Part 2 – Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

We need to now discuss the basics of “rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The fact is that there are two (2) different, Biblical, God ordained programs for His two (2) different people groups as found in God’s word. These two different programs of God have contrasting relational instructions. If we do not ‘rightly divide the word of God,’ as Paul instructs us in 2Timothy 2:15, we will see what only appears to be inconsistencies in “the word of God,” when there actually are no inconsistencies.

The very first verse in the Bible, Gen. 1:1 KJV, reads: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” God thus notes the division between “the heaven from the earth.” This is true even at the end of the Bible, in Rev 21:1. Furthermore, God has designed two programs to operate in these two respective realms of “the heaven from the earth” ‘eternally.’ These are two different programs of God.

1) The prophetic program concerns the Nation Israel, destined to co-reign on earth with Christ at His 2^nd coming (cf. Rev. 5:10, 20:6).

2) The “mystery program” (“mystery” here in Greek is “musterion,” meaning, ‘a secret program of God’) concerns “the church… the body of Christ.” (Eph. 1:22b-23a), which began with Paul’s salvation and “His body” is destined to co-reign with Christ in heaven as it’s eternal home (cf. Philippians 3:20-21).

These two differing programs were preached by two different leading Apostles in the form of ‘two different gospels’; Peter preached ‘the gospel of the circumcision’ unto Israel, and Paul preached ‘the gospel of the uncircumcision’ unto “all men” (both Jew and Gentile) for the formation of “the church… the body of Christ,” as seen here.

“But contrariwise (in contradistinction), when they saw that ‘the gospel of the uncircumcision’ was committed unto me (Paul), as ‘the gospel of the circumcision’ was unto Peter;” (Galatians 2:7 (KJV)

The distinction seen in the KJV verse above is not clearly seen in the corrupted modern Bible translations such as the NIV, NASB, ESV, et al.

1. Peter, as the Apostle to “the circumcision (Israel),” (Gal 2:7 KJV), in Acts 3:21, says he was preaching

“that which God hath SPOKEN by the mouth of all his holy “Prophets Since the World Began.”

2. In contrast with what Peter preached, Paul, “the Apostle to the uncircumcision (Gentiles)” (Gal. 2:7, Rom. 11:13, KJV), writes in Rom. 16:25-26a that he was preaching and unveiling of a mystery or ‘secret.’ Paul’s gospel was,

“according to The Revelation of the Mystery (musterion), which was KEPT SECRET Since the World Began, but now is made manifest (revealed) …”

Obviously then, if words mean anything, and they do, Peter and Paul are speaking two (2) different things for two (2) different people groups. Something that was “spoken since the world began” cannot be the same as something “kept secret since the world began.”

The Bible’s Prophetic program focuses on Israel and the earthly kingdom to “come to earth” (Mat 6:10, Exo. 19:5, 6; Deut. 4:20). At that time, Gentiles (the non-Jews) could only receive salvation through Israel’s program that concerns Moses “Law” of “the kingdom” (Isaiah 60:1-3).                                                 

On the other hand, Paul’s “mystery” (the secreted program of God for the Gentiles) focuses on “the Church, the Body of Christ” and a heavenly kingdom (Eph. 2:6-7; 1:22-23), whereby Gentiles receive salvation without involvement in Israel’s kingdom on earth program and “the Law” (Rom. 11:11-12, 25). To avoid confusion, we must keep these two programs and their respective instructions separated; this is “rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Sadly, most of Christendom today mixes or combines all these Bible verses into one contradictory program, ignoring the differences between the two programs. The fact is that Israel’s kingdom promises and program greatly differs from the God ordained “mystery (secret)” program for the Gentiles, which doesn’t involve Israel’s kingdom program at all. It’s haphazard handling of the Bible that is the source of the spiritual confusion and the alleged Bible “contradictions.” Religion mixes opposing instructions that God gave in different dispensations, directions that were not given in and for the same dispensational age.

The Apostle Paul explains how Israel’s prophetic program operated in the “Old Testament” and during Jesus’ earthly ministry, and continued into the early Acts period, until Act 9, when Paul was converted. It was then that the dispensation of “the Law” temporarily ended (Rom 11:10-11, 25).

Today we are living during Paul’s “the dispensation of the Grace of God” (Eph. 3:2), under the “mystery” program that God had kept secret during in the earlier ages, before Paul was called to be “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). The secret has now been revealed to mankind through the ministry of the Apostle Paul (Please read Rom. 16:25-26; Eph. 3:1-11).

Question: Why did God hide “the mystery” prior to Paul receiving that information directly from the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, from heaven?

Paul here explains how he received knowledge of “the mystery” (v3) and how we also can learn of it (v4).

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, ² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ³ How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, ⁴ Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) ⁵ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (Ephesians 3:1-5 (KJV)

The answer is that the plan of God was “kept secret” in order to keep the devil from knowing His eternal plan of redemption by the cross if Jesus Christ… so that Satan would cooperate to crucify Jesus Christ. Satan thereby defeated himself (1Cor. 2:6-8)!

Consider that if Jesus was still alive on earth He could not be in every believer’s spirit as He is today. It was absolutely necessary that Jesus be crucified to pay for the sins of the world and that He rise form the dead as the life-giving Spirit… so He could come into the believer’s spirit and be one with them.

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery (revealed secret) among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” (Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus Christ) was made (became) a quickening (life-giving) spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45 (KJV)

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹ But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his ¹⁰ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:8-10 (KJV)