Dispensationalist Only Dispensational interpretation of Matthew 5:19

[food4thought]

Hello friends;
I am loosely dispensationalist, but I am not all that well informed on the specifics of the system. I have been struggling to reconcile what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19 with Paul's teachings and the Jerusalem council's decision in Acts 15. How do we understand Jesus' statement about keeping and teaching the Law in a dispensationalist framework?

 

[Revived]

I too struggled to reconcile Jesus' teachings from the synoptic gospels with much of what Paul was inspired to write in his epistles. It all began to click for me, however, read I truly began to think about Acts 15 and how the book of Acts is a transitional book. I also began to realize that not all of the bible is written to us for doctrine. Until we see the difference between the prophetic program/dispensation (to/for the nation of Israel and revealed to The Twelve by Jesus in his "earthly" ministry) and the mystery program/dispensation (to/for the Body of Christ and revealed to Paul by the RISEN Jesus in his "heavenly" ministry), then we will continue to force fit these doctrines together which inevitably results in confusion.

Don't you find Peter's last recorded words in 2 Peter 4 regarding Paul's doctrine interesting? "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

Peter recognized that Paul had a unique ministry and message and it is to our own destruction when we "wrest" with it.

Here are some notable differences between the ministries of The Twelve and Paul:

The Twelve
Proclaimed repentance and water baptism for salvation (Acts 2.38)
Paul
Proclaimed “believe” alone for salvation (Romans 4.5-6; 1 Corinthians 15.1-4)

The Twelve
Proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4.17; Acts 3.19)
Paul
Proclaimed the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20.24)

The Twelve
Saved and commissioned within Israel’s borders (Matthew 16.13, 16-17)
Paul
Saved and commissioned outside Israel’s borders (Acts 9.3)

The Twelve
Were taught in Christ’s earthly ministry
Paul
Was taught in Christ’s heavenly ministry (Galatians 1.1, 11-12)

The Twelve
Ministered to Jews only (Matthew 10.5; Galatians 2.7-9)
Paul
Ministered primarily to Gentiles (Romans 11.13; Galatians 2.7-9)

The risen, ascended, glorified Lord revealed a vast amount of new information to Paul. Paul referred to these revelations as “secrets.” God had revealed none of these things to the prophets. Jesus had not revealed these truths in His earthly ministry or to the Twelve. From Paul alone do we learn the truths of Christianity: about Christ’s work of our salvation, our sanctification, our rescue from a Christ-rejecting world, and our destiny.

Holding to Pauline truths has always been a hard-fought battle. Satan knows when these truths are taught and believed the Church is strong, He therefore constantly fights to keep them hidden and to keep believers occupied with tradition and false-teaching. At the end of his life, Paul wrote Timothy, “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1.15). This was a tragic statement. Paul had expended tremendous effort and had experienced great suffering in Asia. Paul’s declaration provides insight into how theology took the direction it did and what is wrong with the theology of Christendom. Many Church Fathers were fairly orthodox but they also held unscriptural views, especially in their abandonment of Paul.

Tragically, little has changed. Most churches spend the greatest portion of their time in the Gospels and Old Testament, rather than in Paul’s epistles. This was contrary to what Paul taught (2 Corinthians 5.16). And when Paul is taught, his doctrines are mixed with Scriptures that pertain to Israel and vice-versa. The result is confusion and contradiction. Nothing is wrong with the Gospels. Nothing is wrong with the Old Testament. But we find nothing of the Church there. Only through studying Paul and his writings do we learn about God’s work, purpose, and destiny for the body of Christ, the Church.

 

[Revived]

For what it's worth, the following article was instrumental in opening my eyes to Acts 15, the transition, and dispensationalism in general: The Great Hinge | doctrine.org

Grace and peace to you! Please feel free to ask more questions!

 

[Winken]

I too struggled to reconcile Jesus' teachings from the synoptic gospels with much of what Paul was inspired to write in his epistles. It all began to click for me, however, read I truly began to think about Acts 15 and how the book of Acts is a transitional book. I also began to realize that not all of the bible is written to us for doctrine. Until we see the difference between the prophetic program/dispensation (to/for the nation of Israel and revealed to The Twelve by Jesus in his "earthly" ministry) and the mystery program/dispensation (to/for the Body of Christ and revealed to Paul by the RISEN Jesus in his "heavenly" ministry), then we will continue to force fit these doctrines together which inevitably results in confusion.

Don't you find Peter's last recorded words in 2 Peter 4 regarding Paul's doctrine interesting? "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

Peter recognized that Paul had a unique ministry and message and it is to our own destruction when we "wrest" with it.

