who were ‘once afar off, But are now made nigh by the blood of Christ’ (Ephesians 2:13). But lest there be any doubt about it, Peter does not stop even there but adds: ‘even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto Him’ (r.v.); that is the call not merely to service, but the call to salvation. We are thus here told in plain words, the meaning of which is unmistakable, that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is for every child of God, in every age of the Church’s history. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is the birthright of every believer in Jesus Christ. It is true that not every believer has claimed his birthright, but it is he is, promised and provided by God, through a crucified, risen, and ascended Savior, and if you have not claimed your birthright, you may claim it today.” (Bold emphasis mine.)

The above is a very shoddy method of Bible handling. Why? Because the author, however sincere, erroneously linked the “church” in Acts chapter 2 with the Church the Body of Christ that exists today. Beloved, Pentecost is not our pattern. It has nothing to do with us today. Absolutely nothing! The working of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost has nothing to do with us. Never once does Paul in his epistles, Romans through Philemon, tell us to be “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Plain English tells us that that was for Israel. Once we believe the Gospel of the Grace of God—Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)—the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the Church the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). We are not baptized with the Holy Ghost as Israel was; we are baptized by Him into the Body of Christ. They are totally different doctrines. No honest person could ever say these are the same doctrines:

God’s Word to Israel. Acts 1:5: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Jesus is baptizing people with the Holy Ghost (“He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost…”, Matthew 3:11).

God’s Word to the Church the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13: “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.” The Holy Spirit is baptizing believing into Jesus Christ, into the Church the Body of Christ.

We must move on, however, for we need to focus on answering the question as to the identity of the “afar off” individuals of Acts 2:39.

“ALL THAT ARE AFAR OFF”

Who are these people? Remember… Context! Context! Context! We have to remember the context of Acts chapter 2. These Jews (especially the males) have traveled from every nation under heaven, and they have assembled in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. Verses 5-11 explain: “[5] And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. [6] Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. [7] And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? [8] And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? [9] Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, [10] Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, [11] Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”

These Jews have done exactly what JEHOVAH had told Israel through Moses many centuries earlier. Three times a year—Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles—every male Jew was to travel to Jerusalem and celebrate JEHOVAH’S feasts. Deuteronomy 16:16 commanded them: “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:”

But why are these Jews in Acts chapter 2 “from every nation under heaven?” Why were they not all permanently living in the Promised Land? Remember, many centuries earlier, beginning with the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities, 722 B.C. onward to Acts chapter 2, God had scattered Israel amongst every nation under heaven. They never did permanently resettle in the Promised Land. All the Jews who stayed behind in their native lands—such as women and children—were not present in Jerusalem in Acts chapter 2. These are the people who are “afar off.” It has nothing to do with Gentiles. How do we know? Look at the Bible instead of the denominational handbook or seminary textbook!

In Daniel chapter 9, we see the Prophet praying to JEHOVAH, confessing his sins and the sins of his people, just as Moses had commanded centuries before in the Law. The Babylonians led by King Nebuchadnezzar have already come and destroyed Jerusalem. The Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem is in ruins. The northern kingdom of Israel has been taken off to the Assyrians’ land. The Jews’ southern kingdom of Judah is in Babylon, Daniel being among the captives. Daniel knows that God has rightly judged Israel for her centuries of wickedness. He had had enough of her idolatry. They are now out of the Promised Land, literately ruined every which way (economically, spiritually, physically, and politically).

Daniel 9: “[1] In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; [2] In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. [3] And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: [4] And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; [5] We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: [6] Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. [7] O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. [8] O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. [9] To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; [10] Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.”

Verse 7 above identifies the “afar” people of Acts 2:39. Daniel was not praying for Gentiles any more than Peter was preaching to them on Pentecost! Those “afar off” are Jews scattered throughout the world, who are living outside of the confines of Israel’s physical boundaries. They are still under the fifth course of judgment. As JEHOVAH promised wicked Israel in Leviticus chapter 26: “[31] And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. [32] And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. [33] And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. [34] Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths…. [38] And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.”

By the day of Pentecost and Acts chapter 2, Israel still does not have her Davidic kingdom and she does not have her homeland. Gentiles (now Romans) are still ruling over her and making her life miserable. Nothing has really changed since Daniel’s time. Peter’s message in Acts chapter 2 is how Israel can return to fellowship with JEHOVAH God. As Acts 2:38 says, they are to repent (change their thinking). They are to be water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. They will then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. That will bring them closer to their Davidic kingdom with Jesus Christ as their King. He will come (yet future) and establish it for them.

No amount of twisting verses will help. There is no message whatsoever for Gentiles in Acts 2:38-39. Peter had to convert all of Israel before he was to preach to Gentiles (Acts 1:8). In fact, Peter did not want to preach to Gentile Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. You cannot tell me Peter was willing to preach to Gentiles in Acts 2:39 but that he refused to do it in Acts chapter 10! That is nonsense. Peter was not addressing Gentiles in Acts 2:39. Led by the Holy Spirit, he only preached to Jews! God was not ready to call Gentiles until He saved and commissioned Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul (Romans 11:13)!

Also see:
» Did the Church the Body of Christ begin in Acts 2?
» Does not Acts 11:15 prove the Body of Christ began in Acts 2?
» How were Gentiles saved before our Dispensation of Grace?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, CALVINISM, Does God give us faith?, Does God give us faith?

Does God give us faith?

DOES GOD GIVE US FAITH? IS FAITH THE GIFT OF GOD?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Does God have to give us faith before we can believe His Word? “For what saith the Scriptures?”

There are two or three verses that confuse people when it comes to this issue. We will look at two here. The primary one is Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Another verse, used less commonly, is Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Now that we have provided the verses, we would be delighted to expound them! 🙂

EPHESIANS 2:8-9

It is better if we read Ephesians 2:8 with the next verse as well: “[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.”

There are those who teach that “faith” is “the gift of God.” (Primarily you hear this from Calvinists defending their “Total Depravity” theological point.) Just what is the “that” of Ephesians 2:8? It is the “it” of Ephesians 2:8. So, “that” = “it.” What is “that” and “it?” The clause “it is the gift of God” summarizes the first part, “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” Faith is not the context. Remember, context is key! Context! Context! Context! The context is God’s grace that provides salvation to us in Jesus Christ. “It is the gift of God” accurately summarizes “salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.” We look at another salvation verse of Paul’s writings. Let us look at Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” What is the “gift of God?” Is it faith here? No. The gift of God is what He offers to us “freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Eternal life!

