Monday, August 20, 2012

A Dispensational Nugget

While most of professing Christianity is steeped in heresy due to their inability to rightly divide the word of truth (having a large impact on this is the fact that most of professing Christianity doesn't use the Authorized Version, therefore the command to rightly divide is omitted - 2 Tim. 2:15).  This is even true of professing dispensationalists.  And while 2 Tim 2:15 is the most common verse when teaching the authority of right division, there is another less popular and sometimes overlooked verse to consider.

2 Peter 1:12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

"Pope" (tongue-in-cheek) Peter mentions something called "present truth."  Well, if you can read (and if you were educated in America in the last 40 years, you may not be able to), and if there is such a thing called present truth, there at the very least must be something we can call "past truth."  And there is likely something that we will refer to as "future truth."  This trinity falls in line with the way God uses '3' throughout the scripture: Father, Word, Holy Ghost; Three Days & Three Nights; Jew, Gentile, Church; Past Earth, present Earth, new heavens and earth; etc.

The application of past, present and future truth is vitally important to proper understanding of the Bible.  Here are a few examples:

Do you believe in Eternal Security?

Romans 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.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Do you need to keep yourself in God's love; or, is God's love inseparable?  What about this one:

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Psalms 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Didn't David know he couldn't lose the Spirit?  Why would a man after God's own heart not know such a simple and fundamental doctrine as eternal security (or as my Calvinist friends may say 'Perseverance of the Saints')?

Salvation

Matthew 19:16-17 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

So, does eternal life come by keeping the commandments or by believing on the Lord?

Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel...how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Why doesn't that angel mention the cross of Christ?  Didn't Paul say even if an angel from heaven preach another gospel that he is accursed?


These are just a the tip of the iceberg of the potential list of "contradictions" in the scripture that have no legitimate answer unless you can rightly divide the word of truth (notice I didn't say "understand dispensations."  Simply understanding where the law ends and the Church begins will not answer these questions).  The sad part is there are plenty of professing dispensational baptists that can't answer these questions.  Oh; but you thought your preacher was teaching you doctrine, did you?

0 comments:

  © Blogger templates ProBlogger Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP