Author crandallgl

Testimony

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It has been said before by others that History is literally “His Story.” The whole Bible is about our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. It is about what Christ came to do both in relation to the nation of Israel and with us the Church, the Body of Christ. Our responsibility as God’s saints is, of course, to share the testimony of Christ. Of course, before we were able to share it, we first had to believe it.

First, let’s began our study in Psalm 132:12. God is speaking to the nation of Israel. “If thy children [Israel] will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.” God had told the Israelites that they had to do two things. That is, they had to keep His covenant and His testimony. Similarly, in Isaiah 8:20 it says, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” The covenant/law is the law of Moses and His testimony would be in relation to the new covenant. Specifically, it refers to the one whom the Father would send to them to minister to them the new covenant.

The rest of Psalm 132, starting in verse one, refers to the promise that God made with David. “LORD, remember David.” Verse 10 says, “For my servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.” We’re reminded in verse 11 that the LORD had “sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it.” God had promised to David that through his seed the promised Messiah would come and reign as King on his throne. God will keep His promises. “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Rom. 4:21). By the hand of Moses God gave Israel the law. By the hand of Christ God will make a new covenant with them. Repentance and baptism was what they had to do, if they broke God’s law. When Jesus came, they then had to also believe that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

John the Baptist and the twelve Apostles all testified of Christ. They all preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Mt. 3:2; 10:7). John the Baptist was the prophet that was prophesied to come prepare the way for the Lord (Mt. 3:3). Since they spoke according to this word, there was therefore light in them. The scribes and Pharisees (religious leaders), on the other hand, walked in darkness because they believed not (Is. 8:20; John 3:19,36; 1 John 1:5-7). It would be a testimony against any person that believed not the words of the disciples’ concerning Jesus Christ (Mt. 10:18; Mk. 6:11).

In John chapter five, Christ speaks of a greater witness than that of man. It speaks of the works, the Father, and the Scriptures. Therefore, it is also speaking of the Son, the Father, and the Holy Ghost. John 5:36 says, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” The works that Christ did, bore witness of Him that He is the one that the Father sent to them. After healing the leper in Matthew 8:4, He says to the person to tell no man, but to instead go their way, show themself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded. That gift would be a testimony to the priest. By doing these miracles, He proved that He is the Son of God. John 5:37 says “And the Father himself, which has sent me, hath borne witness of me.” God the Father bears witness that Jesus is the Son of God (John 8:12-18). He said of Christ that “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17). Then in verse 39 it says “Search the scriptures…and they are they which testify of me.” The Holy Ghost is the author of the scriptures.

Then we get to the Apostle Paul. Jesus Christ our Lord was last seen by Paul (1 Cor. 15:8). The Apostle Paul was “determined not to know any thing among you, save [except] Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). Why? Because the preaching of the cross is the power of God unto every one that believes it (1 Cor. 1:18; Rom. 1:16). He was given a new direct revelation from Christ Himself (Gal. 1:1,11-12; Rom. 16:25-26; Eph. 3:1-9). That is, the truth of the one Body or the one New Man (Eph. 2:15; 1 Cor. 12-13). When we believe that Jesus Christ our Lord died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day for our justification, then we become joined to Christ’s own body. We are made one with Christ.

Christ’s testimony is this. Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Both man and God Himself have testified that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus Christ our Lord came into this world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). The gospel of Christ, or the gospel of the grace of God is the power of God unto everyone that believes it. We are not saved by our own good works. “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” (Eph. 2:8-9). The work is finished. The law has been nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14). The law was added because of transgressions until the promised seed should come (Gal. 3:19). The law was to bring us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). According to Romans 3:28, we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Christ died on the cross for all of our sins. He took them away by the sacrifice of Himself. He buried them out of His sight forever. And he rose again from the dead. And He has ascended up far above all heavens, and is at the right hand of the Father. He did all of that, so that we can have eternal life in Him. All we have to do is just believe. The power is of God.

