Bible Answer For Confused church Bewilderment!:
1Co_14:8 "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall
prepare himself to the battle?"
Precious friends, for your prayerful And Careful consideration - please be
Richly Encouraged and Edified:
"
...CHAPTER VI The Messages of Moses and Paul Compared
WE NOW come to a comparison of the teachings of Moses and Paul and see how
much it is to our own advantage to understand and obey The Message of The
Glorified Lord To us through Paul, and how much we lose when we depart from
That Message or confuse it with messages meant for men of other dispensations.
THE LAW vs. GRACE
First, it should be clearly understood that "the law was given by Moses" (John_1:17)
while to Paul was committed "The Gospel of The Grace of God" (Acts_20:24). We can
almost hear some reader object that we have quoted only part of John_1:17; that it
goes on to say: "but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ," not by Paul.
A moment's reflection, however, will reveal the weakness of this objection. The
"law was given by Moses," to be sure, but not at the time of his birth, nor forty
years later, when he fled from Pharaoh, nor even forty years after that, when he
returned to deliver Israel. It was not until the Passover lamb had been slain and
Israel had crossed the Red Sea that Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the
law from the hands of God.
Just so "Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ," but not at the time of His birth,
nor later, during His earthly ministry, nor even when He died and rose again. It
was not until after His death, resurrection and ascension that Grace (consistent
with Truth) came by Jesus Christ [4] -- and He committed The Dispensation of
It To Paul.
This could not be stated more plainly than it is in Eph. 3:1-4:
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you
Gentiles, If ye have heard of THE DISPENSATION OF THE
GRACE OF GOD WHICH IS GIVEN ME TO YOU-WARD: How
that by Revelation He Made Known Unto me The Mystery;
(As I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read,
ye may understand my knowledge in The Mystery of Christ)."
As "the law was given by Moses," then, "The Gospel of The Grace of God"
Was Committed By The Glorified Lord To Paul, to dispense to us.
And what a difference!
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[4] Historically, as the law was given, historically, by Moses
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With Moses, strict obedience was commanded. We have seen this in his discourse
recorded in Deut. 4. Again and again he refers to "the word which I command you."
And blessing in the land will require consistent, continued obedience too or, he says:
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that
ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go
over Jordan to possess it" (Deut. 4:26).
How different is The Message of Grace! There salvation is offered as a free gift,
on the basis of The Finished Work of Christ (Rom. 3:25; 6:23) and those who
accept the offer and are thus saved, are in turn exhorted:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by The Mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).
How the apostle himself emphasizes the great contrast between the law with its
demands and penalties, and Grace With Its Abundant Provision Freely Bestowed
On those who will receive! We quote a few examples: As to the law, the apostle
says, by The Spirit:
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law: THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED, AND
ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD.
THEREFORE BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW THERE SHALL NO FLESH BE
JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT: FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN"
(Rom. 3:19,20).
"... THE LAW WORKETH WRATH" (Rom. 4:15).
"... THE LAW MADE NOTHING PERFECT" (Heb. 7:19).
He calls the law:
"... THE MINISTRATION OF DEATH" (II Cor. 3:7).
"... THE MINISTRATION OF CONDEMNATION" (II Cor. 3:9).
"... THE HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES THAT WAS AGAINST US"
(Col. 2:14).
And then he shows Grace as The Divine Complement of the law. What the
law Demanded, Grace Provides:
"Moreover THE LAW ENTERED, THAT THE OFFENCE MIGHT ABOUND.
BUT WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND"
(Rom. 5:20).
"... sin shall not have dominion over you: for YE ARE
NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE" (Rom. 6:14).
"FOR AS MANY AS ARE OF THE WORKS OF THE LAW ARE UNDER
THE CURSE: FOR IT IS WRITTEN, CURSED IS EVERYONE THAT
CONTINUETH NOT IN ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE
BOOK OF THE LAW TO DO THEM" (Gal. 3:10).
"CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW,
BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US" (Gal. 3:13).
"IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE
FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE"
(Eph. 1:7).
"THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHOW THE EXCEEDING
RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH
CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:7).
"AND GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU;
THAT YE, ALWAYS HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, MAY
ABOUND TO EVERY GOOD WORK" (II Cor. 9:8).
"FOR ALL THINGS ARE FOR YOUR SAKES, THAT THE ABUNDANT
GRACE MIGHT THROUGH THE THANKSGIVING OF MANY REDOUND
TO THE GLORY OF GOD" (II Cor. 4:15).
"I DO NOT FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD: FOR IF RIGHTEOUSNESS
COME BY THE LAW, THEN CHRIST IS DEAD [HAS DIED] IN VAIN"
(Gal. 2:21).
Mark well; This Dispensation of The Grace of God Was Committed to Paul By Christ
from His Glory in heaven. The Church, alas, has turned largely to the teachings of
Christ on earth for her program and has brought untold confusion and division into
her midst by her blunder. She has forgotten that Christ on earth was "made under
the law" (Gal. 4:4) and that He taught His disciples also to be subject to those who
sat "in Moses' seat" (Matt. 23:1-3).
Some suppose that this was changed after the resurrection, and so strive vainly
to carry out our Lord's "Great Commission" to the eleven. But even in this they
only bring confusion and division into their ranks, for the program of the "Great
Commission" differs widely from that later outlined for us By Christ in heaven
through the Apostle Paul.
Nowhere, in any of the records of our Lord's commission to the eleven do we read
anything of "The Dispensation of The Grace of God" or "The Gospel of The Grace
of God." Nowhere do we read of "the preaching of The Cross" (as Good News).
Nowhere is it revealed that now it is no longer necessary to observe Mosaic
statutes and ordinances.
On the contrary, the eleven were strictly enjoined by The Lord to teach those
to whom they were sent that they should "observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you" (Matt. 28:20) and the evidence from Acts is clear that under
their commission these apostles (now twelve, Acts 1:26) did observe the law
closely, as their Master Had Done before them and Had Commanded them to do.
It was not until Israel had again rejected Christ and His kingdom; until Saul
of Tarsus had led his nation in a flaming rebellion against Christ; until sin had
abounded indeed, that "Grace Did Much More Abound," as the rejected Lord
Reached Down from heaven to save His chief persecutor and Make of him the
great example of His Matchless Grace.
It is because this is so little understood that a bewildered Church has proclaimed
a confused "gospel" to a lost world. It is because of this that her "trumpet" has
given "an uncertain sound" and her members have not been aroused to
"prepare themselves to battle."...
" (CR Stam)
FULL study:
Moses And Paul
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GRACE And Peace...
