Romans by the Book (Lesson 4)

Home Bible Study- Lutz, Florida

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

(2 Timothy 2:15)

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4

Romans by the Book

Lesson 4

Before we continue I want you to know that I teach the Bible using the entire book. 

I do this by comparing Scripture with Scripture.  I do not “lift” a single verse or two from the Bible and then use that to build a doctrine.  Some do.

This is why you’ll see us leaving the book of Romans and visiting other books in the bible as time goes on and as the need arises. 

I will use as many Bible verses as I think necessary to demonstrate what the book is saying in regard to our subject material and in some cases what the Bible is NOT saying.

And this is Biblical.  The Apostle Paul writes this to us Believes,

1 Corinthians 2

12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  (KJV)

God the Holy Spirit also led the Apostle Paul to write this for us,

2 Timothy 3

16: All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

17: so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

One of the most frequent problems I encounter is that when people read their Bibles they are unable to discern the difference between Jesus Christ’s ministry to the Jews, under the Law, based upon the covenant promises, and the Lord Jesus Christ’s dispensation of grace toward both Jew and Gentile based upon faith in the gospel alone.

Romans 15

8: For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision (the Jews – gentiles were called the “uncircumcised”) on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers.

Who were the fathers?

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the fathers of the Jewish nation.

These three men received the covenant promises from the Creator God (Jehovah) which Jesus Christ came to fulfill during His earthly ministry (see Genesis 12; 15). 

One cannot teach Scripture accurately by taking Scriptures which were written to the nation of Israel and applying them to the church, or vice-versa.  

Just as it's wrong today to stone a man for gathering sticks on the Sabbath (see Numbers 15:32-36), it is also wrong to take the Lord's instructions for Israel and apply them to the church today. 

This does not mean you toss out any portion of your Bible!  Read that again.

What I do mean to say is this.

Not everything that is written in the Bible is written to us or for us Gentiles at this present time.  However, what has been written is there for our “learning.”

It is possible for someone to make the Bible say pretty much anything you want it to say.  I’ve told my classes this on many an occasion over the years, so be alert.

You, the Bible reader, must be able to discern the Truth. 

You must learn to separate those things that were written to the Jew, under the Law, in keeping with the covenant promises,  from the “mysteries” that were kept hidden in the mind of God before the age began that now pertain to you and me in the Age of Grace. 

You must learn to “Rightly Divide the Word of Truth.”  (2 Timothy 2:15) (KJV)

Paul’s Stewardship

Ephesians

3

1: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2: if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; (only Paul received these revelations from the risen Lord Jesus Christ and only Paul was given this stewardship of grace; so when Paul writes you are reading the words of Jesus Christ!  No other apostles received these revelations.) 

3: that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.

4: By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,

5: which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

6: to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

7: of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.

8: To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

9: and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;

These verses are plainly written.  Paul’s message is quite clear.

The Lord Jesus Christ has chosen to reveal a “dispensational” change a.k.a. a “Divine Ordering” or management of affairs and events in the world. 

This has happened frequently throughout creation’s history.  The first event occurred in the Garden of Eden after Adam’s sin.  Adam’s act of disobedience prompted a “dispensational” change in the way the LORD God managed the affairs of mankind. 

And so on it goes down the timeline of history…

The thing that trips people up time and time again is their “mixing” Jesus’ teachings under the Law with the revelations Jesus Christ revealed to the Apostle Paul some ten years after the Lord Jesus Christ’s Ascension and you can’t do that.  It doesn’t work. 

It wasn’t meant to. 

You won’t find any mention of the Body of Christ, or being saved by faith alone apart from keeping the Law of Moses anywhere in the four gospels.  These topics and many more like them are not in there.  But people put them in there all the time.

But here’s the Truth!  The teachings of the Age of Grace are unique to the Apostle Paul and his letters are Scripture (see 2 Peter 3:14-17).

Think this through before you neglect or discard his writings.

This is why some people believe there are “contradictions” in the Bible.

There are no contradictions in Scripture. 

There is only a failure to rightly divide it.

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GJ Heitzman’s Ministry

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