Yes, Mr. Searcy, I'm just calling in response to what I heard you tell people on the radio concerning the body of Christ being different than the Bride of Christ.
Well, okay, let me ask you this, though. Paul himself said that the body of Christ and the bride of Christ are one and the same, sir.
If not so, then please explain why he said that he has espoused us to one husband, if you look in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 2, and that he may present us as a what?
A chaste virgin of Christ.
Well, gee, that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?
Makes it pretty clear.
I rest my case, sir.
Okay, we've got more Truth Time coming up, and we'll address this listener question.
Paul feared that just as the serpent had beguiled Eve through his subtle ways, that the minds of the Corinthians had been corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
This is what's going on in denominational religion today.
They're hearing corrupted messages.
Now, these messages are filled with a lot of truth, but they're laced with lies.
And no matter how small the lie, it's still a lie.
2 Corinthians chapter 5.
Here, God was in Christ.
Where?
On the cross.
Reconciling the world unto himself.
That's all humanity.
Not imputing their trespasses unto them.
Every person's every sin was dealt with.
Not is being, but was dealt with.
And God himself has committed unto us, that's all who are saved, the word of reconciliation.
So it's our commission to tell it.
We must tell it in order for the lost to have a chance to believe it.
Now, if you're listening today and you've yet to get it, listen to me.
As the song just said, you're never gonna get it unless you move out of the way and allow the finished cross work of Christ to save you.
He's already died for your sins, so that part's completed.
He's already risen, so the grave has been defeated.
All that's left is faith.
You believing it.
You believing the gospel.
You're saved through faith and not of yourself.
Ephesians 2 verse 8.
When you finally realize that you're not as good as you thought you were, that you can't be good enough to save yourself, then and only then is when you can, by faith and not of yourself, be saved.
As 2 Corinthians 5:18 says, those of us who are saved have been given the ministry of reconciliation.
We've been commissioned to tell it.
To tell what?
To tell the world that's everyone from A to Z, not just who you consider to be good, but everyone from A to Z that God is no longer counting their sins against them.
And that's what we're here to do.
We're here to tell it.
Why do you think Christ told Paul to write down what he did in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 15?
There we're told that when we study it's going to take a little work, but it's mandatory that we rightly divide the word of truth.
I was having a conversation with a listener and I asked him, what does it mean to rightly divide the word of truth?
And he said to divide truth from lies.
Now, while this may be a rather common response, it's also an incorrect response.
Wrong answer.
To rightly divide the word of truth is to simply do just that.
Rightly divide truth from truth.
To rightly divide the word of truth is to separate, to divide, truth from truth.
Rightly divide the word of truth.
Now, what is the word of truth?
What is the word of truth that Paul speaks of in 2nd Timothy?
Well, some might say the Bible.
And while the Bible is words of truth, no doubt about that, that is not what Paul is talking about.
Let's let God, not man, but God define what the word of truth is that Paul is speaking of.
Isn't God good?
He's so perfect that He even defined the word of truth for us.
We need not go outside the Bible to find the definition.
Just compare scripture with scripture and amazingly enough, the Bible answers itself.
In Ephesians 1, verse 13, we find that answer.
No outside sources, no man-made opinionated commentaries, but the Bible all by itself.
Listen to the book.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Ah, there it is.
There is the answer we're looking for.
It's not on TBN, Daystar, or the Inspiration Network, but rather right here in scripture.
So, for those of us who rely on Bible evidence, we know that to rightly divide the word of truth means to rightly divide the gospel of our salvation.
That's what we just read.
Ephesians 1:13, After that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Our question is, what is the word of truth?
There's the answer, the gospel of your salvation.
God makes this stuff really simple for us.
If we'll only compare scripture with scripture, not preacher to preacher, not commentary to commentary, but scripture with scripture.
Something else that should be jumping off the page at us is, is that of necessity, there has to be more than one gospel.
If Paul wrote that, and I quote, the word of truth is the gospel of your salvation, and that we are to rightly divide the word of truth, then it only stands to reason that we are being instructed to rightly divide the gospel of our salvation.
So when we say rightly divide the word of truth, what we're saying is rightly divide the gospel of our salvation.
And if we're to rightly divide the gospel that saves us, then it doesn't take rocket science to conclude that there has to be, there has to be more than one, more than one gospel.
There has to be more than one gospel, or there would be nothing to divide.
Now, if you've studied scripture without trying to twist them, you've seen examples of this in several places.
You've seen, you know that there is more than one gospel.
You see, all of the Bible is truth, but it's just not all your truth to follow today.
Christ commissioned Paul to write down our instructions, our instructions for today, not the instructions for the Hebrews in time past, but information for us in what Flip Wilson used to call the church of what's happening now.
You see, all of the Bible was written for you, but not all of the Bible was written to or about you.
All of the Bible was written for your learning, Romans chapter 15:5.
But all the Bible does not have your doctrine, your instructions that you should follow.
