Faithful Sayings of Paul

There are four passages, all in the pastoral epistles, in which the apostle Paul says something is a “faithful saying.” A saying is a statement or expression which people think is significant enough to bear repetition and emphasis. A faithful saying is one upon which we can fully trust; it has proven itself to be true and dependable. Therefore, it is a saying that should be affirmed constantly and is worthy of all acceptation. Sadly, the faithful sayings that Christ spoke through Paul are neglected by most preachers and they are not accepted by the majority of people. But that does not change the truth that they express (Rom. 3:3-4). 

Paul mentions three faithful sayings in his epistles to Timothy, and they correspond with the three major doctrines that Christ revealed through him and that are to be emphasized in this present age (see my post on the order of the church epistles): salvation in Christ (Romans), the Body of Christ (Ephesians), and the coming of Christ (Thessalonians).  

I. Salvation (1 Tim. 1:15)

The Bible plainly teaches that all are sinners (Rom. 3:23) and that Christ is the only Savior (1 Tim. 2:4-7). You cannot be saved until you know that you are a lost sinner that needs to be saved. The good news of the gospel is that Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day for our justification (1 Cor. 15:3-4). We are saved totally by the grace of God without any works required to prove our faith (Eph. 2:8-9). This is the message we must faithfully preach to the world and it is worthy for all to accept.     

In His earthly ministry, Christ was a minister of the circumcision confirming the promises made to their fathers (Rom. 15:8). He said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). He preached the gospel of the kingdom to Israel. It was God’s purpose and plan to use Israel as a kingdom of priests to reach the other nations, but He “came unto his own, and his own received him not” (Jn. 1:11). Christ prayed for His people on the cross (Lk. 23:34) and after His resurrection and ascension He sent the Holy Ghost with a renewed offer of the kingdom in early Acts. They rejected the Father throughout the OT, the Son in the Gospels, but it was when they rejected the witness of the Holy Ghost through the 12 apostles that they fell (Acts 7).

God could have poured out wrath, but instead He poured out grace. He saved the leader in the rebellion (Saul of Tarsus) against him and sent him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Christ revealed through Paul that He came to save all sinners, and they can come directly to God without Israel. Notice the last phrase of this faithful saying ("of whom I am chief"). Most take this to mean that Paul felt he was the worst sinner. Perhaps he indeed felt that way, but chief does not mean worst. Paul is saying that he was the first sinner to be saved in the manner that he was (vs.11-17). He could not be saved under that gospel of the kingdom because he blasphemed the Holy Ghost (Matt. 12:31-32). He was saved by believing the gospel that Christ revealed to him (Gal. 1:11-12). There is a difference between finding grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8), and grace finding you. 

II. Godliness (1 Tim. 4:8-9)

When you consider the context, you will understand how this faithful saying has to do with the Body of Christ (3:14-4:10). We are made godly by our union with Christ (3:16 is about the Body of Christ, that is why it is out of order, see my recent post about the mystery of godliness), not by the efforts of the flesh. To be in spiritual health we must have a balance between proper diet and exercise. Doctrine without duty is a tree without fruit, but duty without doctrine is a tree without roots. Living godly will bring persecution in this life (2 Tim. 3:12), but it will be worth it in the life to come.

III. Eternal Glory (2 Tim. 2:10-13)

All of the Body of Christ will be caught up in the rapture, but we will not all receive the same rewards at the Judgement Seat of Christ. We will all be glorified, but it is possible to obtain even more glory in our reign with Christ by faithful service. If you deny the truth in order to avoid suffering, Christ will deny you rewards in His heavenly kingdom. He will not deny us in salvation, because He cannot deny Himself and we are members of His Body. 

We see all three issues mentioned in the last passage in which Paul mentions a "faithful saying" (Titus 3:3-8). I believe that the faithful saying in the passage is what he says in vs.4-7, and it is the faithful preaching of this glorious truth that will motivate believers to live a life of good works. 