Opponents of the pure Gospel of the Grace of God tell us that we are bragging to say that we are saved by faith. That faith, they claim, is something we did. They argue that the faith in the Bible is something God gives only to “elect” (chosen) people so they can then believe His Word and get saved. True salvation, they say, is being saved by faith God imparted to those He has chosen rather than “salvation you worked for by having faith of yourself” (and in such case, you may or may not be chosen of God). What a bunch of hogwash!

There is no merit in faith per se. Faith is believing in (trusting) something to do its job. The merit is in what faith rests. Merit is determined by whether faith relies on something dependable or relies on something useless. The object of faith alone can have merit, not faith itself! There is no merit in trusting ourselves or our performance in religion. Our performance (physical activity) is useless. Jesus Christ is reliable, and to trust Him is to acknowledge the only thing we can do to be made righteous before God is to rely on Jesus Christ: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5). Faith is not a work so there is no boasting when it comes to faith. Romans chapter 3: “[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.” God does not have to enable us to believe His Word. We either believe God’s Word or we do not. There is nothing boastful about saying you need to believe God’s Gospel because you are on your way to a Devil’s hell in your own performance!

ROMANS 12:3

It is better if we read Romans 12:3 with the next verse as well: “[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. [4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:”

The context here is certainly not salvation by grace through faith. How do we know? We can read, friends! Salvation by grace through faith was already settled in chapters 1-5 of Romans. Here, Paul is talking about Christian service. After giving 11 chapters of information/doctrine, Paul began chapter 12 with service. Notice how Paul opened chapter 12, just before he wrote verse 3: “[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [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.” Service! Service! Service!

Reading in Romans 12:4, we see a reference to “offices.” These are roles concerning spiritual gifts. Paul spends the next few verses outlining spiritual gifts: “[6] Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; [7] Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; [8] Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”

When Romans 12:3 says “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith,” it is a special type of faith. It is not faith in the sense of believing God’s Word unto salvation, justification, heaven, eternal life, et cetera. Remember, that was already discussed in Romans. This “faith” of Romans 12:3 is explained for us in verse 6, “let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.” There are degrees (“measures,” verse 3) of this type of “faith.” If this is salvation faith, that would mean some people were closer to heaven than others, that they had different degrees of eternal life—this is complete nonsense. No, the “faith” of Romans 12:3 is in reference to spiritual gifts (Christian service) and “proportion.” What does “proportion” mean? See the word “portion” in it? “Proportion” means, “a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole.”

In the early decades of the Church the Body of Christ, before the completed Word of God was written down, there was limited spiritual understanding because there was limited spiritual information to know. God had not yet revealed everything that He wanted to reveal to Christians (and to mankind in general). As the chief apostle in the Dispensation of Grace, Paul wrote during the Acts period in 1 Corinthians chapter 13:

“[8] Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. [9] For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. [10] But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. [11] When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. [12] For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”

During that Acts transitional period, Paul understood that the risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ had not revealed everything yet. There was more of the Dispensation of Grace to know about, preach about, and write about. In fact, after writing 1 Corinthians, Paul had nine additional epistles to write in the coming years (Romans, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon). These epistles are advancement in doctrine as you move toward the end of Paul’s life and ministry. Once the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write his second epistle to Timothy, the divine revelation ceased. There was nothing left for God to reveal.

Consider Colossians 1:23-26: “[23]…whereof I Paul am made a minister; [24] Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: [25] Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil [complete] the word of God; [26] Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:”

Hence, Paul wrote in his final epistle, 2 Timothy, chapter 3: “[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Okay, so, going back to Romans 12:3-4: “[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. [4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:”

In Christian service, we are not to become prideful or think ourselves better than other Christians. When the spiritual gifts were in operation in the first century A.D., believers were to understand that each Christian had a different spiritual gift, a special way to communicate God’s Word before it was formally written down. That arrangement was to benefit every Christian, the whole assembly, not the believer who had the particular gift. As 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” Each Christian had been given a different level of understanding and communicating God’s unprinted Word. Note the spiritual gifts in verses 8-10. Then in verse 11, we read: “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” As Romans 12:3 says, “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Each Christian had an office, a special role in the ministry. You can read about them in 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 and Ephesians 4:11. As the years passed, these spiritually-gifted men grew in their understanding of God’s Word and will, before those gifts finally ceased and the completed 66 Bible-book canon came in.

CONCLUSION

Does the Bible say that faith is something given to us by God? Absolutely not. That is theology and not Bible. That is good religion but bad Bible. Never once in the Bible is faith called the “gift” of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 is talking about how salvation (by grace through faith) is the gift of God. Eternal life through Jesus Christ is the “gift of God” (Romans 6:23). Faith is simply acknowledging that Jesus Christ is totally righteous and that we are not, that He paid the price for our sins because we were totally unable to pay for our sins. It is not hard to comprehend unless we want to complicate it by advancing a pet theological system (Calvinism) and one of its points (“Total Depravity”).

Romans 12:3 refers to Christian service with spiritual gifts. “Faith” in that context refers to belief in whatever (limited) divine revelation had been given up to that point. The Bible is a progressive revelation, please recall. It took a total of 30 to 35 years for Paul to receive all of the details about our Dispensation of Grace, from the ascended Lord Jesus Christ. For the first 20 or so years of this period, there were no (written) epistles of Paul. The Church the Body of Christ had supernaturally-gifted men who would communicate those grace doctrines (apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists) until the completed written Word of God came into existence (2 Timothy 3:16-17). With the completed Word of God, we no longer have to be concerned with a “proportion of faith” or “the measure of faith.” There is a complete revelation from God, with nothing hidden, and we can trust it all because we have it all revealed in a Book, our King James Bible. Will we read and believe its simple testimony? Or, will we twiddle and twaddle about idle speculations of theologians who are more interested in pursuing total worthlessness?

Also see:
» How do God’s foreknowledge and our free will work together?
» What were Urim and Thummim?
» What is the “that which is perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, SOUL SALVATION FROM SINS, What about Romans 10:9-10?, What about Romans 10:9-10?

What about Romans 10:9-10?

WHAT ABOUT ROMANS 10:9-10? MUST I AUDIBLY CONFESS “JESUS IS LORD” TO BE SAVED?

by Shawn Brasseaux

The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10: “[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” For salvation, must one audibly confess that Jesus is Lord? Are Fundamentalists and Evangelicals correct in using this passage as a “profession of faith” proof text? Should we as Bible believers use Romans 10:9-10 in our Gospel tracts and our Gospel messages today? Let us search the Scriptures for the answers!

