This is Jake Cohen from Keatsville, Missouri.
I just wanted to tell you thank you for all that you're doing and truly, like Paul, the scales have fallen from my eyes.
Praise God and I thank you for your ministry.
God bless.
Praising him today with a heart of thanksgiving, and so thankful that he stopped imputing sins to the world.
Some will say, How can that be?
Because Christ shed his blood and died for them all.
In 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1, Paul wrote, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
So, it's evident that Paul had already preached the gospel to them.
And they were standing in that.
What were they standing in?
Verse 3, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,
What did you receive, Paul?
How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Amazing.
They were standing firm, they were stable in this good news, the gospel.
Now, let's go to Paul's second letter.
His second letter to those there at Corinth.
The city of Corinth is located in Greece.
It was a wealthy seaport city in Paul's day.
May still be.
Some referred to it as a great communication hub.
A great place to trade as well.
Okay.
2 Corinthians 5 verse 15, verse 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.
Verse 16, Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now *timeline* henceforth know we him no more.
Right here, now pay close, right here is a vital piece of information that is generally overlooked by most.
In the Bible, you'll see, a Bible student will notice that Christ is taught according to prophecy, and he is also taught according to mystery.
When we come to our Bible, we got to choose between the past teachings of Christ, and the present teachings of Christ, but never forget that it's all the teachings of Christ.
It's not Christ versus Paul.
It's Christ versus Christ.
Get this.
Think of Paul's words here.
We "have."
We "have" known Christ after the flesh, yet now, henceforth know we him no more.
We see here a distinction.
Yes, we do.
We see Christ during his earthly ministry, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and we see Christ as he appeared to Paul in Acts 9 from heaven, not earth.
That's a diametrically opposing position.
Some say we make too much of Paul.
We make no more of him than God does.
It was God who called Paul the apostle of the Gentiles, not us.
It is God that gave him the apostolic commission, commissioned by the risen Christ to spread the gospel of the grace of God, not us.
It was God that shut down the twelves' commission to take the gospel of the kingdom to all the world.
Yeah, he shut it down, and did so in Galatians chapter 2.
The teachings Paul wrote down, the teachings he penned, hey, they're just the teachings of Christ, not Paul.
In Galatians chapter 1, Paul wrote,
Verse 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
(Verse 11) But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
(Verse 12) For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
There's our risen Savior right there, not Jesus in his earthly ministry, Jesus from his heavenly position as he appeared to Paul.
Paul was a new apostle who was called out and separated from the kingdom 12.
Romans chapter 1, Romans chapter 1.
Romans chapter 1 verse 1, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle, separated, *there it is* separated unto the gospel of God.
See, his ministry was distinct, he was separated and given the dispensation of the grace of God.
Ephesians chapter 3, Ephesians chapter 3 verse 1, For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
(Verse 2) If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
(Verse 3) How that by revelation,...
Ah there it is, there's Acts 9 and all the subsequent meetings Paul had with Christ.
Keep reading, He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
(Verse 4) Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
See that?
My knowledge.
Paul said what about what, three times?
He said, My gospel.
My gospel.
Paul's, My gospel, contained Paul's, My knowledge, his knowledge in the mystery of Christ.
Oh, that's a difference-maker right there is it not?
The mystery knowledge that is, that is only found in the writings of our apostle, our personal apostle.
He's the only apostle commissioned to us, he's the only apostle commissioned to testify the gospel of the grace of God, Acts 20:24.
Now, here in Acts 20, we mentioned 24, but let's look at 21.
Here he wrote, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance *that's a change of mind* toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Change your mind from the idol worshipping, and place your faith, rest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were to repent, change their mind concerning God, and put their faith in him in Christ, a new apostle was on the scene and he had a new gospel.
His gospel wasn't about law keeping, but rather about verse 24, The ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, *What ministry Paul?*
To testify the gospel of the grace of God.
The gospel of the grace of God is not the law of Moses.
The gospel of the grace of God is not the red letters of Jesus.