Here are some notable differences between the ministries of The Twelve and Paul:

The Twelve
Proclaimed repentance and water baptism for salvation (Acts 2.38)
Paul
Proclaimed “believe” alone for salvation (Romans 4.5-6; 1 Corinthians 15.1-4)

The Twelve
Proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4.17; Acts 3.19)
Paul
Proclaimed the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20.24)

The Twelve
Saved and commissioned within Israel’s borders (Matthew 16.13, 16-17)
Paul
Saved and commissioned outside Israel’s borders (Acts 9.3)

The Twelve
Were taught in Christ’s earthly ministry
Paul
Was taught in Christ’s heavenly ministry (Galatians 1.1, 11-12)

The Twelve
Ministered to Jews only (Matthew 10.5; Galatians 2.7-9)
Paul
Ministered primarily to Gentiles (Romans 11.13; Galatians 2.7-9)

The risen, ascended, glorified Lord revealed a vast amount of new information to Paul. Paul referred to these revelations as “secrets.” God had revealed none of these things to the prophets. Jesus had not revealed these truths in His earthly ministry or to the Twelve. From Paul alone do we learn the truths of Christianity: about Christ’s work of our salvation, our sanctification, our rescue from a Christ-rejecting world, and our destiny.

Holding to Pauline truths has always been a hard-fought battle. Satan knows when these truths are taught and believed the Church is strong, He therefore constantly fights to keep them hidden and to keep believers occupied with tradition and false-teaching. At the end of his life, Paul wrote Timothy, “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1.15). This was a tragic statement. Paul had expended tremendous effort and had experienced great suffering in Asia. Paul’s declaration provides insight into how theology took the direction it did and what is wrong with the theology of Christendom. Many Church Fathers were fairly orthodox but they also held unscriptural views, especially in their abandonment of Paul.

Tragically, little has changed. Most churches spend the greatest portion of their time in the Gospels and Old Testament, rather than in Paul’s epistles. This was contrary to what Paul taught (2 Corinthians 5.16). And when Paul is taught, his doctrines are mixed with Scriptures that pertain to Israel and vice-versa. The result is confusion and contradiction. Nothing is wrong with the Gospels. Nothing is wrong with the Old Testament. But we find nothing of the Church there. Only through studying Paul and his writings do we learn about God’s work, purpose, and destiny for the body of Christ, the Church.

Sooooooooooo well written !!! I confess to no longer calling it "dispensationalism" since that provokes unlimited negative responses. God unveiled His Plan for the Hebrew Folk, and He unveiled His Plan for everyone through Paul. (p.s.: 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)!

 

[stuart lawrence]

It's good to remember Jesus said there was much more he wanted to teach the disciples, more than they could now bear, but when the Holy Spirit was sent, he would guide them into all truth. So according to Jesus own words he was limited as to what he could explain to the disciples.
The Apostles had received the Holy Spirit, and wrote to those who had also received it.
Also, Jesus lived under the OC, Paul preached solely under the new one.

In regards to Acts2:38
I guess Peter didn't consider that order of things was cast in stone after he preached to Cornelius and his household

 

[Revived]

Sooooooooooo well written !!! I confess to no longer calling it "dispensationalism" since that provokes unlimited negative responses. God unveiled His Plan for the Hebrew Folk, and He unveiled His Plan for everyone through Paul. (p.s.: 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)!

2 Tim 2:15 is indeed the key...the only verse in the bible that tells us TO study also tells us HOW to study! And, I get your point regarding the negative connotations with the word "dispensation/dispensationalism". For the most part, however, I'm not disinclined to use the word because it appears four times in Paul's epistles (KJV) and like Peter mentioned in 2 Peter 4, those who rebuff can do so to their own destruction. I believe we should speak the clear truth of the Scriptures...in a loving, compassionate manner of course...and leave the results to God.

Thanks, by the way, for the comments!

 

[Hidden In Him]

To me, Matthew 5:17-20 is actually the very basis for a dispensational theology of sorts. It verifies that up until the time of Peter's vision (as @stuart lawrence pointed out) the early church was expected to keep the Old Testament law to an even greater degree than did the Pharisees.

It is how the expression "the age of grace" is interpreted, however, that sometimes gives me pause. Nor have I ever put a great deal of stock in the five leading up to this time.

My apologies if my response broke CF rules, since I am not much of a dispensationalist myself I guess.

 

[PamCAID]

Hello friends;
I am loosely dispensationalist, but I am not all that well informed on the specifics of the system. I have been struggling to reconcile what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19 with Paul's teachings and the Jerusalem council's decision in Acts 15. How do we understand Jesus' statement about keeping and teaching the Law in a dispensationalist framework?

I might be too late to jump in here, but since I struggled with this same passage myself, I thought I'd just drop you a line. I wrote the below article on my site. It's kind of long. You could probably skim through the verses that make up the first half if you want. Anyway, it gets right to the heart of what I think is going on in Matthew 5, etc.

Synoptic Gospels - Church Age is Different

And a couple on Paul and Acts 15:

The Eleven and Paul - Church Age is Different

Church Chart - Church Age is Different

I might be dividing different than you're used to. No argument or debate intended!

 

[PamCAID]

Hello friends;
I am loosely dispensationalist, but I am not all that well informed on the specifics of the system. I have been struggling to reconcile what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19 with Paul's teachings and the Jerusalem council's decision in Acts 15. How do we understand Jesus' statement about keeping and teaching the Law in a dispensationalist framework?

I apologize. I meant the Qualifying for the Kingdom article, not Synoptic Gospels. Have a good day.