Undoubtedly, this study will make religious people very angry, but so what! As Romans 3:4 says, “Let God be true, but every man a liar.” We are not interested in advancing church doctrine. The Bible is right, no matter whom it contradicts! Let us not grow angry with God’s Word. Let us grow angry with the religious system that deceived us about Romans 10:9-10! (I was once deceived myself about it.)

CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT!

Beloved, the most basic principle of Bible hermeneutics (interpretation) is context. From time immemorial, people have been grabbing appealing Bible verses without paying attention to the context. Cults and denominations are notorious for this. They even partially quote verses: all that is quoted is verses or phrases that fit theological systems. Verses and Bible phrases that challenge the theological system are disregarded and (hopefully) no one will study the Bible for himself or herself, to find those ignored words, and thus learn how religious tradition shafted him or her! Nothing is more tragic than misquoted Bible verses that complicate and thus hide a pure Gospel message from an unsaved audience. Many souls in hell today were “church-going people.” They heard a few verses here or there, some more than others. However, many of them heard a watered-down Gospel message. They heard salvation verses that belonged to other people in the Bible, but those verses did not belong to them in the Dispensation of Grace. One case in point is Romans 10:9-10.

Before we grab Romans 10:9-10 and apply it to ourselves, we had better first grab verse 1. Verse 1 is the context. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” What is the purpose of Romans chapter 10? Is it Gentile salvation? Certainly not (if words mean anything, of course). Romans 10:9-10, while often used as a “Gospel invitation” today, is actually not speaking to or about us at all. According to Paul, he is discussing Israel’s salvation! (Will we believe the Apostle Paul writing by the power of the Holy Ghost, or will we believe some fallible preacher?) Romans chapter 10 is actually the heart of a three-chapter passage, Romans chapters 9-11. These three chapters are the Apostle Paul’s discussion of the nation Israel—past, present, and future. (If you want Gentile salvation, Paul already talked about it in the first five chapters of Romans. Romans chapter 10 is Israeli salvation! Friend, understand that Gentile salvation was already settled in the previous chapters.)

Romans 10:1-4

In order to understand Romans 10:9-10, it is better if we begin reading in verse 1: “[1] Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. [2] For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. [3] For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. [4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

When the Holy Ghost moved the Apostle Paul to write the book of Romans during the Acts period, unbelieving Israel was still operating her Temple according to the Law of Moses (cf. Hebrews 8:4). Jerusalem’s Temple would not be destroyed until A.D. 70. Israel was still offering the animal sacrifices and still ignoring Jesus Christ’s sacrifice of Himself at Calvary. Israel was still attempting to keep the Mosaic Law in her own strength. They were ignoring the 1,500-year testimony that their ancestors were unable to do it. Lost Jews were not interested in God’s righteousness (demonstrated at Calvary’s cross). Like religionists today, they were interested in proving themselves to be righteous (via the Mosaic Law, complete with the rites, rituals, and ceremonies of Judaism). They were zealous, quite passionate, but totally ignorant of what really mattered. They could not understand the Law and all of its obligations predicted and typified Jesus Christ!

Prior to Romans 10:1, Paul closed chapter 9 with these verses: “[30] What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. [31] But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. [32] Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; [33] As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Israel stumbled over Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry. They could not see Him through the eyes of faith. They did not believe He was God’s Son, the long-promised Messiah of the Old Testament. They were too busy focused on their own works in religion, too overwhelmed with working to establish their own righteousness. Their unbelief reached its pinnacle at Calvary, when they denied Jesus as their Messiah-King and demanded His crucifixion (John 19:15). However, Gentiles recognized who Jesus was, and through Paul’s ministry, Gentiles came to believe on Jesus as their personal Saviour and thus gain righteousness before God. Lost Jews still refused Jesus Christ, their only way to be justified (declared right) before God. Paul, in chapter 10, is trying to convert those lost Jews. (“… that I might save some of them;” Romans 11:14).

Jesus Christ “is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (verse 4). Now that Jesus Christ demonstrated He alone could (and did) keep God’s laws perfectly, and that He pleased Father God at Calvary, there was no more reason for Israel to deceive herself into thinking she could merit God’s favor with her Law-keeping. The believing Gentiles understood it in Paul’s ministry. The believing Gentiles believed it in Paul’s ministry. Now, if only Paul could have the unbelieving Jews understand and believe it! (“… that I might save some of them;” Romans 11:14).

Romans 10:5-8

Continuing in Romans chapter 10:

“[5] For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. [6] But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) [7] Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) [8] But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;”

In verse 5, Paul writes, “That the man which doeth those things shall live by them” (quoting Leviticus 18:5; cf. Nehemiah 9:29; Ezekiel 20:11,13,21). This is the righteousness which is of the Law. A man who keeps the Law is righteous, justified before God. But, here is the important question—Does any man keep 100 percent of the law 100 percent of the time? Not at all. Friend, that is what sin is! Romans 3:19-20: “[19] Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. [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.”

Unbelieving Israel, like so many church members today, ignored the above truth—the Law is the knowledge of sin, it shows you and I to be sinners! They still did their best in works-religion to make themselves right before and accepted of God. Paul was telling them in Romans chapter 10 that they had not submitted themselves to God’s righteousness in the Person of Jesus Christ. When one realizes that righteousness comes by Jesus Christ alone, and that righteousness is imputed (applied) to one’s account by faith in Christ alone, then that individual will no longer seek to establish his or her own righteousness by keeping the Law of Moses. This is what Paul is exhorting unbelieving Israel to understand during the Acts period! “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

Now, in verse 6 and following, we move on to “the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise [in this manner]….” In verses 6-8 of Romans chapter 10, Paul quotes Deuteronomy chapter 30. Moses’ original writing reads as follows: “[10] If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. [11] For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. [12] It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? [13] Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? [14] But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”

Notice how Paul interpreted that Mosaic passage for us in verses 6-8 (Paul’s commentary is in parentheses): “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)”

When JEHOVAH God delivered the Mosaic Law to Israel through Moses back in Exodus, Israel was without excuse. Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:14, “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” The nation Israel knew exactly what God demanded of her. God did not leave her to wonder what He wanted her to do. As Paul commented, furthermore, centuries after Moses, a Man did come down from heaven and did come up from the grave to tell Israel everything that God expected of them at that time. That Man was Jesus Christ, His earthly ministry and resurrection (“that is, to bring Christ down from above… that is, to bring Christ again from the dead”).

