Romans 15:7 (without comments) Part 4

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 4:

receive. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Acts 9:26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
Acts 9:27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
Acts 9:28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

Acts 9:43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

Acts 11:22 Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
Acts 11:24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
Acts 11:25 Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

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Harold Camping–Wrong Again

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Jerry

Mr. Harold Camping issued a corrective prediction back in May after his prediction of “the end of the world” did not materialize. He said the corrected date was October 21, 2011.

I said then that Mr. Camping must be wrong, for what he predicted is contrary to what the Bible teaches.

The Bible teaches that “the earth abideth forever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4). There are many other passages of Scripture which directly affirm this truth.

Therefore, to suggest “the end of the world” is incorrect, in terms of what the Bible teaches.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is returning to this earth sometime in the future to set up his eternal Kingdom here on this earth. That Kingdom will never end (Luke 1:32, 33). Many mistakenly teach that Christ reigns only for 1000 years. The Bible does not teach this at all. The earthly kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ will last forever, and will never end. Many, if not most teachers of Bible prophecy have misunderstood what the Bible teaches on this point.

In several articles I read on line yesterday, Harold Camping is reported to have said the May 21 date was not mistaken, but he was mistaken in understanding literally what was meant to be understood spiritually. Mr. Camping is reported to claim that no one has been, and no one can be saved after May 21, 2011. Of course, this is flagrant error.

It is the same error made by followers of William Miller in the early nineteenth century when the 1844 date for Christ’s return did not materialize. To this day, Seventh-day Adventists still retain this date in prophetic chronology, but have spiritualized it, and made it refer to something that allegedly happened in heaven, not earth.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have employed the same tactic with the date they set, 1914. Other dates were set before and after that, including 1874, 1925, and 1975, for events which never came to pass.

Such date setters are false prophets, false cults, as the case individually may be, and surely should never be trusted as sound sources of Bible teaching.

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Calvinism–Doctrines of Grace or Doctrines of Demons?

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Jerry

I received a most interesting question about Bible study tools that I thought should be brought to the attention of everyone.

Here is the question:

Hello, Jerry. The main question I have had on the NET Bible is, does it work well with the crgb (Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible)? I think I am making a wise investment in it, don’t you? thank you

The simple answer would be “Yes.” And “Yes.”

But I went into far more detail. I trust in this instance at least, it is not true that “The Devil is in the details”!

Before I share my answer (a bit expanded here), I must say that the NET Bible is allowed on Robinson Crusoe’s Desert Island since it is an unbiased Bible study resource, not intentionally slanted to favor any particular denomination.

For new readers, let me explain that I use the metaphor of Robinson Crusoe’s Island to reflect the important truth that to learn what the Bible teaches, you must read the Bible for yourself apart from denominational influences. Or cult literature influences. Or Calvinistic influences. On Robinson Crusoe’s Desert Island one can read in isolation at length from a plain text Bible to learn what the Bible really has to say.

I also speak of the “Robinson Crusoe Desert Island Test,” and by this test I mean could a reader of a plain text Bible arrive at the system of doctrine someone else is advocating? If not, the doctrine is suspect, and may not actually be the teaching of the Bible (though upon deeper Bible study it might be found to be true).

As an aside, I find it strikingly interesting that Google searches for a test on the novel by Daniel Defoe, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe are reflected in many visits to this site. Now if someone really needs an actual comprehension test on that novel, as a retired English teacher I may just have such a test in my files. If not, I surely know how to produce one, though just now my time is occupied in expanding the cross references available for Real Bible Study, and as of today, I am only as far as Ezekiel chapter 36.

Now to what I wrote to answer the writer’s question:

In my limited experience using the CRGB [Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible] with the NET Bible, I have found the Cross Reference Guide works even better with the NET Bible than it does with the KJV [King James Version, to which the Cross Reference Guide is actually keyed]. If you can afford the investment, get both editions of the NET Bible, the one with 60,000+ notes and the larger print “reader’s edition” with far fewer notes. I bought both and am glad I did. I would not want to be without the edition with the full notes, for they are very helpful. They do not contain any devotional fluff, far as I’ve noticed.

Dr. Malcolm Lavender’s forthcoming (2012) translation of the New Testament will be of great help for more accurate Bible study and understanding for it more accurately represents distinctions in Greek grammar and syntax not conveyed in our present English translations, and is not hampered by prior commitment to the false system of doctrine called “Calvinism.” The translators of the NET Bible, especially the leading Greek scholar [Dr. Daniel Wallace, if I recall correctly] who headed the project, appear totally committed to the Calvinist position.

Remember that I have told you I was raised in a semi-Calvinist background at Highland Park Baptist Church in Detroit. I once might have thought myself to be a four-point Calvinist (having never accepted the doctrine of limited atonement), though when I was a new Christian I did not dwell on such things at all. The Sunday School superintendent of the Junior Department where I first taught Sunday School there once asked me what I believed about such matters, and I innocently told him I had never come across such things in my reading of the Bible so I did not know anything about them.

Now I know better. ALL five points of Calvinism are utter and full-blown HERESY, and are NOT the teaching of the Bible at all.

Because the doctrines of Calvinism are heresy, I have called them “doctrines of demons.” Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:1 that in later times men would depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Is there anything in the immediate context which justifies applying this stricture to Calvinism? I believe there is. Paul states in 1 Timothy 4:10 that “we trust in the living God, who is the savior of all men, especially of those that believe.” Such a statement is incompatible with the doctrine of limited atonement, and conflicts with other aspects of Calvinism. Calvinism is a heresy. We in the Christian faith do not hesitate to condemn Arians and their modern counterparts as teaching heresy when they deny the full deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such false doctrine is the mark of a false cult. Until now most of us have hesitated to declare Calvinism to be what it is: a system of mistaken doctrines that are contrary to Scripture rightly interpreted and understood. I furnish the Biblical evidence for this charge of heresy in my exposition below. All false doctrines can ultimately be traced, when systematically spread by man-made religious systems, to Satan, and are called by Paul “doctrines of demons.”

