A concise yet thorough examination of what it means to be “rightly dividing the word of truth” so that the Bible is properly handled. Failure to understand and employ this basic command that God gave through the Apostle Paul is the main reason for so much unsound Bible teaching. The distinctive ministry and message of the Apostle Paul, which is the reason why the Bible must be rightly divided, is examined in this series.
Table of Contents
Lesson 1
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15
- 2 Tim 2:15 – foundational command
- Right division does not mean dividing the Old Testament from the New Testament
- The Bible is written BY God for all, but not all of it is written To or ABOUT believers today in the Dispensation of Grace
Lesson 2
Time Past, But Now & To Come (Understanding the 3 Part Division of Scripture)
- Time Past – God’s prophesied dealings with the nation Israel
- But Now – The dispensation of Gentile grace
- To Come – The resumption & fulfillment of Israel’s prophetic program
Lesson 3
God’s Prophetic Program with Israel (spoken of since the world began’)
- Abrahamic Covenant
- An earthly kingdom on this earth
- Daniel’s 490-year time schedule (Daniel 9) governs Israel’s program
Lesson 4
The Mystery of Christ & the Dispensation of Grace (Hid in God from Ages and Generations)
- The mystery was kept secret from ages and generations past – no prophet knew of it
- God revealed the mystery exclusively to the apostle Paul: the body of Christ – Jew and Gentile on the exact same level with no difference
- Paul’s apostleship is unique & distinct from the 12
Lesson 5
Understanding the Gospel Accounts (The message: The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand)
- Matthew, Mark, Luke & John record the earthly ministry of he Lord Jesus Christ operating within the Israel’s prophetic program
- The Lord Jesus Christ was “a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8)
- Dispensation of Grace was not in effect during the gospel accounts
- Instructions, promises & commands were given to Israel under their program – not the body of Christ
Lesson 6
The Gospel of the Gospels – Part 1 (The message: the kingdom of heaven is at hand)
- The gospel proclaimed in the Gospels is the “gospel of the kingdom” – distinct from Paul’s gospel of grace
- John the Baptist’s message
- The kingdom of heaven is a literal, earthly, theocratic kingdom – God reigning on this earth through the nation Israel
Lesson 7
The Gospel of Gospels – Part 2 (The time schedule and the kingdom at hand)
- “At hand” is integrally related to Daniel’s time schedule (Dan 9)
- The time is fulfilled: the kingdom of God is at hand – the urgency pf John’s & Jesus’ message was tied to the nearness of the time schedule’s end
- Daniel’s time schedule was the basis for Israel’s “last days”
- The gospel of the kingdom made no reference to the death, burial & resurrection of Christ – Peter, James & John understood none of these things (John 18:34)
Lesson 8
Signs of the Kingdom (Validating the message of the kingdom)
- The Lord’s sign & wonder ministry validated the reality of the kingdommessage
- Two hallmark signs of the kingdom – healing of the physical infirmities & casting out unclean spirits
- No pre-tribulation rapture is found in the Gospel accounts – the rapture belongs exclusively to the revelation of the mystery
Lesson 9
The Opening Chapters of Acts (Israel’s program continuing – Acts Chapter 1 is still Time Past & not But Now)
- Acts 1-8 is a continuation of God’s program with the nation Israel – not the beginning of the dispensation of Grace
- Lord spent 40 days teaching the apostle through the Holy Ghost, giving them commandments for operating in His absence in Israel’s program
- Matthias properly replaced Judas Iscariot
- Israel’s prescription for cleansing: water baptism (John the Baptist), redemptive work of the Messiah, Holy Spirit & kingdom entrance
- Day of Pentecost was a prophesied event
Lesson 10
Acts 2 – 7 – Repentance to Israel (The extension of mercy & forbearance)
- Acts 2: Peter’s message of the Day of Pentecost was addressed to Israel (“Ye men of Judaea”) – not to the church the body of Christ
- Peter’s quote of Joel 2 – demonstrates Israel’s program is still in effect
- God gave Israel three manifest opportunities through national leaders to change their mind about Christ – each an extension of mercy & forbearance
- Acts 7: Stephen’s message is a historical recap of Israel’s persistent rejection of God
- Act 7:55-56: Stephen sees the Son of Man standing at the right hand – the extension of mercy & forbearance
- Acts 9: The raising up of Saul of Tarsus is the epic-making, totally unexpected, unprophesied event that inaugurates the dispensation of Gentile grace
Lesson 11
Paul’s Unique Apostleship (A brand new & distinct apostle to the Gentiles)
- Right division: recognizing the division between God’s two programs
- Paul is a brand new & different apostle – not one of the 12, not the 13th apostle
- Two distinct gospels – “the gospel of the uncircumcision” (Paul) – “the gospel of the circumcision” (Peter)
- God magnified Paul’s apostleship as He magnified Moses’ office to Israel
- Paul’s unique ministry to the Gentiles – offering up the Gentiles acceptable to God in spite of Israel’s fall
Lesson 12
Satan’s Policy of Evil Against the Mystery (The adversary’s war against right division)
- “none of the princes of this world knew” (I Cor 2:6-8) – God kept the mystery secret from Satan; by crucifying Christ, Satan sealed his own doom
- God spoiled principalities & powers, made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them (Col 2:15)
- God’s purpose (Eph 3:9-10)
- Phase 1 of Satan’s policy of evil – corrupt your understanding of what God is doing today
- God’s objective = “perfect man” / fully educated (Eph4:13-14)
- Three means of doctrinal corruption (Col 2:8)
- philosophy & vain deceit
- tradition of men
- rudiments of the word (Israel’s program brought into dispensation of Grace)
- Local church = designed to be a classroom
- The cure = 2 Tim 2:15 & lay special focus on Romans – Philemon as God intended