Hi! This is Brother Scott with another Truth Time Look in the Book!
This is part 30 in my series, Bible Key Words and Meanings A-Z.
All references are from the King James Bible.
I will be referencing quite a few verses, so perhaps take some notes as you listen.
We move on to the letter, N.
The word today is, "New," as in, "New Creature."
Israel was God’s chosen people under covenant, and God put a distinction between the Jew & Gentile.
Israel was God's CHOSEN NATION, and their standing with God was elevated above all other peoples on earth.
(Deuteronomy 7:6)
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
And Jesus preached the same thing.
(Matthew 10:5)
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
(Matthew 15:24)
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
(Matthew 15:26)
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
and (John 4:22)
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Also see Acts 11:19 and Romans 3:1-2.
In Christ during the dispensation of grace we live in today, there is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile, and now everyone is a "new creature".
Because there is no longer a distinction, today, Jews are not above anyone, for ALL ARE ONE in Christ.
(Galatians 3:28)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Israel has been blinded, set aside, and concluded in unbelief, and all nations are now equal in the eyes of God.
Israel as a nation NO LONGER serves as having preeminence over anyone.
God is dealing with people as INDIVIDUALS, and no longer with a separate, distinct, & peculiar nation:
(Colossians 3:11)
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
(Ephesians 2:15)
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
(1 Corinthians 12:13) For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
(Romans 11:32) For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
(2 Corinthians 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.
(Galatians 6:15) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
And being a new creature means we're not the bride of Christ.
We start with
(Revelation 19:7-9)
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
In that passage we read about John speaking of the marriage of the lamb, the wife that gets herself ready, and we're even told that she will be arrayed in clean, white, fine linen.
Paul tells us in
(Ephesians 4:16), listen to this,
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
And in
(Ephesians 5:30) we read,
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Think about that.
What need would we have for a marriage?
Thinking of the wedding vows we have all heard, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join...
Think about it, to join who?
Jesus Christ with his body?
Of course not.
We just read in Ephesians 5:30 that we're already members of his flesh and of his bones.
And besides, the body of Christ is not feminine, it's masculine.
According to scripture, we are God's husband, not his wife.
(1 Corinthians 3:9),
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
However, Israel is referred to as female in the Bible. See Lamentations 1:1-7.
But you and I, members of the church of the body of Christ, we're called the one new man.
Every single passage in the Bible that refers to this marriage between the bride and the bridegroom is never referring to us.
It's referring to Israel and not the church, the body of Christ.
You're not an old creature, but a new creature.
You're not old water baptized tithing under the law depending on faith plus works for salvation Israel.
You're a new creature, old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.
You've understood Paul's Acts chapter 17 verse 19 new doctrine and you've become Colossians 2:7 rooted and built up in Christ.
(Acts 17:19)
And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
(Colossians 2:7)
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
You're established in the faith and abounding with thanksgiving.
Being a new creature means we are not born again.
So let's study further and ask ourselves, how could we be, quote, "Born again," considering that the first born wasn't us?
And you're probably thinking, "Of course the first born wasn't us. It was Jesus, obviously."
But guess what, that's incorrect as well.
How about we check out God's word and see what it has to say, shall we?
Check out Exodus 4:22 where God informs us his first born son is actually Israel.
Right about now you may be saying, "Huh?!," but let's just read and believe the Bible.
(Exodus 4:22),
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my first born.
Did you catch it?
Hear it again,
Israel is my son, even my first born.
Who did the Lord say was his first born?
According to the Bible, not church tradition, was Jesus Christ God's first born?
Let's compare scripture with scripture and go to John chapter 3.
(John 3:16), here's where some will say, see, Jesus IS God's first born son.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
OK, let's take some time to think about that.
God gave his only begotten son.
Where in the passage do we read that Jesus is God's first born?
Believe it or not, the only begotten son has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.
It has nothing to do with baby Jesus in the manger.
Jesus Christ was not the first born, Israel was, we just read it in Exodus 4:22, right?
Get this straight in your head, Christ was the only begotten, not the first born.
In
(Psalm 2:7) we read,
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Which day?
Which day is the quote, "This day," in Psalm 2:7?
Is it a reference to the virgin birth?
No.
Lets do some more comparing scripture with scripture to find out where Jesus was begotten.
Turn to
(Acts 13:33),
God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
It's important to note the part of the passage, quote, "He hath raised up Jesus again."
See there?
That is the quote from Psalm 2:7 referenced earlier.
Bottom line?
The truth of the Bible and not tradition tells us the begetting actually took place at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, and while we're at it, let's talk about the truth of the mega-popular verse, John 3:16.
We see it almost everywhere if we watch sports on TV.
Someone's holding up a sign that says, simply, "John 3:16."
Well, I hope you want to get John 3:16 right, so you should know that the new modern translations actually get it wrong.
Example,
(John 3:16 NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Did you catch it?
"..."he gave his one and only Son,..." it says.
That's an NIV translation error.
He is not God's one and only Son.
Remember, we just read it.
(Exodus 4:22),
Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.
So the new translations, translations other than the King James Bible, got it wrong.
They're incorrect.
So, now that we know Israel is God's firstborn, as a result, we know who the quote, "born again" will be.
Look in
(Acts 3:19),
Here Peter says,
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Peter gave a timeline there.
He is referring to a future event when the Lord returns to blot out Israel's sin at their rebirth.
This is when they, Israel, will be born again.
This has never had anything to do with us today, the church, the body of Christ.
From now on you can tell everyone you see that you are a born again Christian, but it won't make it true, because you're not.
I hope you can see that now.
The Bible, God's word, is the only authority on the matter.
As we discussed previously in this lesson, Paul states that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
So, let's think about that some more, shall we?
If you're a new creature, let's think together, if you're a new creature, just how does that relate to being born again?
How exactly does new and again go together?
Is a new anything new again?
If I made some changes to an old car, that does not make it a new car.
It may look nicer, run better, but it's still my old car.
Born again would mean it was there previous, and who would that be referring to?
Israel, of course.
Israel, God's first born, but right now they are Romans 11:8 blind and have verse 11 fallen, but in the future, Israel will be born again.
What happens to you is not a rebirth.
You cannot be born again and a new creature at the same time.
Born again would be the old thing having been redone.
Listen to God through the prophet
(Hosea 11:1), listen to this,
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Again, who was God's first born son?
Israel, and it is Israel that will be born again, not the body of Christ.
If you're saved, you're a new creature, I've been crucified with Christ and have become a new creature, not born again, not redone, I'm new.
The term born again only appears twice in the scriptures.
One time when Peter is addressing Israel, and one time when Christ is talking to, guess who?, Israel.
Shouldn't that be our first clue as to who the term born again applies to?
So, can a person who is genuinely saved refer to themselves as being born again?
Yes, it's just improper terminology, but it doesn't mean they're not saved.
If you're saved and use this term to describe yourself, so be it.
I did my part in pointing you to the word of God and away from the traditions of men, but you're saved and that's great, of course.
I'm concerned for those who not only use Israel's term, born again, in describing themselves, but also follow Israel's instructions on how to be saved.
That's who I'm most concerned with.
They're following after things written exclusively to Israel, and that could leave them with a false sense of salvation, because Israel's doctrine is not the Ephesians 1:13 gospel of their salvation.
The body of Christ is a new creature created to serve God in heavenly places.
That's why we're told in Ephesians 1:3 that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Not rightly dividing the word of truth will leave you discouraged and disappointed, waiting on Israel's blessings to fall upon you while you're here on earth.
We are not promised earthly blessings today.
That's for Israel.
No need to steal their promises.
You have something better.
You have all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Earthly things come and go, but these heavenly blessings are eternal.
The born again, New Covenant, bride of Christ, little flock, hey, their blessings are earthly.
Israel has an earthly hope.
We have a heavenly hope.
Christ will establish his kingdom with Israel on earth.
We don't even have the same judgment as they do.
(Romans 2:16),
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
How will we be judged?
By Paul's gospel.
We will not be judged by Peter, James, or John's gospel, but rather by Paul's gospel.
Just believe what you read.
Notice there are no tribes in the body of Christ.
No distinction is ever made in the church of the body of Christ.
The body of Christ is made up of the one new man, Jew and Gentile, without distinction.