 

[food4thought]

I might be too late to jump in here, but since I struggled with this same passage myself, I thought I'd just drop you a line. I wrote the below article on my site. It's kind of long. You could probably skim through the verses that make up the first half if you want. Anyway, it gets right to the heart of what I think is going on in Matthew 5, etc.

Synoptic Gospels - Church Age is Different

And a couple on Paul and Acts 15:

The Eleven and Paul - Church Age is Different

Church Chart - Church Age is Different

I might be dividing different than you're used to. No argument or debate intended!

Thanks PamCAID. I think I understand this question better now... the fact that we are not under Law, yet Jesus commands His disciples to keep and teach the Law demonstrates that the time Christ was on earth was a different dispensation.

 

[PamCAID]

Thanks PamCAID. I think I understand this question better now... the fact that we are not under Law, yet Jesus commands His disciples to keep and teach the Law demonstrates that the time Christ was on earth was a different dispensation.

You got it! And when our dispensation is over at the Rapture, the Jews have seven years left to finish off their dispensation, which, of course, would then include Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Blessings to you!

 

[Berl]

Hello friends;
I am loosely dispensationalist, but I am not all that well informed on the specifics of the system. I have been struggling to reconcile what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19 with Paul's teachings and the Jerusalem council's decision in Acts 15. How do we understand Jesus' statement about keeping and teaching the Law in a dispensationalist framework?

Matthew 11:11 is also interesting in comparison, John who represented those born of flesh though great, would be least in the kingdom until he was born from above so he was still a slave to his flesh Galatians 4:1, still looking outside waiting for another to come Matthew 11:3, (that's the mindset of christian tradition to this day) because they read the dark sayings literally missing the intent of the message is all inward that's the dispensational line 2 Corinthians 3:6, Luke 17:20-21.
This is what tradition is doing to people Matthew 23:13, we are taught to search on the outside judging by appearance waiting for the kingdom to come not realizing the kingdom is within and we can enter now.

 

[food4thought]

For what it's worth, the following article was instrumental in opening my eyes to Acts 15, the transition, and dispensationalism in general: The Great Hinge | doctrine.org

Grace and peace to you! Please feel free to ask more questions!

Excellent article, Revived. Sorry for the long time in between posts, but I have really been digesting many of these ideas and trying to understand what it means to be a dispensationalist. I have always understood the great importance of Acts 15, but I guess I never really worked out all the implications of what it meant.

So how do we view the epistles of Peter, James, and John? Are they applicable as doctrine? What about Hebrews? Also, how do we understand the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Calvary4me]

Hello friends;
I am loosely dispensationalist, but I am not all that well informed on the specifics of the system. I have been struggling to reconcile what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19 with Paul's teachings and the Jerusalem council's decision in Acts 15. How do we understand Jesus' statement about keeping and teaching the Law in a dispensationalist framework?

The Gentiles did not have to keep the OT law. See Matt 5, which clearly states that their righteousness would have to exceed that of the Pharisees (who tried with every fiber of their being yet failed miserably), so in other words gaining a standing of righteousness was impossible by our own human efforts. This was the verdict in Acts 15 as well. The Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. But they would do well to observe some practices that the Jews believed to be abhorrent, just to keep the peace and not interfere with Christian fellowship.

 

[Ron Gurley]

What is dispensationalism and is it biblical?

 

[food4thought]

What is dispensationalism and is it biblical?

Good article, Ron, thanks! I have read Ryrie's Dispensationalism already. It is clear to me that at least some of what Jesus said is not directly applicable to the Church, although this did take some serious soul searching on my part. Matthew 5:19 is obviously not for the Gentile church.

Thanks again and God bless;
Michael

 

[Stone-n-Steel]

Good article, Ron, thanks! I have read Ryrie's Dispensationalism already. It is clear to me that at least some of what Jesus said is not directly applicable to the Church, although this did take some serious soul searching on my part. Matthew 5:19 is obviously not for the Gentile church.

Thanks again and God bless;
Michael

One of the last conversations Jesus had with the twelve was about the Kingdom. They were expecting the promised Kingdom to be restored to them as promised to David. When you realize that Gentiles are not on equal ground with Israel in the Kingdom you can see how it fits together better.

 

[food4thought]

When you realize that Gentiles are not on equal ground with Israel in the Kingdom you can see how it fits together better.

Does it suggest that in the NT, or is that only in the OT prophecies? Just curious.

 

[Stone-n-Steel]

Does it suggest that in the NT, or is that only in the OT prophecies? Just curious.

I interpret that the tribulation time will be just prior to the Millennial Kingdom and in Rev 7 there is mention of sealing people of the twelve tribes of Israel but no mention of a place of equality for the non-jew. Does that qualify as a specific mention?

 

[food4thought]

I interpret that the tribulation time will be just prior to the Millennial Kingdom and in Rev 7 there is mention of sealing people of the twelve tribes of Israel but no mention of a place of equality for the non-jew. Does that qualify as a specific mention?

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I don't think that qualifies, as it deals with the time of the Tribulation, not the Kingdom. I agree that Israel will be ascendant during the Kingdom, there are references to that in Isaiah, I think. I just couldn't remember any NT mentions of this fact, and wondered if you knew of any.

God bless;
Michael