The BIG Picture (Study)

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.4) This is  Part 4  of the Series Click here for  Part 3 We continue our journey through this lesson series, gathering evidence to clearly show the distinctions between the parts of God's great redemption plan for humanity and creation. Recall that any plan or project has a start and an ending and that between the start and end one would typically have actions or events that drive you to the goal or what you want to achieve, being the ending! Each of these parts of the plan are foundational actions or events that have a part in the whole, but although they relate to each other to form the whole, they don't necessarily relate to each other in their details, or maybe I can state that they don't have the same steps or materials or qualities.  For example, if you build a house, you MUST start with the foundation. You cannot start with the roof! It just does not make sense! The foundation, the walls and the roof are all part of t

What does it REALLY mean to be 'In Christ'? According to 2 Corinthians 5:17 , when you hear the Gospel and respond positively to the faith that wells up inside you, and you call upon God, ---in that moment you are sealed into the body of Christ (in Christ) by the Holy Spirit ( 1 Cor.12:13 ) and you become a new creation ( or a new creature, KJV  2 Cor.5:17 ). But, notice the word "if" in the verse. This makes it conditional! It is only if we are in Christ that we are a new creation ! In order to understand what " a new creation " means, we need to dig into what is means to be " in Christ ". Note these two Key Concepts ( *positional reality and *description ) Being "In Christ" is a positional reality . When you respond to the grace gospel and become 'saved', in that instant, you are created as a new being and are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and are perfect before God. Being "In

  Videos for Part 3 and Part 4 of the current Bible Study series called: God's Word is a Progressive Plan has been uploaded to our YouTube channel and can be viewed here .  If you have missed the first parts of our current Online Tuesday Evening Bible Study and would like to catch up with the lessons, feel free to do so via these videos. In addition to the videos, I have uploaded the study notes here , and will soon be adding Part 4 of this study as a post in the  Articles section of this blog. Make a point to bookmark this site and feel free to return regularly to catch up on all that is happening in 'The BIG Picture'. Content is added regularly for your edification and encouragement. God bless you and my His grace and peace be with you in these times. 😀

Points to note regarding the above quote: We are placed 'in Christ' when we respond in faith to the grace gospel and are saved. This quote only references who we are 'In Christ' (which defines our perfect positional stance before God). This quote does not reference our earthly condition, in our flesh, which is still under sin. This is where 'Christ in us' systematically sanctifies us, transforming us daily by His Word and Spirit to increased righteousness and holiness. We deal with this detail in other posts. Click here for more on the topic

Q-A: What does it REALLY mean to be 'In Christ'? Read the shaded verses below slowly and carefully and then compare the first two verses to the last three. There is a HUGE difference in how Paul describes the believers at Corinth. 1 Cor 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, 1 Cor 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God —and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — 1 Cor 3:3 ... for you are still carnal . For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 1 Cor 5:1 It is actually reported that there is fornication among you , and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father's wife! 1 Cor 5:2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done th

What was the Gospel in Jesus' day? (Part.3) (Click here for Part 2 ) So then, what is the gospel for us today? Galatians 2:7 The clearest definition of the gospel for our day is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved , if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures , 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ( See also: Rom.4:25; 1 Thes.4:14; Rom.14:9; 2 Cor.5:15; Eph.1:13 ) Appropriating the Gospel We often hear these phrases today in the context of becoming saved, "you must invite Jesus i

What was the Gospel in Jesus' day? (Part.2) (Click here for Part 1 ) The Kingdom Gospel was a completely different gospel than Paul's grace gospel for today (Rom.16:25; Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 2:7-8) Paul gospel requires that to be saved we must trust in the death, the burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor.15:1-4). Prior to Paul, no one preached that the gospel of salvation had been sent to Gentiles nor offered salvation through faith in the cross work of Christ . The Kingdom Gospel was proclaimed to Jews ONLY Throughout the four Gospels and even into the early chapters of Acts, the prophetic program of the King and the Kingdom was still in effect and the audience remained wholly Jewish. On the day of Pentecost Peter addressed only Jews, i.e., "men of Judea" (Acts 2:14), "men of Israel" (Acts 2:22), and the "house of Israel" (Acts 2:36).  The Kingdom Gospel did not recognize the cross-work of Chr

Q-A: What was the Gospel in Jesus' day? (Part.1) John the Baptist and Jesus preached the " gospel of the kingdom ." The good news was to get ready, (to repent and get baptized), as the prophesied Millennial Kingdom was at hand. Why? Because the King of the kingdom had come. Mark 1:14-15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, " The time is fulfilled (Gal 4:4) , and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel ". Do you see anything about the cross, about the blood, about the death and resurrection of Christ in the Kingdom Gospel? No! So, how did a person become a believer and obtain righteousness in Jesus' day? There were four conditions to becoming saved in Jesus' day . Please note that all four of these conditions DO NOT apply in the Grace Gospel of today. I am only listing these for comparison purposes for when we deal with our Grace Gospel that is

  The Two Ministries of Christ Not many people know that Jesus had two ministries. His earthly ministry was under the law, as a Jew , in order to redeem those who were under the law, the Jews . See Gal 4:4-5. After Jesus had ascended to heaven, He appeared to Paul and provided him with the mysteries; a new gospel and a new doctrine . This was Jesus heavenly ministry worked out towards the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul. See Rom 11:13, Eph 3:2-5. The chart below provides a wonderful comparison of the differences in these two ministries Below are the scriptures for your convenience. Hover over each link for the popup verse.  Earthly Ministry of Christ (Prophecy) Primary Scriptures—Four Gospels Dispensation: Law (Matt. 5:17) Christ is King (John 1:49) Sent 12 to Israel (Matt. 10:5,6; 15:21-28) Gospel of the kingdom proclaimed (Matt. 4:23; 10:7) Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18) Christ’s Second Coming to earth (Matt. 24:29-31; Acts 1:9-11)   Heavenly Ministry of Christ (M

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.3) This is Part 3 of the Series Click here for Part 2 The huge gap between Jews and Gentiles During the Old Testament and the Gospels, there was a HUGE gap (or difference) between the Jews and the Gentiles. The reason for this gap was not because the Jews were discriminatory but because it was God's command and part of His plan. God had a purpose for Israel and this we see very clearly if we look into the Bible from a 'big picture' or 'cover to cover' viewpoint. Remember that the bible is God's plan or blueprint for the redemption of all of humanity and that there is a very specific and progressive order to the Bible which is clearly divided up into sets of periods, each with a unique purpose and design. We cannot mix content and expect that it will make sense. It is crucial to study the Word based on these divisions and to keep them separated i

Paul, The First into a New Program It is incredibly important to understand God's Word in the right context, and this is greatly supported by identifying periods of time, being aware of patterns or nuances, recognizing people groups and changes in program or instruction throughout the Bible. The example below is one such instance where, based on what Paul says, "that IN ME first...as a pattern..." , it could be a bit confusing what he means by it! We have to dig in deeper and analyze why Paul said this and understand it in context with right division in the Word. A very interesting scripture to analyze in regard to the divisions within the Word is, 1 Timothy 1:15-16 It is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief [foremost] . But for this reason, I obtained mercy, in order that in me first , Christ Jesus might show all patience [longsuffering, grace] as a pattern to those

Our Destination is Different from O.T. and Gospel Saints Have you ever noticed that Old Testament and Gospel saints were NOT PROMISED HEAVEN as a destination? Instead they were promised an everlasting kingdom on earth . As a matter of fact, these saints never even had a concept of "going to heaven" when they died. The reason is because all through the Old Testament and prophecy it was spoken of a glorious new earthly kingdom ; one which would be restored and refreshed as it was before. In the verse below, Zacharias, John the Baptist father, when speaking of salvation, does not have the concept of "going to heaven"  as you and I would today. In his case, salvation is being saved from their earthly enemies and inheriting that promised 'earthly, terra firma' land mention in the covenant made to Abraham, Luke 1:67-75 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:  68 "Blessed is the Lord God of Isra

The Difference Between Sin and Sins It's always good if one learns a new insight or revelation that causes you to see something new in the scriptures; to help you to understand a verse or passage in a deeper or more profound way. One such moment came for me when I learned that there was a marked difference between the word "Sin" and the word "Sins" . One might think that it's the same thing except that the plural means more than one sin, right? Well, actually, no , depending on the context of the verse. Lets look at some verses that illustrate the difference between the two, First, the word "Sins" (plural) Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins , that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have re

Q-A: The Bible - Why isn't all Scripture written TO You? I often use the phrase, "All Scripture is written FOR you, but not all Scripture is written TO you" , and this generally provokes a response of astonishment, if not a stronger aversion from the person. It does not however surprise me as there are not many who understand the Word rightly divided. So, lets delve into this phrase and explain it clearly and concisely. Think of a post office and a wall of mailboxes. If you had to pry open one of those mailboxes and read the mail from that box, you could learn something from the content of the mail, but it does not necessarily apply to you. For example, you could learn of an allergy that the mailbox owner has and even what medication to use from the doctors letter in that mailbox, but it would be incorrect (and possibly even detrimental) to dose yourself up on the medication prescribed to someone else. In the same way, the bible is a book written oven a

Enjoy this Visual Comparison of Prophecy and Mystery Click on image to enlarge