RichardBurger
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DOCTRINAL PROBLEMS OF ACTS 2 DISPENSATIONALISM
by Robert C. Brock
http://www.starlightresearch.com/ActsProblems.html
PROBLEM NO. 1--THAT THERE IS ONLY "ONE GOSPEL" IN THE BIBLE.
The Scofield Bible is a good example of the Acts 2 position concerning the gospel. On page 1343 of the old Scofield Bible (the 1909 edition) it states in its note on "Gospel:" "Four forms of the Gospel are to be distinguished." It mentions the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Gospel of the grace of God, the Everlasting Gospel, and Paul's "My Gospel." Then at the bottom of the note it refers to "another Gospel" that is mentioned in Gal. 1:6, inferring that it is a false gospel. This note uses the word "gospel" in the singular.
A very common argument that is used to show that there is only "one gospel" in the Bible has to do with the doctrine of justification by faith. It is taught that since Abraham and David were justified by faith (Rom. 4:1-8) and lived in the Old Testament, and that we today are also justified by faith (Rom. 5:1), then the same gospel must be preached in both Testaments.
Another common argument is that there is only one purpose of God in the Bible, consequently, one gospel. While this is basic to Reformed Theology, Acts 2 Dispensationalists go along with it because it seems to give some credence to the "one gospel" theory. They also use Romans 1:1-2 to show that the Gospel is found in the Old Testament.
*
THE TRUTH.
The Bible does not teach the "one gospel" theory, only theologians teach it. The Bible does not use the phrase "one gospel." only theologians use it. The Bible does not teach that God has revealed the same gospel message for all the dispensations of time. Rather, it is just the reverse. God has revealed different messages of "good news" to mankind during certain periods of time, as He has willed. These messages are not to be mixed up or to be constituted as parts of one gospel. They were taken at face value at the time they were revealed.
The Scofield note on page 1343 could have been made much clearer and easier to understand. It is too general in its language. But it still reflects the teaching that there is only one gospel, one way of salvation, and that it is by grace through faith in all dispensations. Those who believe this way really preach a homogenized gospel that is made up of some truth from the Kingdom of Heaven Gospel and some truth from the Grace Gospel of the Apostle Paul. This mixing of two gospels also leaves out some vital truth related to each gospel. This is not good Bible teaching.
As to the doctrine of justification by faith, it sounds right but further examination proves that the conclusion is false. First, the doctrine of justification by faith is NOT the gospel message. Faith is a RESULT of the gospel or good news being believed by the individual as it is revealed by God. Justification is one of the works of God that takes place at the time of salvation. We don't tell people to be justified; we tell them that they must be saved. Second, faith is taking God at His Word, by believing what God has said. In the case of Abraham, Paul went back to Genesis 15:5-6, which says: "And He brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. [6] And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness." Verse 6 is unique because three words - "believed" "righteousness," and "counted" - are used here for the first time in the Old Testament. Abram believed (exercised faith) in what God told him, which is the contents of verse 5. Verse 5 does not contain the Gospel of the grace of God nor does it contain the Gospel of the Kingdom. Verse 5 is related to the Abrahamic Covenant which Paul called in Gal. 3:8, "the gospel unto Abraham."
In Galatians 1:6 there is "another gospel," a HETEROS gospel which is a gospel of a different kind. The Gospel of the Kingdom is what the Judaizers preached to the Galatian believers, not a "false gospel" that Acts 2 people use to identify "another gospel." The Gospel of the Kingdom is a gospel of a different kind.
In Galatians 1:7 you have "the gospel of Christ," which is another name for the Gospel of the grace of God; and in Gal. 3:8 the "gospel preached unto Abraham" is what Jehovah God told him in Genesis 12:3; 15:5-6. Besides these three gospels in Galatians, there is "the Everlasting Gospel" of Rev. 14:6.
So there are at least four Gospels that are clearly mentioned in the Bible. It doesn't take a whole lot of study to see that they are different from one another. But it does take a lot of human ingenuity to make them all the same.
The theory of "one gospel" needs to be seen as a major problem because so much hinges on it. Are we saved today by the gospel revealed to Paul, or, are we saved by the Gospel preached by Peter? We can't be saved by both of them together. The Gospel of the Kingdom will make you religious today, but the Gospel of the grace of God alone will prepare you for heaven in God's spiritual realm of the Fourth Dimension.
When one reads Romans 1:1-2, it sounds like there is only "one gospel" in the Bible: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God [2] which ((or could it be whom) He had promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures."
The key word here is the first word in verse 2 - which. It is the Greek pronoun HOS. It can mean "who" or "whom" when referring to persons; "what" when referring to objects; "which" when referring to things.
Now the question is this: "What is the "gospel" mentioned in verse 1? Is it a message (like 1 Cor. 15:1-4) or could it be a person?" It would help us to know an important fact - that "which" modifies "gospel" of verse 1.
Well, what did the old Testament prophets write about? Did they write about a "message" or did they write about a "person"? The overwhelming evidence indicates that they wrote about a Person. All you have to do is go to Psalm 22, Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-5; Isaiah 53; Jer. 23:6; Zechariah 12:10, and to many other passages. They wrote about a coming Messiah for the Nation of Israel. They did not know the name of Jesus, like we do, but they knew One was coming. Furthermore, Romans 1:1-2 is a repeat of Gal. 1:16, where Paul stated that he preached Christ Jesus as the gospel (Greek). So the right meaning of HOS in verse 2 is the word "Whom" when it- refers to a Person. The Gospel of the grace of God is not found in the Old Testament.
by Robert C. Brock
http://www.starlightresearch.com/ActsProblems.html
PROBLEM NO. 1--THAT THERE IS ONLY "ONE GOSPEL" IN THE BIBLE.