You see, the Bible plainly says that Paul is your apostle, Romans 11:13, and that he was given, and I quote, New doctrine, Acts chapter 17:19.
If anyone ever accuses you of giving out new doctrine, you say, yep, that's exactly what I'm doing.
Well, it's actually a couple of thousand years old, but it's new to them.
For those of you who refuse to rightly divide the word of truth, let me ask you this.
What do you do with 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9 as compared to Romans chapter 1 verse 5?
You see, both of these verses are found in the New Testament section of your Bible.
And as we examine the evidence, I want to ask you this question.
Did Peter and Paul write down instructions to the same audience?
Did Peter and Paul write down instructions to the same audience?
Okay, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9.
Here, Peter says, ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation.
Now, compare that, compare what Peter said with what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1 verse 5.
Here, Paul says, By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name.
Now, you should train your ear to listen closely and hear the differences.
Did you catch it?
Peter told his audience they were a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, no S on the end, singular, nation.
But, in stark contrast, Paul, our apostle, says in Romans chapter 1 verse 5 that he received grace and apostleship among all nations, plural, more than one.
Peter wrote to, and I quote, holy nation.
Peter's holy nation that he's referring to is the nation, Israel.
However, Paul wrote to all nations, and that's not singular but plural, no longer exclusive to the nation Israel.
Peter never wrote down any instructions to the Gentiles, and as a matter of fact, and that's what we're dealing with here, facts, Peter told his audience to make sure and have honest conversations while among the Gentiles, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 12.
So just think about it for a moment.
If Peter wrote that the recipients of this letter should have honest conversations when they're around the Gentiles, logic would tell us that he did not write to the Gentiles.
No, he was writing to the nation Israel and telling them to have honest conversations while among the Gentiles.
You see, Peter wrote to the strangers of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, and this is clearly stated in the first verse of Peter's first letter.
It's no different than the first verse of the book of James.
James here clearly says that he also wrote to the 12 tribes of Israel, those tribes that had been scattered abroad.
You can read about that in the book of Acts, but some people choose to ignore this vital information.
Now, why did Peter refer to them as strangers?
Because these devout Jews that once dwelt at Jerusalem had now been scattered abroad following that persecution of Stephen that happened back there in Acts chapter 7.
And when they left, these devout Jews did not say, Hey, guys, let's go hunt some Gentiles.
No, just believe your Bible.
It's not that hard.
They left out of there faster than a grace believer at a water baptism ceremony, and I quote, Preaching the word to none but to the Jews only.
Acts chapter 11 verse 19.
Do you believe God's word?
There you go.
Just read it and believe it.
They were preaching to none but the Jews only as late as Acts chapter 11.
Why did they not preach to Gentiles?
Because God declared that to be the job of the Apostle Paul.
Romans 11:13, Galatians 2:8, 1 Timothy 2:7, and 2 Timothy 1:11.
The evidence is everywhere.
The evidence is right here in this book you claim to believe.
Just read it and believe it.
You like truth or tradition?
If it's the latter, you're at the wrong place.
Let's go to our listener question.
This gentleman claims that the bride of Christ and the body of Christ are one and the same.
He's joined what God has separated.
This sort of confusion comes from not rightly dividing the word of truth.
And he uses 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2 to try and prove it.
But that dog just won't hunt and I'll show you why.
The Bible is clear concerning the bride.
Take a look at Revelation chapter 21 and verse 2.
Here John, not Paul, but John says that he saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
So what is the bride?
Well, John just told us.
And I quote, the holy city, New Jerusalem.
And who is the bride for?
Well, in verse 9, John answers that as well.
Here he said, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
So if you're a Bible believer, the bride is the holy city, New Jerusalem, and is the Lamb's wife.
And if you're a Bible believer, you know from Revelation chapter 21 verse 12 that in this city there are 12 gates, and at the gates 12 angels.
And written on these 12 gates will be the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel.
Now, here's the problem.
You claim that you're the bride of Christ, but have absolutely no idea what the name of your tribe is.
That's interesting.
You claim to be the bride of Christ, but where are you going to go?
Which gate is yours?
Now, in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2, which is the verse you're using, Paul writes, For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Nothing here about the holy city, the New Jerusalem, which John plainly states is the bride.
No, here, Paul simply says, I am jealous over you.
Well, who's the you?
The church, the body of Christ.
How do we know that?
Well, that information is all throughout Paul's letters.
Now, think about it. What did we just read in Revelation chapter 21?
Nothing of the body of Christ.
No, the bride that John spoke of is, and I quote, The holy city, New Jerusalem.
A city, a city, not a body of believers.
And it's Jerusalem, singular, not the Gentile nations, plural.
The church, the body of Christ, is compiled of believers born out of every nation.
If you're reading the book of Revelation as if it were written to and about you, your premise is bound to be off.
You'll be left standing on some shaky foundation.
Are you a Bible believer or a tradition follower?