There to the man in Matthew chapter 19, you remember that, who came to him and said, Good master, what good thing shall I do?
What good thing do I need to do that I may have eternal life?
That's not the gospel of the grace of God.
That's according to the dispensing of law that was going on back there.
Well, how do you know that Trey, because of how he answered this man.
He said, Jesus said, If thou will enter into life, keep the commandments.
The commandments concern the law and not the gospel of the grace of God that Paul said he testified of.
Think about it, think about this.
Jesus said two different things about the same thing.
Yes, he did.
The question was asked, Good Master, what do I need to do to have eternal life?
And Jesus said, Keep the commandments.
Then, in Acts chapter 16, the same question came up.
Over there, it's asked by the keeper of the jail.
He came up to Paul and Silas and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
But the answer has now changed.
He said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Same question, two different answers.
Different things about the same thing.
And remember, Jesus taught Paul, Galatians 1:11.
So, Jesus taught two opposing things about the same thing.
Had he gone mad or something?
Of course not.
If two opposing things about the same thing were being taught at the same time, Jesus would have been breaking the law of non-contradiction, but they were not being taught at the same time.
Are you seeing this?
Are you seeing why we must, it's an absolute necessity that we rightly divide the word of truth?
Don't let yourself be bamboozled by those who wrongly divide.
When seeking out a teacher, just make sure they're following the instruction to rightly divide.
When you find one, you should Philippians 3:17, Mark them for an ensample.
But for those who wrongly divide, mark and avoid them, Romans chapter 16.
Speaking of Romans, Paul was sent to testify the gospel of the grace of God, right?
Not the law, the gospel of the grace of God.
He will tell us over there, Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you're not under the law, but under grace.
And in case we missed it, he repeats it again in the next chapter by saying, Romans chapter 70 says, Were delivered from the law.
So the law that Jesus taught the disciples and said he himself came to fulfill is the very law, the same law that Paul later says we're not under and we've been delivered from.
Rightly dividing the word of truth is amazing.
Clears away all those spiritual cobwebs, right?
Guys, this isn't rocket surgery, it just takes you believing your Bible.
You can do it without going to cemetery school, you can do it without having a degree on your wall.
Listen, when we're ready to face the scriptures head on, we quickly come to realize that the previous gospel, the gospel of the kingdom, was different than the present gospel of the grace of God.
If you're an ambassador for Christ out here spreading the word of reconciliation, you're going to encounter those who refuse to see these differences.
But a truth seeker, hey, a truth seeker will be open to what saith the scripture?
Someone sincerely seeking truth will have their understanding open when you present them with these verses, verses like this:
1 Corinthians 9:16, For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
(Verse 17) For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, *and here it is* a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
This is the words of your apostle.
A dispensation of the gospel was committed unto Paul.
See, this dispensation of the gospel is what's unfolding today inside this parenthetical, this parentheses, during a parenthetical, but now time period when the gospel is no longer about a King coming to his own and them receiving him not.
This present day parenthetical, but now gospel is not about Jesus going about healing all manner of diseases.
Our present day good news is not about Peter standing up and saying, Ye men of Israel hear these words.
We're not the, Ye men of Israel.
Before being placed in the body of Christ we were called Gentiles.
And in this present day it's all about the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of the grace of God, amen?
The gospel of the kingdom was getting your sins forgiven, keeping short accounts with God by confessing sins and asking for forgiveness, by water baptism, circumcision, law keeping, all these types of things were necessary as a part of Israel's faith plus performance program.
To do, to do, to do they had a big old to do list all being done and having to keep up with while enduring unto the end to be saved.
That was the good news of the Kingdom, but as you can see, that's not good news as far as we're concerned.
Having to do, do, do is simply not the salvation gospel Paul preached.
As you've heard us say many times, There's some doing involved for us today, but we don't do to be saved, we do because we are saved.
Not true in time past under the kingdom economy.
Paul was a new apostle given a new gospel and this Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God is works free, performance free, law free, physical circumcision free, obtaining favor free.
