Words Matter by T.D.Cotten Christians, and I use the word candidly, tend to describe soteriological doctrine in non biblical terms which, more often than not, lends itself to error rather than correct, useful biblical concepts. Simply stated, when it comes to the plan of salvation, words do make a difference; and most certainly, stating the gospel accurately can make the difference for an unsaved person between spending eternity in heaven or in the lake of fire. The inaccuracy of what we say can confuse or mislead the unbeliever and cause eternal spiritual harm. Inaccuracy of what is taught and believed can cause the saved person loss of eternal reward. When I hear someone misrepresent God’s plan for salvation, I generally ask myself how it is possible for someone to forget how he was saved. I find more comfort in this assumption of forgetfulness or ignorance than wondering if he is really saved or not. If we’re honest with ourselves, we can admit that we’ve all experienced spiritual ignorance to a greater or lesser degree. God knows I’ve spent the majority of my life not knowing how to rightly divide the word of truth. I thank God that I finally learned. Spiritual ignorance isn’t necessarily a sin, nor is it a shame. However, to remain in a state of spiritual ignorance once being exposed to knowledge and truth is definitely both a sad state of affairs and a shame. I am entering a subject that most certainly will cause much distress among many who read it; however, I would rather cause some discomfort in this life by exposing error than to remain silent on this subject and allow someone’s spiritual ignorance to result in loss of reward, or even worse, loss of their eternal soul. Therefore, the following can be useful information for the believer resulting in eternal rewards and for the unbeliever, resulting in his salvation. I’m going to cover a number of erroneous concepts presented not only by layman but also by ordained ministers. Many of these concepts are mere slogans with no biblical foundation; while others are errors resulting in not rightly dividing the word of truth. As you read through this document, please keep in mind that both of us are mere human beings, each capable of error. If I can’t back up what I believe with the word of God rightly divided, then you should certainly disregard what I say. It becomes man’s viewpoint and is subject to error. Likewise, if you disagree with me, but can’t back up your beliefs with the word of God rightly divided, please hear me out. I like the way Paul puts it in Romans 3:4 – “…let God be true, but every man a liar….” Don’t take any man’s word for truth – not mine; not your pastor’s; not even your own ideas. Confirm everything. Look up the scripture and read what God says. If it is confirmed in the word of God, rightly divided, then it is absolute truth. You can bet your eternal soul on it. Quite often, being exposed to truth changes our minds about something we previously believed. And that should be one of the main reasons for studying the bible: 2Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” The first erroneous concept I am going to cover is one that I hear so often from the pulpit; consequently, I’m sure church members are repeating this same error to those in need of salvation. It is being said that for salvation you need to “invite Jesus into your life and give your life to Jesus”. Others sometimes phrase it as “invite Jesus into your heart.” To start with all of these statements are slogans. They are not found in the bible. You probably have a concordance in the back of your bible. Check it out for yourself. We need to remember and use the power that is in God’s words. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The bible is the only book that distinguishes between the soul and the spirit of mankind and declares that the word of God is both alive and powerful. We can begin to understand the unlimited power of His words when we realize that He actually spoke the world into existence. Also Psalms 138:2 tells us how highly God regards his words. “. . . for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Since God holds his words in such high esteem, shouldn’t we use them when we explain His plan of salvation? We are also told that the gospel (that part of God’s word that applies to the plan of salvation) is God’s power of salvation. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Paul defines exactly what the gospel is in 1Corinthians 15:1-3. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;” Please notice that the first thing that Paul received was how Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. So often those who preach inviting Jesus into your life (prayer for salvation) and giving your life to Jesus (works for salvation) never mention what Jesus did on the cross for our salvation. It becomes a plan about what you are expected to do rather than placing faith in what Jesus has already done. Look at the very first thing Paul did when he came to the Corinthians: 1Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” This is the gospel of salvation and it is the power of God for salvation and this is what needs to be said first and foremost. You’re familiar with the story of the Philippian jailer who asked Paul “What must I do to be saved?” Paul didn’t say invite Jesus into your life and heart. He didn’t say give your life to Jesus. He said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Then Paul proceeded to explain all that needed explaining: How that Jesus died for the jailer’s sins while on the cross. How that salvation is dispensed by the grace of God through faith in His son, Jesus Christ, for eternal salvation. We know that Paul said these things to the man because throughout his writings he explains over and over again that salvation is gained by faith (something you think), not by something you do. Let me be crystal clear; if a person thinks he is saved because of some prayer he has submitted inviting Jesus into his life and because he is doing the very best he can to follow the commandments contained in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, he is badly mistaken. There is no salvation in inviting Jesus into your life and giving your life to Jesus. I can hear the nay-sayers now. What about over there in Revelation where
Jesus is standing at the door knocking?