The Scofield Bible is a good example of the Acts 2 position concerning the gospel. On page 1343 of the old Scofield Bible (the 1909 edition) it states in its note on "Gospel:" "Four forms of the Gospel are to be distinguished." It mentions the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Gospel of the grace of God, the Everlasting Gospel, and Paul's "My Gospel." Then at the bottom of the note it refers to "another Gospel" that is mentioned in Gal. 1:6, inferring that it is a false gospel. This note uses the word "gospel" in the singular.
A very common argument that is used to show that there is only "one gospel" in the Bible has to do with the doctrine of justification by faith. It is taught that since Abraham and David were justified by faith (Rom. 4:1-8) and lived in the Old Testament, and that we today are also justified by faith (Rom. 5:1), then the same gospel must be preached in both Testaments.
Another common argument is that there is only one purpose of God in the Bible, consequently, one gospel. While this is basic to Reformed Theology, Acts 2 Dispensationalists go along with it because it seems to give some credence to the "one gospel" theory. They also use Romans 1:1-2 to show that the Gospel is found in the Old Testament.
*
THE TRUTH.
The Bible does not teach the "one gospel" theory, only theologians teach it. The Bible does not use the phrase "one gospel." only theologians use it. The Bible does not teach that God has revealed the same gospel message for all the dispensations of time. Rather, it is just the reverse. God has revealed different messages of "good news" to mankind during certain periods of time, as He has willed. These messages are not to be mixed up or to be constituted as parts of one gospel. They were taken at face value at the time they were revealed.
The Scofield note on page 1343 could have been made much clearer and easier to understand. It is too general in its language. But it still reflects the teaching that there is only one gospel, one way of salvation, and that it is by grace through faith in all dispensations. Those who believe this way really preach a homogenized gospel that is made up of some truth from the Kingdom of Heaven Gospel and some truth from the Grace Gospel of the Apostle Paul. This mixing of two gospels also leaves out some vital truth related to each gospel. This is not good Bible teaching.
As to the doctrine of justification by faith, it sounds right but further examination proves that the conclusion is false. First, the doctrine of justification by faith is NOT the gospel message. Faith is a RESULT of the gospel or good news being believed by the individual as it is revealed by God. Justification is one of the works of God that takes place at the time of salvation. We don't tell people to be justified; we tell them that they must be saved. Second, faith is taking God at His Word, by believing what God has said. In the case of Abraham, Paul went back to Genesis 15:5-6, which says: "And He brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. [6] And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness." Verse 6 is unique because three words - "believed" "righteousness," and "counted" - are used here for the first time in the Old Testament. Abram believed (exercised faith) in what God told him, which is the contents of verse 5. Verse 5 does not contain the Gospel of the grace of God nor does it contain the Gospel of the Kingdom. Verse 5 is related to the Abrahamic Covenant which Paul called in Gal. 3:8, "the gospel unto Abraham."
In Galatians 1:6 there is "another gospel," a HETEROS gospel which is a gospel of a different kind. The Gospel of the Kingdom is what the Judaizers preached to the Galatian believers, not a "false gospel" that Acts 2 people use to identify "another gospel." The Gospel of the Kingdom is a gospel of a different kind.
In Galatians 1:7 you have "the gospel of Christ," which is another name for the Gospel of the grace of God; and in Gal. 3:8 the "gospel preached unto Abraham" is what Jehovah God told him in Genesis 12:3; 15:5-6. Besides these three gospels in Galatians, there is "the Everlasting Gospel" of Rev. 14:6.
So there are at least four Gospels that are clearly mentioned in the Bible. It doesn't take a whole lot of study to see that they are different from one another. But it does take a lot of human ingenuity to make them all the same.
The theory of "one gospel" needs to be seen as a major problem because so much hinges on it. Are we saved today by the gospel revealed to Paul, or, are we saved by the Gospel preached by Peter? We can't be saved by both of them together. The Gospel of the Kingdom will make you religious today, but the Gospel of the grace of God alone will prepare you for heaven in God's spiritual realm of the Fourth Dimension.
When one reads Romans 1:1-2, it sounds like there is only "one gospel" in the Bible: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God [2] which ((or could it be whom) He had promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures."
The key word here is the first word in verse 2 - which. It is the Greek pronoun HOS. It can mean "who" or "whom" when referring to persons; "what" when referring to objects; "which" when referring to things.
Now the question is this: "What is the "gospel" mentioned in verse 1? Is it a message (like 1 Cor. 15:1-4) or could it be a person?" It would help us to know an important fact - that "which" modifies "gospel" of verse 1.
Well, what did the old Testament prophets write about? Did they write about a "message" or did they write about a "person"? The overwhelming evidence indicates that they wrote about a Person. All you have to do is go to Psalm 22, Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-5; Isaiah 53; Jer. 23:6; Zechariah 12:10, and to many other passages. They wrote about a coming Messiah for the Nation of Israel. They did not know the name of Jesus, like we do, but they knew One was coming. Furthermore, Romans 1:1-2 is a repeat of Gal. 1:16, where Paul stated that he preached Christ Jesus as the gospel (Greek). So the right meaning of HOS in verse 2 is the word "Whom" when it- refers to a Person. The Gospel of the grace of God is not found in the Old Testament.
"There can be only one" lol