Believer or Beguiled

2 Corinthians 11:3 

[3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Genesis 3:1-6 

[1] Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

[2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 

[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Satan's strategy:

1. Start positive - "Yea"

2. Cast doubt on what God said - "hath God said..."

3. Add to what God said - "Ye shall NOT surely die" (Prov. 30:5-6)

4. Supplant God's truth with his lie - "Ye shall not surely die" (cf. Gen. 2:16-17)

5. Appeal to pride - "ye shall be as gods" (be your own authority) 

He works through false teachers to:

1. Question the inspiration of scripture

2. Deny it's sound doctrine

3. Substitute his false doctrine 

The woman set herself up for deception by tampering with the word of God:

1. She omitted "freely" in v.2

2. She added "neither shall ye touch it" in v.3

3. She changed "thou shalt surely die" to "lest ye die" in v.3

If you do not believe that you have the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17), you cannot stand against the "wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). 

2 Timothy 3:13-17 

[13] But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

[14] But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 

[15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

[17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Proverbs 30:5 

[5] Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Mid-Acts Dispensationalism in the 1800's

The opponents of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism often make the claim that what we believe and teach cannot be right because it is a recent development that started with men like C.R. Stam (1909-2003). We are not to determine what is sound doctrine on the basis of who taught it and when, but on the basis of the word of God. The truth found in verses like 2 Tim. 2:15 and Eph. 3:1-13 has been in the Bible ever since Paul wrote it by inspiration of God in the first century, and it is always true regardless of who believes it. 

I am sure there were believers down through church history that believed Christ gave Paul a distinct message and ministry as the apostle of the Gentiles, but we don't know anything about them because they didn't write any books. But some did write, and it is always a blessing find such material. 

I have always enjoyed reading after C.H. Mackintosh (1820-1896). He was a great writer that is still esteemed today by many fundamentalists. His books on the Pentateuch are classics that every Bible student should have. There are preachers that would call me a heretic, but they greatly respect Mackintosh. Well, consider this "heresy" that he wrote over 125 years ago. It can be found at the end of his book on the Life and Times of Elijah. 

"The doctrine of the Church's heavenly character was developed in all its power and beauty by the Holy Ghost in the apostle Paul. Up to his time, and even during the early stages of his ministry, the divine purpose was to deal with Israel. There had been all along a chain of witnesses, the object of whose mission was exclusively the house of Israel. 

The prophets, as has been already observed in the opening of this paper, bore witness to Israel, not only concerning their complete failure, but also the future establishment of the kingdom agreeably to the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. They spoke not of the Church as the body of Christ. How could they, when the thing was a profound mystery, "not revealed to the sons of men"? 

The thought of a Church composed of Jew and Gentile, "seated together in the heavenlies," lay far beyond the range of prophetic testimony. Isaiah, no doubt, speaks in very elevated strains of Jerusalem's glory in the latter day; he speaks of Gentiles coming to her light, and kings to the brightness of her rising; but he never rises higher than the kingdom, and as a consequence never brings out anything beyond the covenant made with Abraham, which secures everlasting blessedness to his seed, and through them to the Gentiles. We may range through the inspired pages of the law and the prophets, from one end to the other, and find nothing concerning "the great mystery" of the Church.

Then, again, in the ministry of John the Baptist we observe the same thing. We have the sum and substance of his testimony in these words: "Repent, for the kingdom is at hand." He came as the great precursor of the Messiah, and sought to produce moral order amongst all ranks. He told the people what they were to do in that transition state into which his ministry was designed to conduct them, and pointed to Him that was to come. Have we anything of the Church in all this? Not a syllable. The kingdom is still the very highest thought. John led his disciples to the waters of Jordan — the place of confession in view of the kingdom; but it was not yet that character of repentance produced in them who are made members of the body of Christ. 

The Lord Jesus Himself then took up the chain of testimony. The prophets had been stoned; John had been beheaded; and now "the Faithful Witness" entered the scene, and not only declared that the kingdom was at hand, but presented Himself to the daughter of Zion as her King. He too was rejected, and, like every previous witness, sealed His testimony with His blood. Israel would not have God's King, and God would not give Israel the kingdom.