(1) Total Depravity, more honestly called Total Inability, is a very mistaken false doctrine. The middle voice and the imperative mood of Greek grammar will not allow for such nonsense. God holds each of us accountable to obey his commands. By using the imperative mode God addresses our intellect and our will. God is not commanding something that it is impossible for us to do, neither is His command something to which we cannot respond. God’s command to us today is to repent and believe the Gospel. God’s command to us is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23). It is up to us to do the believing; God does not do that for us. That is something we must do in order to be saved, and it involves an act of our free will. There is no such thing in the Bible as total bondage of the will. We have a choice to make, and if we don’t make a choice, we have chosen not to believe (John 3:18).

Total Depravity seems on the surface to be a Biblical doctrine, for surely “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But Calvinists go further than this: they claim man is so fallen that he cannot respond to the Gospel and choose to believe on our Lord Jesus Christ when presented with or upon reading the truth in the New Testament.

1Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

(2) Unconditional Election. No such thing is taught in the Bible. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). This doctrine of Calvinism is one of the doctrines of demons Paul writes about (1 Timothy 4:1). There is no such thing as a general call and an effectual call of the Holy Spirit. Such a distinction is an invention of theologians, necessitated by their mistaken theology. Such a belief comes close to or actually is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God, for it makes Him deceitful, because it teaches the Holy Spirit calls everyone generally, but that no one can respond to this call. The effectual call of the Holy Spirit is made only to the Elect, and only they can and unfailingly will respond to that call. The general call cannot be responded to (which makes the Holy Spirit a liar for issuing a call He must know cannot be responded to), even if an individual wants to respond to it, because they are not among the select few who are the preordained elect. They are destined to hell forever and can do nothing to change that destiny. Such is not the teaching of the Bible, which declares that “whosoever will may come” (Revelation 22:17), and that “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) which includes everyone. No Calvinist can honestly accept the teaching of John 3:16, for they must go elsewhere in Scripture outside that text and its immediate context to re-interpret “world” to mean “the world of the elect.” No Calvinist has ever exegeted John 3:16 according to all the grammatical features present in the Greek text of that verse! No Calvinist has ever produced a verse or verses from Scripture to prove the Holy Spirit issues a general call to which no one can actually respond: this is an invention of Calvinism, not the teaching of the Bible.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

“Doctrines of devils” is better translated “doctrines of demons,” as in the ASV (American Standard Version), for there is actually only one Devil, but he has many demons.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Under this head (unconditional election) Calvinists include their false doctrine of Predestination. They teach that there are an elect few who are predestined to be saved, chosen by God before the foundation of the world on the basis of absolutely nothing that they may or may not do, while all others are predestined to eternity in hell, regardless of what they may or may not do to secure a better destiny by believing the message of the Bible.

But in Scripture predestination is never used with reference to our eternal destiny of heaven or hell, but is used to declare that God has predestined us who believe on Christ to become like Christ in our character (Romans 8:29), to whose character the Holy Spirit works in our lives to conform us to (Galatians 5:16, 18, 22, 23): we are predestined to become like Christ, to be made in his image, to be transformed by regenerative change to his likeness (Titus 3:5. 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Rom_8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Note most carefully that the fruit of the Spirit is not said to be the result of keeping the Law of God, or keeping the Ten Commandments or even the Seventh-day Sabbath (the only Sabbath known to Scripture), but it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit producing these qualities of Christian character as the Holy Spirit directs and leads our lives as we trust in Christ and feed ourselves spiritually from the written Word of God by means engaging in the Real Bible Study emphasized here (Romans 8:9-16. 2 Peter 3:18).

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Again the doctrine of Calvinism is NOT the doctrine of Scripture, but the doctrine of demons. Calvinistic doctrine denies the very purpose of the death of Christ and the power of the blood of Christ to remove sin in this life. Consequently, Calvinists deny the doctrine of holiness, and teach Christians will not be made holy until after they die and get to heaven. But in the Greek text of the New Testament, although there is a form of the Greek verb “to make holy” available which conveys or marks the future tense, the verb “to make holy” or “to be holy” NEVER appears in the future tense in the New Testament. That means if we are ever to be holy, we must be and become holy in this life. That this is a most important salvation issue is directly stated in the New Testament at Hebrews 12:14,

Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

(3) Limited Atonement is contrary to the repeated and explicit statements in the Bible, “and that He died for all….” (2 Corinthians 5:15). One familiar with the Bible would hardly need to be given an argument that goes any further than that to demonstrate the Satanic error and inspiration of this false doctrine of demons.

2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Calvinists not only limit the extent of the Atonement of Christ in their claim it is only for the Elect, but they also limit the effect of the Atonement by declaring it accomplishes no more than the blood of the Levitical sacrifices of the Old Testament, since just like the Levitical sacrifices, the Atonement of Christ does no more for us to remove sin from the believer in this life than did the blood of the Levitical animals shed in the Old Testament.

This is the result of their false doctrine of the Atonement, the Penal Satisfaction Theory, which teaches what the Bible never asserts, that Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin, that Christ was punished on the Cross for our sins. That may well be what Augustine and Anselm taught about the Atonement of Christ, that may well be what some of my favorite hymns declare, but it is not what the Bible teaches. The Calvinists teach the blood of Christ does not now remove our sins in this life; rather, they teach the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, a legal fiction not taught in Scripture (Hebrews 10:4, 11).

The Bible rather teaches the Priestly-Sacrificial Atonement, where Jesus is both the priest who bore our sin and the sacrifice for our sin. See 1 John 2:2.

Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The concept of “propitiation” is foreign to the Bible, and is a very bad translation. God does not need to be propitiated; that is a pagan and heathen concept. The NET Bible among other translations more properly reads:

1Jn 2:2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.

(4) Irresistible Grace. This teaching asserts that the elect will unfailingly respond to the effectual call of the Holy Spirit. Included in this false doctrine is the fallacy that we are saved before we can believe. This absolutely is the teaching of Calvinism, which shows they have things exactly backwards, as the devil who is a liar from the beginning always does (John 8:44). Steven in his sermon in Acts chapter seven clearly spoke to the Jewish leaders and said of them, “Ye do always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). It is possible to resist the Holy Spirit, and it is our responsibility to respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to believe the Gospel. There is no Scripture, properly interpreted according to the 23 Rules of Interpretation I have placed in the October 2010 archives here, that teaches any such thing as the doctrine of Irresistible Grace.

God holds us responsible to respond to the teaching in His Word in the Bible by an act of our will, by our conscious choice (absolutely proven in Greek grammar by the middle voice which shows we have an active part and responsibility to obey, and the use of the subjunctive mood which states a contingency which we must meet to be truly saved, two aspects of Greek grammar that Calvinists tend to suppress, deny, and in this connection seem to have very little to say about).

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

(5) Perseverance of the saints. This is the final doctrine of demons marked by the acronym “TULIP,” a set of five doctrines falsely called “The Doctrines of Grace.”

No reader of a plain text Bible on Robinson Crusoe’s Desert Island with all the time alone in the world to fully devote to studying, like the Robinson Crusoe in the literary classic The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe had, even if possessed of the “three good Bibles” Robinson salvaged from the chests of the shipwrecked sailors, could ever come up with these doctrines.

The Calvinist doctrine of the perseverance of the saints asserts that true saints, those who are really included in the number of the elect, will unfailingly persevere in faith and be finally saved. Those who depart from the faith, who fall away, were never included among the elect of God.

Many Calvinists not well taught in their doctrine have misunderstood this teaching of Calvinism themselves. Calvinists of the Reformed Faith properly do not believe or teach eternal security or “Once Saved, Always Saved,” for such teachings are both contrary to Scripture and Calvinism, and cannot properly be equated with the “Perseverance of the Saints.”

Other more watered-down Calvinists have morphed the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints into another false doctrine of unconditional eternal security, commonly referred to as “Once Saved, Always Saved.”

The doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved,” is a false doctrine that is totally contrary to Scripture. It is plainly contrary to Scripture because it denies another doctrine clearly taught in all of Scripture, the doctrine of the possibility and danger of apostasy (2 Peter 3:17). When you must deny one doctrine of the Bible to hold to another doctrine of the Bible, you are contradicting the Bible.

The “Once saved, always saved” doctrine is plainly contrary to Scripture because it conflicts with the facet of the Greek verb called “aspect.” The Greek verb in the present tense includes the idea of continuing action. In John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him…” indicates by “believeth” that continuing faith, not a one time act of faith, is being spoken of in this and in all New Testament promises of eternal life premised upon our believing in Christ.

Many Bible readers who unwittingly have accepted the teachings of Calvinism have fallen into the mistake of supposing that any person who falls away from the faith never had the true faith to begin with. They base that upon a misinterpretation of 1 John 2:19.

The truth of the matter in the Greek New Testament is quite plain. There are separate Greek words for our one English word “know.” One of the words pretty much means what the English word “know” does. Another Greek word is that same word augmented by a prepositional prefix which means to possess full and accurate knowledge. A third and altogether different word in Greek is used to represent intuitive knowledge that cannot be improved upon by learning more, whereas both of the other words allow for more learning.

Jesus told the Jews that they did not know God; he used the ordinary word for “know” (G1097). But in almost the same breath Jesus told them that he did know God, and Jesus used the third word for “know”(G1492) which indicated he had full and intuitive knowledge of God, whereas the Jews did not even know what they could have learned of God as through the study of the Scripture (John 8:55).

The false teachers mentioned in 2 Peter 2:20 had the kind of knowledge the second Greek word I’m referring to specifies, the augmented word (G1922), which plainly indicates they had full and accurate knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is an error to suppose that these teachers were not saved, or to suggest they had a “head knowledge” but not a “heart knowledge.” The use of the Greek words as employed by Peter forbids such interpretations; if that were what Peter meant, he would have used the word for “know” in its plain form rather than augmented form. I have marked these things out in the notes in my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. I first learned of these distinctions as a new Christian when I bought and used Darby’s New Translation, for he explains these nicely at several points in the footnotes to his translation (see note “l” at 1 Corinthians 8:1, for example), though he does not use this information to make the points I have made.

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

Note that this warning is addressed by Peter to believers, addressed as “beloved.” The warning is to beware, lest believers be led away with the error of the wicked. This means to succumb to the false teachings of the wicked. Note Peter warns that it is possible to “fall from your own stedfastness.” Clearly, stedfastness is not possessed by unbelievers, but by believers!

1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

Joh 8:55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

The New Testament teaches that it is possible to be guilty of doctrinal apostasy and it is possible to be guilty of moral apostasy. An example of doctrinal apostasy would be those who teach “another Gospel, which is not another” as declared by Paul in Galatians 1:6-9. Anyone who would believe and teach “another gospel” is guilty of apostasy and is not saved, or no longer saved (Galatians 5:4). The parameters of moral apostasy are quite fully stated in 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 and similar passages. Anyone who practices the sins named by Paul in this list “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Gal 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,
1Co 6:10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NET Bible)

Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

The chief proof text used to support the false doctrine of Eternal Security or “Once Saved, Always Saved” is John 10:28.

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The key question to address when considering John 10:28 is who are the “them” and the “they”?

Careful readers of the Bible know to always consult the context of any supposed proof text for a doctrine. In this case, John 10:27 carefully defines just who benefit from and qualify for the promise given in John 10:28.

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Only those who continue to hear and continue to follow the voice of Christ as now strictly contained exclusively in the New Testament can be considered to qualify as His sheep. The notion that we must continue is reinforced in the Greek text by the use of the present tense. This condition is directly stated in Colossians 1:23,

Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Notice the “If” that introduces Colossians 1:23. The presence of “if clauses” is another grammatical reason based upon the Greek text of the New Testament which fully proves that the doctrine of eternal security or “once saved, always saved” cannot possibly be the teaching of Scripture.

The proper statement of the assurance and security of the believer is to declare that the Bible teaches the absolute eternal security of the believer, not the unbeliever. That short statement does fully match what the Bible actually teaches.

I have written these comments regarding the fallacies of Calvinism in brief form “off the top of my head.” I do not mean to offend Calvinists, but I do mean as a “watchman on the wall” to shock them into Biblical reality. This information could readily be expanded into a book of several hundred pages if I were to supply all the relevant texts of Scripture, further supporting arguments, and direct reference to the points of grammar and explanations of the grammar so that readers of English Bibles with no knowledge of Greek and Greek grammar could understand. So if you think I’ve left an important point unaddressed or unanswered in this major controversy, don’t kid yourself into thinking I could not address and answer it, or that I have not already considered it in my studies! But feel free to raise any questions about these issues you may have.

