Archive
Prophecy and the Mystery Charted
Prophecy and Mystery Charted
Chart 1:
The above Bible Study Chart illustrates the position and Hope of the Church of this Dispensation of Grace, the Body of Christ. It shows how God interrupted the prophetic program and “wedged” or “sandwiched” The Dispensation of Grace BETWEEN the pouring out of His Spirit at Pentecost and the pouring out of His Wrath in the Tribulation to come.
During this parenthesis He is forming the Body of Christ out of Jews AND Gentiles, reconciled to Himself by the Cross. Present day believers, Children of God, members of the Body of Christ, have their positions in the Heavenlies IN Christ, and wait for Him to come and receive them to Himself. (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 )
Chart 2:
The above Bible Study Chart illustrates how God’s purpose concerning the present Dispensation was a “Mystery” or secret, “hid from ages and from generations” until it was revealed by the ascended, Glorified, Yahweh Yahuwshua, The LORD Jesus Christ, to the Apostle Paul.
According to Old Testament scripture the Tribulation period was to immediately follow Pentecost, but, by the Grace of God, it did NOT follow immediately, for when sin had risen to it’s height, God, through the Apostle Paul, made known His eternal purpose concerning this present Dispensation of Grace and the formation of the Body of Christ.
Chart 3:
The Bible Study Chart above illustrates that Salvation was to have gone, (and will some day go), to the Gentiles THROUGH Israel, with Yahweh Yahuwshua, The LORD Jesus Christ, as King on Earth.
This Bible Study chart shows how, for the present Dispensation of Grace, it has gone to the Gentiles APART from Israel, ENTIRELY on the basis of The LORD Jesus Christ’s meritorious death. This Bible Study chart explains the difference between, “the Gospel of the Kingdom” and “the Gospel of the Grace of God”; between PROPHECY and The MYSTERY; between “The Kingdom of Heaven, and “The Body of Christ”
Chart 4:
The Bible Study Chart above illustrates the difference between the principles and Dispensations of God. It is not meant to indicate the close of any Dispensation, but rather the changes or advances in God’s dealings with men while His principles remain eternally unchangeable.
Chart 5:
The Bible Study chart above illustrates the philosophical harmony of the messages proclaimed by God’s servants through the centuries.
For example, the “Gospel of the Kingdom”, proclaimed by our LORD and the twelve, NATURALLY takes us back to David and the great covenant of the Messianic Kingdom made with him. Similarly, the “Gospel of the Circumcision”, proclaimed later at Pentecost, NATURALLY takes us back to Abraham and the covenant of circumcision, guaranteeing the blessing of the Gentiles through Abraham’s, (NOT Abram’s), seed.
Study the rest for yourself until you get to the most blessed message of all, The Mystery! The Mystery, proclaimed by the Apostle Paul and based, NOT on covenants, or prophecies, but based on God’s “own purpose and Grace…given us in Christ Jesus BEFORE the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9 ).
Chart 6:
The Bible Study Chart above illustrates how the so-called “Great Commission” was PRECEDED by a commission almost as great and then followed by the Greatest of ALL Commissions…THAT given by the Glorified Yahweh Yahuwshua, The LORD Jesus Christ, to Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, and to us.
Actually, while there is much talk about “obeying the (so-called) “Great Commission”, no one really obeys it today, for God has made this impossible. We can and should, however, obey the Great Commission given to the Apostle Paul and us by Yahweh Yahuwshua, The LORD Jesus Christ, in Heaven. (2 Cor. 5:14-21 ; Ephesians 3:1-11 )
Chart 7:
The Bible Study Chart above illustrates that, with Israel’s rejection of Yahweh Yahuwshua, The LORD Jesus Christ, and His Kingdom, the message of the twelve Apostles went from the particular to the general, while LATER, with the Apostle Paul, (the chief of sinners saved by Grace), his message, (received by direct revelation from the Glorified Risen Christ), went from the general to the particular again, climaxed by the glorious Truth about Christ and His Body.
Thus the TRANSITION lies BETWEEN, and explains the generalities in the Book of Acts which have puzzled so many!
Source: http://lionandlambministry.com/index.php/new-llm-charts
Are Tongues for Today?
ARE TONGUES FOR TODAY?
Opening Text: Acts 2:1-20
In this lesson we will learn 3 things:
1. Tongues were for Israel.
2. Tongues were temporary in nature.
3. Tongues would cease upon the completion of the word of God.
Introduction:
Before we look at the above 3 points let us ask the question “What are tongues?”
* Some people think that tongue talking is speaking gibberish.