Next came the twelve apostles, and took up the chain of testimony. Immediately after the resurrection they inquired of the Lord, "Wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Their minds were filled with the thought of the kingdom. "We trusted," said the two disciples going to Emmaus, "that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel." And so it was. The question was, when? The Lord does not rebuke the disciples for entertaining the thought of the kingdom; He simply tells them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:7-8)

Agreeably to this, the Apostle Peter, in his address to Israel, offers them the kingdom. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and the times of refreshing shall come from the presence (apo prosopon) of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

Have we here the development of the Church? No. The time had not yet arrived for this. The revelation of the Church was yet to be, as it were, forced out as something quite extraordinary — something quite out of the regular course of things. The Church as seen in the opening of the Acts exhibits but a sample of lovely grace and order, exquisite indeed in its way, but not anything beyond what man could take cognisance of and value. In a word, it was still the kingdom, and not the great mystery of the Church. Those who think that the opening chapters of Acts present the Church in its essential aspect have by no means reached the divine thought on the subject.

Peter's vision in Acts 10 is decidedly a step in advance of his preaching in Acts 3. Still, however, the grand truth of the heavenly mystery was not yet unfolded. In the council held at Jerusalem for the purpose of considering the question that had arisen in reference to the Gentiles, we find the apostles all agreeing with James in the following conclusion: "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up; that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things." (Acts 15:14-17) Here we are taught that the Gentiles, as such, are to have a place with the Jews in the kingdom. 

But did the council at Jerusalem apprehend the truth of the Church, of Jews and Gentiles so truly formed in "one body" that they are no more Jew nor Gentile? I believe not. A few members might have heard it from Paul (see Gal. 2:12), but as a whole they do not seem to have understood it as yet.

We infer, therefore, that the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles by the mouth of Peter was not the development of the great mystery of the Church, but simply the opening of the kingdom, agreeable to the words of the prophets, and also to Peter's commission in Matt. 16: "And I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Mark, it is "the kingdom," and not the Church. Peter received the keys of the kingdom, and he used those keys, first to open the kingdom to the Jew, and then to the Gentile. But Peter never received a commission to unfold the mystery of the Church. Even in his Epistles we find nothing of it. He views believers on earth; as strangers, no doubt, but yet on earth; having their hope in Heaven and being on their way thither, but never as the body of Christ seated there in Him.

It was reserved for the great apostle of the Gentiles to bring out, in the energy and power of the Holy Ghost, the mystery of which we speak. He was raised up, however, as he himself tells us, before the time. "Last of all, He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." Things were not sufficiently matured for the development of the new revelation of which he was made the peculiar minister, and hence he styles himself one born before the time; for such is the real force of the original word. And how was he before the time? Because Israel had not as yet been finally set aside. The Lord was still lingering over His beloved city, unwilling to enter into judgement; for, as another has said, "Whenever the Lord leaves a place of mercy, or enters a place of judgement, He moves with a slow and measured pace."

Are the Twelve Apostles in the Body of Christ?

A common question people have after coming to understand that Christ gave Paul a distinct message and ministry concerns the relation of the twelve apostles to the Body of Christ. Did they, and the kingdom saints that they represented, become members of the Body of Christ? While it is evident that some of the kingdom saints did become members of the Body of Christ (like Barnabas, Luke, Silas, and Mark), I do not believe that the twelve apostles did. Neither do I believe that the majority of the kingdom saints became members of the the Body of Christ.

This is not an issue that I would break fellowship over, but it is an important issue because it has doctrinal ramifications. For example, if the twelve did become members of the Body of Christ, then at least some of the Hebrew epistles were written to us. That would be a major problem due to the fact that there are some major doctrinal differences between Paul’s epistles and the Hebrew epistles. 

 

Did the twelve apostles become members of the Body of Christ?
 

I. The Bible does not say that they did
The Bible does say that the twelve apostles and the little flock of believing Israel were in Christ and that they were a church. Many think that this proves they were in the Body of Christ. Although the terms “in Christ” and “church” are mainly used in reference to the Body of Christ, they are not exclusive to the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:10; Acts 7:38; Heb. 2:12). In the kingdom age, Israel will be “in Christ” and they will be a church (called out of nations, assembled in their land). The distinctive thing about the Body of Christ is that in it there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal. 3:27-28; Col. 3:11); it is one new spiritual man (Eph. 2:15). The Body of Christ was a mystery hid in God until it was first revealed through the apostle Paul (Eph. 3:1-13). We are God’s heavenly people; we have a heavenly position and destiny. Israel is the subject of prophecy. They are God’s earthly people; they have an earthly position and destiny. It is not rightly dividing the word of truth to mix these two groups together. Yes, they are both redeemed by the blood of Christ and in the family of God, but there are still major distinctions between them.

 

 II. There are verses in the Bible that indicate they did not 
We cannot prove a doctrine from silence. Even though the Bible does not say the twelve were in the Body of Christ, it is still possible that they were, unless there are verses that indicate that they were not. There is not a verse that says, “the twelve apostles are not in the Body of Christ,” but there are verses that indicate they were not in the Body of Christ by virtue of the fact that what it says about them cannot be said of the Body of Christ. Let me give you some examples:
1) Matt. 19:28 – They will judge the twelve tribes in the kingdom age
2) Gal. 2:1-9 – This passage clearly shows the distinction between Paul and the Jewish apostles

3) Gal. 6:15-16 – There were two groups in the transition period (Israel of God and new creature)
4) Rev. 21:12-14 – They will be identified with Israel forever 

 III. The doctrine in the Hebrew epistles proves they did not

This issue settles it for me. The Hebrew epistles do not even mention the three major doctrines revealed in the Church epistles for this present age of grace. In fact, they teach something different instead:

1) Justification – by the faith of Christ vs. a man’s faith proven by works
2) Body of Christ – one new man vs. Hebrews, twelve tribes, etc…
3) Hope – rapture to heaven vs. second coming to earth

I believe that all of the Hebrew epistles were written during the Acts period, some probably before Paul was even saved. If the twelve became members of the Body of Christ, it would certainly be reflected in the doctrine of the later Hebrew epistles, like 2 Peter.

The apostle Peter wrote his second epistle to the same group as his first epistle (2 Pet. 3:1). Both of Peter’s epistles were written to the scattered Jewish believers to remind them of the words of the prophets and the  Jewish apostles concerning the last days and the coming of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:1-4). In his first epistle, he speaks of the coming of the Lord as being “at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7). In his second epistle, he knows that it has been postponed due to the longsuffering of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:9). The difference is in that between the writing of his two epistles, he came to know some things about Paul’s ministry (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Peter acknowledged that Paul’s ministry was of the Lord, but there were things about it that were too hard for him to understand. False teachers in the tribulation will be misusing Paul’s epistles just like false teachers misuse the Hebrew epistles today. They will probably say things like, “Go ahead and take the mark of the beast, nothing can separate you from the love of God” (Jude 21). Just because Peter knew of Paul’s ministry does not mean that he changed his. He continued as an apostle to the circumcision and wrote his last epistle to confirm that their prophetic kingdom program will be fulfilled (2 Pet. 1:10-21; 3:8-14).

The kingdom church stopped expanding and eventually died out. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, not long after the transition period ended, definitely brought closure to the kingdom program of Israel. Some of the kingdom saints heard Paul’s message and were given the opportunity to change programs, but I believe the majority continued in the kingdom doctrine and hope. I realize that the nature of a transition period presents some complex issues that we may not ever fully understand, but we do know that there is a difference between the kingdom church and the church which is the Body of Christ and to mix them is not rightly dividing the word of truth.

Answering Straw Man Arguments

A straw man is a common form of argument and is an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while refuting an argument that was not advanced by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man". The typical straw man argument creates the illusion of having completely refuted or defeated an opponent's proposition through the covert replacement of it with a different proposition (i.e., "stand up a straw man") and the subsequent refutation of that false argument ("knock down a straw man") instead of the opponent's proposition. (Wikipedia)

Here are the most common straw man arguments that I have heard against Mid-Acts Dispensationalism:

1) Paul said he persecuted the “church of God” before he was saved (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13)
What is a church? It is simply a called out assembly. We don't read the word "church" in the OT because it is translated from Greek and not Hebrew. However, we know there was a church in the OT because that is what Stephen said Israel was when they were called out of Egypt and assembled in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). David prophesied of the kingdom church in Ps. 22:22-31. When the writer of Hebrews quotes Ps. 22:22 he says "church" instead of "congregation" (Heb. 2:12). The church in Jerusalem was certainly the church of God, but it was a prophesied church looking for the Messianic kingdom (Acts 1:6; 2:30) and not a mystery hid in God. The Body of Christ is a church, but not every church in the Bible is the Body of Christ. Any church made up of God’s people is a church of God. Preachers say, “There is only one church of God!” Paul wrote to “the church of God which at Corinth” and referred to “the churches of God” three times. In the OT we find references to “the congregation of God” and the “congregation of the Lord.” By the way, Paul said that he “wasted” the church of God. He could do that to a local church, but not the Body of Christ. Another proof text that supposedly refutes our position is found in Acts 9:4-5. Christ told Saul that by persecuting His disciples he was also persecuting Him. That does not prove the kingdom saints were in the Body of Christ because Christ will say something similar to the Gentile nations when he judges them upon His return to earth. How they treat the Jews in the tribulation period will determine whether or not they enter the kingdom (Matt. 25:31-46).

2) Paul referred to those who were in Christ before him (Rom. 16:7)
What makes the Body of Christ distinct is not that we are "in Christ," but that we are "one new man" (Eph. 2:15) in which there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal. 3:27-28). Every believer that is redeemed by the blood of Christ is "in Christ," and so ALL believers on this side of the cross are "in Christ". A person can only be "in Adam" or "in Christ" (1 Cor. 15:22). When Israel is saved under the new covenant they will be "in the LORD," but they will still be a distinct nation with authority over the Gentiles (Isa. 45:17; 45:24-25). The tribulation saints that are martyred will “die in the Lord” (Rev. 14:13). In the eternal state, the nation of Israel, the saved Gentile nations, and the Body of Christ will be one family of God and will all be "in Christ,” but these groups will remain distinct throughout eternity (Eph. 1:10).

3) Paul said that he preached the faith he once destroyed (Gal. 1:21-23)
In the context he is defending his distinct apostleship and he makes it clear he was not one of the 12 apostles. He had denied that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God and persecuted all who believed. Upon his conversion he began to preach the very faith that he had sought to destroy. But is that all he preached? He received the gospel by revelation of Christ and communicated it to the apostles in Jerusalem (1:11-12; 2:1-2). He testified that he received "an abundance of revelations" (2 Cor. 12:7). People also try to use 1 Cor. 15:11, but it is obvious that the 12 and Paul both preached that Christ was risen from the dead. Peter preached that He was risen to sit on the throne of David (Acts 2:30), but Paul preached that He was risen to be the Head of one Body (Eph. 1:20-23).

4) Paul taught that the Body of Christ was formed by the cross (Eph. 2:16)
Notice he said “by the cross” and not “at the cross.” The cross is the basis upon which God is building the Body of Christ, but it did not mark the historical beginning of it. Not everything Christ accomplished by His cross took effect at the time of His cross (e.g. destruction of Satan). We get in the Body of Christ “by one Spirit” (v.18) and “by the gospel” (3:6). Since believing the gospel of the grace of God is how we get into the Body of Christ, how could the Body begin before that gospel was revealed?

5) Paul said the apostles and prophets laid the foundation (Eph. 2:20)
He is certainly not talking about the OT prophets and the 12 apostles. Christ gave prophets and apostles from heaven (Eph. 4:11-12). Paul laid the foundation for this age by preaching Christ "according to the revelation of the mystery" (1 Cor. 3:10; Rom. 16:25). People also try to use 1 Cor. 12:28 to prove that the 12 apostles were the first members of the Body of Christ. First of all, that verse is not even referring to the 12 apostles. Also, it is not dealing with when the Body of Christ began. It is a list of spiritual gifts that were in operation during the Acts period. Were miracles the fourth group of people to get into the Body of Christ?

6) The law came by Moses, but grace by Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:17)
This verse can’t mean that the dispensation of grace began with the earthly ministry of Christ, because that would contradict what Christ Himself said about His ministry (Matt. 5:17-20). This verse is not making a statement about when the dispensation of grace began. If John was saying that the dispensation of grace came by the earthly ministry of Christ, then he would also be saying that there was also a dispensation of truth that came by Christ. There was grace and truth before the incarnation, but when Christ came He manifested grace and truth more fully (vs.14-18). The reason for the contrast between Moses and Christ is to show the difference between the old and the new covenants. Besides, the Bible plainly says that Paul was given the dispensation of the grace of God for the Gentiles (Eph. 3:2).

7) Peter preached to Gentiles and Paul preached to Jews (Acts 15:7; Rom. 1:16)
What kind of Gentiles did Peter preach to? Cornelius was a God-fearing Gentile that was a blessing to the Jews. Peter did not preach the gospel of the grace of God to the household of Cornelius (compare Acts 10:35 with Titus 3:5). Those Gentiles were baptized with the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:44-48), but not baptized into the Body of Christ. Paul went to Jews first during the transition period as God used his ministry to get a remnant out before the nation was officially set aside in blindness (see Rom. 11). Peter preached to some Gentiles and Paul preached to some Jews, but Peter was sent to be an apostle to the circumcision and Paul was sent to be the apostle of the Gentiles (Gal. 2:9).

8) The Holy Ghost was first poured out on Pentecost
He was poured out according to prophecy (Isa. 32:15; Joel 2:28), not the mystery! The Acts 2 dispensationalists make the blunder of thinking that the baptism with the Holy Ghost is the same as the baptism by the Spirit, and they call it “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” If words have any meaning, they can't be the same!
A. Christ the Baptizer vs. Spirit the Baptizer
B. For Power vs. For Salvation
C. Manifestations vs. No Manifestations
D. Prophecy vs. Mystery

9) Peter preached the cross in the early chapters of Acts
How did he preach it? He preached it as bad news, not good news! He preached it as a murder indictment on Israel, and called on the nation to repent of that awful deed so that Christ would come back and set up His kingdom. Paul was the first to preach the cross as good news and proclaim that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1-4). 

Clearing up Misconceptions

I believe and teach that this present dispensation began with the ministry of the apostle Paul (Eph. 3:1-13). The following are the most common misconceptions people have about those who hold to this view.

1) We make too much of Paul 

We do not exalt Paul as a man or make more out of him than the scripture does (he rebuked the carnal Corinthians for that). We certainly don't put Christ and Paul on the same level. We know that Paul was the “chief of sinners” saved by grace, while Jesus Christ is the holy Son of God and the Savior of sinners. We know that Paul was nothing in himself while Christ is everything. But it was to Paul that the glorified Lord committed the revelation of His message and program for this present dispensation, not the twelve apostles (Matt. 19:28; Gal. 2:9). It is not the person (“less than the least of all saints”), but the position of Paul that we magnify (Rom. 11:15). We follow Christ in this age by following the pattern and spokesman that He sent to us (1 Cor. 4:16-17; 11:1). Paul wrote the words of Christ. By inspiration of God he told us to follow him and he emphasized the importance of his distinct message and ministry. Why doesn’t anyone have a problem with the fact that Israel was to follow Moses? 

2) We only study Paul’s epistles and can’t get a blessing from the rest of the Bible

We certainly emphasize Paul’s epistles because we know that they were written directly to us in this present age of grace, but we believe, read, and study the whole Bible (2 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). There are moral principles and spiritual applications for us throughout the scripture. I get more of a blessing from the OT than before I learned how to rightly divide because now I understand it better. 

3) We believe that we have liberty to walk after the flesh 

The apostle Paul taught that we are dead to the law, delivered from the law, and not under the law. But he also taught that we are to walk in the Spirit and live godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-15; Rom. 6:1-2, 14-15; Eph. 2:8-10). We have liberty FROM sin, not TO sin! There are commandments under grace (1 Thess. 4:1-2). Paul taught 9 of 10 commandments (Rom. 13:8-14, we are not under the sabbath). 

4) We are not evangelistic or missions-minded 

Paul was the greatest evangelist the world has ever known! People think this because of our teaching on the “Great Commission” (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-18, etc...). But nobody really follows the kingdom commission today (begin in Jerusalem, work the signs of the kingdom, etc...). Paul talked about going to “all the world,” “all nations,” and “every creature.” We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21). 

