RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH

We are now the Israel of God (Gal 6:16), the circumcision (Phil 3:3). And we must not divide wrongly. We must use the teachings of Peter, Paul, John and the Lord Jesus. Which means, we must teach “all scriptures” (2 Tim 3:16) or the whole Bible and “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20;27) according to Paul. And with Paul, we must be “witnessing both to small and great, saying NONE OTHER THINGS than those which THE PROPHETS AND MOSES [the old testament] did say should come, that CHRIST should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23)


PROMISE – FULFILLMENT THEOLOGY
We must be teaching this: THE PROMISE – FULFILLMENT theology. The Old testament prophesied. The New testament is the fulfillment.
John 8:39 Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life and THEY [Old testament scriptures] are they which testify of me [Christ].
John 8:46 For had ye believed MOSES [the Old testament], ye would have believed me, for he [Moses] WROTE OF ME.

Now, acknowledging ALL SCRIPTURE and READING the OLD TESTAMENT in the light of the NEW TESTAMENT revelation, we must interpret the scriptures. We must be “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) according to Apostle Paul’s division “comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor 2:13). These spiritual things are that “which the Holy Ghost teacheth” and the words that Jesus says “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). So these spiritual things are the words of God. We must compare [not contrast] the Word of God with the Word of God. Contrasting the truth against truth is dangerous! Jesus said “Every kingdom divided AGAINST itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided AGAINST itself shall not stand” (Matt 12:25). Two kingdoms? To houses? Two peoples?

TWO COVENANTS
Paul’s division is the division between the “two covenants” (Gal 4:24). Paul said that “we are able ministers of the new testament” (2 Cor 3:6). The right division is between the Old Testament [covenant] and the New Testament [covenant].

“For the LAW was given by MOSES, but GRACE and truth came by JESUS CHRIST” (John 1:17)
“The LAW AND THE PROPHETS [Old Testament] were until JOHN: since that time THE KINGDOM OF GOD is preached, and every man presseth into it” (Luke 16:16)
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in TIME PAST [Old testament] unto the fathers by the PROPHETS, hath in THESE LAST DAYS [New Testament] spoken unto us by his SON, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2)According to these verses, the Bible is divided only in two.

OLD COVENANT NEW COVENANT Hebrews 8:13
LAW GRACE John 1:17
LAW & PROPHETS KINGDOM OF GOD Luke 16:16
TIME PAST LAST DAYS Hebrews 1:1,2
TIME PAST BUT NOW Ephesians 2:11,13

There are only two divisions: The Old and The New Testaments.
The OLD TESTAMENT/ COVENANT is the same as LAW and the LAW AND PROPHETS and TIME PAST.
The NEW TESTAMENT/ COVENANT is the same as GRACE and KINGDOM OF GOD and LAST DAYS.
The division of TIME PAST [Old Testament – 4 Gospels – up to Acts 8]; BUT NOW [Acts 9-28, Romans –Philemon]; and AGES TO COME [Hebrews-Revelation] is not accurate.
BUT NOW begins with CHRIST! Not with Paul! “BUT NOW IN CHRIST JESUS” (Eph 2:13)

THE AGES TO COME are not what happens after the rapture of the church, but it is ETERNITY, for when Christ comes “then cometh THE END” (1 Cor 15:24). “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall THE END COME” (Matt 24:15).

THE LAST DAYS are not what happens after the rapture of the church, but these days since the time of the LORD JESUS CHRIST until the COMING of the LORD. “But now once in THE END OF THE WORLD hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb 9:26)

THE KINGDOM OF GOD is not the time after the Rapture of the Church, the Millenial kingdom, but it is today, since the time of the LORD JESUS CHRIST in the flesh until his second coming. “Now after that John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee, PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and saying, THE TIME IS FULFILLED, AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-16). “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1)

The GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD is the same as the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD and the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. The Kingdom age is the same as the gospel age or the church age, the dispensation of the grace of God.
The dispensation of the grace of God given to Paul, doesn’t mean the age of grace or the new testament began with Paul. Grace came by Jesus Christ, not by Paul. The word “dispensation” in Greek is oikonomia, and it doesn’t mean merely a period of time, but “stewardship” or “house management”. When Paul said “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward” (Eph 3:2), he didn’t mean that the age of grace began with his ministry. He meant that to him was given the stewardship of preaching the grace of God

"to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery" (Ephesians 3:9)

What is the mystery? Paul said that the MYSTERY is

"that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel" (Ephesians 3:6).

This is Paul's ministry, to preach this mystery that God has made a ONE BODY, and there are no more Jews nor Gentiles. Today is the day of salvation, and everybody can be saved the same way - by faith in the blood of Christ. And all believers are now united in ONE BODY, baptized into ONE BODY by ONE SPIRIT. This is the ONE BAPTISM, and it is not physical but spiritual, like the circumcision which is spiritual.

Jesus said that THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS [Old Testament] were UNTIL JOHN THE BAPTIST. After John, comes JESUS CHRIST “for Christ is THE END OF THE LAW” (Romans 10:4). When Christ came, the law ended. Since that time, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS PREACHED. Paul preached the grace of God as well as the kingdom of God “that I might finish…the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to TESTIFY THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD… PREACHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD” (Acts 20:24,25)