Straw Man Arguments (part 2)

The most common straw man argument that is made against right division usually goes something like this, "Well, I believe that we need the whole Bible and not just Paul's epistles."

 

I have never read or heard ANY "hyperdispensationalist" even imply that believers should only read and study Paul's epistles! We who follow Paul (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1) as the divinely appointed pattern and spokesman for this present age are well aware of what he said about this matter:

 

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Rom. 15:4)

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1 Cor. 10:11)

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Tim. 3:16)

 

Every word of God is pure (Prov. 30:5) and we would not diminish the importance of a single word of scripture! It is our spiritual nourishment and we are to feed on every word it (Matt. 4:4). There are spiritual applications that we can draw from every book. I have read through the entire Bible more times that I can remember. I have read it all the way through in as little as 90 days (and I am a slow reader). I try to read from the Old Testament every evening. I have preached expository messages from MANY passages outside of Paul's epistles. I have taught verse by verse through a number of books NOT written by Paul. Just recently I preached verse by verse through one of my favorite psalms (Ps. 19).

 

But, while all the Bible is for us, it was not all written about us or directly to us. Before Paul said that "All scripture... is profitable", he said (in the same epistle) that we must rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). When we fail to follow this divine key to Bible study the word of God can become unprofitable. When that is the case the problem is not with the Bible but with how people misuse it. Most of the false doctrine that abounds today is a result of not following 2 Tim. 2:15.

 

Rightly dividing the word of truth is not distinguishing truth from error (which we also need to do). All the Bible is the word of truth. To rightly divide the word of truth is to recognize and consistently maintain the divisions that God put in His word. What therefore God hath put asunder, let not man join together! For example, the word of truth that Peter preached to the men of Israel as recorded in Acts 2:36-38 is not the word of truth by which sinners are saved in this age of grace (Eph. 1:13). God makes a clear division in His word between the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the grace of God. I have heard preachers claim that Peter preached the same gospel as Paul in Acts 2 because he mentioned the death and resurrection of Christ. Yes, Peter preached the cross in Acts 2 but he preached it as a murder indictment (v.23, 36)! He certainly did not glory in the cross and announce the good news that Christ died for our sins. Yes, Peter preached the resurrection of Christ in Acts 2 but he declared that He was raised to sit on the throne of His father David (v.30), not that he was raised to be the Head of one new spiritual man wherein there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Eph. 1:20-23).

 

We are well aware of the truth that the Lord does not change (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8). He is perfect and therefore does not change in His person, moral principles, and promises. However, He certainly changes in His dealings with man (compare Ps. 51:11 with Eph. 4:30)! There is horizontal truth that runs like a straight line through the whole Bible. For example, from the beginning it has been sin to commit murder. There is also vertical truth that has been revealed progressively resulting in changes. For example, we are living in the only dispensation in which we are free to eat whatever we want (1 Tim. 4:4-5). Thank God for that! Christ gave the apostle Paul an "abundance of revelations" (2 Cor. 12:7) for the Body of Christ in this present age. There are some major differences between how God deals with us under Grace and how He dealt with Israel under the Law.

 

Rightly dividing the Bible is not "chopping up the Bible" or "doing away" with any part of it. Actually, it helps us to understand the Bible and thereby causes us to get a greater blessing out of it than ever before! Most treat the Bible as a devotional book but it was given primarily for DOCTRINE (2 Tim. 3:16). There is certainly nothing wrong with making devotional applications. However it is wrong to make a secondary devotional application to be the primary doctrinal interpretation of a passage. We should study the whole Bible but when we come across something that does not line up with the specific doctrines that Christ revealed through Paul for us in this age, we must consider what Paul says first (2 Tim. 2:7) and then follow him (Phil. 4:9).