5) We do not recognize the importance of the local church 

We emphasize the importance of the one spiritual church which is the Body of Christ (salvation), but we certainly recognize the importance of the local church for the work of the ministry (service). Paul started local churches and wrote to churches. He gives us the proper order of the local church (1 Cor. 7:17, “And so ordain I in all churches”). 

6) We don’t believe in baptism 

Actually, we believe baptism is very important. Every believer in this present age is baptized by the Holy Spirit the moment of salvation (1 Cor. 12:13). There are many baptisms in the scripture, but only one that makes us members of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:5). On the issue of water baptism, we follow Paul. He never required or commanded water baptism, so we don’t either. 

7) We believe people are saved by works in other dispensations 

Works, in and of themselves, cannot save a sinner in any dispensation! However, the Bible clearly teaches that in other dispensations salvation is by faith that works (Heb. 11; Jam 2): works being an  an expression of faith (Acts 2:38). Faith is believing what God said, and in other dispensations God has told man to do certain works (Matt. 24:13). In this present age, we are saved by faith plus NOTHING. To try and do works for salvation today proves that you haven't truly believed the gospel of the grace of God!

The Mystery of Godliness

1 Timothy 3:16

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The epistles to Timothy and Titus are commonly referred to as the Pastoral Epistles because they were written to pastors in regard to the work of the ministry. The emphasis in 1 Timothy and Titus is on the proper order, doctrine, and practice of the church, but in 2 Timothy it is on the apostasy of the professing church. Someone said that in 1 Timothy we see the church in rule, but in 2 Timothy we see it in ruin. 

In 1 Tim. 3 we learn that there are only two offices in the local church (v.1, 10). The qualifications for both offices make it clear that only elders (spiritually mature men) are qualified to serve as bishops (overseer) and deacons (servants, assistants to the bishops). A man that is not grounded in sound doctrine for this present age of grace is not fit to serve as deacon (v.9). He must know the mystery of the faith and he must hold to it with a pure conscience. "The faith" refers to the body of doctrine that Christ revealed through Paul's epistles for the edification of the Body of Christ. 

Most teachers say that the mystery mentioned in v.16 is the incarnation, but he did not say, "great is the mystery of God being manifest in the flesh" (that was prophesied, Isa. 7:14; 9:6). It is the mystery of GODLINESS. Sinners like us could not be godly without Christ being baptized into our humanity and us being baptized into His Body, thereby being made one with Him. Our spiritual union with Christ is the mystery of godliness. 

The context is godliness. The qualifications for the offices of bishop and deacon provide a good description of godliness. In v.15 he talked about how we are to behave ourselves in the church. That the first word in v.16 is "And" shows that v.16 is an expansion of the thought in v.15. In chapter 4 he shows that we are not made godly by the efforts of the flesh and continues to teach about godliness. Those who teach that we can be made godly by things like abstaining from meats have departed from "the faith" which was stated in 3:16. 

If v.16 was only a statement about Christ, why would he list things out of order?  Christ was not preached unto the Gentiles and believed on in the world before He was received up into glory. Since Christ and His church are one (Eph. 5:22-33), what is said in v.16 applies to both Christ and His spiritual Body. By the way, the modern versions change “God” to “He" and thereby totally mess up a great verse. 

How v.16 applies to Christ:

1. God was manifest in the flesh – Jn. 1:1-3, 14
2. Justified in the Spirit – Lk. 7:29
3. Seen of angels – Matt. 4:11
4. Preached unto the Gentiles – Acts 13:46-47
5. Believed on in the world – Col. 1:6
6. Received up into glory – Mk. 16:19

How v.16 applies to the Church:
1. God was manifest in the flesh - 2 Cor. 4:10-11; Gal. 2:20
2. Justified in the Spirit - 1 Cor. 6:11
3. Seen of angels - Eph. 3:10
4. Preached unto the Gentiles - Rom. 16:25-27
5. Believed on in the world - Rom. 16:26
6. Received up into glory - Col. 3:1-4

Verse 16 presents a series of contrasts:
Flesh vs. Spirit
Angels vs. Gentiles
World vs. Glory