* Some people believe that it is currently going on today and is one of the signs of salvation.
* Some people think that God is speaking to them and giving them direct revelation apart from the word of God.
But what does the Bible say tongues are? The Bible clearly teaches that tongues were known languages.
“But what about ‘unknown tongues’ in 1 Corinthians 14?”, you may ask.
If we apply what we already know from Acts 2, that tongues are known languages, then 1 Corinthians 14 is not a problem. Paul is simply bawling out the carnal Corinthians for misuse of the gift of tongues.
Verse by verse commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:
1 Cor 14:1Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
COMMENT: After telling the Corinthians in Chapter 13 that tongues would cease, Paul now directs them to follow after prophecy, or preaching.
1 Cor 14:2For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
1 Cor 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
COMMENT: Again, a logical argument arises. If there is no one who can understand you but God, then it would be better to speak so that man can be edified, or built up in the faith.
1 Cor 14:4He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
COMMENT: It is better to edify the church than just one member of it. Keep in mind here that no one in the assembly could understand this tongue that was being used. It is unknown only in the sense that no one there knew what was being said.
For example: If I were to walk into a German, French, or some such assembly and begin to speak to them in American (we speak American, not English), and no one there understood American, what good would it do them, though I gave them the whole counsel of God? The answer is none.
1 Cor 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
COMMENT: It is readily apparent that prophesying was more edifying than talking in tongues.
1 Cor 14:6Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
COMMENT: Again the great apostle to the Gentiles makes the same argument.
1 Cor 14:7And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
1 Cor 14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
1 Cor 14:9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
COMMENT: Yet another illustration of the frustration of tongues.
1 Cor 14:10There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
1 Cor 14:11Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
COMMENT: Rather than commend the misuse of this gift, which is how it is practiced today in America, Paul all but calls it barbaric: the opposite of civilized. In other words, Paul was saying only a bunch of barbarians would go around speaking things that no one in the speaker’s vicinity could understand, and then brag about it!!!
1 Cor 14:12Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
COMMENT: This is the 3rd time now that Paul has returned to this theme. Again, he does not commend the use of tongues. He is commending edification which, apparently from this passage, was not being accomplished through tongues. If I tell even our young folks that it is better to do one thing than to do another, they understand perfectly well what is meant. So many today fight and wrangle with these verses trying to make them say what they do not say.
1 Cor 14:13Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
1 Cor 14:14For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
1 Cor 14:15What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1 Cor 14:16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
1 Cor 14:17For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
COMMENT: The issue is the edification of the believer. Speaking in tongues in the Corinthian church was not edifying, and Paul recommends against it in favor of edification.
1 Cor 14:18I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
COMMENT: Many contend that this is a reference to Paul’s personal, private prayer life and, therefore, it is ok to practice at home. This is a wild leap of imagination. The correct use of tongues was to reach the lost, as we shall see shortly.
1 Cor 14:19Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
COMMENT: This is the 5th time that Paul returns to this argument of edification. This time he makes it very plain that, “in the church”, speaking with understanding is preferred above speaking in tongues.
By the way, do you know what 5 words Paul would rather speak, clearly and distinctly so everyone could hear? I am guessing, of course, but I think they might be, “Christ died FOR our sins”.
1 Cor 14:20Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
COMMENT: Paul now reasons with them not to be children. “Do not shoot out the lip because I am taking away your toy. Grow up and be men in understanding.”
1 Cor 14:21In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
1 Cor 14:22Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
COMMENT: Paul now turns his attention to the purpose originally given for the use of the gift of tongues: the salvation of the nation of Israel. The Jews required a sign. They were sign-oriented people. The way they knew that God was working in their midst was through the use of signs. This principle holds true throughout the law. Signs were a part of their heritage and birthright. If God was speaking to them, signs would follow.
When lost Israel sees the Gentiles practicing their gifts, God uses this to provoke some to salvation. This is part of the “provoking ministry of Paul”. This sign, talking in tongues, would be done away with for 2 very good reasons.
1. Israel would be set aside because of unbelief.
2. The completion of the canon of scripture.
Now this all begs a question, which Paul logically asks in verse 23.
1 Cor 14:23If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
1 Cor 14:24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
1 Cor 14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
COMMENT: The question that must be asked is this: If tongues are for a sign to the unbelievers, why was it being practiced in the church? It needed to be practiced outside in the world where it could be used effectively. The same is true today. If you want to hear people “speak in tongues”, you have to go to their worship services. I have had Mormons, Church of Christ, Baptists, and Russellites (or Jehovah’s Witnesses) come to my door and talk to me, but I have never had a Pentecostal come to my door and speak to me in tongues. Why?
1. Today it is gibberish and means nothing.
2. It is of the flesh.
There is nothing spiritual about it, and this whole chapter proves that very point. The purpose of tongues was to reach lost Israel through the manifestation of the Spirit in the believer. The Corinthians were not using it that way.
1 Cor 14:26How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
COMMENT: This verse demonstrates the carnality evidenced in Corinth and across America today. No understanding. No edification. Just a flesh and emotion feast.
1 Cor 14:27If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
1 Cor 14:28But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
COMMENT: Terms and Conditions – Part 1: Notice again the problem here is with the unknown tongue, a language that no one in the congregation could recognize. Also notice that, under the decently and in order rule, one would not get up and start speaking in an unknown tongue without first making sure there was an interpreter present. If not, he (not she, because women were not allowed to speak, much less speak in tongues) was to keep silence.
1 Cor 14:29Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
1 Cor 14:30If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
1 Cor 14:31For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
1 Cor 14:32And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
1 Cor 14:33For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
COMMENT: Terms and Conditions – Part 2: The prophets are to speak first, as many as 2 or 3, and another was to judge, or make sure he spoke according to sound doctrine. If someone got a revelation, that is they received some light that might help the others to understand, they were to wait their turn. Notice that there are no limits. All may prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. This is consistent with Pauline doctrine and the context of this passage. Verse 32 simply means to gauge what is being said, the role of the judge.
1 Cor 14:34Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1 Cor 14:35And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
COMMENT: Terms and Conditions – Part 3: The speaking is tongues and prophesying. They are not to interrupt the flow of things with questions. The shame comes from not being under subjection, not for being a woman. The modern tongues movement would come to a screeching halt if this one verse were obeyed.
1 Cor 14:36What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
COMMENT: Now Paul completely deflates their ballooning pride by telling them that they are not the center of the universe. “Do you think you are the only ones in God’s plan and purpose?”
1 Cor 14:37If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
1 Cor 14:38But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
COMMENT: Finally, the apostle to the Gentiles reminds them that if they really were spiritual, if they really were prophets, they would acknowledge him and his ministry. Such is the condition of the “professing church” today. They stumble in fettered flesh and emotionalism because they have not acknowledged the apostleship of Paul. In reference to verse 38, it is as if Paul were saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. We can only show you the door you will have to open it and go in”.
1 Cor 14:39Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
1 Cor 14:40Let all things be done decently and in order.
COMMENT: Paul’s closing remarks on this subject are clear and instructive. It is better to edify than not. Speaking in tongues is not to be forbidden (at that time), but clearly here, and according to the context, it was better to leave tongues out in the world where it could do the most good. “In the church” it only brings confusion.
Conclusion:
The Corinthians were not using tongues in the proper way and Paul commands them to put things in order. The church was to be a place of edification and education of the saints. Tongues were to be a sign to unbelievers. Paul recommends prophecy over tongues by a huge ratio. And by the way, women are not to do it.
Having said all that, let’s continue to examine what the Bible teaches about speaking in tongues:
Tongues Were For Israel
* The Twelve Apostles received the gift
Acts 1:26And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
* Peter quoted Joel, an Old Testament, Jewish prophet
Acts 2:14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Acts 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
NOTE: There is a dispensational line to be drawn here. The following events in the passage did not come to pass in Peter’s day. They will happen after the catching away of the church, the body of Christ.
Acts 2:19And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Acts 2:20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
* The Jews require a sign. They always have.
1 Cor 1:22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Examples: Moses and the burning bush, Gideon’s fleece, the virgin birth, Hezekiah’s 10 degrees, etc.
Christ’s words to the scribes and the Pharisees:
Mat 12:38Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
Mat 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Mat 12:41The men of Ninevehshall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Note that the Ninevites needed no sign, just preaching.
* Tongues were prophesied.
Jer 5:15Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
Deu 28:49The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; To these people, to these Gentiles, were Israel’s gifts given to provoke them to jealousy.
Rom 11:11I 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.
Tongues Were Temporary In Nature
Israel was going to be set aside as God’s agency because of her rejection of the Messiah and the Holy Spirit. God had a secret plan to bring in the revelation of the mystery. This is made evident in the book of Romans:
Rom 11:25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:28As concerning the gospel (i.e. the gospel of grace), they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
Rom 11:29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Note: At the time of the writing of Romans, Israel could be called enemies of the gospel. Note also that in verse 31, Israel now must go through the body of Christ to be saved. The tables have been turned, so to speak. The middle wall of partition has been broken down.