Not so for Peter's audience.
There is a distinction.
Not so for the audience of James or John.
Just read.
You'll see a distinction.
But the church which is his body, the body of Christ's church that Paul reveals, this new creature is made up of both Jew and Gentile, with no elevated status, no elevated distinction, no preeminence.
And there is absolutely not even one tribe in it.
This evidence should be clear to a Bible believer.
Paul wrote in
(Ephesians 3:5),
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Those tangled up in what Trey Searcy of Truth Time Radio calls, twistianity, attempt to make Peter, James, and John the apostles being spoken of here.
They have failed to see that Paul had apostles under him who he referred to as fellow soldiers and fellow laborers.
(Philippians 2:25)
Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Paul was the first apostle in the Mystery Church, but he was not the only apostle.
(1 Thessalonians 2:6),
Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
Who are the apostles being spoken of in Ephesians chapter 3, Peter, James, and John?
No, Paul, Silvanus, Timothy, and there were others.
And that's referenced in
(1 Thessalonians 1:1),
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man is trying to join what God has separated.
Why won't they go with God's design?
(Genesis 1:1)
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, which tells us God needs a heavenly people and an earthly people to fill them up.
The one new man is not Jew only because the one new man recognizes no distinction.
The one new man is both Jew and Gentile in one body and is why Paul wrote, For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:13 referenced earlier.
Notice that is not the gospel of the kingdom that Christ revealed to the twelve for them to preach.
Their circumcision gospel was a gospel of distinction, about a future kingdom on earth that will take place during a millennial, a time that you and I will be citizens of heaven, praise God.
While the Matthew 5, meek, inherit the earth, we who are members of his body have our affection set on things above, not on things on the earth.
This is the circumcised, quote, "Israel of God," that Paul mentions four chapters later in Galatians chapter 6.
They're the meek that will inherit the earth.
Some have arrived at the conclusion that the twelve are in the body of Christ because of a verse in Romans chapter 16.
Later in verse 7 Paul wrote this, My kinsmen and my fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Because Paul wrote, "in Christ before me," they conclude that this means that they were members of the church which is his body.
But it doesn't say that.
Every believer from Genesis to Revelation would be considered in Christ, because Christ is the only way into salvation.
Always has been, always will be.
No, the body of Christ is a new creature, not prophesied.
You won't find it in prophecy.
It's a mystery body of believers, a mystery church made up of the one new man, Jew and Gentile, without distinction, and found nowhere in prophecy.
In the first century there were churches that had heard the gospel of the kingdom prior to Paul coming on the scene.
They were in Christ.
They were in Christ believers prior to Paul receiving his new dispensational instructions for the new creature, the church which is his body.
Therefore, there were two groups of believers at that time.
Paul knew this and tried to avoid creating mass confusion by NOT doing one thing.
You'll see that in
(Romans 15:20) where he wrote,
I strive to preach the gospel NOT where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation.
Paul was very careful not to tread on the groundwork of any of the twelve apostles.
Another question we must ask is, why would it matter?
Why would it matter if they were all preaching the same gospel?
Answer of course is, they were not.
What it comes down to is, all of mankind, all of humanity, belongs to one of two groups: They're either in Adam or in Christ.
Everyone ever saved in any dispensation is in Christ.
But not everyone is a member of the church which is his body.
There are those who are in Christ according to prophecy and there are those who are in Christ according to mystery.
Those that are in Christ according to the mystery are in the church, the body of Christ.
In your Bible, prophecy and mystery are not the same.
Prophecy, Acts 3:21, is words spoken, words spoken since the world began.
But mystery, Romans 16:25, is words kept secret, words kept secret since the world began.
Words that were spoken since the world began and words kept secret since the world began are not the same.
My prayer is that this study will prompt you to accept and rejoice in the fact that you are a new creature in Christ!
OK, that will do it for now.
Like the noble Bereans did with Paul’s messages, I urge you to search the scriptures to see if what I am teaching is true.
You can find that in Acts 17:10-11.
Also, prove all things.
1 Thessalonians 5:21.
And finally, please do not place confidence in what I say.
Psalm 118:8-9.
This is brother Scott with another Truth Time, Look in the Book!
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