Do you want tradition or truth?
Truth says the bride is a city, not a person.
But tradition would have you to believe that you're the bride John is writing about.
Truth says John never wrote to you.
We know this because we can read, and in Galatians chapter 2, verse 9, Paul said that when he told James, Peter, and John about the dispensation of grace that Christ gave to him, they gave him and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship.
In other words, they agreed that Paul and Barnabas would take their faith plus nothing, gospel of the uncircumcision, to the Gentiles, while they, James, Peter, and John, would take their faith plus works, gospel of the circumcision, to the scattered Jewish tribes.
It was a different gospel to different people.
If you were back here, prior to your salvation, you would have been called a Gentile.
A Gentile in need of the gospel.
And a Gentile in need of the gospel is a Gentile in need of the letters of Paul.
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, appointed Paul to be the apostle of the Gentiles.
He gave him the same information that he gave the Jews, plus new revelations that were unsearchable, Ephesians chapter 3 verse 8, which means that you could search the scriptures for this information
day in and day out from now until you die, and never find it outside of the letters of Paul.
It's not there.
It's only in the 13 books of the apostle Paul, Romans through Philemon.
You see, neither James, Peter, or John wrote down your information, and the proof is in God's Word, not man's tradition.
In God's Word, we also find this, 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 1.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
And, in God's Word, we find this, James chapter 1, verse 1.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Now, when you read a letter, it might be important to pay attention to the greeting.
If not, you might be reading someone else's mail.
It's apparent to any Bible believer who these letters are addressed to.
Both Peter and James wrote to the Jewish tribes.
And as far as John, we just read in Galatians chapter 2 who he wrote to.
And in John chapter 4 verse 22, he says, Salvation is of the Jews.
This is real simple.
John wrote his letters to the circumcised religious Jews.
And if you're playing tag, guess what?
You're not it.
Now, back to the verse in question, 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2.
The verse simply means what it says, nothing more, nothing less.
It's Paul's desire to present not only these believers here at Corinth, but this applies to us today as well.
If you're saved, not religious, but saved, God through Paul calls you to step it up a notch.
Saved people should be growing daily in Christ.
It's the least we can do in response to being the recipients of the free gift of salvation.
Look quickly at Romans chapter 12 verse 1.
Paul here is beseeching each and every saved person to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.
Why?
Because it's our reasonable service.
It's the only reasonable thing to do.
Now, in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, it's evident Paul wanted them to not be double-minded, but rather single-minded in their love toward Christ.
To be faithful and devoted to him, pure in faith.
This was very important to Paul.
Let me tell you something about Paul.
He didn't like wasting time.
He did not want his labor to be in vain.
The Lord appointed Paul to be our apostle, not Peter, James, or John.
So as our apostle, he naturally felt a certain responsibility.
He was very much concerned with how well he's going to present the church to Christ when we all appear before him at the judgment seat.
Now, don't get it twisted, as many have done.
The judgment seat is not a place for lost people.
There will not be a lost person in sight.
The judgment seat of Christ is where saved people go.
Those that have trusted the gospel of Christ that was given to Paul.
That's why Paul calls it, and I quote, "My gospel."
Not once, not twice, but three times in the Bible.
He repeated it for us in case we didn't get it the first time.
And Paul's, quote, "My gospel," deals with the finished cross work of Christ.
And guess what?
It's Paul's gospel that you'll be judged by.
Romans 2:16 testifies to that.
Now, in verse 3 in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul says this, I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Verse 4, for if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which we have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, you might well bear with him.
That's what's going on today.
The preaching of another gospel.
One that Paul isn't preaching.
Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse16.
Paul here writes, Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Paul is not preaching that we should be following the doctrines, the instructions of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, back there when Christ walked on the earth in his flesh.
No, as he just stated, know we no man after the flesh.
Now, we have known Christ after the flesh, but not anymore.
You see, Paul is trying to get you to focus on the events that took place at the cross.
Paul says, I preach Christ and him crucified.
And not the doctrines that Christ gave to the lost sheep of the house of Israel during his earthly ministry, prior to the cross, Matthew chapter 10 verses 5 and 6, and Matthew chapter 15 verse 24.
Both testify to that.
No, that would be preaching another gospel.
Another gospel as opposed to Paul's, quote, "My gospel."
The preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery as seen in Romans chapter 16 verse 25.
So as we can clearly see, nowhere here in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 is Paul saying that the church which is his body is also his bride.
No, we're bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.
We are already joined to him.
He is our head.
Ephesians chapter 1 verse 22 and Colossians chapter 1 verse 18.
And we are his body.
We have no such need for a future marriage ceremony where we can be joined to someone that we're already joined to.
However, Israel does.
God divorced them.
And you can read more about it in Isaiah chapter 50 verse 1 and Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 8.
So the case that the listener said he has rested might just need to be reopened.
I'm Trey Searcy, and now, you know the truth.
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