Once we believe the gospel, our faith is counted for righteousness (Rom. 4:5). We have eternal life (Rom. 6:23); and, we are accepted in the Beloved One (Eph. 1:6). We are crucified, buried, and risen with Christ (Col. 2:11-13; Rom. 6:3-4). We are quickened, risen, and seated together with Him (Eph. 2:5-6). We are baptized by one Spirit into one Body (1 Cor. 12:13). Therefore, we are also complete in Him (Col. 2:10).

Therefore, now that we are saved we are His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). We’ve been committed the word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19) to take to the world. We need not to be ashamed of this message. Paul tells us not to be ashamed of the “testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Tim. 1:8). We have a two fold commission. That is, we are to preach the cross and make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery. God is the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3) and is with us all the time. Our sufficiency is of God (2 Cor. 3:5). “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). We are to be examples to all believers “in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” so that we edify one another and save each other from the false doctrine going around in the world today. As we study God’s word and believe it, we’ll be able to access into the that grace in which we stand (Rom. 5:2). That way God’s grace may abound towards us that we may abound to every good work (2 Cor. 9:8). And so that Christ will be magnified in our bodies, whether by life or by death (Phil. 1:20). Preach the Cross!

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 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.“

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

Acts 16:31

“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!“

Romans 10:15

Victory in Christ

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“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)“

Ephesians 4:7-10

There is a victory for Israel. There is a victory for the Church, the Body of Christ. Israel’s victory is still yet future. Whereas, our victory is right now in the Dispensation of Grace. Paul quotes from Psalm 68 here in Ephesians 4:8. He does so to talk about the victory and the gifts that God gives to us as a result of Jesus Christ our Lord ascending up far above all heavens and obtaining that victory over sin and death.

But first, let’s go to Psalm 68 to see Israel’s victory. Psalm 68 is, like many other passages of Scripture, about Israel being delivered from her enemies. God is the one going to do the delivering of the nation. Ps 68:1 says, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.” Verse two continues to say that His enemies will be driven away, and will perish at the presence of God. “But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice” (68:3). God is going to “bring out those which are bound in chains” (68:4) (Compare Ps 107:1-14; 146:7; Acts 12:7-10). He will bring the nation of Israel out of captivity. The Kings (of the world) at the end of Tribulation will “flee apace” (68:12). Then we get to verse 18, where it says, “Thou [speaking of God] has ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.” He is the God of their salvation (68:19-22). The chapter ends with saying “O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people, Blessed be God.” God will save the people of Israel when He comes back at the end of the Tribulation. They will have victory in the end.

“But thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.“

1 Corinthians 15:57

But, what about us today? Jesus Christ our Lord has obtained victory for us apart from the law. His righteousness has been revealed without the law, and therefore, we conclude that a man is justified without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:21-28). Israel has been concluded in unbelief, so that He might have mercy upon all (Rom. 11:32). Whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ that He died for them, was buried, and rose again the third day shall be saved. It doesn’t matter whether we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, bond or free (Gal. 3:28). Salvation isn’t just of the Jews anymore in this current dispensation. The Lord Jesus Christ first descended into the lower parts of the earth by dying on the cross for our sins, and then he ascended up far above all heavens, so that we might be joined to His own Body and have victory through Him. This victory is offered to all and given to anyone who believes. Colossians 2:15 says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 says, “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God wants us to know of this victory, and rejoice in it! It is God’s will that every man be presented as perfect in Christ Jesus (Col. 1:28; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). We are to know of our completeness in Him as members of His Body. That we are circumcised (without human hands), baptized (spiritual, not water), and risen with Christ (Col. 2:9-13; Rom. 6:3-4). We are quickened (made alive) with Him, risen with Him, and seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:5-6). Since we have this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, God then “gives gifts unto men.”

Now, back in Ephesians 4:7 it says, “But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” 1) Every saint is given grace. 2) It’s according the measure of the gift of Christ. 3) We are given grace “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12-13).