Moses had been sent to instruct Israel, but they refused to listen to him. Father God had sent Jesus Christ, but Israel rejected His words as well (Matthew through John). Jesus Christ had sent Paul to Israel during the Acts period, but they did not want to hear Paul either. This is the context of Romans chapter 10 (see verses 14-21, which is Paul describing how lost Israel refuses his preaching the Gospel of the Grace of God during the Acts period). Israel during the Acts period was just as guilty of unbelief as she was when Moses ministered to her and when Jesus Christ ministered to her. Israel during the Acts transitional period could not say God had not sent anybody to them. Paul was God’s spokesman to lost Israel during Acts, and the only way lost Jews could be saved from God’s wrath was to listen to and believe Paul’s Gospel and join the Body of Christ.

The “word” (message) was “nigh” (near to) Israel; the Old Testament’s prophecies were known in the head but not believed in the heart. The Jews could recite their Old Testament verses from memory, just like lost people today can quote all sorts of verses and yet they do not believe them. Every Sabbath day, the scrolls Law of Moses and/or the Psalms and/or the Prophets would be read in the Jewish synagogues (Luke 4:16-17; Acts 13:27; Acts 15:21; 2 Corinthians 3:14). These Old Testament passages were talking about Jesus Christ. They testified of Him. Let us look at a few passages now to establish that fact.

Luke 24:44: “And he [Jesus] 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.” And Acts 3:18: “But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.” And Acts 13:27: “For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.” One more example, Jesus’ words in John chapter 5: “[39] Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. [46] For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.”

Again, the Old Testament passages were a prophetic view of Jesus Christ. However, the Jews were so preoccupied with their religious activities and their self-righteousness that they could not see that their Scriptures validated Jesus as Messiah/Christ. Israel did not have heart faith in those Scriptures.

The believing Jew would not say in his heart, “I do not know what God wants me to believe.” A believing Jew would understand exactly and believe what God expected him, whether in Moses’ day, or Christ’s earthly ministry, or Paul’s Acts ministry. The heart of faith would not object and say he or she did not know what to believe concerning God’s Word or God’s will. The heart of faith would know that Jesus Christ did come down (Matthew through John), but that Israel refused to hear. Also, the heart of faith would see that Jesus Christ did reveal to the Apostle Paul (Acts chapter 9 onward) what information all unsaved Jewish and Gentile people had to believe so as to escape Satan’s captivity. This is all Paul writing to lost Jews during Acts to make them realize just how lost they really are!

Romans 10:9-10

Now, with all of the above as background, we reach the controversial verses: “[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Before we even comment, just re-reading the “hot topic” passage with background in mind makes it a little clearer, yes? Again, Israel could recite her Old Testament Scriptures, they could verbalize them, but there was no belief in the heart. There was nothing but unbelief and disobedience. The heart can talk—“say not in thine heart…” (verse 6). When Romans 10:9 says to confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, this is not the physical mouth. It is something done inside, said in the heart. This “heart” is not the literal physical heart that pumps blood, but rather the soul, the part of us that can believe. A muscle does not have the capacity to believe God’s Word. The “heart” of Romans 10:9 is what we use to trust God’s Word. It is the soul (cf. Romans 1:21).

Likewise, the “mouth” of Romans 10:9 is not the literal, physical, visible opening near the bottom of our literal, physical, fleshly faces. The “mouth” there is the mouth of the soul. Luke 16:19-31 says how Abraham and the rich man, both physically dead, were still talking with one another (this is the mouth of their souls). Their physical bodies are in the ground, but their souls are in the heart of the earth, and yet they have conversations (verses 24-31). The Bible also says that the human soul, even when separated from the physical body, has ears, eyes (verse 23), fingers and a tongue (verse 24), and memory (verses 25,28). A verbal confession is that which is believed and said in the heart first. Anyone can mindlessly parrot some words audibly without meaning what they say. God is more interested in the heart (soul) talking than the physical lips! After all, He can see down into the soul, beyond mere spoken words, to see what the person really believes instead of simply what he or she says/professes.

When the Bible says that the lost Jew during Acts is to confess the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9), this goes back to the Old Testament, that Israel confess the name of JEHOVAH. As King Solomon was dedicating Israel’s Temple over 900 years B.C., he prayed this prayer, quoted in part (1 Kings 8:33-35): “[33] When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: [34] Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. [35] When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:” (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:24-26).

Unbelieving Jews, those who found themselves facing God’s judgment, scattered amongst the nations, were to confess JEHOVAH’S name. Lost Jews had indeed experienced God’s wrath during the Acts period, the fall of their nation (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). The seven-year Tribulation and wrath at Jesus’ Second Coming were impending as well (Acts 2:15-21,33-40; Acts 3:19-23; et cetera). In relationship to Paul’s Acts transitional ministry, confessing JEHOVAH’S name meant admitting that Jesus was not a fraud or imposter (as Israel accused Jesus of being when they demanded His crucifixion). They were to admit Jesus was Messiah, or in other words, Jesus was and is JEHOVAH.

So, let us review thus far. Paul is teaching in Romans chapter 10 that if a Jew wanted to be saved during the Acts period (which was when Romans was written), then he or she had to first recognize Jesus as Messiah/Christ, the Lord, the Son of God, instead of rejecting Him as an imposter. Then, that Jew had to believe in Jesus Christ’s resurrection, which was another hang-up for the unbelieving Jews. Remember, there was a rumor that Jesus Christ had not resurrected, but rather His disciples had stolen His corpse and hidden it elsewhere (Matthew 28:11-15). Whether in Peter’s ministry or Paul’s ministry, a Jew had to believe in Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Hence, there is no burial of Christ referenced in Romans 10:9. Jesus’ burial was not controversial with Israel—it was His literal, physical, bodily resurrection!! (Now you know why the burial is mysteriously absent in this verse!)

Re-read Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Notice Jesus’ “Messiahship” and His resurrection. This is what Paul preached to Jews in the synagogues during the Acts period (cf. Acts 13:33,37; Acts 17:3; Acts 18:5; et cetera). These two acknowledgments were key in leading a Jew to Christ during Acts.