I hope you will carefully consider what I have written. These are crucially important issues about which we must be right in our understanding. I have tried to present this information in a form you can easily understand. Let me know if I missed doing that.

Jerry

I should hardly need to add that I am well aware that there are many who believe in Calvinism who are fine Christians. Thankfully there is no word in the Bible that we all face a Final Test in Systematic Theology in order to be saved! Many unwittingly believe in Calvinism because that is what they have been taught, have heard on Christian radio, have sung in their hymns. This very false doctrine is almost inescapable. But some live and believe above the level of the doctrine they have wrongly been taught by others and no doubt are truly saved. Others, however, may be most guilty of suppressing the truth of God’s Word and of knowingly promoting “another Gospel,” and such individuals may not actually be saved, only God knows. Many Calvinists have contributed valuable commentaries and other works and reference volumes for Bible study. I do not wish to be thought to be attacking any of them personally. Contemporary Bible teachers like Dr. John MacArthur and Dr. R. C. Sproul are fine teachers of the Bible, except when they venture to promote the mistaken agenda of their Calvinistic presuppositions. Some advocates of Calvinism are quick to pin labels on non-Calvinists and anti-Calvinists like “Pelagian” or “Semi-Pelagian” and “Arminian.” At least Arminianism is one of the few “isms” that is largely in line with the teaching of Scripture, more so than Calvinism. But pinning labels does not lead to the proper exposition and understanding of Scripture.

Anyone who has an alternate view is free to post a question or comment here in their own words, and I will be pleased to address and further discuss such comments or questions from the Scripture, properly interpreted.

Posted in Doctrinal Discussions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 77 Comments

Romans 15:7 (with comments) Part 3

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 3:

receive. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

This text in Mark 6:11 surely emphasizes the importance our Lord Jesus Christ placed upon “receiving one another.” Failure to receive a fellow believer who could well be or become an instrument in God’s hand to bring needed instruction or encouragement hinders the proclamation of the Gospel. Hindering the true Gospel by failing to receive its message bearers brings the possibility of severe repercussions, for Jesus said it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than it will be for those who failed to receive God’s messenger.

The fact that Scripture states here that the judgment of Sodom and Gommorah would be “more tolerable” should, as a point of Bible doctrine, alert us to this very clear teaching that there are degrees of punishment in hell.

I have already proven from Matthew 25:46, the last prior citation of Scripture at the end of Part 2 of the cross references for Romans 15:7, that eternal punishment will last just as long as eternal life will. Since eternal life never ends, neither does eternal destruction or eternal punishment, anymore than God will ever end, for His eternal duration is described by the very same Greek word. “Eternal” in this connection does not describe finality of result, but unending duration of the punishment, punishment which includes torment (Luke 16:24. See also Isaiah 33:14 and Matthew 8:29 in this regard).

Mar 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
Mar 9:38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Mar 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
Mar 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

The disciples had been arguing amongst themselves who should be the greatest. Mark in his Gospel gives a much abbreviated account of what is reported more fully in Matthew and Luke of similar discussions and questions that arose among the disciples.

For example:

Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

In this passage Jesus plainly commands that there should be no hierarchy established in His organization or his church. Such a device was the province of the Gentile rulers, but among the followers of Christ, Jesus commanded “It shall not be so among you.”

Most denominations seem to have ignored this passage. Most local churches have ignored it too. Some denominations pride themselves that they are in strict obedience to this command of Christ, yet in some cases such denominations have a more tightly closed fellowship than most other churches which do have a hierarchy!

Often the fruit of disobeying this command of Christ is the failure to “receive one another,” as commanded by Christ, and further commanded by Paul.

That Jesus considers this to be a most serious matter is confirmed by what He said in Mark 9:42,

Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

It is further confirmed by what Jesus said next:

Mar 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mar 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Mar 9:46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Mar 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Mar 9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Since the “fire is not quenched,” the fire continues in the eternal age which follows this present age, and continues forever.

Some argue that “unquenchable fire” is mentioned in the Old Testament where it simply means the fire could not be put out until the fire accomplished its object, such as the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Surely the fire in Jerusalem was unquenchable, for the Jews could not put it out, and it accomplished God’s purpose of punishment. But that fire did end, it did not last forever. But those who would argue from such an example that the unquenchable fire Jesus threatens will likewise have an end once its mission is accomplished have forgotten the lesson about “eternal” that I presented from Scripture. Sometimes “eternal” is used in a finite sense with reference to things that pertain only to this world or this age. But when “eternal” is used with reference to what takes place in “the age to come” it has an infinite sense as to its duration. So with the word “unquenchable.” In this age, it is limited in duration; in the next age, the eternal age which follows this one, “unquenchable” has an infinite sense, and is unlimited in duration.

Again, this proves that Jesus taught that eternal punishment in hell never ends, but continues undiminished in intensity of torment forever. That is why Jesus said more about hell than anyone else in the New Testament. He warned us all to avoid it at all cost.

But notice Jesus spoke of this subject in the context of “receiving one another.” Jesus said whoever received Him received Him that sent Him, that is, God. Jesus also said that whoever failed to receive those He sent failed to receive Him.

Now the practical spiritual question to face is this: Have you truly received Christ?

Luk 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

Luk 9:48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

We must be very careful about just who we respond to with the action of shaking “off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.” I had the unfortunate experience of having a local Jehovah Witness leader do just that to me. He had just told me that he looked up the cross references I had shared with him for Isaiah 55:3. He said he realized I was correct, and that he and his organization must be wrong. He told me he could not leave the organization because of his family, and because of his business ties to the congregation who formed a good part of his customer base. He said he was glad he did not have to fear eternal punishment, for he would “die just like a dog.” Unfortunately for him and everyone else who believes that mistaken doctrine of annihilation, God in His written Word the Bible does not offer that option!

Luke 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

Luk 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Luk 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luk 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Luk 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Luk 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

Martha and Mary clearly received Jesus into their home. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His word. That is an example of what we ought to do: receive one another as He commanded, and hear His Word.

Luk 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Jesus received others, even those who were not received by “polite society.” Sinners were attracted to Christ, not repulsed by Christ. Yet we know from the record we have of what Jesus taught that he did not tone down his message to make it acceptable to them or anyone else.

I wonder if making doctrine acceptable is not one of the root causes behind the rationalistic approach to Bible doctrine practiced by some religious denominations who change the doctrine to fit their sensibilities, just like those who believe and teach the doctrine of annihilation do. The error behind this approach which rejects the doctrine of eternal punishment is the failure to understand the character of God taught in the Bible. Abraham understood this full well when he said (Genesis 18:25), “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Some would rather take it upon themselves to judge God and tell Him what is right, rather than receive the full truth of what is taught in the Bible.

If you must modify the Gospel Jesus preached and taught to fit your own preferences and mistaken notions about the character and attributes of God, you are not teaching the true Gospel, but a false Gospel which is not the Gospel at all but what Paul calls “another Gospel” (Galatians 1:8, 9), which places you under a severe Divine curse.

God’s Word says:

Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

It also says:

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Eternal life is dependent upon knowing BOTH God and Jesus Christ. Only those who truly know God and Jesus Christ can be saved. The Psalmist stated that those who know God’s name will put their trust in God. The opposite is also true: those who do not know God’s name cannot put their trust in Him. Knowing God’s name means understanding and believing in His attributes–all of them, not just the ones we prefer. Instead, they will depend upon adherence to a creed, to keeping the commandments, to observing the Sabbath, to doing good works, but they will not in simple faith trust the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ,

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Joh 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

It is pointedly a matter of obeying the command of Christ to “love one another, as I have loved you,” when we keep the command to “receive one another.”

Failure to receive one another is a failure to love one another as Christ commanded us to do.

The pastor who told me, “Jerry, you talk too much about the Bible and too much about the Lord” the first time he came to my home clearly failed to receive me. Nearly five years later after he and his church board rejected my membership application (I had been invited by them to attend and complete the membership class), he suggested that I “find a church that believes like you do and go there.” Now that is hardly receiving one another in the manner Jesus commanded. I shudder to think of the blood that is on the hands of those who made such a decision to reject me and my family. In other churches I’ve attended prior to that one I was well received. I was provided ministry opportunity like teaching Sunday school, which resulted in many young people coming to Christ, who for the most part are these many years later still committed to following Him according to His Word, the Bible. But in this community, where I was rejected, three young people just last week received life prison sentences for murder, an altogether senseless murder that took place in a house I pass everytime I go to town. Could the lives of those teenagers who planned and committed the terrible murder of one teen’s father and attempted murder of the mother (who was stabbed 20 times) have been changed by the Gospel? I certainly believe that is the case. There are some churches that have apparently failed to communicate the Gospel to the sinners in the community.

The pastor and church board that rejected my membership should have had me meet with them to explain myself, and demonstrate that my doctrine is strictly in accord with what the Bible teaches. Their church creed stated Christ would rule for 1000 years during the Millennium. I stated in my comments that while that is true, the Bible clearly teaches that Christ will reign forever on this earth (Luke 1:32, 33). The church statement of faith stipulated immersion as the mode of Christian baptism. I stated immersion is an acceptable mode, but the Bible speaks of sprinkling or pouring in connection with baptism as well (Hebrews 10:22). My membership was rejected over such very minor matters of doctrine.

I trust that pastors who may happen upon this commentary will take it to heart, and exercise their responsibility to thoroughly teach the truths related to Romans 15:7 as reflected in the associated cross references I have furnished. Teach these truths to your congregation. Teach these truths to your leadership. Failure to do so may well thwart the ministry of the Gospel to others in your midst and beyond your own congregation.

But the best in this series is yet to come, for I have not yet exhausted the presentation of these cross references for Romans 15:7, so “stay tuned” for the next installment!

Posted in Verse-by-Verse Studies | Tagged , , | 81 Comments

Romans 15:7 (without comments) Part 3

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 3:

receive. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Mar 9:37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
Mar 9:38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Mar 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
Mar 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Luke 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

Luk 9:48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

Luke 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

Luk 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Luk 10:11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Luk 10:12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

Luk 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
Luk 10:39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

Luk 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Joh 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

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Romans 15:7 (with comments), Part 2

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 2:

receive. Mt *10:14, 15, 40-42. 18:5. 25:35, 40, 43, 45, 46. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Matthew 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Comment. It would appear from these verses that failure to receive one another is a very serious matter, serious enough to be addressed on Judgment Day.

Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mat 10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Mat 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Comment: Again, the issue of receiving one another is most important. To receive another brother or sister in Christ is to receive Christ, and to receive him that sent Christ, who of course is God himself. Jesus clearly promises a reward to those who receive others.

Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Comment: All of us who truly believe on Christ are considered children of God (Galatians 3:26). I think, therefore, that “receiving one such child in my name” applies to receiving another believer no matter what age. Jesus said that receiving “one such little child” in his name” means receiving Jesus himself.

Just think what not receiving another believer means.

Jesus describes the offense of not receiving “one of these little ones which believe in me” in terms that are most severe.

Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Being accepting of, and welcoming strangers, newcomers to church, for example, is surely a part of “receiving one another.”

Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

The way we receive others surely reflects upon what we have done to Christ himself.

Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Here Christ is speaking of those who have not properly “received one another.” Our Lord speaks of this in a most frightening and serious manner, and we all need to wake up to the fact that this is not a small matter, but a most major matter with eternal consequences.

Matthew 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The manner in which you or I treat “one of the least of these” is crucial. Jesus said the way we treat someone else is the way we treat him. If we fail to receive one another, Jesus said that is what we did to him.

This leads directly into one of the greatest classic doctrinal texts in the Bible that establishes absolutely the doctrine of eternal punishment for the lost or unsaved.

Eternal punishment is as everlasting as eternal life will be.

Unpleasant as this Bible doctrine is to some who think otherwise, eternal punishment is eternal not merely in effect, but in duration.

If we can successfully argue that “everlasting” does not mean “eternal” in the same sense as eternal life does, language has lost its ability to communicate accurate doctrine in the Bible. But this is not the case at all. The words “eternal” and “everlasting” translate the same Greek word. Elsewhere, this very same Greek word is used to describe God as eternal in Romans 16:26. Furthermore, grammatically, these words are used here in two connected parallel clauses, so the meaning for one must be the same as the meaning for the other. Don’t kid yourself by falling for false doctrine which argues otherwise. It is most dangerous to tamper with or diminish the warnings given by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some go to great length to argue that the punishment threatened here by our Lord Jesus Christ is not truly everlasting or never-ending. Those who argue this way do so in an effort to bolster their mistaken notion of justice and their mistaken view of the character of God.

