I hope you realize that I haven't promoted a standard "social gospel" like you might hear about on Fox News. I am pointing directly to the Old Testament prophets, Jesus, and the New Testament writers. In my previous response to you, I explicitly gave you scripture to demonstrate the kind of thing I mean by the social aspects of the gospel.
Your dispensationalism is failing you. The Kingdom of God is present today and is expanding. It has not yet reached its fullness, but it will at the end of the age. There is no difference between the gospel that Jesus preached (the Kingdom of God) and the gospel Paul preacher (the Kingdom of God). There is only ONE true gospel, and it comes from Jesus and is continued through the apostles, including Paul, the deacons, and all disciples. Just a glance at the Book of Acts demonstrates this:
- Philip preached the kingdom (Acts 8:12)
- Paul preached the kingdom (Acts 14:22; 19:8; Acts 20:25; Acts 28:23,31)
Yeah, Peter Ruckman didn't like a lot of people and he enjoyed name calling and making false accusations because of his untransformed character. His personal life was a shambles and he did not display the fruit of the Spirit in his life. He also did not "rightly divide the word of truth," so if you are using him as a guide, you are in deep trouble.
I'm shocked that you have such poor Bible reading skills. Did you notice verse 9?
9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Paul's instructions completely overturn the standard way of dealing with slaves. The master serves the needs of the slave, according to the way they want God to treat them.
The KJV translation (as well as many other translations) translates the Greek word γυναικὶ, which can be translated as either "wife" or, more generically "woman." It is unfortunate that the KJV translators selected "women" instead of "wives," which is obviously the proper translation, since we KNOW that women prophesied in the worship services (see 1 Corinthians 11:5), so Paul wouldn't contradict himself just three chapters later. But if you are a Ruckmanite, you believe that the version of the KJV (probably not the 1611 version) must have been translated correctly, so now you have a contradiction in your "perfect" Bible.
You took this passage out of context by leaving out the first verse in this passage:
Verse 21 sets the principle for the entire passage (Paul's revised version of the Greco-Roman household code), saying:
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
In the Greek, the verb to submit is NOT found in 5:22, but in 5:21. Verse 22 essentially says, "Wives to husbands" as the first example of what is means for persons to mutually submit to each other -- husbands to wives and wives to husbands.
You also omitted the rest of the teaching. Paul has much more to say to husbands than to wives. Husbands are to die to themselves for the good of their wives, and to love them as he loves his own life. He also must put his wife before his own father and mother:
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
You are correct. He was, if you read him carefully and not just cherry-pick verses to justify your own opinions.
I'm quite familiar with them. You don't seem to be familiar with them at all. Why don't you actually look up the passages I provided in my last post: Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-37; 1 John 3:16-18; James 2:14-17, 4:17-5:9. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about.
And that's your problem. You don't know your Bible, nor understand the gospel. You have been brainwashed by Ruckman and a weird dispensationalism that makes the words of Jesus irrelevant to your theology. Learn your Bible by reading it cover to cover - in context - without appealing to Ruckman or any other teacher. See what the Bible really says before you try to force it to fit your political and social opinions.