Isn’t that the heart’s door?
Isn’t opening the door the same as inviting Jesus to come in? No it isn’t.
Those verses are written to one of the churches of the New
Covenant. The entire book of Revelation
contains only Jewish, kingdom doctrine.
There is nothing in the entire book of Revelation pertinent to the
dispensation of grace in which we live, to the church of this dispensation or
to our grace plan of salvation. That’s the
word of truth rightly divided. I can hear others saying, “didn’t
Jesus say we should take up our cross and follow him? Yes he did. Mark 8:34 “And when he had
called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them,
Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow me.” But this is more kingdom
doctrine for the Jews. It is a statement
given before His crucifixion, at a time when even His own apostles didn’t know
that he was to be crucified. Mark 9: 31-32 “For he taught his disciples,
and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they
shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But
they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.” Matthew 16:21-22
“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must
go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the
third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from
thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” Luke 9:44-45 “Let these sayings sink
down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of
men. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that
they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.” Luke 18:31-34
“Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son
of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and
shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall
scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And
they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them,
neither knew they the things which were spoken.” These twelve Jewish apostles had been preaching the gospel
of the kingdom for almost three and one half years, yet they knew nothing of
the pending crucifixion. That’s because
it is not a part of their gospel. They
didn’t have to believe in Jesus as their savior. Those people only had to believe that Jesus
was the promised Messiah, the son of the living God destined to be their
king. We, who live in the dispensation
of grace, follow the mandates of the risen Christ as delivered to the apostle
Paul after his conversion and recorded in his epistles. And that’s more right division of truth. Let’s look at some other common misconceptions concerning the plan of salvation. Although Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, he was also a Jew and he dearly loved the Jewish people. Even though Paul received and recorded mystery doctrine of the dispensation of grace directly from the risen Lord Jesus Christ, at times in his writings he speaks directly to and about his brothers in the flesh. From the context of these scripture one can always determine to whom Paul is speaking. In Romans Chapters 9, 10, and 11 Paul is addressing His Jewish brothers and the doctrine he is speaking of is Jewish doctrine from the dispensation of law. Look at how Romans chapter 9 starts: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;” The rest of chapter 9, chapter 10 and 11 continue the same type of message concerning Israel. But when we arrive at Chapter 12 the focus of Paul's message changes back to the church – the body of Christ and the dispensation of grace: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” Remember, to rightly divide the word of truth one must separate the doctrine for the dispensation of Law and kingdom from the doctrine for the dispensation of grace. Dispensation of Law and kingdom doctrine was prophesied while dispensation of grace doctrine is called mystery doctrine and is only revealed in the bible by the Apostle Paul. Only that mystery doctrine of the dispensation of grace, delivered by Paul, is pertinent to us today who live in the dispensation of grace. In the middle of Paul’s discourse concerning Israel is Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If we do not rightly divide the word of truth we have a contradiction pertaining to the plan of salvation. We are told that we are saved by prayer instead of faith. But right division tells us this verse is a quote from Joel 2:32: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” There are several things to be noticed here. To start with, this is a prophesy pertaining to the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jerusalem is under siege and the Jewish remnant is calling on the name of the Lord for deliverance from their enemies who are advancing to destroy them. The verse in question has nothing to do with soul salvation but is a plea for deliverance from annihilation and deliverance into the promised kingdom. Again this is Old Testament prophesy pertaining to God’s earthly people and their earthly kingdom. It is accurate, appropriate doctrine for a different people and another time. But it’s not for us today who live in the dispensation of grace. This is not God’s plan for our salvation. In these verses Paul is talking about his Jewish brothers in the flesh and prophesies relative to those people. (This might be a good time to re-read the book of Joel, to refresh your memory as to what it is all about; and while you’re at it you might do the same with Zechariah. Soon I’ll mention scriptures from it.) Now that we understand that Paul is writing about the Jews under the dispensation of Law and that the salvation spoken of here is actually physical deliverance for Israel, let’s look at Romans 10-13 again in conjunction with Romans 10-14. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (delivered). How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Now we are told an obvious truth. The Jews can not call on one for deliverance if they don’t believe in him to begin with. Nor can the Jews believe in someone they’ve have never heard of. Therefore, the Jews must first hear who Jesus is. Then the Jews must believe that Jesus is whom he claimed to be. After faith has been established, the Jews can then call on the name of Jesus for deliverance. In light of this information, let’s back up a few scriptures and look at Romans 10:5-8. In Romans 10:5, Paul tells us that he is referencing Moses. We can find those verses references in Deuteronomy 30: 12-14. Then in Romans 10-9, Paul stops referencing Moses and says in Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Once again it seems that another ingredient has been added to faith. Now one must confess with his mouth for salvation. But wait – we have already determined that Paul is not speaking about soul salvation, but physical deliverance. But the scripture says that these Jews must confess with their mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead. You may ask, “Doesn’t this sound like the dispensation of grace salvation plan?” Well . . . no. There is nothing here about believing that Jesus died on the cross for their salvation; rather, they are told to believe that God raised him from the dead. In the dispensation of grace we are not saved because we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. We are saved by believing that he died for our sins. So, what is Paul saying? To help answer this question, let’s go to Zechariah 12:9-10. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” Paul is still talking about the day of the Lord (the second advent of Jesus Christ). Gentile nations are advancing on Jerusalem to destroy it and the Jewish people. A supernatural darkness has fallen over Jerusalem and the advancing armies. Jesus Christ appears in the sky. He is seen as brightly and clearly as a bolt of lightning that shines from the east even to the west. Everyone sees him. They see his pierced hands and feet. Suddenly the Jews recognize who he is. He is the one that they have heard of all their lives and rejected. He is the one that God Almighty raised from the dead. He is their promised Messiah, King and deliverer. In faith they call on his name, “Lord Jesus, deliver us! Further evidence that what we are studying does not pertain to our gospel of salvation can be found in Romans 10:16: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet. His gospel and his report is totally different from our gospel of salvation. He had absolutely no information pertaining to the mystery doctrine of the dispensation of grace or its gospel of salvation. Romans 16:25 tell us of the source of our gospel: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,” Ephesians 3:9 says, “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” Colossians 1:25 says, “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;” Colossians 1:26 says, “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” No one, other than God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), knew anything about the dispensation of grace until it was revealed by the risen Christ to the Apostle Paul after his conversion in Acts chapter 9. That’s why it’s called the mystery. Not that it’s difficult, but because it was hidden information until revealed to Paul. I was once associated with a group of people that didn’t believe there were any contradictions in the bible. They were obviously wrong. They simply tried to explain away all contradictions with a lot of confusing double talk. In reality, the bible is full of conflicting information. However, if we rightly divide the word of truth, contradiction within the boundaries of any given dispensation is eliminated. Again I emphasize that words matter. Using inappropriate slogans and misapplying scripture can lead one astray. No one in the dispensation of grace has ever been saved by calling on the name of the Lord. Does that mean that a person who has called on the name of the Lord is lost? No it does not. If someone is teaching that salvation is by calling on the name of the Lord, does that mean he is unsaved? No it does not. This error has the same consequences as inviting Jesus into your life and giving your life to Jesus. Fortunately, in the dispensation of grace, when one believes in Jesus Christ as the only means for his eternal salvation, he is immediately saved and cannot lose that salvation. Unfortunately, because of ignorance, because of false teaching, because of lack of teaching, or for other unknown reasons a saved person, over a period of time, can