Eph 2:14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Three times in the book of Acts, Paul pronounces judgment on unbelieving Israel.
1. Acts 13:46Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
2. Acts 18:6And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
3. Acts 28:25And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
Acts 28:26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
Acts 28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Acts 28:28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Conclusion: Tongues belong to Israel. When Israel is set aside, so are her signs.
Tongues would cease for the body of Christ upon the completion of the word of God
1 Cor 13:8Charity 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.
COMMENT: What do prophecies, tongues and knowledge (supernatural knowledge, as with tongues and prophecy) have in common? They all have to do with the transmission of the word of God. When Paul, by the Holy Spirit, penned these words, the word of God was not complete. Therefore he says, “We know in part.”
NOTE: The word “knowledge” used in this passage is the Greek word “gnosis”, which means, “to have knowledge of.” This in itself is not very significant until you turn to the book of Ephesians, where we find:
Eph 1:17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
This knowledge is the Greek word “epignosis” which means, “full knowledge!” When we get a completed book, we no longer need tongues, knowledge or prophecy.
1 Cor 13:9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1 Cor 13:10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
COMMENT: The Pentecostals like to say thatthis verse is a reference to the coming of Christ. First of all, it does not fit the context of the passage in any way. Secondly, it says “that which is perfect”, not “he who is perfect”, and God is able to say what He means. When the word of God is completed, that which is in part shall be done away. And isn’t that what we have with Paul completing the “revelation of the mystery”? We now, today in the year 2000, have God’s complete plan for the heavens and the earth. For the body of Christ and the nation of Israel. For the mystery program and the prophesied program.
1 Cor 13:11When 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.
COMMENT: Did you ever grow up? Were things different when you did? That is the difference between having part, but not all, of the word of God.
1 Cor 13:12For 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.
COMMENT: Ever look into a dirty mirror then wipe it off. That is the difference between having part, but not all, of the word of God.
One last passage:
Col 1:24Who 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:
Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Col 1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
To Paul was given the capstone of divine revelation. His epistles finish the book. And we have it in our hands today.
2 Tim 3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Tim 3:17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
This verse nullifies tongues for this age, the dispensation of the grace of God.
* Tongues were for Israel
* Tongues were temporary in nature
* Tongues would cease upon the completion of the word of God
Source: copied from unknown source
WHY SO MANY DENOMINATIONS?
A study in doctrinal distinctiveness
Dr. Mike Johnston, Editor
The question before us is Why So Many Denominations? The answer is simple: There are as many denominations as there are interpretations of the Bible.[1] As a result, multi-denominationalism stems from a crass inability to rightly and consistently divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
We begin our discussion by introducing a proper division of the sixty six Books of the Bible. Conventional wisdom tells us that when the Bible was written it was divided into Old Testament and New Testament. However, the Bible is basically divided into two more well defined, descriptive terms: prophecy and mystery. Cornelius Stam discusses this dichotomy:
Prophecy is basically the purpose God has for the earth and Christ’s reign upon it, which includes the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem (2 Peter 1: 16-19). This is the Kingdom of heaven that will in the future be set up on the earth, in Jerusalem, Israel. The Mystery is that which the prophets knew nothing about and was revealed to the Apostle Paul, concerning heaven and the exaltation of the Body of Christ in heaven, who is together there with Christ (Eph. 2:4-10, 3: 1-4). Stam continues in more detail:
Prophecy
What is at the heart of Prophecy? The Messianic kingdom; that is, the “kingdom of heaven” which was spoken of by John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus Christ and the twelve disciples, which will be set up on the EARTH; (Matt. 3:1-2, 4:17, 10:5-7). Since the “kingdom of heaven” is not yet established on the earth, it will be set up in the near future when the Lord Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, returns to the earth on the Mount of Olives, then on to Jerusalem at the Second Advent and sets up His kingdom and reign upon THE EARTH for one thousand years. This is also called the Millennium. The main purpose or the main goal of prophecy is the establishment of the “kingdom of heaven” upon THE EARTH (Rom. 11:25-29). The Messianic Kingdom will be set up on THE EARTH: (Psalms 2:8) “I shall give Thee . . . the uttermost parts of THE EARTH for Thy possession”. (Jeremiah. 23:5) “A King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in THE EARTH”. The Lord Jesus Christ who is the second member of the Godhead, who is God, will rule as God, from Jerusalem and He will reign over the entire world. It will be a theocracy. “They shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Isaiah 7:14) (Matt. 1:23). “And His name shall be called . . . The mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6). “The Lord shall be King over all THE EARTH” (Zech. 14:9).
Mystery
God’s purpose concerning HEAVEN and the exaltation of the Body of Christ there with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Body, is the subject of “The Mystery”. What is the Mystery? There are many mysteries in the Bible, but this refers to “THE MYSTERY” which is that great body of truth given to the Apostle Paul by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ, from heaven. The “kingdom of heaven” one day being set up on the earth and the coming Messiah was well known and prophesied by the holy prophets. But, the Body of Christ with its heavenly calling and position was not prophesied. Nothing, not even one mention can be found in the pages of prophecy about the Body of Christ. God kept this a complete secret until the proper time when He brought the Body of Christ into existence, revealing THE MYSTERY only to the Apostle Paul. (Rom. 16:25) “kept secret since the world began”. Then also in (Ephesians 3:9) “from the beginning of the world . . . hid in God”. “hid from ages and from generations” (Col.1:26).
The nation Israel was temporarily set aside along with the unbelieving Gentiles. “Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for” (Rom. 11:7). “Because of unbelief they were broken off” (Rom. 11:12). A new dispensation was slowly being brought in and mercy was shown to all. “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32). “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek (gentile)” (Rom. 10:12-13). No longer is the gospel of the kingdom proclaimed, but the gospel of the Grace of God, which is Christ’s finished work on the cross. The Apostle Paul declared “the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD” and “THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD which is given me to you-ward” (Acts 20:24) (Ephesians 3:2). (Stam 1959)
Dispensational Distinctives
While Stam’s hermeneutic is not only accurate it is provably so. Notwithstanding, we cannot begin to discover this dichotomy if we are not willing to apply sound- non prejudicial- hermeneutical principles.
If you are a PMI student you know that hermeneutics is a fancy word for “the science of Biblical interpretation employing immutable rules that when consistently applied will result in exegesis [i] of a passage rather than eisegesis. [ii] Taking into consideration that the Word of God needs dividing (2 Tim. 2:15), the school of hermeneutics most scholars find capable [iii] of the unbiased separate divisions- is called dispensationalism. Among the more well known dispensational teachers are Drs. JN Darby, CI Scofield, RA Torrey, Clarence Larkin, Charles Ryrie, John Walvoord Hal Lindsey, Jack Van Impe, Thomas Ice, and a friend of Scofield’s, by the name of Lewis Sperry Chafer.
Several decades ago Dr. Chafer wrote: “All Scripture is … profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16), but all Scripture is of primary application to a particular person or class of persons which the Bible designates as such. All Scripture is not for the angels, nor is it all for the Gentiles. In like manner, not all Scripture is addressed to the Jew, nor is it all addressed to the Christian (Dispensationalism, p. 417). Simply stated, dispensationalism [2] teaches us that God gives different demands and responsibilities to the people living in different ages while making a distinction between three kinds of people: Jews, Gentiles, and the church.
Dispensationalism is distinctive for many reasons. I’ve loved and preached the Scofield notes over 30 years, because they have provided me a distinctive systematic theology that is consistent from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22. The Old Scofield Bible defines dispensation as a “period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.” Simply stated, unless you took a lamb to church this past Sunday, you are at some level a dispensationalist. [iv] However, if this term still seems a bit nebulous, consider God’s Word a giant puzzle, with a number of pieces (dispensations) scattered on the table. Now let’s give you three choices regarding the pieces, or dispensations, as they’re called: you can ignore them, destroy them, or analyze and fit them together so that once connected you will get the whole picture from Genesis to Revelation. The seven dispensations from majority consensus- including the Old Scofield Bible are: Innocence (Gen_1:28); Conscience (Gen_3:23); Human Government (Gen_8:21); Promise (Gen_12:1); Law (Exo_19:8); Grace (Joh_1:17); Kingdom (Eph_1:10; see 2Sa_7:8-17; Zec_12:8).
Dispensationalism- while distinctive- isn’t complicated even though made to be so by its opponents who have launched unfounded attacks against dispensationalism with distortions that are simply not true. [3] One of the distortions from anti-dispensationalists is that we teach several ways of salvation. Unless they are referring to a fringe group I’m not aware of, dispensationalists actually teach that salvation has always been by grace through faith.
Another anti-dispensationalist distortion maintains that dispensationalism removes a great portion of the Bible. True dispensationalism does not take the Bible away from you; it gives the Bible back to you with tools to rightly divide it. May I reiterate: while all Scripture is profitable, all Scriptural is not personal and will not lead you to misapply sections not designated for this age.
One overarching example of misappropriating Scripture concerns the 613 OT laws given to Israel and no one else (Exod-Deut). Heretics have for years used the Law like a sledge hammer to force their members to obey the Mosaic mandates that were never intended for the church. It’s sad to see how this has kept large numbers of innocent- yet Biblically ignorant- people in the throes of bondage in the age of liberty.
Another noteworthy example of dispensational distinctiveness can be found in the very different ministries of Peter- Apostle to the circumcision, and Paul- Apostle to the uncircumcision (Gal. 2:7-8). Dr. Noah Hutchings, one of my favorite Bible teachers, writes: Investigating the reasons for church differences, I have concluded that they lie in the failure to understand the variance between the gospel of the Kingdom and the gospel of grace; and more specifically, the message preached by Peter and the message preached by Paul. It is my firm conviction that if all churches could agree on the first fifteen chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, there would be few church differences. Therefore, it is important for Christians to understand the difference between the ministry that Christ committed to Peter and the ministry that He committed to Paul . . . However, the greatest revelation to me concerning dispensational truths and sound doctrine was the scriptural evidence that Paul and Peter did not preach the same message. They preached the same Christ, but not the same gospel [gospel simply means good news]. p2-3. Dr. Hutchings continues:
Some might ask, What about the conversion of the household of Cornelius when Peter [4] preached to them the gospel? If you will read in Acts 10:42, Peter still preached Christ as the judge or ruler of the living dead. While this is certainly true, Peter was still preaching Christ from a Kingdom age covenant position. [5] p7 (Hutchings 1992).
The Epistles of Paul- Dr. CI Scofield
In the Introductory Notes to the Epistles of Paul Dr. Scofield [6] writes: The Epistles of the Apostle Paul have a very distinctive character. All Scripture, up to the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, looks forward to the cross, and has primarily in view Israel, and the blessing of the earth through the Messianic kingdom. But “hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9) was an unrevealed fact–the interval of time between the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and His return in glory; and an unrevealed purpose– the outcalling of the ecclesia, the church which is Christ’s body. In Mat. 16, our Lord announced that purpose, but wholly without explanation as to how, when, or of what materials, that church should be built, or what should be its position, relationships, privileges, or duties.
All this constitutes precisely the scope of the Epistles of Paul. They develop the doctrine of the church. In his letters to seven Gentile churches (in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica), the church, the “mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9), is fully revealed, and fully instructed as to her unique place in the counsels and purposes of God.
Through Paul alone we know that the church is not an organization, but an organism, the body of Christ; instinct with His life, and heavenly in calling, promise, and destiny. Through him alone we know the nature, purpose, and form of organization of local churches, and the right conduct of such gatherings. Through him alone do we know that “we shall not all sleep,” that “the dead in Christ shall rise first,” and that living saints shall be “changed” and caught up to meet the Lord in the air at His return.
But to Paul was also committed the unfolding of the doctrines of grace which were latent in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Paul originates nothing, but unfolds everything, concerning the nature and purpose of the law; the ground and means of the believer’s justification, sanctification, and glory; the meanings of the death of Christ, and the position, walk, expectation, and service of the Christian.
Paul converted by the personal ministry of the Lord in glory, is distinctively the witness to a glorified Christ, Head over all things to the church which is His body, as the Eleven were to Christ in the flesh, the Son of Abraham and David. (Scofield 1917)
Dr. Hutchings reflects on Scofield: In reviewing the ministry of Peter in relation to what Dr. Scofield said about the ministry of Paul, [7] we remember that the authority for Peter’s ministry is revealed in Matthew 16:19: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. If the keys of the Kingdom as committed to Peter concerned the church, then why would the Lord commit the revelations concerning the church to Paul? [8] The evident truth is that Peter’s ministry primarily concerned Israel. It had meaning for the Gentiles only in the sense that the Gentiles are to be blessed through Israel during the Kingdom age.
I will close by sharing again this insightful quote from Dr. Hutchings: It is my firm conviction that if all churches could agree on the first fifteen chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, there would be few church differences. Therefore, it is important for Christians to understand the difference between the ministry that Christ committed to Peter and the ministry that He committed to Paul . . . However, the greatest revelation to me concerning dispensational truths and sound doctrine was the scriptural evidence that Paul and Peter did not preach the same message. They preached the same Christ, but not the same gospel.
Works Cited
Hutchings, Dr. Noah. “Why So Many Churches.” In Why So Many Churches, by Dr. Noah Hutchings, 206. Oklahoma City, OK: Bible Belt Publishers, 1992.
