The BIG Picture (Study)

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 4 --- Righteous Works) 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. Righteous works Because the gospel of God was based on works , you will naturally see this works requirement manifest in the lives and actions of those who committed to, and were saved, under this gospel in the Acts period. For a Jew who believed in the gospel of God, that Jesus was risen and was the Christ , their works program did not change at all. They simply continued their routines based on the requirements of the Kingdom gospel, so there is not much we can learn from their accounts. However, by looking at examples from the saved Gentiles in this time, and what they did, we can glean an understanding that the gospel of God...

Christian Living in Lockdown See video of this article here . The Big Picture (TBP) is all about understanding God's 'segmented' PLAN of redemption. It's about understanding how God has revealed Himself in the different stages of this PLAN, and what He expects of the people living in these stages of His PLAN. It is therefore important for us to know where we are positioned in this PLAN in order to determine how God is working today, and what He is expecting of us today! With this in mind, let's investigate the concept of "Christian Living in Lockdown" in relation to our position in the redemption PLAN. Let's start with the following verse, Act 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a YOKE UPON THE NECK of the [Gentile] disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? This verse in Acts 15 is at the pinnacle of the transition (from Law to Grace, from Israel t...

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...

Faith and Works during the Law Program We know as fact, and because of detailed evidence in Paul's writings, that the grace gospel has no works connected to salvation because Jesus has done the 'works' part on our behalf and all that is required of us to be saved is to believe the completed work of Christ. However, under the Law program, there was no such definitive salvation statements and the pattern during the period of law was that one would believe in the Redeemer/Messiah to come, but until then there were also works of obedience . God still required men to do His commands even though they believed in a coming Redeemer/Messiah. Rom.2:12 For as many as have sinned without law [Gentiles] shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law [Jews] shall be judged by the law; 13 ( For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified . ... Gentiles were never given the law and will never be judged by the la...