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.“

Ephesians 4:7

First, “But to every one of us is given grace.” The first six verses of Ephesians 4 goes into the unity of the Spirit. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. But grace is given to each and every member of that one Body. This fits with 1st Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says that there are “diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit…differences of administrations, but the same Lord…diversities of operations, but is the same God which worketh all in all.” Then the chapter continues to say “For as the body is one, and hath many members…” (1 Cor. 12:12). Romans 12:4 says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office.” Each member may have its own office, gift, function, etc., but we are all still one together in Christ.

“…according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:7b

Second, the grace that is given to us is “according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” The Father has given His Son all things. What Christ has, we also have. Romans 8:17 says of us, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” As God’s saints, we are His heirs. Therefore, joint-heirs with Christ. It is Christ who is the actual heir of God. For Christ is the Father’s only Begotten Son. He is the Son of God. But, because we are joined to Christ’s body and members of Him, therefore, we are made heirs too. Then, in Romans 8:32 it says, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?” God delivered up His Son to die on the cross for us, who is the same one that has ascended up far above all heavens. The God who has done that for us, “how shall He not [also] with Him [with Christ] freely give us all things?” We learn that God’s grace abounds in this current Dispensation. That’s why it’s called the Dispensation of the Grace of God (Eph. 3:2). God is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). Romans 5:15 says “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20b). Grace reigns in this Dispensation (Rom. 5:21). Then, in 2nd Corinthians 9:8 it says, “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.” God’s grace is abundant. It was won by our Lord Jesus Christ when He ascended up far above all heavens. And now, He is able to abound all His grace towards each one of us, so that we may abound to every good work. God’s grace, all of it, is available to each one of us.

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.“

Ephesians 4:12

Third, the grace given to us is for the purpose of perfecting the saints. It’s not for our own benefit. We are to profit one another. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal” (1 Cor. 12:7). We are to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28). “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We are many members, and yet we are one Body. As the expression goes, “we’re only as strong as our weakest link.” It’s God’s will for all of us to grow in Christ, to grow in His grace. So that we would all come in the unity of the faith. So that none of us are “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine”, that the world tries to teach us (Eph. 4:14).

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.“

Romans 5:2

All of God’s grace is available to us. We just need to learn to access it. How do we do that? By faith (saved by grace through faith, Eph. 2:8-9). How do get faith? By hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). That is, by studying the Word of Truth, rightly divided (2 Tim. 2:15). Our standing is in the grace of God. We are saved by His grace, and we access into that grace wherein we stand by faith. As we study God’s Word, and believe it, then can we access God’s grace. God has given us a “more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). The sign gifts that were given out to individuals in the early days of the Church have ceased. We now have the completed Word of God (Col. 1:25). The gift(s) that remains is the grace of God. It is His grace that abounds towards us. And of course, faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13)! 2nd Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” As we grow in His grace, we learn to glory in our tribulations/infirmities, which produces in us patience, which produces experience, and which produces hope (Rom. 5:3-5). Just remember that our hope is in the one that rose again from the dead and has ascended up far above all heavens!

This is our commission for today. To preach the cross and make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (1 Cor. 1:18; Eph. 3:9). It is God’s will that we present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. We are to explain to people the completeness that we have as His saints as members of the Body of Christ. We are all to continue to grow in Christ, to become mature saints, so that we “all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Praise ye the Lord! We have victory through Him.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved! Believe that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. And you will then have victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Day of Salvation

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“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)“

2 Corinthians 6:2

There is a day of salvation for Israel and there is a day of salvation for the Body of Christ. Last week, we talked about the old and new covenant (see Prophecy Overview). The new covenant is Israel’s salvation. Israel broke the first covenant, and they would need a new covenant to be made with them where they could achieve eternal life. Christ came the first time to die on the cross for their sins and the sins of the whole world. The second time that He will come (He hasn’t come back yet), He will come to save Israel from her enemies, bring her out of the fire and into the Kingdom. That will be Israel’s day of salvation. Our day of salvation, on the other hand, is happening right now in the current Dispensation, the Dispensation of the Grace of God.

First, let’s go to Isaiah 49 to understand why Paul uses the quotation that we find in verse two. Isaiah 49:8 says, “Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will perserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.” God has heard His people Israel and has helped them. God will in the person of His Son, the King of Israel, come back and make a new covenant with them to establish the earth. God had promised Abraham that he would inherit the land/the earth (Gen. 12; Mt. 5:5). Earlier in Isaiah 44:2, Jacob is said to be God’s servant and Jesurun (Israel in their uprightness/righteousness, or redeemed Israel) is God’s chosen. Then, Isaiah 45:4, Israel is called God’s elect. (Election has to do with being chosen to service, not chosen to be saved.) In 49:6, it says “And he said, it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Over and over again, we see that Israel was and is to be a light unto the world. They are to be God’s salvation unto the end of the earth. They are to be the channel/vessel in which God uses to bring salvation to the world. And the LORD would help them to do that (being a light to the world) by making a new covenant with them, where He would put the law in their inward parts and give them a new spirit to cause them to walk in His statutes (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:26-27)

So, how does this apply to us? How does Paul use this verse in 2 Corinthians? Just how God will help Israel to be that light unto the world during the Kingdom, He helps us during this Dispensation of Grace to preach the message of reconciliation for today. We have been “committed the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19). And therefore, we are the ambassadors of Christ (5:20). Therefore, Paul starts chapter six with “we then are workers together with him [Christ].” We are to preach the gospel of Christ to the world, to both Jew and Gentile, and everyone that simply believes will be saved. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it [the gospel] is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). Instead of Israel being that chosen vessel to bring a message of salvation to the world, the members of the Body of Christ are chosen as His ambassadors. We are literally workers together with Him, because we belong to His Body. We have been entrusted with the glorious gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim. 1:11), the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24), as God’s servants for Jesus’ sake to bring the word of reconciliation to those who are lost.

“According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.“

1 Timothy 1:11

Why was Paul saved? According to Acts 26:18, it was “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” In Colossians 1:12-13, we read that God has made us “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” and has “translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 says “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” God has concluded all in unbelief, so that He might have mercy upon all. Paul is a pattern to all those who will believe on Christ as their Savior. Today, we are saved by grace through faith and it is not of ourselves. We are saved by God’s mercy and grace. Paul was made a minister, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to preach the man Christ Jesus as the one mediator between God and men, and that He came into this world to save sinners like you and me (1 Tim. 1:15; 2:5). He came preaching Jesus Christ, so that we might obtain salvation by Him.

“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 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; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.“

Ephesians 2:14-16

How fitting is it that the Body of Christ should be that chosen vessel to bring the message of reconciliation! For the Body is that message. God today is reconciling both Jews and Gentiles into one Body. And He did it by the cross. Christ died on the cross for all of our sins, whether you are Jew or Gentile, male or female, bond or free. We are all sinners. Christ came to save all of us. Those of us who will simply believe on Him will be joined to Him. Salvation isn’t just for the Jews in this Dispensation. Salvation is offered unto all by the grace of God! God isn’t imputing the world’s trespasses unto them. “Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39). If we believe that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, then we will be justified. And we become members of His own Body. As members of His Body, God has chosen us in His Son “to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). “For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9). He has saved us from the Lake of Fire, but also that prophesied day of wrath called the Tribulation.

“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.“

1 Thessalonians 1:10

The wrath to come is the Tribulation, the day of the Lord, the day of vengeance of our God. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God (Isa. 61:1-2). In Luke 4, Jesus Christ stood up in the synagogue and read from this passage in Isaiah, but He stopped short. He only read the acceptable year of the Lord and He said that was fulfilled in their ears. The day of vengeance is still to come. In Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, Peter says “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days.” It goes on to say that the Spirit will be poured upon them and they will dream dreams, prophesy, and see visions. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. However, verses 19-20 have not been fulfilled yet. The signs in heaven and earth have not happened yet. But what we learn is that the last days were beginning. So, the next thing on the prophetic timeline was to be the Tribulation. The next thing was that day of the Lord. Zephaniah 1:14-15 says “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” But Paul wrote in 1st Thessalonians that we wait for His Son, which has delivered us from the wrath to come. God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9).