Johnston, Dr. Mike. Denominationalism: Defined and Described. Tract, Battle Creek: PMI Center for Biblical Studies, 2011.
Scofield, CI. “Old Scofield Reference Bible.” By CI Scofield. New York City: Oxford University Publishing, 1917.
101 BIBLE REASONS PROVING ETERNAL SECURITY
Author unknown
1. The believer has everlasting or eternal life.
Joh_5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Joh_10:28: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
2. The believer is born of God.
Joh_1:12-13: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
3. Christ will raise every believer up at the last day.
Joh_6:44-47: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
4. The believer has already passed from death unto life.
Joh_5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
5. The believer is not the object of God’s wrath.
Joh_3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
6. Believer are God’s sheep.
Joh_10:2-4: “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”
7. The believer will not listen to nor follow a stranger, but will flee from him.
Joh_10:5: “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (The stranger here is Satan and his false teachers.)
8. The believer is known of God.
Joh_10:14: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
9. The believer listens to the voice of the shepherd.
Joh_10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
10. The believer is in Christ’s hand and cannot be plucked out.
Joh_10:28: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
11. The believer is in the Father’s hand and cannot be plucked out.
Joh_10:29: “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
12. The shepherd is charged with the responsibility of keeping the sheep.
Joh_10:11-14: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”
13. The believer is not condemned.
Joh_3:18: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
14. The believer shall never thirst.
Joh_4:14: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15. The believer will keep Christ’s commandments.
Joh_14:23: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
16. The believer is secure because of Christ’s prayer.
Joh_17:9-12: “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
17. The believer shall never die.
Joh_11:26: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
18. The believer to be kept from the evil.
Joh_17:15: “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
Jesus prays that the believer may be kept from the Devil. Was this prayer answered?
19. The believer to be with Christ in glory.
Joh_17:24: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
20. The believer shall never hunger.
Joh_6:35: “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
21. The believer will in no wise be cast out (Not under any circumstance).
Joh_6:37: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
22. Christ will not lose a single believer.
Joh_6:39: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
23. Christ will raise up the believer at the last day.
Joh_6:38-40: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
24. Whosoever eats the bread of life shall never die.
Joh_6:51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
25. Because the Holy Spirit abides in the believer forever.
Joh_14:16-17: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
26. Because it is the Father’s will that Christ should lose nothing.
Joh_6:39: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”
27. Because one cannot be unborn.
Joh_3:5: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
28. The believer will follow Christ.
Joh_10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Following Christ, can one be lost? Have we any right to add to God’s Word by inserting if” to the passage?
29. The believers continue with God.
1Jn_2:19: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”
30. Because it is the believer’s faith that overcomes the world.
1Jn_5:4: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
31. Because of the record that God hath given.
1Jn_5:10-11: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
32. The believer is to be like Christ.
1Jn_3:2: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth 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.”
33. The believer is kept by the power of God.
1Pe_1:5: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
34. The man who believes shall be saved.
Act_16:31: “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
35. The believer has been saved.
Eph_2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.
36. The believer is hid by God in Christ.
Col_3:3: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Can the devil find that which God hides?
37. The believer shall not come into condemnation.
Joh_5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
38. There is now therefore no condemnation for the believer.
Rom_8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
39. The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Eph_1:13: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
40. The believer is sealed for a definite time, the day of redemption, or the resurrection of the body.
Eph_4:30: “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
41. The believer liveth and abideth forever.
1Pe_1:23: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”
42. The believer is dead to sin.
Rom_6:2: “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
43. The believer will appear with Christ in glory.
Col_3:4: “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
44. The life of the believer is Christ’s life.
Col_3:4: “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
45. Since Christ cannot die again, the believer is eternally secure.
Rom_6:9-10: “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”
46. The believer is saved through faith not by works.
Eph_2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
47. This faith a gift from God.
Rom_6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Eph_2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
48. The believer is not saved by what he does, but by what Christ has done for him.
Tit_3:5: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
Rom_4:5: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
49. Salvation is a gift, not a wage.
Rom_6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
50. The believer’s hope is a living hope.
1Pe_1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
51. The believer’s hope will not fade away. Will not grow dim.
1Pe_1:4-5: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
52. The believer’s hope is reserved (set aside) in heaven for him.
1Pe_1:4: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”
53. The believer’s inheritance is incorruptible.
1Pe_1:4: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.”
54. The believer’s inheritance cannot be defiled.
1Pe_1:4: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you.”
55. The believer is kept through faith.
1Pe_1:4-5: (See reasons number 36 and 37): “to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
56. The believer to be revealed in the last time.
1Pe_1:5: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
The believer is more than conqueror through Christ.
Rom_8:37: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
57. The believer justified by faith, to be saved from wrath.
Rom_5:9: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
58. Nothing can separate the believer from Christ.
Rom_8:38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
59. Christ will complete salvation until the end.
Php_1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
60. The believer to be preserved spirit, soul, and body.
1Th_5:23: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
61. God cannot lie.
Tit_1:2: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”
62. Jesus is able to save unto the uttermost.
Heb_7:25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
63. The believer is born of incorruptible seed.
1Pe_1:23: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” Can the devil corrupt that which God says is incorruptible?
64. The believer is perfected forever.
Heb_10:14: “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
65. The believer believes unto the saving of his soul.
Heb_10:38-39: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”
66. The believer made righteous through Christ’s obedience.
Rom_5:18-19: “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
67. Because all things work together for good to the believer.
Rom_8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
68. Because the believer is so helpless that he cannot place his sins upon Christ. God must do it for him. Therefore salvation is by grace.
Isa_53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
69. Because Christ did not come to help us, but to save us.
Luk_19:10: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
70. Because God, not being a man, cannot lie.
Num_23:19: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
71. Because His mercy endureth forever.
Psa_136:1-26: Twenty-six times in this Psalm it is written His mercy endureth forever.”
72. Because the believer has not yet borne the image of the heavenly.
1Co_15:49: “And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
73. Because the believer is preserved unto the heavenly kingdom.
2Ti_4:18: “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever and ever.”
74. Because the believer is the object of God’s mercy, not His wrath.
Eph_2:4: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.”
Joh_3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
1Th_5:9-10: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”
75. Because a sealed and witnessed transaction is final.
Eph_1:13: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” Sealed by the Spirit.
Heb_10:15: “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us.”
76. Salvation is obtained, not attained.
Heb_9:12: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
77. Because the believer is a new creation. Created in Christ Jesus. Therefore eternal in righteousness.
Eph_4:24: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
78. Because the Father reckons the sinner:
Rom_6:3-5: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”
Eph_2:4-6: “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
79. Because all believers will be changed at Christ’s coming.
1Co_15:51-52: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
80. Because of the “MUST” of 1Co_15:53.
1Co_15:23: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
81. Because the power of God is not limited.
Mat_28:18-19: “And Jesus came and spake to them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
1Pe_1:5: “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
82. Because the saints are preserved forever.
Psa_37:28: “For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.”
83. Because nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
Rom_8:35: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
The answer NO” is demanded by the passage to the question.
84. Because God will not forget the believer.
Isa_49:15: “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee.”
85. Because the new covenant in His blood, is an everlasting covenant.
Jer_32:40: “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.”
86. Because the believer has ceased from his own works.
Heb_4:10: “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” It is God that works in the believer.
87. Because we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all.
Heb_10:10: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
88. Because the believer has already been redeemed (Past tense).
2Pe_1:18-19: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
89. Because the believer’s salvation is begun and finished by Christ.
Heb_12:2: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
90. Because salvation is by grace, and not by any mixture of grace and works.
Rom_11:6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
91. Because Christ died. rose again, and intercedes for born again believers.
Rom_8:37: “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Heb_7:25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
92. Because God predestined believers in His Truth according to His foreknowledge before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of his Son, and then, in time, He calls and justifies us, and finally He will glorify us.
Rom_8:29-30: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Eph_1:5, 7, 11, 13: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will … In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace … In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: … In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation …”
2Co_2:13: “… God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
93. Because salvation IS salvation.
Heb_5:9: “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”
Heb_7:25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
94. The believer cannot perish.
Joh_3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
95. Because God’s promise that through the offering of Christ He will put away the believer’s sins, and will remember them no more.
Heb_10:17: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
96. Because God is for us!
Rom_8:31: “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
97. God chastens His children rather than exiling them to Hell.
1Co_11:31-32: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
98. God allows His children to suffer loss of rewards in Heaven rather than exiling them to Hell.
1Co_3:11-15: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
99. God allows His children to suffer shame at His coming rather than exiling them to Hell.
1Jn_2:28: “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”
100. Because God is greater than our heart.
1Jn_3:20: “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”
101. God is able to save and keep us.
2Ti_1:12: “… I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
Jud_1:24: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
Thru the Bible in a Year
PMI Center for Biblical Studies 
Recent comments