Now to the “salvation” of Romans 10:9-10: “[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The “salvation” here is not being saved from sins and hell. We know this because “believeth unto righteousness” (justification) is a reference to being saved from sins and hell. To “confess” and “believe” unto “salvation” is actually deliverance from Israel’s apostasy and unbelief. A Jew who recognized Jesus as Lord/Messiah/JEHOVAH, who recognized that He rose from the dead, this Jew can then believe Paul’s Gospel (“Christ died for my sins, He was buried, and He was raised again” [1 Corinthians 15:3-4]) and that Jew will be justified, thus being saved from Israel’s apostasy and spiritual blindness. Israel in unbelief rejected and killed Messiah Jesus years earlier. However, through Paul’s ministry and message, Israel can escape that spiritual blindness and satanic captivity. Paul is urging lost Jews to listen to Jesus Christ speaking through him now during Acts. Years earlier, they ignored Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry. They are now not to disregard Jesus speaking through Paul.

Romans 10:11-14

Friends, we have a few more loose ends to tie together, and then we are finished:

“[11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. [14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Verse 11 is a free quotation of Isaiah 28:16 (cf. 1 Peter 2:6), all of which are a reference to Jesus Christ. For brevity’s sake, we will forgo further commentary here.

As verse 12 says, in the Dispensation of Grace, there is no difference between Jew and Greek (Gentile). It is not saying that Gentiles are to behave like Jews (a common misconception). No, in our dispensation, a Jew is saved the same way a Gentile is. Lost Jews are to behave like Gentiles. “Even the righteousness of God which by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:22). The unbelieving Jews have to enter into God’s program via the Church the Body of Christ, just as Gentiles. Paul’s ministry during Acts was to provoke lost Jews to emulation. He wanted them to behave the same way as the Gentiles—believe Paul’s Gospel, thereby joining the Church the Body of Christ.

Romans 11:11-14 is Paul’s commentary on his ministry during the Acts period: “[11] I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.”

Paul did various strange things in Acts to provoke lost Jews to salvation into the Body of Christ. For example, he water baptized converts, he raised the dead, he cast out devils, he healed the sick, he went to the Temple to offer sacrifices, he circumcised Timothy, et cetera. You can read more about this in our study, “Could you explain Paul’s ‘Acts’ ministry?,” linked at the end of this study. Unfortunately, time and space do not permit us to comment any further here.

When Romans chapter 10 says, “[13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. [14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?,” this is really simple. Calling on the name of the Lord to be saved, Romans 10:13, is a quote from Joel 2:32, which is what a Jew is to do in Israel’s program in order to be saved from apostate Israel. Any unbelieving Jews during Paul’s ministry are to call upon the Lord; that is, seek rescue from the nation that is so wrapped up in false religion that God’s wrath is coming upon it (the Second Coming of Christ). Once a Jew believed Paul’s Gospel during Paul’s Gospel, he was to call upon the name of the Lord (notice the order in verse 14).

CONCLUSION

Friends, Romans 10:9-10 was a formula for lost Jews to be saved from Israel’s apostasy during the Acts period. Paul wrote it with Jewish salvation in mind during the transitional period. He did it to provoke lost Israelis to understand and address their spiritual dilemma. Romans 10:9-10 has nothing to do with us Gentiles or members of the Body of Christ. There are religious people who do not like that previous sentence, but that is fine. I would rather believe my Bible than them or their denomination any day! You, friend?

Why does it matter that we have a firm, dispensational understanding of Romans 10:9-10? It is because people (although sincere) have used it and are using it to mislead the lost when it comes to salvation from their sins. Faith needs an adequate basis to rest on, and Romans 10:9-10 does not make reference to Christ dying for anyone’s sins. This is why 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 should be used instead of Romans 10:9-10. “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again the third day.” That is a clear Gospel message, a message without theological gibberish, shallowness, and gospel clichés.

Unfortunately, Romans 10:9-10 is also used to pressure new Christians to get up before a congregation to make a “profession of faith,” lest they not “complete their salvation.” This too is a gross mistreatment of the passage. Unfortunately, Matthew 10:32-33 is abused likewise. “Come walk the aisle, shake the preacher’s hand, and make your profession of faith in Jesus! You do not want God to deny you in heaven one day, do you?” This is certainly not what Romans 10:9-10 is saying. That is shallow religious tradition parading as Bible doctrine. That is coercion, bullying, intimidation, not the Spirit of God but the flesh of men!

SUPPLEMENTAL: MODERN ENGLISH VERSIONS AND THEIR RESULTANT OBFUSCATION

Unfortunately, modern English “bibles” add to the confusion by re-translating Romans 10:9 so that it reads:

  • AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION – “because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord….”
  • AMPLIFIED BIBLE – “Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord….”
  • CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION – “So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,”…”
  • ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION – “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…”
  • GOOD NEWS BIBLE – “If you confess that Jesus is Lord…”
  • HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE – “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”…”
  • LIVING BIBLE – “For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord….”
  • THE MESSAGE – “Say the welcoming word to God—”Jesus is my Master”….”
  • NEW AMERICAN (CATHOLIC) BIBLE – “for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…”
  • NEW AMERICAN STANDARD – “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, ….”
  • NEW LIVING TRANSLATION – “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord….”
  • NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION – “because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord….”
  • REVISED STANDARD VERSION – “because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord….”

Notice how Protestant and Roman Catholic translators alike insert the verb “is”: “Jesus is Lord.” The 1901 American Standard Version explains with a footnote: “Some ancient authorities read ‘confess the word with thy mouth, that Jesus {is} Lord.’” The corrupt modern versions and their underlying manuscripts are at it again, friends!

Also observe how the Living Bible says, “If you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus is your Lord” (beside the Message, this is an extreme version of dynamic, or interpretative, translation). The translator has assumed the role of the teacher—this is spiritually dangerous! Notice how the Amplified Bible says, “Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips….” “Lips” being inserted only confuses the verses. Evidently, the translators of all of the versions quoted above are also under the impression that this verse is talking about confessing with our physical lips and our physical mouths. (They may not be correct in that interpretation, but all we have is their interpretation, and not the pure Word of God with which to compare!)

In actuality, they have polluted God’s Word to teach Lordship Salvation, the damnable heresy of Calvinism, that people have to submit to Jesus’ Lordship over every detail of their lives before they can be saved unto eternal life. This is works-religion. This is not Christianity. Whenever someone says, “The modern versions still contain ‘the Gospel!,’” they evidently do not know what the Gospel is and/or they do not know what Romans 10:9-10 is talking about! No lost person can give his or her life to Christ—lost people are dead spiritually. Only a Christian gave his or her life to Christ!