Some quibble over the meaning of “eternal,” arguing from the fact that the word in Scripture is sometimes used in a finite sense, and sometimes used in an infinite sense. From this fact they justify providing a limited sense to the duration of everlasting punishment.

The answer to this objection is simple. Jesus spoke of two ages, this age, and the age to come. In the King James Version these terms are translated “this world” and “the world to come” in Matthew 12:32. When the word “eternal” is applied to things restricted to this age it is used in a finite or limited sense. When “eternal” has reference to things in “the age to come,” it is used in an infinite sense. Clearly God is eternal and will continue to exist in the age to come, just as eternal life and eternal punishment pertain to and exist in the age to come, so “eternal” is used in the infinite, never-ending sense in reference to them.

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Romans 15:7 (without comments), Part 2

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 2:

receive. Mt *10:14, 15, 40-42. 18:5. 25:35, 40, 43, 45, 46. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Matthew 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Matthew 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Matthew 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mat 10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Mat 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Matthew 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

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Romans 15:7 Cross Reference Study (with comments), Part 1

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES

7. receive. Ro 12:10, 13. *14:1-3. 16:2. Ex 20:12. Le 19:3. Ps 119:74. Ml 1:6. +*3:16. Mt *10:14, 15, 40-42. 18:5. 25:35, 40, 43, 45, 46. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10. one another. Ro +12:5. as Christ. Ro 5:2. Mt 5:48. +*11:28-30. *12:20. Lk *15:2. Jn 1:38, 39. **6:37. *13:34. *17:24. Ep 1:5. 5:2. He 2:11. 11:16. received us. Ro 12:1. Ep 2:14. Col 1:10. to the glory. ver. *9. Ro +3:23. Ps 8:1. Mt 5:16. Ep *1:6-8, 12, 18. Ph 2:11. 2 Th *1:10-12.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 1:

receive. Ro 12:10, 13. *14:1-3. 16:2. Ex 20:12. Le 19:3. Ps 119:74. Ml 1:6. +*3:16. Mt *10:14, 15, 40-42. 18:5. 25:35, 40, 43, 45, 46. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Comment: [Note, by request and the kind suggestions of other readers here, I am including comments on some of the verses cited from the Cross References.] If we followed this command, we obviously would receive one another. Therefore, failure to obey Romans 15:7 involves us in a violation of this command too.

Rom 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Comment: I have gratefully received the benefit of help from a local church that was clearly obedient to the first half of this verse, but which utterly failed to follow the second half of this verse. They helped my family shortly after I was shot at school in the back of the head by a stranger wielding a nine-millimeter handgun at point-blank range. Yet they were not “given to hospitality.” To this very day, decades later, the church marquee still does not employ the word “welcome” anywhere in its text. Upon his first visit to my home, the pastor remarked that I “talk too much about the Bible and too much about the Lord.”

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Comment:

The larger context of this passage has been much discussed on this site in comments I have submitted in response to comments offered by others.

The point of the passage is that we ought not to be criticizing or condemning others who have a different point of view on matters pertaining to what we choose to eat, or the day of the week we choose to worship.

Paul directly tells us “let every man be fully persuaded (margin, fully assured) in his own mind” about these matters (Romans 14:5).

This hardly means that we must not use force to enforce obedience to Bible truth–that is not at all the question in context.

Rather, stronger brethren in the faith are urged not to upset the weaker brethren in matters pertaining to such scruples. Nor should the weaker brethren urge others to follow their scruples. The stronger in faith are not bothered by such issues, for they are inconsequential, Paul teaches.

Such scruples do become extremely consequential when individuals and denominations violate Paul’s directive and insist, for example, that their chosen day of worship, or their chosen foods to eat or not eat, is the only correct view. Such views and practices are the mark of a false cult, not a truly Christian church, for they violate the liberty we now have in Christ by insisting that we keep the Law on these issues. In Paul’s day these issues were the very problem he was gently correcting in the letter to the Romans, problems brought on by Judaizers (who had no understanding of Grace) infiltrating the Church.

Rom 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
Rom 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

Comment: Note that Paul most certainly permitted women to participate in Christian service in the local church, and insisted that such women be received.

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

Comment: For “fear,” modern English translations use “respect” or “revere.” Here in Leviticus 19:3 the command to honor parents is directly linked with the command “and keep my sabbaths.” The New Testament nowhere makes this link. The Fourth Commandment regarding the Sabbath is never quoted in the New Testament. It is no longer a matter of obligation for New Testament believers. Not one example in the New Testament Epistles can be found of any caution regarding Sabbath-breaking. By direct example the New Testament shows it was the practice of Christians to meet for specifically Christian worship on the First Day of the week (Acts 20:7. 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2), never once on the Jewish Seventh Day Sabbath. Of course, the record in the early portion, if not the entire book of Acts, is a transition period. The first Christians were all Jews in Jerusalem. It took a while for them to learn fully their new position in Christ. Nevertheless, there is not a single example of Christians meeting on the Jewish Sabbath for specifically Christian worship–worship including the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, spoken of as the breaking of bread.

Psa 119:74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

Comment: This verse shows us how every Bible-believing Christian ought to be received. When a church and congregation will not receive a newcomer, this shows that they do not fear the Lord. That is proper evidence to call their relationship with the Lord into question. Perhaps a few of the congregation may be truly saved, but if they were properly studying their Bibles such wrong attitudes would surely be corrected.

I have been a member of many small churches as well as very large ones. Always, if the churches were Bible believing churches, I was welcomed with open arms and almost immediately put to work. Most churches I’ve attended are short when it comes to knowledgeable workers to teach Sunday school, serve on the elder board, work with the young people. But now that I’ve been living in a rural community, the small churches in the nearest town appear to be, sociologically speaking, “village churches.” Such churches are very much a social “click.” They welcome newcomers so long as the newcomers are not a threat to their established social framework. They would never welcome a newcomer who knows anything about the Bible. That is strictly the province of the Pastor.

