News and Announcements

📌 Introducing: 'The Big Picture (Ask)', where I answer questions that people often find confusing or contradictory, if not understood, and answered, in a dispensational way.
🎬 Bible Study on YouTube: Latest video on YouTube here.

 

Paul's Credibility (P5)

-

Paul's Credibility
(Part 5)

Paul made some incredible claims in his writings. He claims to be the "mater builder", "the Apostle to the Gentiles" and encourages his converts that they should "imitate and follow him". In this short series we will investigate these claims and determine how Paul could say such bold things.

This study will bring validity and confirmation to the credibility of Paul and to the scriptures he was inspired to write to the Body of Christ.

This is Part 5. To gain the full context of this article, start in Part 1 here.


Paul could claim these because he was the spearhead

Paul was the first to receive the mysteries

Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit... 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;


As the first one redeemed by grace into the Body of Christ (as a pattern)

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 (first/foremost). But for this reason, I obtained mercy, in order that in me first*, Christ Jesus might show all patience (longsuffering) as a pattern** to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

* Paul was the "first"? The first of what? The only sensible answer is the first member of the Church the Body of Christ (as the only other group of believers God has in His Word is the redeemed nation Israel, and Israel is fallen at this point). Many have been saved before Paul, but he was the "first" to be saved in a new program of salvation by grace (without works). 

** Paul formed a prototype of those who would follow him in salvation by the "pattern" Christ set in him. Those following being the Church, the body of Christ, saved by grace alone.

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be followers of me even as I am of Christ.


As a father through the gospel

1 Corinthians 4:15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 

(See also: Philippians 3:17, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 1 Corinthians 14:37)

(Continue with Part 6 of this study here.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Q-A: When did the Grace Dispensation Begin?

-
Image
The dispensation of grace has less to do with it starting at a specific moment in time, and more to do with the proclamation of a new salvation message from God. It's not so much linked to the event of Pentecost in Acts 2 , or the conversion of Paul in Acts 9 , or him turning to the Gentiles in Acts 28 , and more to do with receiving a message of God's abundant grace without the need of works and endurance. I'm not declining any reasoning that the message of grace started being proclaimed somewhere in the transitional book of ACTS, but I also hold true the point that grace started in each person individually when they hear, and received the good news that God declares them justified through the absolute and completed cross work of His Son, Jesus Christ. So, for me, grace started with a change in gospel. Consider this, —before the message of grace went out, that is, before the news that God is not saving by a covenant of works, but rather through th...
Read more

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 1)

-
Image
Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 1 --- Introduction) In the previous study we discussed how Paul, during the first half of his ministry, — that is, his missionary ministry represented in ACTS , —preached two gospels. The general trend that Paul would follow is; He would preach the gospel of God to those Jews and Gentiles (friends of the Jews) who came together, typically, but not exclusively, in the Jewish synagogues. The gospel of God in summary was, believe in Jesus' resurrection and 2nd coming, repent, be water baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, obey the law, prove your faith with works, and endure to the end. Then, to those who believed Paul's preaching of the above gospel, he would introduce them to the 'mystery' gospel of Christ . that Jesus died for their sins and that they could trust in nothing else but the all-sufficient cross-work of Christ (death , burial, resurrection) for sal...
Read more

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 5)

-
Image
Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 5 --- A Future Salvation) We continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ by looking at key elements that distinguish them from each other. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts. Salvation was Future A simple fact that does not need much proof is that in the gospel of the Kingdom, and the gospel of God, the hope of salvation lay out in the future. This of course is very different to the gospel of Christ (or the Grace gospel), where salvation is not a hope out in the future based on one's works and the conditional requirement to endure to the end, but rather a factual and unconditional sealing of one's salvation by the Holy Spirit because of the cross work of Christ.
Read more