Also see:
» Is John 3:16 the Gospel for us today?
» Must I say the sinner’s prayer?
» Could you please explain Paul’s “Acts” ministry?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, Can you explain Matthew 21:43?, Can you explain Matthew 21:43?, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY

Can you explain Matthew 21:43?

CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN MATTHEW 21:43?

by Shawn Brasseaux

The Lord Jesus Christ said during His final weeks of earthly ministry: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). Is He giving Israel’s covenants/kingdom over to us Gentiles, as some teach? Is He predicting the formation of the Church the Body of Christ, as some teach? If Israel is God’s chosen people in the books of Matthew through John, then why did Jesus tell Israel that He was taking God’s kingdom from them and giving it to “a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof?” We are to be Berean Bible students, comparing Scripture with Scripture, to see what things are so (Acts 17:11).

When God began to form the nation Israel with Abraham, He intended all of Abraham’s descendants to participate in His earthly plan. However, as time passed, many of Abraham’s descendants were unbelieving. In Matthew 21:43, Jesus Christ is addressing Israel’s apostate religious leaders. These unbelieving Jews will not participate by faith in God’s dealings with Israel. They are too focused on works-religion and their righteousness. So, God will not allow them to enter the Millennium (the 1,000-year reign of Christ). They will never set foot in Christ’s righteous kingdom. They refused to be born-again as John chapter 3 admonished, so God will deny them access to the kingdom intended only for born-again Jews.

Luke 12:32 is the companion passage of Matthew 21:43. We begin in verse 31 of Luke chapter 12: “[31] But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. [32] Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” The parallel passage is Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The primary issue here is spiritual matters rather than physical (material) matters. Jesus Christ tells wayward Israel that they must seek God’s righteousness first (spiritual issue) before they can enjoy His physical blessings (material issue). They needed to have their priorities in proper order. They needed to first be saved from their sins by trusting Him!

It is important to note that the Lord Jesus did not say, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to nations bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43). “Nation” is singular, not plural. “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” God did not give Israel’s kingdom over to nations (plural, as in Gentiles in the Body of Christ) but rather one nation (singular)—redeemed Israel. God took Israel’s kingdom away from apostate Israel and gave it to a nation (redeemed, born-again Israel) that was willing to submit to His righteousness, the “foolish nation” of Romans 10:19 and Deuteronomy 32:21. As John the Baptist warned, unbelieving Jews will be consumed in righteous wrath when Jesus Christ returns, and they will be cast into hellfire, never allowed into God’s earthly kingdom (Matthew 3:7-12; Matthew 13:37-42).

Also see:
» Is the Church the Body of Christ spoken of in Matthew 16:18?
» What does “My kingdom is not of this world” mean?
» Does Hebrews 10:25 really teach we must attend church?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY, Is it “Pauline” to call ourselves “Christians?”, Is it “Pauline” to call ourselves “Christians?”

Is it “Pauline” to call ourselves “Christians?”

IS IT “PAULINE” TO CALL OURSELVES “CHRISTIANS?”

by Shawn Brasseaux

“Why do so many saints who trust in the Gospel of Christ refer to themselves as ‘Christians?’ In my research, I have never read the Apostle Paul ever refer to a member of the Body of Christ by that title. So, therefore, is it sound by Scripture for us to continue to call ourselves by this Gospel of the Kingdom term?”

Thank you, friend, for that question. I have often wondered about that matter myself, so you encouraged me to formally do a study on it. True, Paul never uses the term “Christian” in his epistles. However, on two occasions in the Bible, the title is used in connection with his ministry. The term appears three times overall in the King James Bible, so we will first briefly survey these passages. Then, we will summarize our findings and form a Scriptural conclusion.

Let us look at the first instance. We read in Acts 11:25-26: “[25] Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: [26] And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” The first time in history the disciples were ever called “Christians” was right here, in Antioch, and take note that it is in connection with the Apostle Paul’s ministry (at this time, he is still called “Saul”). The hermeneutic (interpretation) rule of “first mention” dictates that the first time any term appears in the Bible, its context carries much weight when the term appears throughout the rest of the Bible. We will comment more on that later. Just remember for now this verse is the “first-mention” verse.

Now to the second time “Christian” is used in the canon of Scripture. When Paul stood before King Agrippa in Acts chapter 26, the Apostle gave his testimony to this Gentile king. Reading in verses 27 and 28: “[27] King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. [28] Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian.” Agrippa, very convicted by the Word of God, brushed off Paul’s words with, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” In other words, “Paul, you expect me to become a Christian based on your wild, incredible stories? No way!” (You can sense the scorn, the mockery, in Agrippa’s words.) While Luke does not record everything that Paul said in the book of Acts, I wonder if Paul did not use that term Christian in his testimony previously. Two quick observations. Firstly, Agrippa was aware of the term (from where did he learn it?). Secondly, an interestingly enough, Paul did not discourage him from using it (did Paul approve of its usage among Gentiles, those apart from Israel’s Gospel of the Kingdom?, evidently so).

The last occurrence of the term “Christian” in the King James Bible is in 1 Peter 4:16: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” As you pointed out, this would indeed be a reference to the Jerusalem/Kingdom saints of Israel, the Little Flock. A little side-note: the “suffering” here is what Israel’s Little Flock will experience during the seven-year Tribulation, when the Antichrist slaughters those who do not worship him. Those Jews who accept Jesus as Messiah will automatically risk (ultimately forfeit) their lives for refusing the false Messiah.

Returning to your question, “Is it sound by Scripture for us to continue to call ourselves by this Gospel of the Kingdom term?” Well, here is how the Bible uses the term “Christian:”

  1. The term “Christian” was originally used to refer to Paul’s Gentile converts in Antioch, Syria (Acts 11:26). King Agrippa was aware of it being used to refer to the people associated with Paul’s ministry (Acts 26:28).
  1. Sometime after it was first used in Acts 11:26, the name “Christian” was used to apply to Israel’s Little Flock as well (1 Peter 4:16). In other words, the title did not originally relate to the Gospel of the Kingdom or Israel’s believers, so it is not Scripturally-accurate to classify “Christian” as a “Gospel of the Kingdom term.” It is used in Scripture to once apply to Jewish kingdom saints, but its original usage involved Paul’s ministry, and it is used twice in connection with Paul’s ministry.