come to accept false doctrine as being accurate. It doesn’t mean the person is lost, but it does mean he will lose eternal rewards in heaven that were intended for him unless he gets his thinking corrected. If a believer is building on the foundation of the Law rather than the foundation of grace, that work is considered wood, hay, and stubble. If he persists, his work will be burned at the judgment seat of Christ, yet he shall be saved. Calling on the name of the lord (or prayers for deliverance) was designed for Israel under the Law. Its purpose was to provide them with physical blessings. Today when believers pray for deliverance from sickness, disease, death, debt, distress or any other type of physical problem, they have encroached on the plan designed for Israel and they are in error. In the dispensation of grace, our prayers should be of thanksgiving and limited to request for spiritual blessings. In our prayers we should not ask God to forgive us for our many sins? We who have been saved don’t need to smite our breast and say, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.” God has already shown us mercy. He sent Jesus to the cross and He died for all of our sins: past, present and future. The issue is no longer one of sin. The issue is one of faith. It's not what we think about sin, but what we think about Jesus Christ. (Note: See the commentary on prayer at this website.) Among the many doctrines that we tend to erroneously bring over from the dispensation law to the dispensation of grace is the doctrine of asking. First let’s look at a number of scriptures directed toward Israel concerning asking. Mattthew 7: 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Whenever I see this verse I am reminded of an early Greek lesson on present active indicative verbs. The instructor was so excited about the literal translation rendered in light of its linear (progressive) tense. He translated the verse as follows: “Keep on asking and it shall keep on being given to you; keep on seeking, and ye shall keep on finding; keep on knocking and it shall keep on being opened unto you.” Of course the instructor knew nothing about right division of the word of truth, so he made application to himself that he needed to keep on asking and keep on seeking and keep on knocking so that he could keep on receiving. Sadly, he’s not by himself. Today, we have many still applying the same principles of Jewish Law to our dispensation of grace. In a more dangerous sense we also have many who apply asking to the receiving the gift of salvation for the soul. Of course asking God for something is actually prayer, and we are not saved by prayer but by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal salvation. Consequently, no one in the dispensation of grace has ever been saved by asking (prayer). Faith is what we think; it’s not something we do. Works is something we do; it’s not faith. Asking is something we do. It is works, not faith. Mattthew 7: 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Mattthew 18: 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Mattthew 21: 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. This scripture makes it abundantly clear that when we ask God for anything it is considered prayer. John 11: 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. John 14: 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 15: 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15: 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 16: 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. The above verses in John are specifically for the Apostles to Israel. James 1: 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. In direct contradiction to the above verse, Paul says, “study to show yourself approved unto God. . ." Of course Paul is writing to a church of the dispensation of grace, whereas, James was writing to the twelve Jewish tribes scattered abroad. Paul’s writings are applicable for us today, whereas, James writings will be applicable to those elect Jews of the tribulation period. James 4: 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 1John 3: 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 1John 5: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. I’ve listed numerous scriptures on asking but none of them apply to us who live during the dispensation of grace. Within the writings of the Apostle Paul there are absolutely no references to asking in order to receive anything. You’ve probably got a good concordance. Look for yourself. I have heard it said, “But doesn’t a person need to ask for salvation?” The answer is no. Many years ago I was part of an example that I never forgot. I was probably about six years old at the time. It was during the Sunday morning service at the Baptist church where my family attended, when the old preacher called me to come forward during the sermon. He said, “Tommy, I have a gift for you. It’s a shiny new nickel.” He held it out and I took it from his hand then returned to my seat. The preacher said to the congregation, “Did you notice the boy just reached out and took the coin? When I offered him the nickel as a gift he didn’t say, “Please give me the nickel.” Neither did he ask what