God interrupted the prophetic timeline in order to usher in a day of grace, a day of salvation. Instead of continuing on with the day of wrath, He decided to postpone that day. He decided and He planned to do this from before the foundation of the world to send His Son to make in Himself one new man, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:4; 2:15). It was kept a secret, but now God had made it known to the Apostle Paul (Rom. 16:25-26; Eph. 3:9). He planned to reconcile both Jew and Gentile, whomsoever would believe, into one Body by the cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). He died on the cross for our sins, buried our sins away forever, and rose again from the dead for our justification. He did that for us, so that we may be identified with Him. That is, with His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4). He died and rose again, so that we also may be resurrected with Him. He did that for us, so that we may obtain salvation by Him.

In conclusion, the Dispensation of the Grace of God right now is the day of salvation. It is the accepted time for us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. God has committed to Paul’s trust, and therefore, our trust as well the glorious gospel of Christ. That is, that Christ came into this world to save sinners. He came and died for our sins at the cross, was buried, and rose again the third day. He sent the Apostle Paul with this gospel, the word of reconciliation, in order to open our eyes and to turn us from darkness to light. It is the gospel of Christ that does that. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). Those of us who have believed this gospel, God has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. He has made us members of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-13). He has reconciled all believers together in one Body by the cross. Therefore, all believers are workers together with Him. But, it’s of course our job to “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery” (Eph. 3:9), so that we would all know that we are all a part of this one Body. We are justified by His grace. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ. Therefore, He has delivered us from the wrath to come. He has delivered us from that day of wrath. Thanks be unto God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ for saving us.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.“

Acts 16:31

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 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.“

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Prophecy Overview

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Prophecy can be broken down into two main components. That is, the Old Covenant (or Testament) and the New Covenant (or Testament). The old starting at Exodus 19 with the giving of the law; and, the new starting with the death of Christ. It can also be divided between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. Yet another way is to divide it between the “acceptable year of the Lord” and the “day of vengeance of our God.” But, that’s not all! I’ll give you one more way. There is the teachings of Moses and the teachings of Christ.

“For the law was given by Moses,…“

John 1:17a

The old covenant is also called the law of Moses (or Mosaic Covenant). In Exodus 19, God gives to Moses the law to give to the people of Israel. He says in Exodus 19:5-6, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” Then, in verse 8 the people said they would do all that the LORD had spoken. God entered into a covenant relationship with Israel, and it was a conditional one. If Israel would obey His commandments, then they would be blessed. If they did not, then they would be cursed. As we go through the Scriptures, we see that they broke that covenant over and over again. This is why we go on to read of the captivities of Israel and the coming day of wrath (time of Jacob’s trouble, the Tribulation).

Leviticus 26 goes on to describe what is known as the 5 courses of chastisement. God would chastise His people, because they broke His covenant. Leviticus 26:15-16a says, “And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror…” But, God did provide for Israel a way for them to have fellowship with Him again, where He would then remember His covenant that He made with their fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). In the same chapter (Lev. 26), it says in verse 40-42, “If they (Israel) shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers,…if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob…and I will remember the land.” The old covenant had to do with the promise of “remembering the land” that God promised to Abraham. Compare that to 2 Chronicles 7:14 (still speaking to and about Israel). “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” The solution under the old covenant was for them to repent by confessing that they broke the covenant and turn back to God away from their wicked ways. Fast forward now to the time when John the Baptist arrives on the scene. What did He preach? Mark 1:4 says, “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Matthew 3:6 says of them that were baptized of John that they came “confessing their sins.” But, did this (repenting and being baptized, or even the animal sacrifices) ultimately solve their sin problem? It did not. Throughout Israel’s history, we learn that when they sinned again, God would pluck them out of their land again (2 Chron. 7:20). They then would also need to repent again, confess their sins again, cleanse (baptize) themselves again, and bring another sacrifice again. It was a never ending cycle of repenting and confessing of their sins every year. Nevertheless, this is what the Law commanded them to do every time they walked contrary to God. They could never be justified by the law of Moses. We today can’t be justified by the law of Moses either (Acts 13:38-39). So, then how could they be justified? How could they have their sins remembered no more? That’s where the New Covenant comes in (How? by Jesus Christ. When? historically when Christ comes back).

“but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.“

John 1:17b

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.“

Jeremiah 31:31-34

The book of Hebrews says of the new covenant that it is a better covenant. “But now hath he [Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Heb. 8:6). God said “I will remember their sin no more” (also Heb. 8:12). In chapter 10 of Hebrews and verse 3, it says “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.” Under the first covenant or the old covenant, they had to perform sacrifices every year and it was a remembrance of their sins. But, God promised to make a new covenant with them to remember their sin no more. Christ Jesus our Lord was sent from the Father in Heaven to manifest Himself (the Life, 1 John 1:1-2;John 1:1-9) to Israel in order to establish that new covenant with them. It is His blood that was shed for their sins, as well as the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). In the Gospel of John, Christ says “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say unto you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:33-34). Christ had a new commandment to teach Israel. God had Moses deliver to the nation the first covenant. Then, He sent His own Son (who was with God and came down from Heaven) to teach them the second covenant or the new covenant. What did the Jews have to do to receive eternal life? Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (John 3:16-17, 36; 1 John 5:10-11). But, most of them did not believe as represented by the religious leaders of that day. Christ said to the scribes and the Pharisees, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46-47) In John 9:28-29, the leaders thought they were Moses’ disciples (they weren’t), but they admit that they knew not the Lord Jesus Christ. They didn’t know who He was, who sent Him, or why He came. Even though Christ had told them multiple times who He was and who sent Him (John 8:16, 28-29). What God gave to Moses (the law) was simply a shadow, a pattern, and a figure of heavenly things (Heb. 8:5; 9:9-10,19-24; 10:1). But God gave to His Son to give to them “the real deal.” “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with [human] hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24).

Christ appearing in the presence of God for them as their Advocate (1 John 2:1) would help them endure to the end of the Tribulation. In 1 John 1:9, they were to confess their sins and cleanse themselves from all unrighteousness. That’s in connection with the old covenant. But, then they had to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. 1 John 1:10, says “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Compare that to 1 John 5:10, where it says “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” If they believed, they would be anointed with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost would comfort them as they go through that time of trouble, because they will know the Lord. And they will be able to tell who is not of God as well. If they will endure to the end, they shall have eternal life. God will grant them the right to eat of the tree of life (Rev. 2:7).

In conclusion, God made the first covenant with Israel and told them to keep His commandments, if they wanted to stay in the land that God promised to them. But, they sinned over and over again. As the Apostle Paul writes concerning the law, “And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death” (Rom. 7:10). Also, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). The law was given to show that we (both Jews and Gentiles) are all sinners. Under that first covenant, they were told to repent and be baptized. They had to partake of John’s baptism. Once they did that, then they were to believe the words that Christ came to teach them concerning the new covenant. And it is through that new covenant, or more specifically the blood of the new covenant (Christ’s blood), that they could achieve eternal life. They just had to believe that Jesus Christ is the Christ, the Son of God, that was promised to come to them to give them life. But, before Christ will come back to the earth, Israel will have to go through the Tribulation. They have to “accept the punishment of their iniquity.” But, before that day of wrath comes, God instead ushered in a day of salvation, which is the current Dispensation of Grace that we live in.