No more striving, it's striving for forgiveness free.
Tithing free, speaking with other tongues free.
This gospel given to Paul is free from all these things that were operating during the previous time period, operating under the gospel of the kingdom.
Jesus came unto his own, but his own received him not.
They rejected him, so he opened the door so that all nations, and not just Israel, and not all nations having to come through Israel, but he opened it up to all nation and laid out some new instructions, gave us a new apostle with a new gospel.
And the only way to be saved today is by trusting Christ for your eternal salvation, and by believing what Paul wrote down concerning him.
How that God stopped imputing sins to the world because of the death, burial, and resurrection.
Is there something we must do to be saved?
Absolutely.
We must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
There's something we do, but it doesn't involve our flesh.
Is baptism involved in our salvation?
You better know it, but it's Spirit baptism, not water.
No flesh, 1 Corinthians 12:13.
Is circumcision involved in our salvation?
Amen, amen.
But again, it's Spirit circumcision, not fleshly.
Colossians 2:11 and 12.
This is great news.
I mean, when you think about your salvation today, just think faith.
Faith not flesh.
If you allow your flesh to be involved, to them that do works is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt.
But Paul goes on to give you the solution next verse, he says,
(Romans 4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith *his faith* is counted for righteousness.
(Ephesians 2:8-9) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
This and this alone is our present day avenue to eternal salvation, which opposes the previous way of inheriting eternal life.
If any one of us would have walked up to any of those 12 back there and told them what Paul tells us, how that we're quickened together with him and he's forgiven us all trespasses, they would have thought we were nuts.
Hey, Peter, haven't you heard?
He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us and contrary to us and he took it out of the way and nailed it to the cross.
Oh, Peter might have gone postal right there in downtown Galilee.
He wouldn't be having that, no way.
Today, it's like this: You first hear the gospel, the gospel of your salvation, and next you believe the gospel of your salvation, and then allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
Ephesians 1:13, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
That was never the sequence of events, according to the gospel of the kingdom.
They would tell them that.
Go back there and tell them that.
They would look at you like you are crazy.
But it's certainly outstanding news for those of us under grace.
In verse 14, I love it, it says, Which is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
My, my, today, faith, guys, faith, not works.
And I'm talking about for salvation.
We do work.
If we'll get ourselves out of the way and rest in this finished work of Jesus on the cross and him resurrecting to give us new life, get ourselves out of the way.
We actually don't do the work.
He's working through us.
The, the word of God goes to work effectually in and through us that believe.
Don't be like those foolish Galatians and fall back into a works program.
Just keep it trucking.
Keep it moving.
Moving ahead, pressing toward the mark and preaching this gospel of Christ that Paul was not ashamed of, and neither should we be.
Anyone saying that you need to be a water baptized as part of your salvation doesn't understand the dispensation of the gospel that was committed to Paul.
Anyone saying you must keep short sin accounts with God, they don't understand the dispensation of the gospel that was committed to Paul.
Anyone saying you've got to keep the law, they don't understand the dispensation of the gospel committed to Paul.
Anyone telling you that sins are still being imputed today, they don't understand the dispensation of the gospel committed to Paul.
Paul unequivocally declares that sins are not what stands between us and our eternal destiny.
What determines that is that we by grace through faith receive his righteousness.
Have you done that?
Have you by grace through faith received his justification?
Your eternal destiny depends on you having believed that he has risen and by doing so, you too will be raised to new life in him.
The Bible cannot be any more clear.
Paul's gospel was different.
We read it earlier, Galatians 1:11, But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
(Verse 12) For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
On the subject of forgiveness there in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus said, If you don't forgive others, neither will my father forgive you.
But Paul tells us over here on this side of the cross under this present economy that the reason we forgive is not to be forgiven, but because we already are.
These two statements diametrically oppose one another, and that's okay.
Why?
Because they're not instructive data for the same audience.
But both are instructions from Christ.
One under the law of dispensation, one under the dispensation of grace.
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken, or cease to be honest.
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