By: Robert Serreyn
Question? On Facebook I see alot of “believe Paul’s gospel” or “I am a M.A.D believer” what is your thought on these?
Answer:
What you described to me are Pauline and Mid Acts Dispensationalist (M.A.D).
These two groups base their view of scripture on 2 Timothy 2:15, which states…
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
I personally do not agree with their division of the scriptures and in my opinion IMPROPERLY USE the phrase “rightly dividing” as THEIR justification for deciding which parts are meant for the Church (Body of Christ) and which parts are not, I base this factor on Two Verses, which state…
Psalms 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me.
and the other is…
Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
These two verses are “Speaking of” Jesus Christ and he says that “He is written about through out the entire bible from Genesis to Revelation” and this means we are to Teach and Preach ALL OF the scriptures from cover to cover NOT JUST certain parts of it.
In 2 Timothy 3:16 the bibles states…
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
TAKE NOTE: of the First two words “All Scripture”, Paul’s advice to Timothy was not meant to “Split the Scriptures apart” but be to taught in their entirety.
There are alot of well meaning bible believing christians that adhere to the Pauline or Mid Acts Dispensational view and teaching of the scriptures and some I consider dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord I just simply do not agree with them in all points.
I myself hold to the Old Earth Dispensational view of scripture.
Read Rev. Clarence Larkin’s books titled: “Dispensational Truth”, “The Spirit World” “Rightly Dividing The Word” and also Robert Surgenor’s Two Books “Gap or No Gap” and “Creation and Satan” these are by far THE BEST in their content in Rightly Dividing the Scriptures.
Both Pauline and M.A.D have similar view and division of the scriptures and while yet they DO INTERTWINE with each other there are some minor variances.
Here are a few common sayings that they OFTEN quote…
– We are not Spiritual Israel, We are the Body of Christ.
– Paul is our Apostle.
– All of the Bible is written to us but not all of the Bible is for us.
– You are NOT SAVED unless you believe Paul’s Gospel.
I find all these sayings personally somewhat troublesome and in particular NOWHERE do I read in the scriptures that we are to believe the Gospel of Paul.
Now I know all those that adhere to these two schools of interpretation will state WHAT ABOUT where Paul says in…
Romans 2:16,
Romans 16:25,
2 Timothy 2:8.
My answer to that is….. We are to Believe the Gospel of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Acts 16:31, John 3:16…
The Apostle Paul NEVER brought attention to himself, in fact he stated in 1 Corinthians 3:5…
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
And later in Chp. 15 V10 Paul said…
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Paul himself REALIZED that he was just a Sinner Saved by God’s Grace (Ephesians 2:8,9) and all that he was and will be was BECAUSE OF Jesus Christ plain and simple, IN FACT if the Apostle Paul along with all the other Apostles were alive today they all would declare “We are all saved by the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ NOT Paul’s gospel.
To put it bluntly the Apostle Paul got his Gospel FROM Jesus Christ.
To give a very basic and brief outline, these two groups Pauline and M.A.D. all basically teach…
– Only Paul preached the Gospel of Grace (Faith + Nothing).
– Only the books Romans through Philemon are to be taught today.
– The church did not start until Acts Chp. 9 or after.
– 1 John 1:9 is written to Lost Unsaved People.
On the surface THIS SEEMS biblically sound but I must say I DISAGREE.
Let must just say this, 1 John 1:9 is written to Saved People, WHY???, because we are NEVER TOLD anywhere in the Word of God to Confess our sins to be saved it is ALWAYS “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” – Acts 16:31
By teaching that 1 John 1:9 is written to Lost Unsaved people they are ADDING WORKS to salvation in which God and his Word rejects.
Their rebuttal to this is… THEY SAY, is that 1 John 1:9 is an written to the Lost sheep of Israel (Old Testament) but this would be teaching that people were saved by “Faith + Works” in the Old Testament.
A simple thing to keep in mind is that the Old Testament christians LOOKED FORWARD to the cross when Christ WOULD die and shed his blood as payment for their sins, The New Testament christians (which includes us in the church age) LOOK BACKWARD to the cross when Christ DID die and shed his blood as payment for our sins.
God ALWAYS had and never has had more than ONE gospel in both Old and New Testaments, There is ONLY ONE WAY to be saved and that is… “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”. – Acts 16:31.
To teach that there is two different gospels leads to GREAT confusion, Just keep in mind they in the Old Testament LOOKED FORWARD to the Cross (will happen- future), and we in the new Testament LOOK BACKWARD to the Cross (has happened- History).
As stated before I believe ALL of the bible should be “Taught in its Entirety” not just parts of it, I believe it is a “Improper Dividing” of the scriptures based on 2 Timothy 3:16.
I am FULLY CONVINCED that the Church (Body of Christ) was formed in Acts Chp. 2.
The Church began at Pentecost, The word Pentecost means 50 and this event started 50 days AFTER the crucifixion of Christ on the cross NEVER to be repeated.
In Acts 2:41 the Bible states…
Then they that gladly received his word (Believed the Gospel – 1 Cor. 15:1-4) were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
TAKE NOTE of the words “Same day there were added unto Them” if the Body of Christ (the Church) did not exist until Acts Chp. 9 “We have a Problem” you cannot add to something that is not there.
In Conclusion:
The Word of God is meant to be taught from cover to cover.
ALL of the Apostles and the Old Testament Prophets preached the SAME Gospel they were just in different dispensations and not different gospels.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.
The moment that you do YOU HAVE (at that second and forever) Everlasting Life which WILL NEVER be taken away no matter what.
-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8
-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24
-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9
“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23.
IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH