Dd-81. Is MID-ACTS DISPENSATIONALISM BIBLICAL? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE.
Dd-81. Is MID-ACTS DISPENSATIONALISM BIBLICAL?
A dear brother in the Lord wrote to me to inform me that the writer of Hebrews has it CORRECT in Hebrews 3:14, which I thought to myself that the writer of the Bible always has it CORRECT. So I ask myself, “What are you trying to say to me?” And as I continued to read what he wrote to me, it made me wonder HOW anyone could believe something so “ridiculous” as what he was telling me. But then the saying that some of us have been taught that says, “there go I but for the grace of God” came to my mind. The Holy Spirit reminded me that every Christians has been DECEIVED, by some false teaching, whether big or small, at some point in our life. And the false teaching that we once SINCERELY believed will all of our heart, we would have defended that teaching to the death had it not been for the Holy Spirit who led us out of those false teachings. So I wrote back to this brother in the Lord explaining why I could not accept his line of reasoning. Not realizing, at the time, that what he was telling me was actually a “teaching” that he found on the Internet. After around four or five email exchanges, he finally tells me that I really need to read the teaching called Mid-Acts Dispensationalism before I can really understand the truth of the gospel that Paul teaches. And then he quickly added that he does not believe everything that they teach on their website, but he did not give me their web address. So, I typed in the words, mid-Acts Dispensationalism and began reading from different websites on this teaching to see HOW this teaching can even exist. For you see, in all honesty, this teaching really seems to me to be so far out there that I have to wonder how anyone could believe such a teaching. Let us begin this study in God’s word of truth by reading Hebrews 3:14. Now, the Mid-Acts believers claim that the book of Hebrew was written to the Jewish church only and not to the Gentile church. You will see why they make that claim as we get deeper into this study.
Hebrews 3:14.
“For WE are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;”
Here we can clearly see that WE who believe in Jesus are made PARTAKERS of Christ IF we hold fast to our faith unto the END. Being a partaker of Christ means that we will be joint heirs, with Jesus to inherit eternal life in the world to come. It also means that we will rule and reign WITH Jesus in the world to come. And Hebrews 3:14 makes it very clear that this will only happen IF we endure unto the END. THEN WE will be made partakers of Jesus Christ. So then, our receiving eternal life is CONDITIONAL and that condition is that we remain faithful believers unto the END. Now this brother who wrote to me was also taught the doctrine of eternal security or once saved always saved. So, he sincerely believed at the time he wrote this email to me, that he could never lose his salvation no matter what. But obviously, the CONDITIONAL “IF” clause found in Hebrews 3:14 began to cause him to question the “unconditional salvation” teaching of once saved, always saved. So he did some more research on the Internet and found this teaching on MID-Acts Dispensationalism which “tickled his ears”. That means so that he could convince himself to feel justified to continue to live in sin and still never lose his salvation, no matter if he sins or does not sin. To tickle the ear means to hear things that agree with what one has come to believe that is false but they still want to believe it. And thus, they heap teachers to themselves who will teach them what the WANT to hear. And SOME of the mid Acts believers DESIRE to be teachers of the Law of Moses, while OTHER mid Acts believer desire to remain Grace ALONE believers. Now are you starting to see the MOTIVES behind false doctrines? Now, to me, it seems that this particular brother in the Lord was raised in a church that teaches eternal security that once you accept Jesus as your Savior then you can never lose your salvation no matter what you do or do not do. But then, he read the word IF in Hebrews 3:14 which the Holy Spirit revealed to him meant that receiving eternal life in the world to come is CONDITIONAL. Well, his flesh did not like that truth so his flesh went to the Internet to find a doctrine that would explain AWAY that conditional IF a Christians ENDURES unto the END requirement to receive eternal life. So then, just briefly summarized, the mid Acts dispensational teaching says that BEFORE God turned to the Gentiles, salvation was by faith in Jesus was ONLY for the Jews. And AFTER a JEW was saved then that JEWISH believer in Jesus had to walk in righteousness and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. But AFTER God turned to the Gentiles in the MIDDLE of the book of Acts, hence the name MID-ACTS Dispensationalism, then the WAY in which people are saved CHANGED to become salvation by grace ALONE and NOT of WORKS, lest any man should boast. In other words, according to the mid Acts “THEORY”, both the Jewish church and the Gentile church are INITIALLY saved by grace through faith and not of works. BUT the Jewish church was required to have good works of righteousness after they were initially saved. Then, according to the mid Acts theory, after God turned to the Gentiles there are NO more WORKS required after a person is initially saved by grace ALONE in order to receive eternal life. BUT they go on to teach further, that AFTER the so-called PRE-tribulation rapture, the way to receive salvation will change BACK to salvation by faith AND WORKS. And thus, to THEM, the church will be only Jewish Christians once again and those Jewish tribulation saints will be required to do WORKS DURING the period of great tribulation in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. Now the verses of Scriptures they use, or more precisely, the “INTERPRETATIONS” of isolated verses of Scripture taken out of CONTEXT which they use to try and show that the WAY in which people are saved changes BACK to faith plus works after a person is saved are found in the book of Daniel. And more precisely, those verses of Scripture teach us about the seventieth week of Daniel. Now, the teaching of the so-called PRE tribulation rapture of the church which some Christians sincerely believe will begin the seventieth week of Daniel is based on those same verses of Scripture. To say this another way, the pre-tribulation believers maintain that ONLY the Jews who will go through the great tribulation can be saved. And thus, they conclude that the church cannot possibly be on the earth when God turns a second time to deal with the children of Israel. Obviously, the mid Acts believers, eternal security believers, and the pre-tribulation believers have not truly considered all of the verses of Scripture teaching us that we must overcome and NOT take the mark of the beast lest we LOSE our salvation. So then, the teaching of the mid Acts theory is based completely on the ASSUMPTION that the teaching on the seventieth week of Daniel, the false PRE-tribulation rapture of the church teaching theory, and the false eternal security doctrine are all correct sound Biblical teachings. So NO! The mid-Acts dispensational doctrine is NOT Biblical. Yes, there was a “dispensational” period of time when the church was an ALL Jewish church, in that, all believers were natural born Jews who accepted Jesus and the Lord and Savior. But the THEORY of two separate gospels of salvation, one for the Jews, and one for the Gentiles is NOT Biblical. Please read the studies I have on the rapture of the church proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that the pre-tribulation and mid tribulation rapture are FALSE teachings. And in those studies you will find that the Bible ITSELF clearly teaches us that the church will be raptured immediately AFTER the great tribulation. Here is just one of many studies I have on this subject to get you started. Please read J-8. WHEN is the RAPTURE of the CHURCH? Also, read the studies I have on the seventieth week of Daniel which differs greatly from what traditional end time’s prophecy teachers have taught us in the past. Please read the study J-32. WHEN is the MIDST of the 70TH WEEK? This may surprise many of you that we are presently living IN the MIDST of the week right NOW. For you see, when you look closely at the chart or drawing illustrating the pre-tribulation rapture, the midst of the week is just a DOT. There is NO TIME in that DOT, In other words, there is not even one second of TIME in the “midst” of the week of the seventieth week of Daniel. For you seem the seventieth week is exactly 1260 days plus 1260 days on each side of the “MIDST” of the week. So WHERE is the TIME during the midst of the week? There is no time LEFT using the INTERPRETATION of the pre-tribulation theory. So to me, the midst of the week BEGAN when God turned salvation to the Gentiles, but God did not blind Israel completely. In other words, any Jew can still be saved just the same as any Gentile can be saved with the SAME gospel. You can read those studies later.nBut for now let us continue with this study to learn why the “Mid-Acts Dispensationalism” teaching is NOT a SOUND Biblical teaching. First of all, this teaching only exists because of what has been labeled as the “APPARENT contradictions” found in the Bible. In other words, the word “APPARENT” means obvious or clearly seen. So then, the label of apparent contradictions, found in the Bible, make it SEEM as if the Bible ITSELF is contradicting itself. But in truth it is NOT the Bible contradicting itself but rather it is the INTERPRETATION of certain verses in the Bible that are contradicting other parts of God’s word that in reality do not need any interpretation to understand their true meaning. To say this another way, there are verses in the Bible that may SEEM to be saying something that they are NOT TRULY saying when they are correctly interpreted in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. But, when these same verses are interpreted INCORRECTLY to mean something that they are NOT TRULY saying in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God, then in the MINDS of those Christians who have incorrectly interpreted certain verses, then OTHER verses become an APPARENT contradiction to THEM. So, in order to harmonize God’s word in THEIR own mind, they need to INTERPRET all the other verses to AGREE with THEIR own personal interpretation of those verses which only SEEM to be contradictions in every other Christian’s mind. And this is how CONTROVERSIAL teachings arise. There become differences of opinion in the way certain verses are INTERPRETED. For example, Paul teaches us that WE who believe in Jesus are NOT UNDER the LAW. And Paul says in Galatians 2:16 that NO flesh is JUSTIFIED by the works of the LAW. But Paul ALSO says in Romans 2:13 that the DOERS of the LAW are JUSTIFIED.
Romans 2:13.
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the DOERS of the LAW shall be JUSTIFIED.”
Galatians 2:16.
“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.”
Now it SEEMS as if Paul is contradicting himself. But Paul is NOT contradicting himself when you truly understand what Paul himself MEANS by the LAW. Paul goes on to teach us what LAW we are NO LONGER UNDER called the law CONTAINED in ORDINANCES in Ephesians 2:15.
Ephesians 2:15.
“Having ABOLISHED in his flesh the enmity, EVEN the LAW of commandments (instructions) contained in ORDINANCES; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”
Now the mid Acts Dispensationalism teaching is generally believed and taught by Christians in the Grace alone faith movement. But what I myself am seeing is that it is ONLY taught by Christians who have also been taught the eternal security doctrine also called once saved, always saved doctrine. In other words, eternal security believers are being confronted with verses like Hebrew 3:14 which they can NOT explain away. So they needed to come up with another doctrine that could explain away ALL the verses of CONDITIONAL, enduring unto the END, in order to receive eternal life in the world to come verses of Scripture. So THEY found or VIEW what Paul teaches to be a different gospel to what Peter, James and John teach. Therefore, they have WRONGLY concluded that the four gospels, the book of Hebrews, all of what Peter, James and John taught, was to the “HEBREW” of Jewish Christians ONLY. And what Paul teaches after God turned to the Gentiles is for the “GENTILE” church. Here is a quote taken from Wikipedia website under the topic of “hyper-dispensationalism” which gives the basic fundamental definition of the mid-Acts Dispensationalism teaching. The emphasis is mine.
“Grace Movement dispensationalists believe that the body of Christ started after Acts 2, emphasizing the conversion of Paul in starting the church. They also deny the body of Christ as being an object of prophecy unlike Israel. Israel is seen as having an earthly destiny culminating in the millennial kingdom while the body of Christ has a destiny to rule in the heavenly places. Thus it is important in their theology to make sharp distinctions between two programs: 1. the prophetic/earthly kingdom program (with its kingdom gospel) and 2. the Grace/"Mystery"(unprophesied)/heavenly church program (with its Grace gospel). This interpretive grid of "rightly-dividing the Word of God" allows them to explain and either harmonize or contrast any apparent contradictions in Scripture in defense of the inerrancy of Scripture. Their dispensational schemes vary from 3 to 8 dispensations with most using Scofield's scheme adapted to the Mid-Acts start of the church. Typically a transition is shown from the last Jewish Mosaic/Law dispensation which begins fading away at mid-Acts while the present dispensation of Grace then starts and grows into place fully by the end of the book of Acts.”
So then, according to both Mid-Acts and hyper-Dispensationalism the church saved by grace ALONE started with the Apostle Paul AFTER Acts 2, the all Jewish church. And, according to Mid-Acts believers, there are TWO programs or TWO dispensations within the church age. Number one, there is the “Jewish” part of the church who will inherit the KINGDOM to rule ON the earth where ONLY the Jewish believers in Jesus must show WORKS as evidence of their being saved. And number two, there is the “Gentile” part of the church saved by grace ALONE who will rule and reign WITH Jesus in heavenly places. And thus, according to THEM, it is no longer required to have good WORKS during the age of the church AFTER God turned to the Gentiles. That is to say no more works UNTIL the seventieth week of Daniel, which they CLAIM begins the time of GREAT tribulation where WORKS will once again be REQUIRED in order to remain saved. So again, anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear, there MUST be a PRE-tribulation rapture of the church or the whole Mid-Acts Dispensationalism teaching falls completely apart. For you see, there are many verses where we are WARNED that IF we take the MARK of the BEAST, then we LOSE our salvation. So, I implore all my readers who may be a Mid-Acts Dispensationalism believer or a once saved always saved believer to read the study J-32. WHEN is the MIDST of the 70TH WEEK? for a sound Biblical teaching of WHEN the rapture of the church MUST take place according to the Bible ITSELF. Also, the only reason the mid-acts dispensational teaching exists is to try to explain AWAY all of the Scriptures that clearly teach us IF we remain faithful unto the end, THEN we will receive ETERNAL LIFE. Eternal security believers do not like those verses of Scripture because they must WORK at overcoming sin. They must LABOR to enter into the REST in the world to come, according to Hebrews 4:1-11. And all of those IF verses of Scripture prove their doctrine to be false. So they invented a new false doctrine to try to support their false doctrine of eternal security. Now there is no doubt that the Bible ITSELF does teach us that the early church was still yet LEARNING what to do and not to do being taught by the Holy Spirit. This so-called “transitional” period should NOT be wrongly interpreted as a changing from one dispensation to another dispensation. My apologies to my readers for not explaining this earlier, if you do not know what a dispensation means. A dispensation refers to a period of time in which God deals with his people in a “different” way. Some Christians call these different ways of God dealing with his people COVENANT theology. They are basically saying the same things. I myself find it easier to explain the different ways God deals with people as being dispensations. Now, the number of dispensations differs or varies among different groups of Christians who believe in different dispensations. In the above definition I quoted from Wikipedia, we see that there can be as few as 3 different dispensations to as many as 8 or more dispensations. Most all Christians can clearly see the difference between the OLD Covenant and the NEW Covenant which would be called “dispensations” by Christians who believe that God deals with his people in DIFFERENT WAYS during different periods of time. Now, if you notice in the definition above, that the early “JEWISH” church, where the gospel was preached to the Jews FIRST, is being separated out as being a separate “dispensation.” And by doing that it then allows THEM a way to explain WHY the early JEWISH church seemed to keep the law of Moses and then gradually transitioned to the “GENTILE” church, which is saved by grace ALONE without ANY WORKS. And thus, they can teach TWO SEPARATE gospels, one for the Jews and one for the Gentiles But what they have failed to consider is the word “FIRST” the GOSPEL, the ONE single Gospel, the SAME Gospel was preached to the Jews FIRST. And then the SAME Gospel was preached to the Gentiles. So, according to the above definition, the REASON that is being used to support this Mid-Acts teaching is to “harmonize” the apparent contradictions between what Paul teaches, of we are NO LONGER under the LAW, to what the early JEWISH church believed, taught, and practiced BEFORE Paul was called by Jesus to be the Apostle to the GENTILES, where Paul taught the Gentile believers that they are NO LONGER under the LAW. Here is where simple common sense should kick in and open your eyes to the truth. And that “eye opener” is that the Gentiles were NEVER UNDER the Law of Moses. So, how can they NO LONGER be under the law that they were NEVER under? Paul was teaching to the JEWISH believers that THEY were NOT UNDER the LAW. Just as much as Gentile believers, in Jesus, are NOT UNDER the LAW. So, separating the church into two or rather THREE different dispensations does NOT solve the apparent contradictions of what SEEMS like two different gospel messages. Let us read ALL three verses found in the King James Bible where the phrase “NOT UNDER THE LAW” is found.
Romans 6:14.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are NOT UNDER the LAW, but under grace.”
Romans 6:15.
“What then? shall we sin, because we are NOT UNDER the LAW, but under grace? God forbid.”
Galatians 3:15.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are NOT UNDER the LAW.”
Now the Apostle Paul who wrote the book of Romans, to the church at Rome, also wrote the book of Galatians to the church at Galatia which is widely believed to be mostly a GENTILE church. In other words, Paul taught the SAME gospel to BOTH the Jews and the Gentiles ALL the way through his entire ministry and Paul himself does NOT make a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles when preaching the ONE true gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, Paul WARNS Christians that if any man preach ANOTHER gospel, other than what he himself taught, that they are accursed.
Please read Galatians 1:1-9.
“Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2. And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: 3. Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4. Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5. To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6. I marvel that you are so soon removed from HIM that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach ANY OTHER gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed.”
So, Paul is teaching us here that the only TRUE gospel is the gospel that he is preaching. It is the gospel that he has already taught to those who are in this body of believers in the church in Galatia. And Paul is afraid that some Christians have REMOVED themselves from God by believing and following a PERVERTED gospel which Paul did NOT preach to them. Now, let us read Galatians chapter 2 where Paul teaches us HOW these Gentile believers, in Jesus, REMOVED themselves from God that called them by following a PERVERTED gospel. In other words, in Galatians chapter 2 we learn the TRUTH of the gospel and also we learn what PERVERTED the true gospel or what the perverted gospel was compelling the Gentile Christians to do.
Please read Galatians 2:1-21.
“Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. 2. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. (In other words, when Paul went up to Jerusalem to preach the gospel to the JEWS, who were looked up to as being revered by the people, he would preach to them privately or without his Gentile followers. And Paul did it this way because he was worried that the weaker Christian might be subverted by the Jews to remove themselves from God to follow a PERVERTED gospel that was being taught by the Judaizing Jews. You see, there were even some Jewish Christians that were wrongly teaching that the Gentiles must be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved. See Acts 5:15.)
3. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: 4. And that (Or and that the only reason they were being COMPELLED to be CIRCUMCISE was) because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: (In other words, some “unsaved” Jews of reputation, and or some Judaizing Christians who may have pretended to be Gentile Christians, came into the Gentile fellowship that may or may not have had some Jewish believers as well, in order to spy on what Paul was teaching to his followers. We cannot dogmatically demand that ALL of Paul’s followers were ONLY Gentile believers. Paul himself was a natural born Jew) 5. To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the TRUTH of the gospel might continue with you. (So then, the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ which Paul preached is that we are NOT justified by the LAW of Moses. And ALL Christians except for Judaizing Christians understand this TRUTH, that salvation is NOT by works of the LAW, means the law CONTAINED in ORDINANCES only is what we as Christians are not under. But the problem comes when what Paul MEANS by the LAW is not properly or correctly understood. In other words, SOME Christians wrongly interpret Paul’s words that we are NOT UNDER the LAW to mean that we are not under the MORAL commandments of Almighty God and therefore to THEM a Christian can never lose their salvation no matter what. This is NOT the TRUTH of the gospel that Paul is teaching us. You will clearly see what I am saying is the truth as you continue reading this study in God’s word) 6. But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it makes no matter to me: God accepted no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: 7. But contrariwise, when they SAW that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8. (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) 9. And WHEN James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, PERCEIVED the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. (In other words, The JEWISH church is LEARNING that God is turning to the Gentiles to offer the Gentiles the SAME salvation that he has given the Jews FIRST BUT God is NOT requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised and obey the LAW of Moses in order to be saved. To say this another way, the church was yet LEARNING what to do and what not to do to be pleasing to God. Jesus told his disciples right before he ascended into heaven that he had many more things to teach them BUT they were NOT ABLE to BEAR YET. Please see John 16:12,13. Jesus went on to say that when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in them, then Jesus would teach them these things through the Holy Spirit. So then, in the middle part of the book of Acts in chapter 15 we see a CHANGE which the JEWISH church could NOT BEAR until they SAW God give the SAME salvation by FAITH to the Gentiles WITHOUT the works of the law contained in ORDINANCES. And one of those laws or ordinances was CIRCUMCISION in the flesh. The Jewish believers already understood that Jesus was their Passover lamb now, so they were no longer required to sacrifice a lamb as they once did under the Old Covenant. And now they were LEARNING some more things that Jesus said they could NOT bear until the Holy Spirit revealed these new things to them.) 10. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. 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. (In other words, BEFORE Peter was INFLUENCED or INTIMIDATED by the Jewish Christians who were under the teaching of James, Peter ate with the Gentile believers, whatever meat the Gentiles ate, having no condemnation of sinning. BUT when Peter was in the presence of the Jewish believers under the teaching of James, then Peter being intimidated, no longer ate pork as the Gentile Christians) 13. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. (In other words, when some other Jewish Christians saw Peter no longer eating pork with the Gentiles, then these other Jewish Christians who also ate pork with the Gentile Christians followed what Peter did and withdrew themselves as well to be like the Judaizing Christians. And then even Barnabas stopped eating pork as well) 14. But when I saw that they walked NOT uprightly according to the TRUTH of the gospel, (That ALL manner of meats has been cleansed by God and is not to be refused or forbidden to be eaten) I said unto Peter before them all, If you, being a Jew, live after the manner of Gentiles, and NOT as do the Jews, why compel you the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? (Now, HOW was Peter LIVING AS the GENTILES? Was Peter living in SIN? Well, the JEWS and the Judaizing Christians would indeed say that Peter was sinning by eating pork with the Gentiles. But according to the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Peter was NOT sin. So then, Paul is teaching us that when Peter returned to living as a Jew, UNDER the LAW, contained in ORDINANCES, he was NOT walking uprightly according to the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So then, the PERVERTED gospel is the Judaizing gospel that compels Christians to live as the JEWS to obey the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. There is a DIFFERENCE between the MORAL laws and the LAW contained in ORDINANCES.) 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 (Who are Jews by NATURE) have believed in Jesus Christ, that WE (Who are Jews by NATURE) 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. (Now, if you remember, those who teach this MID-Acts Dispensationalism doctrine claim that the JEWISH church is saved by faith AND by WORKS, after they are saved, in order to inherit the KINGDOM. But Paul clearly teaches us that he and the other Jewish Christians, who were Jews by nature, are NOT justified by the LAW because NO flesh is justified by the WORKS of the LAW. But WHAT LAW is Paul referring to that NO flesh can be justified? Keep reading and you will clearly see that Paul is NOT speaking of the MORAL LAW of God but rather Paul is referring to the ceremonial law contained in ORDINANCES that NO man can be justified by keeping) 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. (In other words, Paul is saying that IF we become Judaizing Christians then WE MAKE OURSELVES to be SINNERS against the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ) 19. For I through the law (Of FAITH. See Romans 3:23-31) am dead to the law (Contained in ORDINANCES. Please see Ephesians 2:8-16, and Colossians 2:4-22), that I might live unto God. 20. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet NOT I, but Christ lives 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. (In other words, Paul is saying that he NO LONGER lives his LIFE obeying the law CONTAINED in ORDINANCES under the OLD Covenant. And by NOT obeying those ordinances ALL Christians are found to be SINNERS according to the LAW of Moses CONTAINED in ORDINANCES which we as Christians know that we are NOT UNDER because they have been BLOTTED out and taken out of the way being NAILED to the cross which is the TRUTH of the gospel of GRACE of Jesus Christ.) 21. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, (Contained in ORDINANCES) then Christ is dead in vain.”
Just ask yourself these two very SIMPLE questions.
#1. HOW were the Jews FORGIVEN their SINS under the OLD Covenant? #2. HOW are WE as Christians FORGIVEN our SINS under the NEW Covenant?
The only way that the Jews had forgiveness of sin was by the SHEDDING of the blood of animal sacrifices. And the ONLY way that WE as Christians have our sin forgiven is by our FAITH IN the shed blood of Jesus. So then, the one major difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the WORK of sacrificing animals to be forgiven of sins. The Jewish church clearly understood the teachings of Jesus that he was God’s chosen Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world, for the forgiveness of sin and that the Temple would be destroyed to end the animal sacrifices. But again, Jesus perceived that his disciples could NOT YET bear all he had to teach them, UNTIL after the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in them to lead and guide them into ALL truth. So, Jesus CONTINUED to TEACH his followers all the way to the Revelation he gave to John, on the Isle of Patmos. From that time forward, the Holy Spirit TEACHES us what Jesus has ALREADY taught the early church. Now, some Christians might argue that I am adding to Paul’s words by separating the LAW into TWO parts, the law CONTAINED in ORDINANCES and the MORAL laws which are clearly taught throughout the entire New Testament. And the eternal security believers will argue that I separate the law into two parts just so I can teach that if we break the MORAL law of God then we shall NOT inherit the kingdom of God and receive eternal life in the world to come. But I am not the one who separates the law into two separate parts, it is the Apostle Paul who wrote Ephesians 2:8-15 and Colossians 2:3-23, not me. So it is the Bible ITSELF clearly teaches us that the law was ADDED because of the TRANSGRESSIONS of the children of Israel. So WHAT law was ADDED? Was it the MORAL that was ADDED? NO! How could the children of Israel transgress the law IF there was no MORAL law written in the CONSCIENCE to transgress? And IF all of the CEREMONIAL laws already existed from the time of Adam as the Sabbath-keeping Christians CLAIM, then HOW could ANY law be ADDED? Do you see how some Christians LEAP into a FALSE doctrine BEFORE they LOOK closely at that doctrine? So always LOOK before you LEAP as the old saying goes. Basically there are THREE groups of Christians when it comes to this subject of how we are saved AND receive eternal life in the world to come.
Group #1.
Christians in group number one go to the extreme on one end of the scale and teach that Christians MUST keep the weekly Sabbath day in order to please God. Some Christians in this group teach that Christians are sinning if the break the fourth commandment by not resting on the seventh day of the week. While other Christians in this group of Judaizing Christians go way to the extreme to dogmatically demand that Christians must keep ALL the Law of Moses contained in ordinances and that it should go without saying that all Christians must keep all Ten Commandments.
Group #2.
Christians in group number two go to the extreme on the other end of the scale and teach that once a person prays the sinner’s prayer, admitting that they are sinners and they ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins, then they are forever saved and cannot, for any reason, ever lose their salvation, no matter what they do or do not do. According to the once saved always saved teaching, the only thing that true born again Christians can ever lose is their REWARDS but they can never lose their salvation because according to their interpretation of the Scriptures, they have already been given eternal life as a FREE gift and a FREE GIFT cannot be earned or kept by good WORKS.
Group #3.
Christians in this group teach salvation by faith and NOT by any WORKS that we do. But Christians in group number 3 are different from Christians in groups number 1 and number 2. Christians in group number 3 believe and teach that we do not actually RECEIVE our gift of eternal life until the world to come. In other words, we must first be found to be that GOOD and FAITHFUL children of God before we will be given eternal life AT the coming of Jesus. So, this group number 3 of Christians teach a clear DIFFERENCE from being saved WITHOUT any WORKS from our actual receiving eternal life in the world to come which is CONDITIONAL. And the condition is that we be found WORTHY by our WORKS of obedience to walk after the Holy Spirit and NOT after the lust of our flesh. So then, the Christians in group number three have balanced the meaning of the word “LAW” that we as Christians are NO LONGER UNDER to mean the law contained in ORDINANCES because clearly Paul teaches us all through the New Testament that if we break the MORAL law we are living in sin. Please consider the following verses that are taught to us by Paul, HIMSELF, all through HIS teaching, which were taught to him by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:18.
“But IF you are LED OF the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Here we see Paul teaching us a CONDITION of NOT being UNDER the LAW and that CONDITION is IF we are being LED OF the Holy Spirit. THEN, we are not under the LAW contained in ORDINANCES but we are under the LAW that God writes upon the heart of every new born-again believer. See 2 Corinthians 3:3 and Hebrews 10:16 which teach us that we are to be LED by the Holy Spirit. And mere common sense should teach every Christian to correctly answer the following question with an emphatic NO! Absolutely NOT!
Will the Holy Spirit LEAD you to SIN? Will the Holy Spirit LEAD you to teach others to SIN? Will the Holy Spirit teach you that it is perfectly alright to SIN? Would the same Holy Spirit lead Paul to teach us a false gospel?
So then, since the Holy Spirit would never have led Paul to teach a FALSE gospel and Paul teaches us to WALK after the leading of the Holy Spirit, then Paul would never teach US that it is perfectly alright to SIN and that we can never lose our salvation no matter what we do or do not do. Now let us read the CONTEXT of Galatians 5:18 to learn the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please read Galatians 5:11-25.
“ And I, brethren, IF I YET preach circumcision, WHY do I yet suffer persecution? Then will the offense of the cross cease. (Or the offense taken by the unsaved Jews and their persecuting Paul would only end IF Paul stopped preaching AGAINST being circumcised in the flesh made with hands that Moses taught the children of Israel to do. You see, Paul was being persecuted by the Jews and even by some of the Jewish Christians who were teaching the PERVERTED gospel of Judaizing Christians to be CIRCUMCISED and to keep all the LAW of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. So Paul is saying that IF he is yet continuing to teach circumcision then he would not be teaching the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus Christ which is OFFENSIVE to the JEWS and that is WHY he is being PERSECUTED by the JEWS and some Jewish Christians who are PERVERTING the true gospel by compelling Gentile Christians to be circumcised and live as the JEWS.) 12. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. 13. For, brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (And SOME eternal security believers use the liberty of being FREE from sin to wrongly mean that they are FREE to sin as much as their FLESH desires, because they have been WRONG taught that they can never LOSE their salvation no matter what they DO or do NOT DO. So I implore all of my eternal security readers to read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>F-0. Can we LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?<<<) 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself. (In other words, LOVE is a WORK and without the WORK of LOVE there is no FULFILLING of the law required by God to receive eternal life in the world to come. The law that Jesus fulfilled FOR us so that we do NOT have to keep THAT law is ONLY the CEREMONIAL laws and the dietary laws written in ORDINANCES in the Law of Moses. We MUST obey the MORAL laws in order to receive eternal life. And when we are walking after the leading of the Holy Spirit, to walk in LOVE, then we fulfill all of the MORAL law of God because LOVE does NOT desire ANY harm to others. So then, it was ONLY the ceremonial laws that were ADDED UNTIL Christ came. And now the Jew are no longer under the CEREMONIAL laws and the dietary laws. But BOTH jewish Christians and Gentile Christians MUST obey the MORAL laws of God) 15. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed, one of another. 16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall NOT fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17. For the flesh lust AGAINST the Spirit, and the Spirit AGAINST the flesh: and these are CONTRARY the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. (This is the same gospel Paul teaches in Romans chapter 8 but he adds that those Christians who walk after the FLESH shall DIE. Remember that it is Paul who teaches us that the WAGES of SIN is DEATH.) 18. But IF you are LED OF the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Because there is no law against walking in righteousness, living a godly life, by OBEYING the leading of the Holy Spirit who will NOT lead you to commit SIN. The Holy Spirit is AGAINST the works of the FLESH) 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I Paul the Apostles to the Gentiles) tell YOU (Gentile believers in Jesus as your Lord and Savior) before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall NOT inherit the kingdom of God. 22. But the FRUIT (Or the WORKS) of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is NO law. (God does NOT have ANY LAW against doing that which is GOOD in his sight. We are created in Jesus Christ to DO GOOD WORKS of RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is the purpose of being saved. God desires us to crucify our flesh and to walk in righteousness loving one another) 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also WALK in the Spirit.”
Paul teaches us in Romans chapter 6 that we are to have the mindset of being DEAD to SIN. This means that we will not entertain sin because sin is dead to us. We will not have anything to do with sin. We cannot sin, in that, if we do sin, then we have CONDEMNATION from the Holy Spirit and we must repent and confess our sins, believing that we are forgiven of our sins. Therefore sin has no place in us. How are we, a living epistle for the unsaved, to see Christ, in us, IF we live in sin like those who are not saved? Now, those who hold to the Mid-Acts Dispensationalism teaching of once saved always saved will argue that Paul is talking about the JEWISH church. They argue that only the JEWISH church must do works in order to inherit the KINGDOM of God. They will argue that Paul is NOT talking about the GENTILE church that already HAVE the GIFT of eternal life. In other words, they argue that there are TWO SEPARATE gospels. They claim that there is one gospel for the Jews and a different gospel for the Gentiles. And that is NOT sound Biblical teaching in any form. The very foundation of the once saved always saved doctrine is based upon their own personal INTERPRETATION of a few verses that SEEM to be saying that we ALREADY HAVE the gift of eternal life but they simply read right over all the other verses that clearly teach us that we must endure unto the end and be found worthy BEFORE we actually receive the GIFT eternal life in the world to come. Please read James 1:12 from several different translations. I know that if you are a Mid Acts believer you will argue that James is written ONLY to the twelve tribes of Israel. And, therefore, Mid Acts believers have concluded that nothing James has to say was written to the Gentile church. But please read it anyway and you will see that Paul teaches the SAME thing that the Apostle James teaches.
Here is how James 1:12 in the Complete Jerusalem Bible reads.
“How BLESSED is the man WHO PERSEVERES THROUGH TEMPTATION! For AFTER he has PASSED the test, he WILL RECEIVE as his crown the LIFE which God has PROMISED to those who LOVE him.”
That is what James and Jesus HIMSELF teach. So now let us see what the Apostle Paul teaches us concerning WHEN we actually receive eternal life.
Please read Romans 2:1-15.
“Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are that judges: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the SAME things. 2. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to TRUTH against them who commit such things. 3. And THINK you this, O man, that judge them which do such things, and DO the SAME, that you shall escape the judgment of God? (Keep in mind here that Paul is judging those living in SIN as being worthy of the JUDGMENT of Almighty God. Now, IF SO BE that Paul is teaching eternal security where not true born-again Christian can never lose their salvation no matter what they do or do not do, then Paul would be CONTRADICTING his own words here in this passage of Scripture and would be CONDEMNING himself to the SAME judgment of God that God will judge SINNERS.) 4. OR DESPISES you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God LEADS you to repentance? (God LEADS all true born again Christians to REPENTANCE. God’s goodness convicts us of sin, nudging us to REPENT when we sin. But SOME Christians seem to DESPISE God’s goodness and longsuffering waiting patiently for them to repent and CONFESS their sins so that God can FORGIVE them. So then, any Christian who does NOT teach REPENTANCE is NOT teaching the goodness of God which LEADS us to REPENT of our sins whenever we commit sin. It is the HARDNESS of one’s heart who will not submit themselves to repent of their sins.) 5. But after your hardness and impenitent heart (That YOU) treasure up unto yourself WRATH against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; (It is your OWN stubbornness and harden heart to not repent of the false doctrine of once saved always saved. It is YOU, yourself, that are causing God’s WRATH to be poured out upon YOU, who hold fast to the teaching that you can never lose your salvation no matter what you do or do not do. And if you die while living in sin you WILL NOT receive eternal life in the world to come) 6. Who will render to every man according to his DEEDS: (WORKS or labor) 7. To them (speaking of faithful obedient Christians) who by patient continuance in WELL DOING SEEK for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: (So then, the WAGES or the GIFT of righteousness is eternal life BUT the gift of eternal life is ONLY GIVEN to those of us who by patient CONTINUANCE in good WORKS or WELL DOING to keep ourselves pure unto the end) 8. BUT unto them (ALL those who are DISOBEDIENT to the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ whether they are saved Christians who are disobedient children of God or non-believers) that are contentious, and do NOT OBEY the TRUTH, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9. Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that does evil, of the Jew FIRST, and ALSO of the Gentile; (Again the SAME wages of SIN is DEATH to every soul of man who is judged to be living in SIN on the Day of Judgment. It does not matter if they are a Jew or a Gentile, a true born-again Christian or a non-believer. EVERY soul that SINS shall DIE the SECOND death which is the lake of fire. See Ezekiel 18:4,20 and Ezekiel 33:9.) 10. But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that WORKS GOOD, to the Jew FIRST, and ALSO to the Gentile: 11. For there is no respect of persons with God. 12. For as many as have SINNED WITHOUT the law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (Paul is making it very clear here that no man has ANY EXCUSE to SIN because God is NO respecter of persons. Paul is saying that if you are a Gentile who has never been under the Old Covenant, Law of Moses, that IF you die physically or Jesus returns while you are living in sin, then you shall PERISH in the lake of fire on the Day of Judgment. And if you are a JEW who has been given the Old Covenant law of Moses and you break even ONE point of that law, that you are TRUSTING to justify you, then you will PERISH in the lake of fire on the day of judgment because there is no more animal sacrifices for your sins to be forgiven. And Paul is saying that if you are a true born-again Christian and you die while living in SIN, then you shall also PERISH in the lake of fire on the Day of Judgment. There is NO EXCUSE for any true-born again Christian to NOT CONFESS their sin. God is pleading with all sinners to TURN from their sins. Every time we CONFESS our sin we are made PERFECT in the eyes of God. So, WHY do you THINK that you can NEVER lose your salvation even if you continue to live in SIN when Paul HIMSELF teaches us that it is the DOERS of the LAW who shall be JUSTIFIED?) 13. (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the DOERS of the law shall be justified. 14. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, DO by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (Now again Paul is speaking of the MORAL law that God has written on the CONSCIENCE of EVERY man saved or unsaved. Paul is NOT talking about the law CONTAINED in ORDINANCES. That law was added ONLY to the children of Israel UNTIL Christ came. There are many GOOD MORAL people, both Jews and Gentiles who are NOT saved. You see, it is not the DOING of righteousness that will cause them to perish. But rather, it is that they have NOT been FORGIVEN of all their past sins. They are NOT saved because they have NOT asked Jesus to FORGIVEN them of their sins. The point that Paul is making here, that even unsaved Gentiles who OBEY their God-given conscience to KEEP or OBEY all of the MORAL laws of God without ever having been given the written Law of Moses are still LOST because they ALL have sinned at least ONCE in their life. But nonetheless, the good works obeying their CONSCIENCE) 15. Which show the WORK of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, (But the problem comes when these good moral people REASON AWAY their sin when they disobey their God-given conscious) and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”
Paul wrote the epistle to Timothy and he teaches Timothy AND us in 1 Timothy 6:3-14 that we are to teach GODLINESS.