Interestingly, Paul, as you pointed out, never used the term “Christian” in his actual writings. We can search his epistles to learn that his “favorite” term to refer to believers, including those in Body of Christ, was “saints” (which term, incidentally, originally referred to Jewish believers, Old Testament believers [see the book of Psalms, for example], those who were saved before the Church the Body of Christ began). Try Romans 1:7, Romans 8:27, Romans 12:13, Romans 15:25-26 (little flock), Romans 16:2, Romans 16:15, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 6:1-2, et cetera. Paul used the term “saints” some 40 times in Romans through Philemon, mostly to describe his converts but sometimes to refer to Israel’s Little Flock.

“Christian” is a general term that simply means “Christ-like” or “follower of Christ.” First it was used as one of scorn—an insult that unbelievers hurled at people who behaved like Jesus Christ. If you think about it, that would apply to both Israel’s Little Flock and the Church the Body of Christ. Whether in Israel’s program or in our program, the Little Flock or the Church the Body of Christ, God’s purpose is to manifest His life in and through both sets of believers. Perhaps that is why the word is used in both programs: God’s Word working in both programs produces people who behave like Jesus Christ.

Based on the term “Christian” associated twice with Paul’s ministry in the Bible, I do not think it wrong to call ourselves “Christians” any more than it is wrong for us to call ourselves “Saints.” As long as we do not call ourselves something used exclusively for describing Israel (“Little Flock,” “Israel of God,” “Kingdom of Priests,” “Holy Nation,” and so on), we are safe in our theology.

Also see:
» Is the Church the Body of Christ spoken of in Matthew 16:18?
» Can you compare and contrast Peter’s ministry and Paul’s ministry?
» Did Paul quote verses out of context in 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1?

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS / CONFUSING VERSES SIMPLIFIED, Can you explain Galatians 2:11-16?, Can you explain Galatians 2:11-16?, DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY

Can you explain Galatians 2:11-16?

CAN YOU EXPLAIN GALATIANS 2:11-16? WAS PAUL TELLING PETER THAT THE LITTLE FLOCK WAS UNDER GRACE?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“I have a question! It is about Peter in Galatians 2:11-21. I understand that Paul reproves Peter, because he acted under the law between Body of Christ. The question is, did Paul remind Peter that the Little Flock is now also under grace? To me it looks like Paul is teaching Peter that he is justified without works of the law (Galatians 2:16-18).”

Thank you for that question, brother. It is a technical topic, but if we compare related verses, we can then arrive at a rather easy answer. We just need to be willing to let the verses say what they say. Yes, it will get lengthy, so I have tried to make it as short as I can. For simplicity’s sake, I will give a brief answer first, and then provide the details in a “longer answer.”

Let us first read the passage in question, Galatians 2:11-21:

“[11] But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. [12] For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. [13] And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. [14] But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? [15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, [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.”

“[17] But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. [18] For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. [19] For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. [20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. [21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

THE BRIEF ANSWER

My understanding of the above passage is that Paul’s quote ends at the close of verse 16. That is why I reproduced the passage above with a paragraph break between verses 16 and 17. Verses 11 through 16 involve Peter and Paul, while verse 17 through to the end of the epistle are the words of Paul to the Galatians. Acknowledging this break will help dispel much of the confusion as to what Paul actually told Peter.

I do not think Paul was telling Peter and the Little Flock they were now under grace. Peter and the Little Flock were still under the Law. Remember, James throughout his epistle instructed the Little Flock to continue Law-keeping. In Acts chapter 21—which occurred years after Galatians chapter 2 (Acts chapter 15)—the Little Flock still kept the Mosaic Law and participated in Temple worship (“thousands of Jews… which believe; and they are all zealous of the law;” Acts 21:20). So, it seems to me that Paul, in Galatians 2:16-18, was telling Peter/Little Flock that his (that is, Paul’s) converts were under grace, and Peter’s actions were confusing Paul’s converts.

Remember, Jesus (like the epistles of James and 1 John) told the Little Flock to keep the Law of Moses. The Lord Jesus said that if the members of the Messianic Church did not keep the commandments of the Mosaic Law and teach others to do the same, they would be “least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20; cf. Matthew 28:19-20). The only possible exception to this rule that I can see is if members of the Little Flock went and fellowshipped/ate with Paul’s Gentile converts (such as in Galatians chapter 2, your question). For the sake of these new converts in Paul’s ministry, Israel’s Little Flock could temporarily abandon their Law-keeping. In day-to-day living amongst themselves, apart from fellowshipping with Paul’s Gentile converts, the Little Flock was to follow Moses. That goes back to James’ epistle and John’s epistle of Law-keeping, Acts chapter 21, and Jesus’ legalistic commands to the Little Flock.

That is the simple answer, but it leaves various questions unanswered, so we proceed to “fill in the details.”

THE MORE DETAILED ANSWER

Here are some assorted notes I have collected while researching your question. They may help you with details as well as cause you to see the overall picture.

Once more, please note that Paul’s words to Peter are found in Galatians 2:14-16. Paul did not speak to Peter the words of verses 17-21. Verses 17-21 seem to be Paul’s words written to the Galatians. So, Paul’s verbal/spoken quotation closes at the end of verse 16. We can avoid much confusion by realizing this. (Paul’s discussion with Peter is what Paul uses in verses 17-21 to demonstrate to the Galatians that Law-keeping was unnecessary for the Body of Christ. Verses 1-16 are two illustrations [1-10 and 11-16] Paul used to teach the Galatians about the dispensational change from Law to Grace, Peter to Paul, prophecy to mystery, Israel to Body of Christ, et cetera. Paul’s argument in epistle to the Galatians was not that the Little Flock was under grace, but rather that the Body of Christ was under grace.)

To better understand Galatians 2:11-16, remember the previous 10 verses. Galatians 2:1-10 is the famous Jerusalem Conference of Acts chapter 15 that I mentioned earlier. Galatians 2:11-16 occurred immediately after that apostolic conference. Note the circumstances surrounding, and the results of, that Jerusalem Conference.

Firstly, why was this Jerusalem Conference of Acts chapter 15 even held? Believing Law-keeping Messianic Jews had confused Paul’s converts into embracing legalism. We will briefly read Acts 15:1-5:

“[1] And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. [2] When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. [3] And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. [4] And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. [5] But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

Jesus Christ instructed Paul to go to Jerusalem and tell the elders and apostles of Israel about his new Gospel message and God’s change in programs. Luke recorded it in Acts and Paul wrote about it in Galatians 2:1-10. That Jerusalem Conference, when you study all of Acts chapter 15, agreed that legalism was not necessary for Paul’s converts because of the dispensational change. At that apostolic conference, Peter and the 10 (minus James) learned of Paul’s Gospel for the first time. They agreed that Paul’s converts did not have to observe the Mosaic Law, including the kosher food laws (see Acts 15:19-29). In fact, the Jerusalem kingdom saints even sent a letter to Paul’s converts to apologize for those legalizers who had oppressed and confused them.

