QUOTE]
Originally posted by EdSutton:
This was originally posted by ituttut:
quote:Originally posted by AresMan:
To me it depends upon what the "dispensation" is about. I believe in dispensation of certain laws to certain people at certain times, but I don't believe in dispensation of grace. Romans chapter 4 and Galatians chapter 3 make clear the dispensation of certain laws, but also makes clear that grace has always been the same for all peoples throughout all time.
quote:Originally posted by AresMan:
I don't think you have to swallow the whole dispensational pill. I think you can be dispensational with dispensationalism [Wink]
ituttut: Very good point AresMan, but law is tied to Grace, and without law Grace cannot save. It is by Grace that we are saved, and faith must be present in every dispensation with the Law. We can find many answers in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews. A change in the Priesthood, changes the Law. All before were drawn near to God, but could not be in Him, while the Priest was on the earth.
Uh- not quite so fast here! "The Law" was not around before Sinai, and I'm pretty sure Moses was already saved then, and I know Abraham, Noah, Enoch and Abel all were.
Paul specifically asks, "Why then, the law?"
Answer: "It was added because of transgressions, 'til the seed (Christ) should come."
In HIs grace,
Ed [/QUOTE]
Hello Ed. Are you one of those that say the gospel has always been the same? Will this not disprove that belief?
Are you saying God quickly made up Law to give to Moses? If so then all before Moses would be saved, not just those you mention. If this were so then the Bible cannot be trusted for it says only 8 souls were saved for Noah believed God, and they were brought over to this side of the deluge. Your quote of Paul only shows the dispensation when the “Law” became known. This was a mystery before it became known, but it had always applied. Now the nation of Israel will have no excuse, for they have been told.
I see you believe the gospel of Paul. This is the reason I spend so much time in His Epistles, for we find New information, and then find information that explains what may have been shown in other places, not correctly understood. In this way we are allowed to see and understand the Whole of the Bible. This is just one more reason that we should believe the gospel of Paul that Christ from heaven gave to him an understanding of dispensations, and to us today a dispensational gospel, I Corinthians 9:17; Ephesians 1:10 then 3:2; Colossians 1:25. These all look to be very straightforward scriptures, with meaning not easily misunderstood.
When we say the gospel has always been the same, we can only say that because we can (but most will not admit) see the beginning from the end. We know the “whole” story now, but act like we knew from the beginning, and God has told us nothing new. At some point shouldn’t we admit we had no idea what He was talking about, just as those that were with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry?
We believe without question that God told and gave to Moses the Law and incorporated that information into our thinking, and say Now we know when the Law began. It did begin for Israel in that dispensation, at that time and for man, but it existed and was applied from the beginning.
Why do we then reject that God told and gave to Paul the gospel to the Gentile and Jew and incorporate that information into our thinking and say Now we know when the Body of Christ began. It did begin for all on Damascus Road in this dispensation, and applies while we live, and salvation by the blood of Christ applies from the beginning.
Take the Law from God, and we have no God. We are left to judge ourselves. Paul gives illustration of how we are to approach our salvation. It is Spiritual. Romans 7:22-25 informs we delight in God’s law Spiritually (in our minds) but the fallen nature in us is the law of sin. These two are at war with each other. Verses 24 and 25 give us our Hope, and how we Today are saved.
Who is going to win this War? With
God’s help is it going to be
Me? Christ from heaven revealed to Paul
who is going to deliver us from these sinful bodies, and whoever this is that is going to deliver us from these bodies is not going to need any of our works, or our help.
What is His Name? Thank God that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord to save us from these sinful bodies. The Word of God is the Law of God by which we live, and He is before the beginning
Christian faith, ituttut