he needed to do to earn it. He just took it by faith because it was offered to him. That’s the way salvation is. As long as you are asking for it, or trying to earn it, you really don’t believe it is a free gift, truly offered. Otherwise you would simply reach out and take it by faith. God the Father has offered you the free gift of salvation. He wanted you to have it so badly that He sent his only begotten son to the cross to purchase it for you. Are you going to stand before Him and say Lord, please save me? That really makes no sense does it? If you really want salvation, you just take it by faith just like the little boy, so many years ago, took the nickel from the preacher. Another aspect of asking seems to arise from an entirely human notion. That is, that in order to be forgiven one must ask for forgiveness. After all we humans tend to only forgive only those who apologize and ask us for our forgiveness, thus we must tell God how sorry we are for our transgressions and ask for His forgiveness. Sounds reasonable, but it just isn’t recorded in the scriptures applicable to the dispensation of grace as written by our Apostle Paul. What about being sorry for our sins? That’s in the Bible isn’t it? Yes it is. In ancient times, about 500BC, when Alexander the Great was busy conquering the world, as he overthrew nations he would force those men whom he defeated into his army. A problem of language ensued; therefore he invented a new language and forced all military personnel to learn it. That language was named Koine Greek, generally referred to as Common Greek. Koine Greek is the language of those books of the Bible that are generally referred to as “The New Testament.” All of this brings us to the Greek word for repentance. It is an ancient military command which means “about face.” Of course, as you probably already know, about face means one is marching in one direction and upon the command “about face” he does a 180 degree turn going in the direct opposite direction. It means changing your mind about something, or to feel regretful – sorry. Context usually makes which definition is applicable clear. Act 2: 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is basic kingdom salvation. It involves repentance (to turn away from one’s sinful life) and get water baptized for the remission of sins (past). This is faith plus works. It is not for anyone living during this current dispensation of grace. Act 17: 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: In the two above scriptures, repent means to make an about face. To quit doing what you are doing – namely sinning. Reverend Billy Graham use to say on a regular basis, "You need to repent; turn away from your sins." Mr. Graham did not know how to rightly divide the word of God. He took those repentance scriptures which apply to Israel and applied them to us who live during the dispensation of grace. On the contrary, Jesus saves us, during the dispensation of grace, just the way we are, ungodly sinners. We don't have to clean ourselves up first. Romans 5: 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Act 20: 21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Here repentance means one moving away from God needs to do an about face toward God and express faith toward Jesus. An about face is accomplished by a change of mind. Act 26: 20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Here repentance indicates the kingdom repentance of turning from unbelief to belief in God, plus works that show change of mind. Rom 2: 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? In this verse, repentance is a change of mind; knowing the goodness of God leads to that change of mind. 2Co 7: 9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. In verse 7, repentance obviously refers to sorrow. 2Co 7: 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. Here, godly sorrow leads to a change of mind. In this instance the salvation mentioned is progressive sanctification – the Christian walking in the spirit. 2Ti 2: 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; If God is willing, those in opposition will come to a change of mind and acknowledge the truth. 2Co 7: 8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Here repent refers to sorrow. As in past dispensations, during future dispensations calling on the name of the Lord for forgiveness, confessing of sins, asking for physical blessings, and asking for deliverance will be appropriate. During those future dispensations, man will no longer be under grace but will be under a New Covenant of Law. Israel will receive their promised piece of earth, their promised kingdom and their promised King (Jesus Christ) to rule over them forever. Thank God that today we are living in the dispensation of grace. We are blessed because of what Jesus Christ has done, not because of what we do. We are hidden in Christ. He does all the work, He gets all the glory and we get the blessings. Our destiny is spiritual in nature. It is eternal life in glorified bodies in heavenly places. You can’t beat a deal like that. Here is another problem that needs to be addressed. There is a concept that says, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. After all, we’re all trying to get to the same place. Some folks are just using different ways of getting there.” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those who believe these sincerity slogans are sincerely wrong. Hell is going to be full of good, sincere people. Proverbs 16:25 says “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Some people are infatuated with all the good people in their church. Good people they know. Good people they encounter. And they are right. There are a lot of really good people in the world. But, you must realize that God has higher standards than we humans. His standards are absolute. He requires absolute righteousness. He requires the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is the exact equivalent of His own righteousness. As far as God is concerned, there will be no good people in hell. Concerning man, Paul says in Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:12 “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Since God requires absolute righteousness, how do we get it? Romans 3:24 tells us: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” Romans 4:5 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Notice how God presents the plan of salvation through the words of Paul. He mingles the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, dying to justify and make righteous the ungodly through faith. So often, preachers tell the unsaved that they must be sorry for their sins and turn away from them. Once again this doctrine is for Israel. In the dispensation of grace God takes us just the way we are – ungodly sinners. He doesn’t clean us up first and we certainly can’t clean ourselves up. After salvation we remain (in the flesh) ungodly sinners, but hidden in Christ Jesus. We have no righteousness of our own with which to impress God. We don’t need self righteousness. Eternally in union with Christ, we share His absolute righteousness. Again, I emphasize, none of these verses from Romans chapters three and four mention such things as inviting, asking, confessing, repenting, calling, keeping any type of commitment, or observing any ordinance. Why not? That is because such things are contradictory, confusing, misleading, inaccurate, and unwarranted. God’s plan of salvation for our dispensation is so simple. We should all strive to teach it that way. Concerning right division, possibly some of you are thinking that at times, to make a point, this man goes to bible books that contain only Jewish doctrine in order to make a point. You are right. Let me explain. There is nothing wrong with using Old Testament or kingdom scriptures as long as they provide general information rather than pure dispensational doctrine. For example, above I used Hebrews 4:12 which is a Jewish epistle: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” This is a fact about God’s word. It is a part of His essence. It doesn’t change no matter what the dispensation or to whom it is written. I also quoted Psalms 138:2, which reveals how highly God regards his words. “. . . for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” This is another unchangeable fact about God. I used Proverbs 16:25 which says “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” This is an unchanging fact concerning mankind. Look at Eve. She lived in the dispensation of innocence. She was deceived. She sincerely thought it would be ok to eat the forbidden fruit. After all, the serpent had told her it was ok. Today, we have people who sincerely believe that are saved because of church membership, water baptism, or some other thing which they have either done or refrained from doing to impress God. Pertaining to our personal conduct, our morals, or our character, whether it is good or whether it is bad, it all comes from areas of strengths and weaknesses in our old sin nature. There is nothing we can do to gain the approbation of God. I could have used Isaiah 64:6 which says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away,” in order to prove how the very best we can possibly do in the flesh is far from good enough to satisfy God’s requirement for absolute righteousness. Even though this is from an Old Testament book and is about the Jewish people, it still applies to all people living during all dispensations. It is not dispensational doctrine. It is about an unchangeable fact that is as pertinent today as it was when written. That’s why we study the Old Testament and the Jewish epistles. Not to drag their doctrine into our lives, but to learn about God and His unchangeable essence and attributes, and how He dealt with different people during different dispensations, and how He will deal with people in future dispensations. We study the Pauline epistles to learn about God’s policies that apply to the dispensation of grace in which we live. In conclusion, remember that words matter. I encourage you to use God’s words. There is power in His words beyond human conception. Expand on His words as needed. Explain His words as necessary. But stay with the word of God as revealed in the scriptures, rightly divided. Stay away from slogans and traditional religion. Learn how to rightly divide God’s word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. |