What Is the Grace Doctrine? Part 1
 by Mari

The nation of Israel was the chosen nation of God.

Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

They were to be a light unto the nations.

Isa 49:6  And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

However, we see that Israel failed to be a light to the Gentiles over and over again. They also failed to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ their Saviour.

We know that when Jesus came to Israel He sought fruit but found none. The nation Israel denied the Holy Spirit as well at the stoning of Stephen, (Act 7:51 & Act 7:55) as we also know, they were told they could say anything about Jesus, but could not blaspheme the Holy Spirit. (Mark 3:28-29) To understand fully it would be good to read all of Acts 7 where Stephen describes that Israel rejected the prophets, rejected the Son, and are now rejecting the Holy Spirit!

After this denial and blaspheming of the Holy Spirit by the nation of Israel, Paul an enemy of those who believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, was raised up on the road to Damascus (Act 9:3) by the risen Lord Jesus Christ (Act 9:5) as a man born out of due time (1 Cor 15:8) (We will talk about this later!).  Paul was raised up by the RISEN Christ to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. (Ro 11:13)

Paul was to deliver the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24), the ministry and word of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19) to all who would believe on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ unto salvation. The Gentiles no longer had to go through Israel to be saved of God, and in fact, Israel was cast away as the Nation that would teach and bless all the nations for our God, though not forever, but through this dispensation of grace.

Rom 11:15a For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world,

So what happened? What was the Apostle Paul to bring us from the Lord? Was it something different than He had given Israel? Something different than what Jesus taught while He was walking upon the earth? Had this new message been prophesied in the Old Testament?

These are important questions and we need to know the answers! The answers will affect our faith and walk in the Lord. Knowing the answer to these questions is to know and understand how a soul can be saved today!

So, what is our doctrine for today? We will pursue these answers!

To start, the Apostle Paul said that he is bringing us something new from the Lord! Something that was never prophesied or revealed before! The Risen Lord revealed to the Apostle Paul a mystery that had been kept hid in God, a mystery kept secret since the world began!  It had been hid from ages and generations! This mystery was never prophesied, or foretold by the prophets. BUT NOW, it is made manifest to His saints!

Eph_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:

Rom_16:25  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,

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

God gave our Apostle Paul the dispensation of the grace of God for us! This is the first time we hear about the dispensation of grace in the word of God. And, we see that it was given to the Apostle Paul for us today, because God raised him to be the apostle of the Gentiles!

Eph 3:1-9 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:

Rom_11:13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

A dispensation is truly God showing His will for us and how He expects us to respond to Him and His will. A new dispensation marks a change in the will or plan of God.

God never changes- His character and attributes. However His directions for us surely do! (As example: we are not to build an ark to be saved today, nor are we to offer animal sacrifices, or keep the Law to be saved today.) Today in the dispensation of grace we are to believe that Jesus died, was buried and resurrected from the dead to be saved (1 Cor 15:1-4).

Mankind has always been required to believe what God tells them in order to be saved, however as noted, the instructions have changed.  Today as example, we simply believe what Jesus did for us, which was to die for our sins in our place, taking our punishment, was buried and three days later raised from the dead.  We believe we are no longer under the works of the Law and that the works of the law never justified anyone.  (Gal 2:16)

So with God calling the Apostle Paul to be His new messenger to the world, we see definite changes in the way God is presenting His plan to and for humanity.  The risen Christ GAVE Paul power to establish us, which is the gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY.

Did you read that? Read it one more time.  Check it out in your Bible to make absolutely sure…and when you are sure you may want to ask why…why have you never been taught this plain, Biblical teaching?  Most believers have never even heard of the mystery…what does this say to you? Especially when we are ESTABLISHED according to this gospel, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began!

The gospel is NOT according to the law and the prophets, NOT according to Israel’s plan and prophecies. NOT according to the kingdom coming!

The gospel IS according to what the Apostle Paul first received from the RISEN Jesus Christ for us, which is the dispensation of grace.

We find something completely new taking place in the household of God and it is that we are NO longer under the Law, but under grace!  God makes known a mystery that was kept hidden, secret since the world began, but is now revealed to the Apostle Paul by God to share with us who will believe! Please read these verses a few times and let them fill your thoughts when you mediate on the word of God today.

Rom_16:25  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,

Ephesians 3:3 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)

Eph_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:

Here we see that this revelation of the gospel of the grace of God is a mystery that was first made known unto Paul, and WE may NOW KNOW by reading the word of God, understanding from Paul’s knowledge from Christ, the mystery of Christ. The dispensation of grace. The body of Christ.

Why was this gospel, this good news kept hid in God, kept secret since before the world began? The mystery of Christ?  Here is exactly why:

1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Next week….more to follow! 

Sermon by Justin Johnson: What Is Truth

What is Truth