Whenever we study God's Word, we must take care not to anticipate revelation. That means that when we read a passage, we must not assume that future revelations from God were known at the time the events in the passage or the writing of the passage took place. We must realize that from the time God first spoke to Adam, until the last book of the Bible was written, God revealed His Word to men over a period of about four thousand years. He did not give it to man all at once. For example, as Adam stood there in the Garden of Eden, he could not have known anything about the Ten Commandments which would be given by God to Moses about 2600 years later. Nor could Jacob have told you about the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus Christ would preach some 1700 years later. When we read a passage of scripture, we must understand and keep in mind what God had revealed to the people being addressed up until that time. The things which were not yet known were still secrets that are hid in God, mysteries which He has yet to reveal to anyone.
Deuteronomy 29:29 says, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever ...." With this in mind, let us look at some examples related to our topic, examples which show that the mysteries, the "secret things", of God are not known by man until God reveals them.
Sometimes God will even go so far as to say the words, but still not allow them to be understood. When God was preparing to punish Israel with captivity by the Assyrians, he called forth the prophet Isaiah and told him, "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed." (Isaiah 6:9-10).
In Matthew 16:21-22, Luke 18:33-34, and John 20:9, during Christ's earthly ministry, the twelve apostles did not know that Jesus Christ was going to die and rise again from the dead. Even though Christ had told them this plainly on several occasions, it was hidden from them by God.
Paul received the gospel of grace by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. He was appointed as the apostle of the Gentiles to reveal mysteries previously kept hidden.
One of these is the mystery of the gospel. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18-20 "Praying always ... for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in bonds ...." Paul's gospel had been a mystery, not been known to anyone before God revealed it to him.
Keep in mind that Ephesians was written around 62 AD, about 30 years after Jesus Christ had ascended into heaven. Paul had already completed his first three missionary journeys. Now let's look at Ephesians chapter 3, beginning with verses 1-4. "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery: (as I wrote afore in few words Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) ...." So we see that God by "revelation" showed Paul the "mystery" which no one knew before. This is why Paul calls it "my knowledge". "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and the prophets by the Spirit ..." (Ephesians 3:5). Note the change in tense here. Compare "is now revealed" (to the apostles around 62 AD) with "he made known unto me" (Paul) by revelation at some earlier time. Then in Ephesians 3:9, "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ ...."
In about 66 AD, Peter, near his death, acknowledged that God had revealed many mysteries to Paul. He writes in 2 Peter 3:15-16, "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him(not "unto us", but "unto him") hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things hard to be understood ...." Peter was writing this epistle to Jews, so the epistle of Paul that Peter was referring to was Hebrews.
From Romans 16:25, it is evident that the what Paul calls "my gospel", was a mystery until God showed it to him by revelation. "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began ...."
Why did God keep our gospel a secret for so long? "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7-8). So no one was allowed to know it, not Peter, the apostles, Judas, Pilate, the demons, or even Satan himself.
It wasn't secret, it was all there in the OT ,until the Messiah came and explained it to those who never heard of it, God has always saved through Grace or how else did the ancient saints resurrected together with Christ ?
For all practical purposes many are teaching that grace unconditionally cleanses the Christian of their sins, regardless if they admit such sins, repent of them, confess them or quit them. But all their human reasoning cannot eliminate passages such as 1 John 1:8-10 and Acts 8:20-23. Neither Peter or John believed in continuous cleansing. Another word for continuous cleansing is once-saved, always-saved. Grace says that you never have the right to give up. Grace says that second chances for the humble and repent will abound. Grace does say that human imperfections will not prevent us from being right with God. Grace says that we don't have to perfect, we simply must be honest, and admit when we sin. Grace says that there is always hope, that any habitual sin can be stopped and forgiven. Grace says that genetics, environment and upbringing do not have to determine what type of person we become. Grace says that God wants you saved. Grace says that you can be saved. Grace says that the Christian life can be lived by anyone. But grace never says that sin which is persisted in will be forgiven without repentance. Grace never says that doctrine can be compromised. Grace never says that the will of God is secondary. Grace never says that we can't understand the Bible alike. Grace never says that doctrine isn't essential for unity (Eph. 4:4-6). Grace never says that the way is broad that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Grace never says that heaven will be full of all sorts of people who espoused doctrinal error on all sorts of subjects (Matthew 7:21-23). And grace is never insulted when a preacher preaches a sermon which deals with the subject of modesty, homosexuality, drunkenness, adultery or premarital sexual relations (Titus 2:11-12). Mark
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The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
It wasn't secret, it was all there in the OT ,until the Messiah came and explained it to those who never heard of it, God has always saved through Grace or how else did the ancient saints resurrected together with Christ ?
For all practical purposes many are teaching that grace unconditionally cleanses the Christian of their sins, regardless if they admit such sins, repent of them, confess them or quit them. But all their human reasoning cannot eliminate passages such as 1 John 1:8-10 and Acts 8:20-23. Neither Peter or John believed in continuous cleansing. Another word for continuous cleansing is once-saved, always-saved. Grace says that you never have the right to give up. Grace says that second chances for the humble and repent will abound. Grace does say that human imperfections will not prevent us from being right with God. Grace says that we don't have to perfect, we simply must be honest, and admit when we sin. Grace says that there is always hope, that any habitual sin can be stopped and forgiven. Grace says that genetics, environment and upbringing do not have to determine what type of person we become. Grace says that God wants you saved. Grace says that you can be saved. Grace says that the Christian life can be lived by anyone. But grace never says that sin which is persisted in will be forgiven without repentance. Grace never says that doctrine can be compromised. Grace never says that the will of God is secondary. Grace never says that we can't understand the Bible alike. Grace never says that doctrine isn't essential for unity (Eph. 4:4-6). Grace never says that the way is broad that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Grace never says that heaven will be full of all sorts of people who espoused doctrinal error on all sorts of subjects (Matthew 7:21-23). And grace is never insulted when a preacher preaches a sermon which deals with the subject of modesty, homosexuality, drunkenness, adultery or premarital sexual relations (Titus 2:11-12). Mark
You need to take a chill pill, I did not say Grace was not here during the Old Testament, but the Gospel of Grace, big difference and I can plainly see you do not understand the Gospel of Grace
You need to take a chill pill, I did not say Grace was not here during the Old Testament, but the Gospel of Grace, big difference and I can plainly see you do not understand the Gospel of Grace
I see you don't understand outside the box you have being put in.
After all I said about grace, I don't understand grace ?
Please you need a pill as well ,LOL
My friend neither do I or you Deserve grace, but God gifted us his grace.
__________________
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
I see you don't understand outside the box you have being put in.
After all I said about grace, I don't understand grace ?
Please you need a pill as well ,LOL
My friend neither do I or you Deserve grace, but God gifted us his grace.
The Mystery of the Gospel of Grace