Such churches are an abomination to the Lord, you may be sure, because they have little to no Gospel outreach into the community, and don’t welcome anyone to attend who might be interested in promoting such an outreach, even when the church has the word “Missionary” as part of its name.

What we need instead are “camp churches,” churches made up of genuine believers who are there because they love the Bible, want to see souls saved, and are there for spiritual growth and are eager to study the Bible, because they are excited about the Lord and what He has done and does for us. “Camp churches,” whatever the denomination, receive and welcome newcomers into the fellowship, and take care to introduce newcomers into the fellowship on an ongoing basis, making sure they feel welcome and come to feel “at home” in the church.

Malachi 1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Comment: Pastors and members of “village churches” have totally missed this verse! Someone needs to show it to them repeatedly until they get the message. No one who properly knows and believes the Bible would ever even think to tell a newcomer to their church like myself, “Jerry, you talk too much about the Lord, and too much about the Bible.”

As a senior in high school I was voted, in the Senior Mock Elections, as “The Most Bashful Boy” in the Senior Class, and so appeared that year in the school yearbook. I think to this day that my fellow students at Cass Technical High School were most perceptive and accurate in their judgment of character and personality in my case. The pastor I refer to certainly was not.

God rejoices when we speak to one another about Him and His Word. He tells us He is keeping a record of that. But have you noticed that people are in such a rush to get out of church once the morning service is over that they won’t take time to so much as greet one another? Let alone actually talk about the Bible, or the Pastor’s message while its fresh in their minds, or something else of spiritual profit as they leave. Where else do genuine believers have the opportunity to fellowship with one another if not at church? The problem is, most churches, particularly “village churches,’ fail to make intentional provision for fellowship.

No fellowship takes place while everyone is seated in pews that are nailed to the floor so all heads are facing one way–towards the pulpit. All you get to see is the backs of the heads of those who sit in front of you. You never get to meet and know them in a typical church.

Genuine fellowship cannot take place in groups larger than about eight or twelve persons. But pastors of village churches have told me they have no use for small groups and small group ministry in their church. They do not want Bible studies going on in the homes of the church members either. Small group Bible studies, I was told, lead to schism or division in the church. One pastor actually exclaimed sarcastically, “All this church needs is another Bible study!”

Most pastors do not know what a true Bible study is like. Neither do most church-goers. If they did, they would eagerly promote such activity. A true Bible study is not a glorified Sunday school class with a scripted outline of what the leader will teach. Rather, a true Bible study is open to the questions of those who attend, and everyone participates and contributes to the study and the answering of Bible questions and life questions that relate to the Bible. Once people get a genuine taste of God’s Word, they are eager for more, and so are their friends, and the group grows, and so does the church, and more groups must be formed.

Schism? How about facing the reality: people need to be grounded in their faith by being grounded in Scripture.

Schism? Avoid that as a Pastor by learning how to listen. When people know you will listen to them, on a regular basis, as a matter of course, people will respond by developing loyalty to the Pastor.

Schism? Avoid that as a Pastor by actually sanctioning Bible study groups as an important feature of the ministry of the Church. Not only sanction them, but promote them and develop the leadership needed to properly conduct them. Each group should be constructed intentionally to develop new leadership for additional groups as the need arises so no one group becomes too large for fellowship and nurture to take place.

Do I need to post a whole book on this subject for you to get the point? I easily could. At his request, I “ghost wrote” Dr. Carl George’s book, Prepare Your Church for the Future, a book which discusses how to grow your church. So you might imagine I do know something about the subject.

Where I have served in a teaching or leadership capacity in a local church the Sunday school class has grown, or the youth group has grown, or the church has grown in regular attendance. That is what so upsets me about the local village churches who have never welcomed me here where I now live. I wonder if, on Judgment Day, there may be some very unpleasant consequences for those guilty of failing to “receive one another,” for in the past I have seen whole communities changed for the better as a result of effective outreach with the Gospel when churches did receive one another.

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Romans 15:7 Cross Reference Study (without comment), Part 1

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Jerry

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

CROSS REFERENCES

7. receive. Ro 12:10, 13. *14:1-3. 16:2. Ex 20:12. Le 19:3. Ps 119:74. Ml 1:6. +*3:16. Mt *10:14, 15, 40-42. 18:5. 25:35, 40, 43, 45, 46. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10. one another. Ro +12:5. as Christ. Ro 5:2. Mt 5:48. +*11:28-30. *12:20. Lk *15:2. Jn 1:38, 39. **6:37. *13:34. *17:24. Ep 1:5. 5:2. He 2:11. 11:16. received us. Ro 12:1. Ep 2:14. Col 1:10. to the glory. ver. *9. Ro +3:23. Ps 8:1. Mt 5:16. Ep *1:6-8, 12, 18. Ph 2:11. 2 Th *1:10-12.

CROSS REFERENCES FOR FULL-TEXT STUDY, PART 1:

receive. Ro 12:10, 13. *14:1-3. 16:2. Ex 20:12. Le 19:3. Ps 119:74. Ml 1:6. +*3:16. Mt *10:14, 15, 40-42. 18:5. 25:35, 40, 43, 45, 46. Mk 6:11. *9:37-41. Lk *9:5, 48. 10:8, 10, 38, 39. 15:2. Jn 13:20, 34. Ac *9:26-28, 43. *11:25, 26. *16:15. 17:7. 2 C +*6:9. 7:2, 15. Ga 6:1. Ph 2:29. Col 4:10. 1 T 5:17. Phm 12, 17. He 13:1, 2. 1 P 2:17. 3:8. +*4:8-10. 1 J 3:14. 2 J %10. 3 J %8-10.

CROSS REFERENCE TEXTS

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

Rom 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Rom 16:1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
Rom 16:2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

Psa 119:74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

Malachi 1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

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Christ taught out of the Scriptures–Luke 24:27

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Jerry

It would be a good idea for us to do what Jesus did: teach directly out of the Scriptures.

When Jesus taught out of the Scriptures, He quoted from them. He knew His Bible, and made use of it.

From the very start of His ministry, Jesus answered the temptations the Devil presented by quoting from Scripture.

Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Again, the Devil tried another approach to tempt Jesus:

Mat 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Mat 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

The Devil tried his hand against Jesus yet again:

Mat 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Did you notice, each time Jesus answered Satan’s temptation with “it is written.” Jesus quoted directly from Scripture, appealing to Deuteronomy 8:3, Deuteronomy 6:16, Deuteronomy 6:13. Notice that Satan knows the Bible too, and Satan quoted the Bible to challenge Jesus, quoting from Psalm 91:11. In answer to Satan’s Biblical challenge, Jesus answered, “It is written again,” quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 in answer to Satan’s mistaken use of Psalm 91:11.

Satan did not heed the rule of correct Bible interpretation that forbids using one Scripture in a manner that contradicts clear truth taught in other Scripture that has a bearing upon the subject.

Jesus proved Satan wrong by quoting Scripture that contradicted the use Satan was attempting to make of Psalm 91:11.

Satan is not the only one who violates Rule 6 of the 23 Rules of Interpretation I have posted in the October, 2010 Archives on this site.

Here is Rule 6:

6. Interpret a particular passage in harmony with ALL other passages which may have a bearing upon the subject.

This is exceedingly important. You cannot cherry-pick your evidence. All relevant evidence must be taken into account to come up with the correct interpretation. Groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Roman Catholics, Calvinists, Seventh Day Adventists, the Church of Christ, and many others flagrantly violate this rule and come up with very mistaken interpretations of the Bible.

To successfully find ALL the relevant passages about a subject, you MUST do Real Bible Study and make full and careful use of such tools as an exhaustive concordance to the Bible (Strong’s Concordance is a good choice) and a source of full and complete cross references to every verse in the Bible (such as The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, or Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible). If you haven’t made full use of these resources don’t kid yourself into supposing you have properly considered ALL the passages pertaining to the subject, issue, or doctrine you are considering.

Considering how many individuals, churches, denominations, and especially false cults violate or disregard Rule 6, Satan either has plenty of company, or lots of helpers in his mission to distort, hide, and suppress the truth of the Bible.

Another equally important Rule of Interpretation is Rule 7:

7. Be sure to include all relevant passages upon a theme before determining the interpretation of any particular passage.

This principle is violated by every denomination or religious group. Jehovah’s Witnesses think they understand such Bible terms as “soul,” “spirit,” “hell,” and other terms more accurately than others do. Their problem is that they have failed to make a full induction of all the evidence before arriving at their conclusions about the meaning and use of these terms in the Bible. I have presented a full induction of all the evidence on these issues in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible starting at the notes at Genesis 2:7.

Seventh-day Adventists are as mistaken on the issues of “soul” and “spirit” and such matters as conscious existence after death as the Jehovah’s Witnesses are. They are fully mistaken in their understanding of the Fourth Commandment regarding the Sabbath, and the issue of Law in contrast to Grace as taught in the New Testament Epistles. Virtually all their arguments fail because they violate Rule 7. Their system of belief cannot accept, nor can it account for the fact that there has been a Divinely instituted change since Calvary. This change has been expounded in detail by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1-12). Our Lord Jesus Christ in person revealed His Gospel to the Apostle Paul directly (Galatians 1:12). Paul declares he was not taught the Gospel by men (Galatians 1:12). Those who teach Another Gospel, which is not the Gospel, are, according to the Book of Galatians, under a Divine curse (Galatians 1:8, 9). Critical truths pertaining to just what the true Gospel is are revealed in connection with Paul’s teaching regarding what are called “mystery doctrines.” On this theme, follow the cross references I have furnished at Romans 16:25 for the key words the mystery on page 1301 of Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, or the note on this subject which I placed in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, at Romans 16:25, on page 1322.

Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

From The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge:

25. to him. Ro 14:4. Ac 20:32. Ep 3:20, 21. 1 Th *3:13. 2 Th *2:16, 17. *3:3. He **7:25. 1 P 5:10. Ju *24, *25. of power. FS108B1, Ro +4:21. stablish. 1 P +*5:10. according. Ro 2:16. my gospel. Ro *2:16. 2 C 4:3. Ga 1:11, 12. 2:2. 2 Th 2:14. 2 T *2:8. and the preaching. Ac 9:20. 1 C *1:23. 2:2. 2 C *4:5. according to. Mk 4:11. 1 C 2:1, 7. +4:1. 15:51. Ep *1:9. *3:3, 4, 9. 5:32. 6:19. 2 Th 2:7. 1 T 3:9, 16. Re 1:20. 10:7. 17:5, 7. the revelation. 1 C *2:7. Ep *1:9. Col *1:26, 27. the mystery. The New Testament mystery doctrines (see T. Ernest Wilson, Mystery Doctrines of the New Testament, pp. 10-12) make an interesting study, and may be listed as follows (1) the faith, 1 T 3:9. (2) the church, Ro 16:25. (3) the gospel, Ep 6:19. (4) Jew and Gentile in one body, Ep ch. 3. (5) the bride, Ep 5:32. Re ch. 19, 20. (6) seven stars and seven churches, Re 1:20. (7) of godliness, 1 T 3:16. (8) kingdom of heaven, Mt 13:11. (9) Israel’s blindness, Ro 11:25. (10) rapture of the church, 1 C 15:51. (11) His will, Ep 1:9. (12) of God, Re 10:7. (13) the indwelling Christ, Col 1:24-29. (14) the Godhead of Christ, Col 2:2, 9. (15) of iniquity, 2 Th 2:7. (16) Babylon, Re 17:5. Is 2:1-4. 9:6, 7. Jn 17:20-24. 1 C 2:7. 10:32, 33. 15:53-57. Ep 1:9. 2:7, 8. 3:1-12. 6:19. Col 1:27. 2:2. 4:3. 1 Th 3:12, 13. 1 T 3:16. which was. 1 C 2:7. kept secret. Ps 78:2. Da 2:22. Am 3:7. Mt +*13:17, 25. Lk 10:23, 24. Ep 3:3-5, 9, 11. 1 P 1:10-12, 20. world. Gr. aionios, Mt +18:8. lit. times of the ages. 2 T 1:9. T 1:2.

According to this statement in Romans 16:25, mystery doctrines are those teachings newly revealed in the New Testament, some through Paul, teachings totally unknown before this new revelation was given. The fact that there are stated to be such new teachings is proof enough that there has been a change in God’s manner of dealing under Grace compared to how He dealt under Law.

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