Preview for next week: the Day of Salvation

For today, under the Dispensation of Grace, while the first and second covenant was made directly with Israel, and not us Gentiles, we do still partake of the new covenant. We partake of it, not by promise, but by God’s grace. Instead of God continuing on with Israel right into the day of wrath or day of the Lord, God ushered in a day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:1-2) instead (God will still pick up where He left off with Israel in the future. They will enter that future Tribulation and be saved. But right now, God has set them aside as a nation temporarily). “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he may have mercy upon all” (Rom. 11:32). When Paul was preaching to the Jews and Gentiles in Acts 13, the Jews judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life. The Gentiles, on the other hand, wanted to hear more. Therefore, Paul turned to the Gentiles. When we believe that Jesus Christ our Lord died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, then are we justified from all things. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). We don’t become a part of Israel, instead we become a member of Christ’s own body (the Body of Christ). And there is no “enduring to the end” for us. For we have already received eternal life in full and are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14). For we are already complete in Christ. “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

Complete in Christ

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“Any ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.“

Colossians 2:10

Once we believe in the gospel (the gospel of the grace of God), we become complete in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our salvation. He is our righteousness. We have been crucified with him, buried with him, and risen with him (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:11-13). Therefore, we are also secure in Christ too! There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:39).

In one of Pastor J. C. O’Hair’s lessons, he goes through what he called “The Five F’s of Salvation.”1 They are fact, faith, fruit, feeling, and future. The fact of salvation is that Christ Jesus our Lord came into this world and died on the cross for all of our sins. He did all the work that was necessary to fully satisfy the payment of the sins of the world. He paid the price with His own blood. Hebrews 9:26 says, “but now in the end of the world hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” “He entered in once into the most holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12). Christ suffered once so that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18; Col. 1:20-21). And John 19:30, Christ said on the cross that “It is finished.”

The next thing is faith. The work is already done. All we have to do is believe in what God, through Christ, did on our behalf. We are saved by grace through faith and it is not of ourselves, it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved,” we are told from Acts 16:31. And “but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

After we believe, then comes fruit. In Ephesians 2:10, it says that we are God’s workmanship. We are created unto good works. God the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit unto Him (John 15:8). We are not saved by good works, but we are created for good works that we should walk in them. 2 Peter 1:5-8 tells us that if we abound in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, then we won’t be barren nor unfruitful (Compare Gal. 5:22). But, if we don’t do good works then God will make us barren or unfruitful. As 1 Corinthians 3:17 says, “if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.” That person will still be saved, but they will be barren (have no fruit) in their life for the Lord and they will suffer loss of a reward when God judges us for what we have done in our body whether good or bad.

The next thing is feeling. Based on what O’Hair writes, I think this can also be called “filling.” “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:13). “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). By believing in what Christ has done for us and living our lives for Him, it will fill us up with all joy and peace. We have this feeling of joy that fills us up completely, because we know what Christ did for us on the cross and we know that we have a hope in Heaven with Christ forever. J. C. O’Hair adds this important note. “Salvation is not by feeling, but by faith.”2 The feeling comes as a result of salvation (as does the fruit).

The final “F of Salvation,” is future. When we believe in what Christ has done for us, we have a glorious future waiting for us. Titus 2:13 calls it our “Blessed Hope.” God will show the exceeding riches of His grace toward us (Eph. 2:7). We will all be changed. How so? We will be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). We will be fashioned like unto His glorious body (Phil. 3:21). “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4).

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.“

Galatians 2:16

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

The law was our schoolmaster as it says in Galatians 3. It was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24). The law itself is holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12). But, when the law is used lawfully it is used to show us that we are sinners (1 Tim. 1:8-10). “For by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). Instead of bringing life to us, it brought death. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). Christ came to deliver us from the law of sin and death and the law of Moses by being crucified to condemn sin in the flesh. He died for our sins. He did that so “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom. 8:4). The law required perfect righteousness. Righteousness is the requirement for entrance into Heaven. While many try to establish their own righteousness, the truth of the matter is that we just can’t. Isaiah says, “all of our works of righteousness is as filthy rags.” It is not perfect. It isn’t true righteousness. We instead need Christ’s righteousness. He alone is perfect. He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17), which He did. When we have faith in Him, our faith is counted for righteousness. We become a member of Christ’s own Body. Therefore, Christ is made for us righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). We are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). The righteousness that is required of the law is fulfilled in us, because Christ is in us. He is our righteousness! We are not made perfect by the law, but instead we are made perfect by Christ Himself. Therefore, we are secure in Christ!