“If any man teach otherwise, and consent NOT to wholesome words, EVEN the WORDS of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to GODLINESS; 4. He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the TRUTH, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw yourself. (Paul teaches us in Philippians 3:17 that he considered all his gain as loss for the sake of Christ. What SIN is WORTH keeping that will cause you to lose eternal life in the world to come? Is KEEPING sin in your life GAIN to you? Or is GODLINESS gain to you?) 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith, content. 9. But those that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11. But YOU, O man of God, flee these things; and FOLLOW after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. (Now the opposite of this is equally true that IF a believer does NOT FIGHT the good fight of faith to FOLLOW after RIGHTEOUSNESS and GODLINESS then they will NOT lay hold on ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come) 13. I give you charge in the sight of God, who quickens all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14. That you keep this commandment (Or teaching) without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Paul goes on to teach Timothy and us to do GOOD WORKS so that we MAY lay hold on eternal life.
Please read 1 Timothy 6:17-19.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but (Or rather to trust) in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; (And) 18. That they DO GOOD, (And) that they be rich in GOOD WORKS, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, THAT (Or so that or in order that) they MAY lay hold on eternal life.”
So clearly, Paul teaches us the SAME as Jesus teaches us that we do not actually RECEIVE the GIFT of eternal life UNTIL the world to come at the second coming of Jesus which is WHEN our CHANGE from mortal to immortality shall take place AT the LAST trumpet. Paul also taught Titus and we read in Titus chapter 1 that eternal life is our HOPE we are seeking.
Please read Titus 1:1,2.
“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the TRUTH which is after GODLINESS; 2. In HOPE OF eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”
So, right NOW, in this present world, we are given the PROMISE of eternal life which is CONDITIONAL upon us REMAINING in the FAITH. And part of the FAITH is patient continuance in DOING GOOD WORKS of righteousness, to live a life of GODLINESS and keep sin out of our lives. And if and when we do give into the temptation to sin, we MUST repent of our sin and CONFESS our sin. And then we must believe that God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness as he promises in 1 John 1:6-10.
1 John 1:6-10.
“If we SAY that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do NOT the TRUTH: (Now you see WHY those Christians have the NEED for the false doctrine of Mid Acts Dispensationalism. It is so that those who teach the false doctrine of once saved always saved can convince themselves that it is alright for them to live is SIN and walk in darkness. They MUST SAY that works of righteousness of those who obey the moral commandments of God apply ONLY to the JEWISH believers and NOT to the Gentile believers. Otherwise, their whole doctrine of eternal security falls completely apart) 7. But if WE (Both Jewish Christians AND Gentile Christians) walk in the light, as he is in the light, WE have fellowship one with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8. If WE say that we have no sin, WE deceive ourselves, and the TRUTH is NOT in us. (And to SAY that a true born again Christian can live in SIN and it does not matter is the same thing as saying it is not a sin to live in sin after a person is saved. The TRUTH is NOT in them who teach such things) 9. If we CONFESS our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (There is NO DIFFERENCE between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, we are all ONE and the self-same BODY of Jesus Christ. We are SAVED by the SAME Gospel and we will be JUDGED by the SAME law of LIBERTY) 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Again, saying that a true born-again Christian can never lose their salvation even if they die while living is SIN is saying that it is NOT a sin to live in SIN after a person is saved. So those who teach once saved, always saved are liars, according to what the Bible ITSELF teaches us. They LOVE God and His Son, Jesus, but they MAKE a LIE, according to Revelation 22:14,15. Please read the study Dd-25. What does REVELATION 22:14 TRULY Mean? And Jesus gives us a very strong warning about LIARS not receiving eternal life in the world to come.
Please read Revelation 22:14,15.
“Blessed are they that DO his commandments, that they (ONLY those who are IN Jesus Christ who are found to be those good and faithful servants who are DOING or keeping the MORAL commandments of Almighty God) may have RIGHT to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever LOVES and MAKES a LIE.”
And once saved, always saved believers seem to love making the LIE that they can NEVER LOSE their salvation no matter what they do or do not do. For all the verses in the Bible on this topic, please read the studies called F-1. CAN A CHRISTIAN LOSE THEIR SALVATION?, and F-2. Is ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL? I cover every argument that is given to try and support the eternal security doctrine in the studies under the subject heading >>>F-0. Can we LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?<<< Paul clearly teaches us that we are NOT guaranteed eternal life the moment we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Please read Paul’s words taught to him by Jesus himself.
Romans 6:22.
“But now being made free from sin, and have become servants TO God, you have your fruit unto HOLINESS, and the END everlasting life.”
Galatians 6:8.
“For he (Speaking of you that are truly born-again Christians) that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; BUT he (Of you that are truly born-again Christians) that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit REAP life everlasting.”
1 Timothy 1:16.
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him TO life everlasting.”
Paul teaches us that we are to follow him as he follows Jesus Christ. Paul fought the good fight of faith unto the end and therefore, for enduring unto the end, he received his crown of life or crown of righteousness. But he WARNS us that there will be some in the last days who will NOT ENDURE SOUND doctrine and they will heap teachers unto themselves who will tickle their ears with pleasant things, to please the lust of their own flesh.
Please read 2 Timothy 4:1-8.
