Part 1 – How to Rightly Divide the Word of Truth.

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Basics of Right Division of the Word of Truth.

It should be obvious that it is impossible to obey every instruction from the Lord as is in the Bible. There are instructions from the Lord that are unique to certain times or ages called dispensations. Each age or dispenation has its God-given instructions that may and likely does conflict with earlier God-given instructions. Some instructions that are no longer feasible; and some instructions are simply not written to “the body of Christ” for our application today.

We would never think of following God’s instructions to Noah to build an ark, or to Israel's law  of Moses that called for slaughtering or sacificing animals.

We must understand the ‘context’ or ‘dispensational setting’ of the instructions, and to then comply only with those which are intended for us.

Our job then is to discern which instructions we should obey, which instructions we should attend to and which we should not attend to, and also to understand why.

Example: As seen below, the God-given dietary Laws of the Bible have changed 3 times.

  • First there was Adam’s raw eating vegetarian diet of herbs and seeds,
  • but later God instructed Noah allowing him to add meat of ANY animal or fish into his diet (Gen 9:2-3),
  • and then, per Moses “Law” for Israel, the meat and fish had certain limiations (Lev. 11),
  • and then according to Paul, “the Apostles to the Gentiles,” for this time of God’s grace, we today can eat anything sanctified by the word of God and prayer (1Tim. 4:4-5).

These represent dispensational changes regarding dietary law; from Adam’s dispensational age of ‘innocence,’ to Noah’s dispensational age of ‘human government,’ to Israel   dispensational age of “The Law” to our dispensational age of “the dispensation of the grace of God”

This approach to the Bible is called dispensational Bible study’ or ‘right division’ of the Bible.

In order to determine the context of a passage, we must always ask; who, what, when, where, and why?

Here are three most important yet simple questions to ask to determine the context of a passage.

1.) Who is speaking? Is it a prophet’s words, Jesus’ words for Israel, the Twelve’s word to Israel, or Paul’s words for “the body of Christ” during today’s age of “the dispensation of the grace of God”?  

2.) To whom are they speaking?  Is it spoken to Israel, or “the body of Christ?

3.) What are they speaking about? Is it something about “time past,” or “the ages to come,” or concerning the present age of “the gospel of the grace of God”?

Then, we must ask our self… “Do I fit into being the recipient or addressee who this Bible passage is addressing.” If you are, then obey it; if not, then you must let it be as instructions for only those intended… because it was not written to or about you for your involvement.

For example;

  • It is obvious that if the Devil is speaking then you can conclude that the lying words that come out of his mouth are not for you to obey.
  • If God is speaking to Noah to build an ark you can determine that you are not God’s intended recipient of this information.
  • If God is speaking about making a covenant with Israel you can also determine that you are not in the ‘context’ since you are not of the Nation Israel.

So, if we ask these questions throughout the Bible, we should eventually discover that there are whole sets of books and passages that have the same ‘context.’

It is these ‘varying doctrinal contexts’… that need to be rightly divided or separated, one from one another. We do not want to ever mix the instructions that apply to us with those that do not apply to us.

Today we are living during the age of what Paul calls “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2). Jesus gave instructions to the Apostle Paul for us ‘Gentiles” (Eph. 3:1-5), information that is more excellent for us Gentiles than the instructions that applied to Gentiles during previous dispensation of “the Law” (Phil 1:10, Eph 3:2). Jesus’ instructions to Paul revealed a mystery (secret) not ever known in other ages (Col 1:26, Eph 3:5).

The “mystery of Christ” created a whole new ‘doctrinal context that tremendously changes the relationship between God and all men today from what it was… previously under Israel’s Law dispensation.

“… for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b)

The danger is that a failure to rightly divide” the “mystery” (the long-held ‘secret’) information revealed to Paul (Rom 16:25) from the widely spoken” prophecy information (Acts 3:21) that God gave to Israel’s prophets for Israel for Israel only… ever since the world began … only produces significant doctrinal confusion (2 Tim 2:7). We must keep this information separate from each other.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)

The fact is that there are many seeming’ contradictions to be found in the Bible when we take that which is written to Israel and try to reconcile it with the words of Paul’s thirteen epistles to the Gentiles (cf. Eph. 3:1-5) of “the body of Christ.”

Sadly, whenever folks in a ‘church organization come upon a ‘controversial Bible topic,’ nobody is willing to discuss it. This they say is for the sake of ‘keeping the church together’ and ‘eliminating unneeded division.’ Usually these self-proclaimed Christians will try to squelch the teaching of dispensational “right division’ of “the word of truth”by making it seem ‘unimportantand optional. They thereby marginalize Paul’s words in favor of Jesus’ words spoken to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” only (Matt. 15:24) and the O.T. words that also apply to Israel only.

A common response suggests how we should consider doctrinal gospel details within the church; from St. Augustine of Hippo, goes like this: ‘In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things love.’ What does that mean, anyway?

  • We ask, where exactly in the Bible does God list the essentials? For us today they are in Paul’s epistles!
  • Non-essentials? Why is it considered loving to only gloss over and set aside the legitimate doctrinal divisions within the Bible, steering away from serious discussion, that teaches understanding of the truth ‘rightly divided’ for learning of our inheritance and our new identity in Christ?

Liberty? Doesn’t Paul say that we receive liberty through Paul’s gospel of Christ (cf. Gal 2:4-5)? So, can we then say the true “gospel of the grace of God” is a non-essential’?

Where it is commonplace within Christendom today to be doctrinally apathetic and Biblically ignorant, we are bombarded with the influence of Christendom