Now, right after this conference, Peter came to Antioch. That is the passage you have asked about. Let us read Galatians 2:11-16, once more:

“[11] But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. [12] For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. [13] And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. [14] But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? [15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, [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.”

Please note again that the dialogue/conversation between Peter and Paul stopped here. In other words, Paul did not tell Peter the words of verses 17-21. A close examination of the change in language seems to indicate that verse 17 onward was Paul’s words to the Galatians.

So, how was Peter acting wrong in Antioch? He was turning away from that agreement reached in Acts chapter 15 earlier. By him fearing those Jewish visitors and then withdrawing from eating with Paul’s Gentile converts, it caused Paul’s converts to stumble. Paul then (rightly but respectfully) rebuked Peter. Paul’s words in Galatians 2:14 indicate that Peter was, by example, greatly pressuring Paul’s Gentiles to now observe kosher food laws as well. Peter was “compelling the Gentiles to live as do the Jews.” These believing Gentiles had first heard from the Jerusalem Church that it was now okay for them to eat non-kosher foods, but then Peter suddenly acted like it was not okay for them to eat non-kosher foods. Even Barnabas was negatively affected, carried away with their “dissimulation” (hypocrisy), verse 13 says. “Dissembled” means “to have acted hypocritically with.” There was no sincerity in Peter’s withdrawal. Other Jews and Barnabas were pressured to (and did) play the hypocrite with Peter. It was a huge stumbling block for the believing Gentiles (whom Satan had already attacked earlier prior to the Jerusalem Conference).

That epistle from Jerusalem to Antioch condoned Gentile Christians eating non-kosher foods, but Peter’s actions caused the sincerity of the letter to be questioned. (The believing Gentiles probably asked themselves, “The Jerusalem Church approved our non-kosher foods, and Peter signed that letter too, but now that Peter is here he is pressuring us to follow him in avoiding the non-kosher foods, just to please these Jewish visitors?! Did those Jews from James not agree we could eat these non-kosher foods?! Were they lying to us?”) It was as if now Peter, the representative from Jerusalem, did not agree with the letter from Jerusalem he had endorsed earlier. It made the Gentiles in Antioch question that letter. The Jerusalem Church and its efforts to get along with Paul’s Gentiles in Antioch were greatly disrupted. Satan was working overtime here, and Paul rightly blamed Peter.

Paul said that Peter and those other Jews “walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel” (verse 14). “The truth of the gospel” is that we—the Body of Christ, Paul’s converts, not the Little Flock—are free from the Law of Moses and its kosher food laws. That was Paul’s whole argument in the entire epistle of Galatians. The “Gospel” here is the Gospel of the Grace of God, not Israel’s Kingdom Gospel. Paul made it clear to Peter and these other Jews again—just as he did in that Jerusalem Conference—that legalism did not belong where the Gospel of Grace was present. If the Little Flock would come to his Gentile assemblies for visits, these kingdom Jews would have to give way to the current program of God and temporarily abandon those dietary restrictions. When these kingdom Jews returned to their own assemblies, they were to return to the Law as the Lord Jesus Christ had previously told them. God’s current Dispensation of Grace had not abolished Law-keeping in Israel’s program. It had merely prohibited Law-keeping among Paul’s Gentile converts and other Gentiles who would be saved later under Paul’s ministry.

Again, in Peter’s own program, Law-keeping was necessary. Matthew 5:17-18, which we looked at earlier, says that. However, when it came to Peter fellowshipping with Paul’s converts, the Holy Spirit through Paul approved Peter eating non-kosher foods. After all, Peter should have embraced the agreement reached in Acts chapter 15 and Galatians chapter 2. All the leaders of the Jerusalem Church and Paul and Barnabas—all filled with the Holy Spirit—made that agreement and Peter should have kept it. (Peter should have said in Galatians 2:11-16, “I am not going to act in such a way that Paul’s converts stumble. They have already been confused enough. I agreed they did not have to observe Moses and the kosher food laws. I should temporarily suspend my Law-keeping to show the Gentiles I meant what I said in the letter. I need to keep the weaker brethren in mind. We Jewish believers are more spiritually mature and have known righteous living longer than Paul’s converts, so we need to be mindful of their edification.”)

What was Paul really telling Peter in Galatians 2:15-16? Let us briefly talk a little more about that phrase, “the truth of the gospel.”

“[15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, [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.”

The first and foremost issue in Israel’s program or our program is faith/belief/trust. The message that Peter and the 11 preached was a works message, but it required faith first. “But without faith it is impossible to please [God]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). That faith then led that Jewish kingdom believer to do what the message commanded (confession of sins, repentance, water baptism, Law-keeping, et cetera). In contradistinction, our gospel message does not have those works attached to it. According to Paul, Peter in Galatians 2:11-16 did not believe our message was true for Paul’s Gentiles in Antioch. Peter in his behavior was causing Paul’s Gentiles to return to the Law of Moses, directly opposing: (1) our Gospel of Grace, and (2) the agreement reached in Acts chapter 15. In short, Peter’s hypocritical behavior reversed any friendly progress that had been made between the two groups of believers, Jerusalem and Antioch.

We will briefly look at Acts 15:1-5 once more: “[1] And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. [2] When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. [3] And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. [4] And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. [5] But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

If you notice verses 1 and 5, in bolded type, Jewish legalists had gone to Paul’s Gentile converts and told them to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be saved (or “justified before God”). That great apostolic meeting here was convened to settle the matter. What Paul was telling Peter in Galatians 2:15-16 was a reminder that Paul’s converts were not justified by Law-keeping (kosher foods), but by faith in Jesus Christ’s faith (His finished crosswork as sufficient payment for their sins). Works belonged with Peter and the 11 and the Little Flock in their prophetic-kingdom program, but Peter had no right to introduce religious-works into the Body of Christ. He was just as much in error as the legalists who prompted the Jerusalem Conference earlier in the chapter.

Also see:
» What about Acts 15:11?
» Did Peter and Paul preach the same Gospel?
» Could you compare and contrast Peter’s ministry and Paul’s ministry?