“ I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3. For the time will come when they will NOT endure SOUND doctrine; but after their OWN LUST shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4. And they shall TURN AWAY their ears from the TRUTH, and shall be turned unto fables. 5. But watch you in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry. (The word “watch” means to keep SIN out of our lives and if we do NOT watch, then Jesus will come upon those who are NOT watching like a THIEF in the night pouring out God’s WRATH upon them. Please read the study J-12. Jesus is COMING as a THIEF in the NIGHT!) 6. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8. HENCEFORTH (Or for this very reason of being found faithful unto the end) there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
The Bible itself teaches us in 1 John 3:2-11 that if we love the appearing of our Lord then we will purify ourselves even as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-11.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (This means that we do NOT HAVE eternal life but we trust and believe in the PROMISE of God that we shall be given eternal life AT the second coming of Jesus.) 3. And every man that has this HOPE in him PURIFIES himself, even as he is pure. 4. Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5. And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (Jesus is our EXAMPLE to follow according to 1 Peter 2: and Paul teaches us to follow him as he follows Jesus) 6. Whosoever abides in him sins NOT: whosoever SINS has not seen him, neither has known him. 7. Little children, let no man DECEIVE you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8. He that commits SIN is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9. Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (The Holy Spirit dwells IN us who believe in Jesus and he will not let us sin without condemnation to repent and confess our sin) 10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does NOT righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves NOT his brother. 11. For THIS IS the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
The true gospel of Jesus Christ has remained the SAME from Acts 2 through the end of the book of Revelation. There is but ONE body of Jesus Christ, which is the ONE TRUE church. A Gentile believer does NOT become a JEW when we are saved. God cut off EVERY branch of the natural olive tree to make a NEW olive tree and the ONLY Jews who are and will be grafted into God’s NEW olive tree are those Jews who BELIEVE in God’s Messiah, Jesus, as the atonement for their sins. And whosoever of any Gentile who believes in Jesus, as the atonement for their sins, is grafted into the SAME new olive tree speaking of the ROOT of the natural olive tree. The Bible ITSELF teaches us that when we BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, as the atonement for our sins, then we become NEW creatures, created IN Jesus Christ. It is when we are born-again from above by the true gospel of Jesus Christ that we become God’s workmanship UNTO GOOD WORKS. We receive the earnest of his Holy Spirit to empower us. And thus the good works we do are being done in HIS strength, by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us so that there will be no more boasting. And in God’s eyes, we are no longer a Jew or a Gentile or a male or a female but rather we are ONE new man created in Jesus Christ.
Please read Galatians 3:24-29.
“Wherefore, the law (CONTAINED in ORDINANCES which were a SHADOW of the TRUE which was prophesied to come) was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25. But after that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (The LAW contained in ORDINANCES which was nailed to the cross is the schoolmaster. So Paul is saying NO Christians, Jew or Gentile is under the LAW contained in ORDINANCES) 26. For you (Both Jews and Gentiles) are ALL the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27. For as many of you (Whether Jew or Gentile) as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28. There is NEITHER Jew NOR Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is NEITHER male NOR female: for you are ALL ONE IN Christ Jesus. 29. And IF you are Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and HEIRS according to the promise.”
So then, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a JEWISH believer in Jesus and a Greek Gentile believer in Jesus. We are ALL ONE IN Jesus. Christians having the SAME inheritance of eternal life to rule and reign WITH Jesus during the 1000 year reign of Jesus. Now it is true the REMNANT of Jews who call on the name of the Lord to be saved during the WRATH of God will be saved alive in their MORTAL bodies and they will reign over the ones left alive of the NATIONS. And by the Jews reigning over the nations I mean that they will be the HEAD and not the tail. A TRUE leader will lead by a righteous EXAMPLE and not lord over the ones they are reigning over. The Gentiles will SEEK to be taught by the Jews the ways of Yahweh and Yahweh's WAY of salvation. They will see the BLESSINGS of God and His Son Jesus coming upon the Jews. So it that way the Jews will reign over the nations. The Gentiles who were once RICH will now be the TAIL. Remember that those who teach this false doctrine of Mid Acts Dispensationalism teach that those who go THROUGH the GREAT tribulation will NOT inherit eternal life but rather they will inherit the KINGDOM of God and dwell on the earth in their mortal bodies. But this is NOT what the Bible ITSELF teaches us.
Please read Revelation 20:4-6.
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned WITH Christ a thousand years. (Clearly, the MARK of the beast is DURING the GREAT tribulation and those who ENDURE UNTO THE END and overcome the beast, to NOT receive his mark nor worship the beast, shall be reward with ETERNAL LIFE and given the HONOR to judge and to RULE and REIGN WITH Jesus during the Millennium) 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign WITH him a thousand years”.
There is only ONE first resurrection and it takes place IMMEDIATELY AFTER the GREAT tribulation, AT the LAST trumpet, AT the SECOND coming of Jesus. Please read the study J-8. WHEN is the RAPTURE of the CHURCH?
WHY would Paul be concerned about those in the Corinthian church sinning IF SO BE that Paul was teaching a once saved always saved gospel? WHY would Paul commit those who sin and will not repent over to Satan for the DESTRUCTION of their FLESH in hopes that they will repent and their soul be saved IF SO be a Christian can never lose their salvation, no matter what they do or do not do? Paul turned unrepentant Christians, who loved their sin more than God, over to Satan as the last HOPE that he had. I have done this myself with two Christians living in adultery and ONE repented after going through some really hard times but to my knowledge, the woman remained in her love of adultery and found another man to live in sin with her. But I am very thankful that my brother in the Lord did finally yield to the drawing of the Holy Spirit. Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to read ALL the studies that I gave links to throughout this study concerning this subject on Sabbath TRUTH. My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Some Sabbath-keeping Christians CLAIM that the early church kept the Sabbath as the Jews, but I assure you that the early first-century church was accustomed to gathering together BEFORE the light of daybreak on the FIRST day of the week that THEY called the Lord's day. Please read all the studies linked within this study and all the studies linked below. This study was just the TIP of the iceberg of exposing the ERRORS of interpretation made by the Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping churches, and the Sunday first day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians. All of the studies listed under the subject heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< And also read Dd-20. Did The Early Church KEEP the Sabbath day to learn the truth of what the early church believed. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ! |
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