“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

Romans 8:38-39

God has “chosen us to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). We are chosen in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is Christ who was chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9). Anyone can be saved if they just believe. When they believe, they are then joined to Christ. We are joined to His Body, the Body of Christ. In Titus 1:2, we read that “in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” We learn from Romans 4 that what God promises, He is also able to perform. All believers, members of His Body, began in the Spirit. The saints were baptized by one Spirit into one Body (1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 4:4). We are set apart (sanctified) unto God as a holy temple in the Lord (Eph. 2:21-22). We became identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:11-13). We are crucified with Him, buried with Him, and risen with Him. Therefore, because we began in the Spirit, we will also be made perfect by the Spirit. Since we have life in Christ Jesus, because of the law of the Spirit, we therefore have the Spirit dwelling inside of us to help us mortify (put to death) the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:13), so that we may be able to produce fruit unto God and glorify Him. We have that blessed hope of the redemption of our bodies, where we will be conformed to the image of His Son. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Nothing can rob us of the joy that we have in the Holy Ghost. No one can lay a charge against us, because it is God that justifieth (Rom. 8:33). No one can condemn us, because it is Christ who was condemned for us by dying on the cross and is risen again (Rom. 8:34). We know that He is the firstfruits of them that slept. He was raised for our justification. Therefore, we know that we also will be resurrected and have that hope of eternal life with Christ in God. We have this hope by belief of the truth. When we first trusted in Christ as our Savior, we received the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), the Spirit of His Son (Gal. 4:6).

Ephesians 2:5-6 – “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.“

Ephesians 2:5-6

Believers are quickened (or made alive) together with Christ. We have newness of life, because of what Christ did for us on the cross. We have a position in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 2 says that we are complete in Christ. That means we are circumcised (spiritual circumcision) by the circumcision of Christ (by the death of Christ) (Col. 2:11), we are buried with Him by baptism (Col. 2:12), and we have been raised with Him (Col. 2:11-13). All of that was accomplished by the operation of God. It was by God’s doing, not ours. All we did was believe or trust in what God said He did. Our faith is then counted for righteousness. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ.

In conclusion, we have the “the 5 F’s of salvation.” They are fact, faith, fruit, feeling (or filling), and future. Christ did all the work necessary for us to have salvation. He fulfilled the law Himself, He was crucified for our sins (He knew no sins Himself), buried our sins away forever, and rose again for our justification. The only thing we do is decide to believe on Him and His finished work. When we do believe, our faith is counted for righteousness. We now have life in Him. God gives to us the Spirit of His Son, so that we may live for Him on this earth while we wait patiently for Him to return to catch us away in the air and take us to glory. Having this knowledge of salvation and living for Him gives to us a good feeling. We are filled with all joy and peace, because we know where we are headed and we are excited to get there and be there with Christ and God the Father. We are justified by the faith of Christ, and we live by His faith too. We began in the Spirit, and we are made perfect by the Spirit. We are not made perfect by the works of the law, but by Christ Himself. He is our righteousness, and our life. We are made alive together with Him and raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For we are complete in Him. We are secure in Christ.

Notes:

  1. J. C. O’Hair, One Hundred and Seventy Bible Lessons or Sermon Outlines (Wisconsin: Berean Bible Society), 5-6, https://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ONE-HUNDRED-AND-SEVENTY-BIBLE-LESSONS.pdf.
  2. O’Hair, One Hundred and Seventy, 6.