Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Part 45
Rightly dividing the Word of truth.
This is part 45 in a series of 53 articles about RIGHTLY DIVIDING GOD’S WORD OF TRUTH. All scripture quoted will be from the King James Bible.
In part 45, we continue with some Bible CONTRASTS. We left off in part 44 with (EP) Under Moses’ Law.
Special Abbreviations: (e.g.) meaning “for example” (ff.) meaning “following verse or following verses” (EP) meaning Earthly Program—(HP) meaning Heavenly Program
(HP) Not Under the Law: Gentiles never were under the law of Moses and were exempted when the issue arose (Acts 15:5-19-24; 21:24-25). The Apostle Paul declares that God’s people today “are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14-15). “My brethren, ye also are become dead to the law” (Rom. 7:4). That old covenant has been “done away,” “abolished” (II Cor. 3:6-14). “Christ is the end of the law…to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 10:4).
(EP) Ordinances Required: During past ages various religious ordinances were necessary to please God. The Lord told Moses to “speak unto the children of Israel…Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein” (Lev. 18:1-4). Such ordinances were for Israel and sojourning strangers “forever” (Num. 9:14; 15:15). Trouble came to God’s people when they went away from His ordinances, and didn’t keep them (Mal. 3:7). John the Baptist’s parents “were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Luke 1:6).
(HP) Ordinances Abolished: The Apostle Paul writes of Christ “having abolished…the law of commandments contained in ordinances” (Eph. 2:15), and of God “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross” (Col. 2:14). “The first covenant…service…stood only in…carnal ordinances, imposed… until the time of reformation” (Heb. 9:1,9,10). Since believers today are “dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world,” Paul asks, “why…are ye subject to ordinances” (Col. 2:20)?
(EP) Leave Unbelieving Mate was required of Jews returning to God. He forbade His people to intermarry with Gentiles or strangers (Deut. 7:2-4; Josh. 23:11-13). But “the people of Israel…mingled themselves with the people of those lands” anyway (Ezra 9:1-2). Thus they were “punished” and could “not stand before” God (Ezra 9:10-15; Neh. 13:23-30). For restoration the congregation confessed their trespass in taking strange wives. They made “a covenant with our God to put away all [such] wives…according to the law.” They did God’s “pleasure and separate[d]” themselves “from the strange wives” (Ezra 10:1-17).
(HP) Live with Unbelieving Mate is God’s present rule for believers. The Gentiles are now “acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:16). No man is now “common or unclean” (Acts 10:28). Any believer with “a wife” or “a husband that believeth not” is commanded to “not leave him,” to “not put her away.” If the unbelieving mate “be pleased to dwell with” the believer, they are to stay together. Further, “the unbelieving” mate “is sanctified by the” believing mate (I Cor. 7:12-14).
To be continued