Dan: This is for your research from my favorite Pastor. It's lengthy to post but full of the richness of Christ.
Santiago
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."
--II Timothy 2:15
"The purpose of this study is to establish the reader in God's message for the Church, the Body of Christ, during this present age of grace. The content of this volume has been developed over nearly a twenty-five year period and we pray it may help you enjoy the word of God in a deeper sense. It clearly transformed this author's life when he first came to a knowledge of the Word, rightly divided. Before that time, the Bible was a closed book which seemed to generate more questions than answers. But thanks be unto God, we can add our voice to many of the past and present, that the key which unlocks the sacred secret is rightly dividing the Word of truth.
Perhaps for some we are about to embark upon a journey through uncharted waters. However, we will soon show that the Apostle Paul charted the way many years before us. While the Church at large has lost its course on the sea of confusion, the light of the glorious gospel of grace will safely guide all those who seek the truth to a clearer knowledge of God's will. As we begin our journey together, we request that the reader set aside any preconceived ideas which may prove to be a hindrance. Our faith must rest squarely on what God has revealed; therefore, it is our earnest desire that the reader be a Berean and study whether these things are so (Acts 17:11).
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD
The Holy Spirit places great importance upon the need to properly divide the Word of truth. Our Lord Himself rightly divided the Scriptures when He entered the synagogue in Nazareth where He read from the Book of Isaiah:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isa. 61:1,2 cf. Luke 4:16-20).
The Lord abruptly closed the book without reading the remainder of the prophecy which continues, "...and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn...." Of course, this was done intentionally, because the first part of this prophecy was fulfilled before the very eyes of His hearers (Luke 4:21). However, this could not be said of the latter part, which predicts the vengeance of God during the future tribulation period and the millennial comfort to follow.
The following statement may be shocking to some, but it is true: "Our God is a God of division!" In the beginning, He divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament (Gen. 1:7). God divided the waters upon the earth, thus allowing the dry land to appear (Gen. 1:9,10). On the fourth day of creation He divided the day from the night (Gen. 1:14). God also instructs us that His Word must be rightly divided if we ever hope to understand the counsel of His will.
The first question one is led to ask in this connection is: Where has God placed the major division in His Word? Church tradition declares that it is between the Old and the New Testament. Almost no one questions that the Old Testament begins with Genesis and ends with Malachi and was written to the nation Israel; or that the New Testament, Matthew through the Book of Revelation is addressed to the Church, the Body of Christ. Quite honestly, we believe it is time that this traditional view be challenged on the basis of its Scriptural inaccuracy. Like sheep following one another down the wrong path, the Church has fallen victim to the same.
It is difficult to determine who first introduced the format commonly known as the Old and New Testaments. One thing we certainly know, it is a man-made division. Whoever was responsible, undoubtedly, surmised that since there was a 400 year period between Malachi and Matthew, known as the Intertestament period, this was the logical place to mark the major division in God's Word. We believe that this theory, though seemingly conclusive, has pointed one of the most important guideposts in the Word of God in the wrong direction, and has caused untold confusion down through the centuries.
WHERE DID THE OLD TESTAMENT BEGIN?
"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my Covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel" (Ex. 19:5,6).
The first reference in our Bibles to the Old Testament is found here in Exodus 19:5. This means that well over 2500 years had elapsed before God gave the Law to Israel. Of course, the Covenant or Testament oftentimes referred to as the Law was conditional. In other words, if Israel complied with all 613 commandments and ordinances God would bless her and make her His peculiar people. Over the course of time one thing became evident: the Law was not given to save. Rather it was to give her a knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:19,20). God's chosen nation soon became thankful for the sacrificial system whereby they could receive the atonement of their sins.
Exodus chapters 19-23 are only the preliminary groundwork leading up to the actual inauguration of the Old Testament. Technically speaking, the Law was not binding upon the people until it was initiated by the shedding of blood. All of God's Covenants are established by blood. Please consider the following passage:
"And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the Covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the Covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words" (Ex. 24:6-8).
So then, if the Old Testament did not begin until Exodus 24, to whom was the book of Genesis written? The answer to this question is but one example of the inconsistencies in the traditional view held by the vast majority of believers. But there is even a more pressing question that deserves our most thoughtful attention. When was the Covenant of the Law terminated by God? As mentioned earlier, most hold that the Old Testament ended when Malachi closed the book that bears his name and said, AMEN!! Here again we must inquire: What saith the Scriptures?
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law..." (Gal. 4:4,5).
Under the supervision of the Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul reveals, by means of inspiration, that our Lord Jesus Christ during His years upon this earth lived under the Old Testament. In fact, the primary purpose of Christ's first coming was to redeem those who spent their lifetime in bondage to the Law of Moses. Turning back to the earthly ministry of Christ for a moment, we have selected three Scripture verses from the gospel according to Matthew to substantiate the above conclusion.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17).
This passage implies that there were those in the time of Christ who called His motives into question. If the pious Pharisees had not asked it, they were surely thinking to themselves-the institution of the Law of Moses has stood for over 1500 years, so why is this man who claims to be sent from God, now going to destroy it? Our Lord quickly disarmed His critics and in so doing teaches us that one of His missions was to fulfill the Law, which plainly indicates He observed it to the letter.
Leprosy was a dreadful disease in biblical times that struck fear in the heart. According to the Law, the leper was never permitted to enter the camp of Israel without first being pronounced clean by the priest (Lev. 4:1-7). Leper colonies were avoided like the plague, but in the event someone came into contact with a leper they often cried aloud, "leper, leper, leper!" which was humiliating to say the least. Our Lord, on the other hand, had compassion on these poor souls; thus, on more than one occasion He healed their infirmity. One such case is found in Matt. 8:3,4:
"And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched Him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."
The diligent reader will agree that the Old Testament was still alive and well up to this point as our Lord tells the leper to show himself unto the priest. This teaches us that not only did Christ live in perfect obedience to the Law, He required that others do the same as well.
Our third passage is found in Matthew 23:1-3 where our Lord, who is now standing in the shadow of the Cross, utters these solemn words of warning:
"Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to His disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."
Need we say more? We believe it can be correctly said that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are Old Testament Scriptures. This may not set well with some; nevertheless, it is the true testimony of Holy Scripture.
According to Colossians 2:14 the abolition of the Law took place the day Christ died. On the divine side of the ledger, full payment for the debt of our sins was made at Calvary. However, on the human side, the actual record that payment was made in full was to be manifested in due time through Paul's gospel (I Tim. 2:3-7). Furthermore, this explains why the Law continued to be observed after the Cross, although we know it gradually lost its mastery through the revelation given to Paul who affirmed that the Law was done away that "grace might reign" (Rom. 6:14). Philip Bliss' hymn Once for All conveys the thought beautifully: "Free from the Law-O happy condition! Jesus hath bled and there is remission; Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall, Grace hath redeemed us once for all!"
THE NEW TESTAMENT
"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you" (Luke 22:19,20).
Contrary to popular belief, the New Testament did not begin in Matthew, chapter one with the birth of Christ. Actually, it was as our Lord was about to face His greatest trial at the Cross that He said to His disciples in the upper room, "This is the New Testament in my blood."
It is important for the reader to distinguish here in Luke's gospel between the Last Supper and the Lord's Supper.1 The Passover meal, commonly called the Last Supper, was celebrated first. Moreover, this was one final act our Lord performed in fulfilling the righteousness of the Old Testament before the introduction of the New.
Strictly regulated by the Law, the Passover was to be observed in the following manner: First, the Passover lamb must be without spot or blemish. Next, the lamb's blood was to be shed, although no bone in its body was to be broken. The Israelites also were required to eat unleavened bread at this meal, which symbolized their need to be free from sin that they might glorify God. The bitter herbs reminded the Hebrews of the bitter bondage their forefathers experienced in the land of Egypt. The Passover feast looked forward to the day when Israel will be finally and forever delivered from both her physical and spiritual bondage, the fulfillment of which was made possible by the sacrificial death of Christ (Luke 1:67-77; John 19:31-33; I Cor. 5:7).
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1. According to I Corinthians 11:23 the apostle Paul received a special revelation concerning the Lord's Supper; therefore we believe it is to be celebrated today without reservation. It is easy to see, of course, how the subject of the Lord's supper can sometimes be confusing, since the Church has taught that it is one of the last two remaining ordinances. But what saith the Scriptures? Christ has blotted "...out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way..." (Col. 2:14). The testimony of Holy Scripture declares that there are no ordinances to be observed during the dispensation of Grace.
It should be remembered however, that the Lord's Supper was never, nor will it ever be, an ordinance. The Spirit of God makes it explicitly clear that it is a memorial. As Paul says concerning the elements, it is to be done "in remembrance of me [Christ]." The Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., is a solemn reminder that it was President Lincoln who signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. In like manner, when we clutch that morsel of bread in our hand and partake of the cup of blessing, it reminds us that Christ died to free us from the bondage of our sins.
As the Passover meal was drawing to a close and after Judas had left the room, the Master instituted what has come to be known as the Lord's Supper (Matt. 26:17-28). undoubtedly, this was done purposely to show that the unbeliever should never have a part in this holy observance. Also, our Lord had chosen this hour to introduce the New Testament, foretold by the prophets of old. The House of Israel was exclusively given the promise of the New Covenant, which incidentally contains all spiritual blessings. Please read prayerfully the words of Jeremiah the prophet:
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah" (Jer. 31:31).
Some of the New Testament blessings that Israel2 will ultimately realize in the future millennial kingdom are: God will forgive her sins on the basis of Christ's shed blood (Matt. 26:28). In that day He will also give believing Israel a new heart and cause her to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:26,27). The New Testament is therefore an unconditional Covenant in which God will empower His chosen people to willingly obey what was required of them under the Old Covenant (Jer. 31:33).
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2. We thus conclude that Israel is the New Testament Church.
As we shall see, even though the New Covenant was never promised to the Gentiles, we have received the blessings of it by grace. This conclusion is based on Romans 15:27: "For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their [Israel's] spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things." Hence, the apostle informs us that we too are able ministers of the New Testament (II Cor. 3:6). The importance of this cannot be overstated for this reason-Christ has shed His precious blood once for all in direct accordance with this covenant. If we have no connection to it, then Christ must return to die again for the Gentiles, which is unthinkable (Heb. 10:9,10).
IN SUMMARY
Perhaps the following outline will shed further light on the foregoing thoughts:
Old Testament
Given to the nation Israel (Ex. 19:5).
A. Conditional Covenant
B. 613 Commandments
1. Moral Law
2. Civil Law
3. Ceremonial Law
C. Duration 1500 years-from Moses to the Cross
New Testament
Made with the House of Israel (Jer. 31:31).
A. Unconditional Covenant (except for faith)
B. Spiritual Promises
1. Cleansing with blood
2. A new heart
3. The Holy Spirit
C. Duration 1000 years-The kingdom through eternity.
If both the Old and the New Testaments were established with the House of Israel, then this could not possibly be the major division in God's Word, which raises the question, Where do we fit into the picture as members of the Church, the Body of Christ? "
Pastor Sadler |
