My reply
to Tony Garland’s dismissal
of mid-Acts dispensationalism
Tony Garland’s article at Spirit
and Truth
Tony Garland of “Spirit and Truth” has published a
well thought out and intelligent critique and dismissal of mid-Acts
dispensationalism. You can read the complete article at this link;
http://www.spiritandtruth.org/questions/17.htm
I made contact with Tony with the intent of defending
the teaching that enabled me to believe and be saved. Tony was unwilling to
discuss mid-Acts dispensationalism further. He has dealt with it and dismissed
it and has now moved on.
Here is an extract which shows his line of reasoning:
“In the case of mid-Acts
dispensationalism, there are a variety of views, partly because mid-Acts
dispensationalists cannot agree among themselves as to when Paul's ministry to
the Gentiles is thought to have transitioned from the teaching of the early church.
Did this occur in Acts 9 (at Paul's conversion)? Or in Acts 13 (at Paul's
initial mission to the Gentiles, Acts 13:2)? Or perhaps it was in Acts 28 when
the gospel was rejected by
The problem of establishing
just exactly where this supposed “gear-shift” in the plan of God takes place
highlights the fact that Scripture itself lacks any clear indication of such a
shift. This is where normative dispensationalism has a clear advantage:
Scripture places great emphasis upon the coming of the Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost (Acts 2). This very important event in the plan of God is underscored
by the signs and manifestations which accompanied it and by their initiation
entirely at God's initiative. In other words, we don't have to try to read
between the lines (about whether Peter or Paul presented salvation certain
ways) to determine whether or when a discontinuity occurs--God Himself has made
it abundantly clear in the events of Acts 2.”
The church began on the day of
Pentecost
Tony teaches that the Church is defined by the
presence of the Holy Spirit of promise and began when the Holy Spirit of
promise was first poured out on the day of Pentecost. Unlike most mid-Acts
people, I am in agreement with him on this point.
It is the one and only Holy Spirit of PROMISE that
arrived on the day of Pentecost.
“And, behold, I send the
promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them
that they should not depart from
“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” (Acts
This is the same Holy Spirit of promise that believers
are now sealed with when they first believe. The presence of the Holy Spirit of
promise in believers, WHATEVER THE DISPENSATION, defines the Lord’s body. It is
HIS SPIRIT that defines HIS BODY.
“For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1
Corinthians
“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.” (Romans 8:9 AV)
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that Holy Spirit of
promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 AV)
It is because we Gentiles have become “partakers of
his PROMISE in Christ” (the Holy Spirit of promise) that we have become “OF THE
SAME BODY” (as the Jewish saints).
“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers
of his promise in Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:6 AV)
The church, the body of Christ, could also be called
the church of the Spirit of Christ. It is only the body of Christ if it is
indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.
Peter’s little flock, the early Pentecostal church of
God at Jerusalem, was a RIVER OF THE SPIRIT that flowed from a sect of Judaism
to Christianity, from the earthly church to the heavenly church, from the Jews
to the Gentiles and from the first century to the twenty-first century. (The
Spirit does not flow DIRECTLY from a saved person to an unsaved person. A saved
person preaches the gospel to an unsaved person and if the unsaved person HEARS
and BELIEVES it, then the Father sends forth the Spirit of his Son into their
heart.)
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God.” (Romans
“And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father.” (Galatians 4:6 AV)
“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but
the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2 AV)
This should be on a neon sign outside of all mid-Acts
fellowships:
PAUL WAS NOT THE
FIRST MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST BUT HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON SAVED IN GOD’S
UNPROPHESIED DISPENSATION OF GRACE.
Paul was given the dispensation of the grace of God to
Gentile-ward (Ephesians 3:1-2), was the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans
“Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.”
(Romans 16:7 AV)
Andronicus and Junia must have received the Holy Ghost in
“And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of
every nation under heaven.” (Acts 2:5 AV)
Ricky Kurth at the Berean Bible Society pointed out to
me that all of the Old Testament saints are also now “in Christ” though it
could not be said that they were ever members of the church, the body of
Christ. They were saved on the basis of what was to them the Lord’s FUTURE
redemptive work. This is a good point but it cannot be applied to Andronicus
and Junia who were “in Christ” while they still walked the earth. If you are
“in Christ”, and you still have a living body of flesh, then you are a member
of HIS BODY on earth, the Church. Andronicus and Junia received the Spirit of
Christ while their bodies were still walking around on the earth. They did not
have to wait until they had died and gone to heaven (as the Old Testament
saints did).
If we are to follow our apostle’s example then we
should also acknowledge Peter’s little flock as the
“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called
an apostle, because I persecuted the
Most mid-Acts ‘authorities’ will go to great lengths
to prove that the
“Unto the church of God
which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be
saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our
Lord, both theirs and ours:” (1 Corinthians 1:2 AV)
That the Lord regarded the
“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4 AV)
Although Paul’s encounter with the risen and glorified
Lord was totally ATYPICAL of the manner in which the thousands of Peter’s flock
at the time had come to believe, Paul received the Holy Spirit of promise in a
totally TYPICAL Jewish manner, through the ministry of an ordinary member of
Peter’s flock – Ananias at Damascus. This direct lineage of the Holy Spirit of
promise from the Pentecostal
The fact that Paul then became an enemy of his former
nation, and was still somewhat feared and mistrusted by his new friends, worked
perfectly for God’s will. The Lord never intended Paul to receive further
revelation from the existing Pentecostal
“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught
it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12 AV)
The hostility toward him from friend and foe alike,
drove him to many years of separation in
By the time of Paul’s salvation, Peter’s little sect
of Jews in which the Holy Spirit of promise dwelt had CEASED BEING ISRAEL and
instead had become the “remnant according to the election of grace” (Romans
9:27, 11:5) – i.e. the beginnings of the Lord’s new body or Church. The
branches of unbelieving, establishment
“For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump
is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the
branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest
of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But
if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the
root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because
of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not
highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed
lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God:
on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in
his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they
abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for
God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert
cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed
contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be
the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive
tree?” (Romans 11:16-24 AV)
It is IMPOSSIBLE
to separate the members of the
“And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is,
being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of
Paul found no acceptance among those of the
“And when Saul was come to
And it was Barnabas, full of the Holy Spirit, who
brought Paul from
“Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church
which was in
It was Barnabas who was chosen by the Holy Spirit to
accompany Paul on his first missionary journey.
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets
and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate
me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they
had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So
they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto
Paul never ceased from acknowledging the debt we owe
to the POOR SAINTS WHICH ARE AT JERUSALEM.
“But now I go unto
It is small wonder that mid-Acts dispensationalism is
so vulnerable to attack when our leaders try to make hard scriptural divisions
where there are none, thereby forcing us all into a position of defending
error. Paul’s surprise salvation in Acts 9 is the nearest thing to a hard,
historical dividing line for God’s switch to the grace dispensation. But the
changeover from the Jewish Acts 2 dispensation to the grace dispensation was
gradual and elements of it had occurred prior to Acts 9. You have to diligently
study the WHOLE book of Acts to see the forest rather than the trees. It is
only in Paul’s later prison epistles (e.g. Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians)
that one can see the finished transition to the dispensation of grace.
The teaching by some mid-Acts people that God kept TWO
dispensations running from Acts 9 to Acts 28 may just be a well-meaning effort
to divert grace believers from the things particularly associated with
When new accounting software is introduced to a
network of computers, provision is made for data to enter the system’s database
from either the old or the new system until ALL computers on the network have
been converted to the new system. In similar fashion, the Lord began a new
system of salvation with the salvation of Paul - salvation by the hearing (and
seeing in Paul’s case) of faith. But Paul was ALSO water baptised in the name
of Jesus Christ and had hands laid upon him to receive the Holy Spirit of promise.
(Acts 9:17-18). So Paul’s salvation had a combination of the old and new
systems. The old system is particularly Jewish and the new is particularly
Gentile and Paul’s ministry was to be to both Jews and Gentiles.
“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel
unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of
Because there were 12 apostles of the circumcision
(and thousands of other Jews) still using the old system (salvation through
repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and sometimes the laying
on of hands - e.g. Acts 2:38, 8:17, 19:1-6), God may have allowed the old
system to run in parallel while people were still using it. Many are still
using the old system two thousand years later. Only the new worked for me –
truly believing that the Lord continues to minister from heaven. I received the
Holy Spirit of promise when I repented of my ignorance of the Lord’s heavenly
ministry and his revelations to Paul. The Lord Jesus Christ cannot be presently
ministering from heaven unless he was RAISED FROM THE DEAD.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10 AV)
But if this is the case we must NOT treat those Jews
saved under the old system, the ones that Paul called “the saints which are at
“Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye
baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians
Believers saved under the old system are still
Christians and members of Christ, providing they continue in faith and do not
return to the works of the law. Professing believers who continued in the works
of the law cannot be included as members of the church and must be included
with unbelieving
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians
The ship called
“Even so then at this present time also
there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace:
otherwise work is no more work. What then?
The occupants of the lifeboat, including some like
Peter of the original remnant, came to be called Christians.
“Then departed Barnabas to
“Yet if any man suffer as a
Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1
Peter
Confusion arises when modern day Christians do not
apply God’s PROGRESSIVE REVELATION to scripture. Computers can cope with an
instant switch to a new operating system. When God switches the dispensation to
human society it must be more gradual. Some still haven’t caught on after
nearly two thousand years of the grace dispensation.
It is most interesting to study the development of the
Church in the book of Acts but we should be aware that things were changing
throughout that period. For example, Paul started out water baptising then
later declared he was “sent not to baptise” (1 Corinthians
Tony is right about when the church began. It began
with the arrival of the Holy Spirit of promise and it continues wherever the
Holy Spirit of promise indwells today. But once the Holy Spirit gave the ball
to Paul (Acts 13:2), the original Jerusalem church, which had begun on the day
of Pentecost, ceases to be at the cutting edge of revelation and quickly fades
from the story as it unfolds in the book of Acts.
Paul’s most eloquent dealing with this subject is
found in his epistle to the Ephesians. In time past we Gentiles were without
Christ.
“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the
flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision
in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:” (Ephesians 2:11-12 AV)
We Gentiles are made nigh by the blood of Christ, who
has broken down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile. The
enmity was abolished in his flesh. The devil’s power of death killed the Lord’s
flesh through the combined efforts of both Jews and Gentiles (Acts
AT CALVARY the Lord
accomplished all that was necessary for the coming dispensation of grace - by
his blood and his flesh. He did not reveal this until AFTER ISRAEL HAD FALLEN –
to his chief apostle on the rooftop of his Joppa lodgings (Acts
“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and
hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in
his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for
to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might
reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity
thereby:” (Ephesians 2:13-16 AV)
Through him we both have access by
And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to
them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” (Ephesians
In this dispensation of the grace of God, we Gentiles,
BY THE GOSPEL, are partakers of
spiritual things initially promised to
“It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made
partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto
them in carnal things.” (Romans
“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Christ
by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:6 AV)
Which gospel? Paul’s gospel of the grace of God of
course!
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which
I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
(Acts
“Whereof I was made a
minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the
effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all
saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ;” (Ephesians 3:7-8 AV)
Which promise? The blessing of Abraham; the PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - the Holy
Spirit of promise that was first poured out upon Peter’s little flock on the
day of Pentecost!
“And, behold, I send the promise
of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
“ And, being assembled together with them, commanded them
that they should not depart from
“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” (Acts
“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus
Christ; that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians
“In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,” (Ephesians
The church started in one
dispensation and moved into another
The
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
The covenant as described in Jeremiah has led some to
conclude that the literal Ten Commandments and 600-plus ordinances will be
installed in one’s brain like the memorised lyrics of a song. Who needs all
that when the Spirit of the author of the law, the Spirit of the living God, is
poured upon them?
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out
my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the
servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel
2:28-29 AV)
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants
and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they
shall prophesy:” (Acts 2:16-18 AV)
Although the New Covenant baptism with the Holy Spirit
of promise had been proclaimed by John the Baptist right from the beginning of
our Bible’s New Testament scriptures,
“I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost.” (Mark 1:8 AV)
the Holy Spirit of promise could not be poured out on
anyone until AFTER the Lord Jesus had made the ONE ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE FOR
SINS FOREVER.
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John
The Lamb of God had to be sacrificed for the sin of
the world to be taken away. This is why Jesus told his apostles that it was
EXPEDIENT for him to go away.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I
go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7 AV)
Although proclaimed from the beginning of John’s
ministry, the New Covenant did not actually come into force until AFTER THE
DEATH OF THE TESTATOR.
“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the
death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead:
otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” (Hebrews
9:16-17 AV)
Under this covenant the Jews needed only to do a
couple of simple things (i.e. repent and be water baptised in the name of Jesus
Christ) in order to receive the Holy Spirit of promise. They had a covenant (a
deal or contract) with God and he delivered his side of the deal, the PROMISE
of the Spirit, in response to their fulfilling of their side of the deal by
repenting and being water baptised in the name of Jesus Christ.
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts
Get an unsaved Gentile of today to “repent and be
baptised in the name of Jesus Christ” and see if he receives the Holy Ghost.
You will find that it doesn’t work any more. I know. I tried similar stuff to
this for years and no Holy Ghost. Sadly, a great many Christian churches are
still trying to operate within God’s dispensation of the New Covenant to the
house of
WE ARE NOW OPERATING WITHIN THE
DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD, WHICH IS NOT BETWEEEN GOD AND THE HOUSE OF
“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)
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; That the Gentiles
should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in
Christ by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:1-6 AV)
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs was revealed
unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This revelation began at the
house of Cornelius (Acts 10) and gained momentum when the church at Syrian
Antioch began to flourish (see Acts
The dispensation of the grace of God was given Paul to
us-ward, i.e. GENTILE-ward. We Gentiles are partakers of God’s New Covenant
promise to
“It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if
the Gentiles have been made partakers of
their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal
things.” (Romans
“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:” (Ephesians
3:1-2 AV)
If you gave your own beloved family an extraordinary
gift that you had promised them and they viciously refused it and attacked and
killed the family member who delivered it - what would you do? You could
withhold it and not give it to anyone OR YOU COULD GIVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE –
someone outside of the family. Someone who truly appreciated it and received it
WITH JOY.
“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary
that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: (
Giving his precious gift to non-family members has the
added benefit that the wicked family members who had viciously refused the gift
(the Jews) would be driven wild with jealousy toward the actual receivers of it
(the Gentiles).
“But I say, Did not
“I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid:
but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy.” (Romans
God gave to
God did NOT PUT A STOP to the availability of the
spiritual blessings that came with his New Covenant with the house of
“And for this cause he is the mediator of
the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are
called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews
“But this man, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one
offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy
Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the
covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will
put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their
sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:12-17 AV)
“And to Jesus the mediator of the New
Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh
better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews
God raised up a new apostle - a very tough apostle who
had been the meanest, baddest persecutor of his
little flock of Spirit-filled believers. Unlike the other apostles, this one
did not volunteer and was saved by the Lord’s exercise of his power to save
whom he will. He was saved by GRACE and in saving Paul the Lord began the new
dispensation of grace, which is also a dispensation of the New Covenant but
includes additional revelation of God’s previously hidden plan to make the
Gentiles fellowheirs and to offer the New Covenant blessings by GRACE to anyone
who BELIEVES the good news of what the Lord has accomplished for us.
In this dispensation of the grace of God, salvation
and the Holy Spirit of promise are no longer just a “repentance and water
baptism in the name of Jesus Christ” away. Salvation and the Holy Spirit of
promise are now totally by grace through faith.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9 AV)
One receives the Holy Spirit of promise today by the
“hearing of faith”. We receive the PROMISE of the Spirit through FAITH.
“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all
that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun
in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many
things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among
you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
(Galatians 3:2-5 AV)
“That the blessing of
Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians
Because the word of God is true then God is really
only asking us to BELIEVE THE TRUTH of Paul’s gospel. Easy believism,
some call it. Who are they trying to kid? If we could CHOOSE what we believed then it would be easy. But true belief or faith is not something we can put
on like a new item of clothing. Although such a superficial faith is enough to
satisfy many people, the true seeker is WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. He or
she will only be convinced when something supernatural happens!
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise
of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 AV)
So God gives us the earnest of the Spirit, a
supernatural gift, to LET US KNOW that he has begun the salvation process in
us. If you haven’t noticed the Spirit’s arrival then he probably hasn’t arrived
yet. The Spirit’s presence is much, much more than being occasionally inspired
by God. The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ himself and brings with him the
FAITH of Christ and the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Christ – the RESURRECTION AND THE
LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE which is crucified to this world and which crucifies this world
to us.
[It is hard to know which pronoun to use when
referring to the Spirit of God. ‘IT’ seems disrespectful and ‘HIM’ seems sexist
because the same Spirit of God indwells female Christians. I think our language
needs a new pronoun which is neither male nor female yet is still personal and
respectful. There is neither male nor female in Christ - Galatians 3:28.]
Saved believers receive the Spirit of another person
within them – the Spirit of Christ. This is not cause for us to run down the
street crying “I am Jesus” or “I am God”. Such behaviour will only get you a
room in your local looney bin and a course of some strong anti-psychotic
medication. You may have noticed that in a successful marriage, two people come
to think and act as one over the years. So it is with our spirit and the Spirit
of the indwelling Christ. It is like a marriage.
“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great
mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32 AV)
“But he that is joined unto the Lord is
one spirit.” (1 Corinthians
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin
to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2 AV)
Our marriage to the Spirit of Christ may be rough
going at first. Many near to us who are enemies of Christ will become our
enemies and may viciously persecute us. This is normal and par for the course.
“But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were
illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were
made a gazingstock both by reproaches and
afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so
used.” (Hebrews 10:32-33 AV)
“Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you:” (1 Peter
We will continue to resist and rebel against our new
partner to varying degrees but over the years our spirit will be conformed to
the Spirit of Christ.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren.” (Romans
“ My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until
Christ be formed in you,” (Galatians
Salvation does not require a high IQ. Most with high
IQs are too hopelessly carried away with their own brilliance to ever seek God
in the first place. Salvation does require one very important quality – an
ability to be EDUCATED; a willingness to allow our deep-seated IGNORANCE to be
addressed. That is what it took for me and I am convinced that most unsaved
people are separated from God by IGNORANCE which keeps them in UNBELIEF. Just
like Paul.
“Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but
I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly
in unbelief.” (1 Timothy
This is really great news. Ignorance is FIXABLE. It
was only because of dire personal need that I ventured into a Christian grace
fellowship in 2006 and got my ignorance addressed. I got the information that
enabled me to believe that Christianity is true. DISPENSATIONALISM. More
specifically MID-ACTS DISPENSATIONALISM. You cannot take our apostle Paul
seriously unless you also take his revelations from the risen and glorified
Lord seriously. As soon as you do that you have moved from the earthly Jesus to
the heavenly Jesus and power and the Holy Ghost will come upon you!!!!!
“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power,
and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we
were among you for your sake.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5 AV)
I was not enlightened by acquiring wisdom. Instead I
was saved by God once I conceded my ignorance regarding Paul’s office of
apostle to the Gentiles. After all, I AM
A GENTILE. I experienced the hearing of faith and the long-awaited arrival
of the Holy Spirit of promise suddenly – upon allowing my prideful ignorance to
be addressed.
“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office:” (Romans
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made
perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be
yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the
Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the
law, or by the hearing of faith?”
(Galatians 3:2-5 AV)
“But is now made manifest
by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and
hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle,
and a teacher of the Gentiles.” (2 Timothy 1:10-11 AV)
“In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2 Timothy 2:25-26 AV)
This RECEIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE BY THE
HEARING OF FAITH is the great change that proves the arrival of a new
dispensation of God. When did it start? Well it must have started prior to Acts
10 because in the salvation of Cornelius and his friends and family is the
first case of Gentiles receiving the Holy Ghost and, more importantly, the
FIRST case of the Holy Ghost coming upon people by the HEARING OF FAITH alone.
“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all
them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was
poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 10:44-45 AV)
“While Peter yet spake these words”. Cornelius and his people demonstrated no outward and noticeable
repentance. Their repentance of their old ideas about life, the universe and
everything was included in their immediate acknowledging of the truth of
Peter’s words (see 2 Timothy
If Cornelius and his people had FIRST “repented and been water baptised in the name of Jesus
Christ” then their salvation would have been within the Jewish New Covenant
dispensation. The salvation of the Gentiles had been prophesied (Isaiah 42:6,
Amos
If all saved after Cornelius were saved by the hearing
of faith then there would be a lot less confusion over the issue of when the
dispensation changed. Unfortunately God has not made it so easy for us. Water
baptism PRIOR to receiving the Holy Spirit of promise seems to have persisted.
The changeover was gradual. Jews and Samaritans also seem to have had a need
for the “laying on of hands” by a Spirit-filled believer in order to receive
the Holy Ghost. Examples of this are found in Acts
A word about repentance
A word of explanation is necessary regarding repentance. When
giving an account to king Agrippa, Paul says that he shewed to both Jew and
Gentile “that they should repent and turn to God”.
“Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the
heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of
I have come to see that repentance to both Jew and Gentile, in
either the Jewish New Covenant dispensation or the later dispensation of the
grace of God to the Gentiles, involves REPENTING OF IGNORANCE. Both Jew and
Gentile are required to repent, but the ignorance they are repenting of is
different.
The Jews ignorance was in denying the Holy One and the Just, the
Prince of life.
“But ye denied the Holy One
and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the
Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see
and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness
in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.” (Acts 3:14-17 AV)
The Jews, “unto whom were committed the oracles of God” (Romans
3:2), must repent of their ignorance in not recognizing Jesus Christ as the
Messiah that these very oracles prophesied.
The Gentiles ‘who knew not God’ needed to repent of ignorant idol
worship. I don’t think idol worship is the main ignorance Gentiles need to
repent of in the 21st century. There are a host of competing
religions today, many of which bundle Jesus Christ into their package. There
are also thousands of ‘Christian’ denominations which emphasize certain
interpretations of the scriptures in a wrongly divided manner and others have
virtually done away with the scriptures altogether. Some denominations have
rewritten the scriptures to fit their particular bent. The big gainers in the
collective ignorance department at this time would be: 1) a combination of
humanism and atheism which waits upon science for further revelation of what
life is all about, and 2) the New Age smorgasbord from various religions plus
occultism and alien visitors.
When Paul first addressed Greek Gentiles at
“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar
with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto
you.” (Acts
“Forasmuch then as we are
the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold,
or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent:” (Acts
It was the apostle’s hope that we would repent (change our minds)
and acknowledge the truth – i.e. the truth of his gospel and all of God’s
word.
“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth;” (2 Timothy
John the Baptist called the Jews to repentance of their departure
from the holiness expected of God’s holy nation of priests. But he also
foretold the ministry of the Lord.
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (Matthew
I became acutely aware of what a mess I had made of things just
prior to being saved. My need for relief from a fire in my brain of guilt, fear and shame, drove me to
seek prayer from Christian friends. Please don’t think I am exaggerating. I
literally had the sensation of burning coals in my brain. I went and got a
strong anti-depressant medication from my doctor which only further fueled the
burning coals. Our God is a consuming fire and I fear that fire. I would never
have gotten saved without that fire. (“T’WAS GRACE THAT TAUGHT MY HEART TO
FEAR”.)
“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us
have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
For our God is a consuming fire.”
(Hebrews 12:28-29 AV)
A week later I REPENTED OF MY IGNORANCE regarding the scriptures
during an argument with their preacher, who was a Pauline, mid-Acts
dispensationalist. It was at this moment that the Holy Spirit of promise came
into my heart. (“
It is IGNORANCE OF THE TRUTH that we are asked to repent of.
Things have changed since the time of John the Baptist. All things have now
been put under the feet of the risen, glorified Lord who baptizes with fire and
with the Holy Ghost. Repenting of your sins, though a good start, will not get
you saved.
I am grateful that the mid-Acts preacher I argued with was patient
with me and continued to MEEKLY INSTRUCT me in spite of my angry objections. I
repented of my ignorance the moment I thought to myself “Maybe he’s right”. A
silent, inner change of heart that was heard in heaven.
“In meekness instructing
those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to
the acknowledging of the truth;” (2 Timothy
I have just done some further repenting of ignorance myself, as
any who read this section prior to my latest update will be aware.
The devil’s Judaisers
and loonies
I will digress a little here to explain why I believe
there is such an epidemic of ignorance regarding God’s truth.
Christians claim that they have the truth. Buddhists,
Hindus, Moslems and a host of other outfits also claim to have the truth. How
is a lost soul to know where to go for the truth?
The devil’s main purpose is to corrupt or obscure
God’s word of truth. So where the devil is paying most attention THERE ALSO IS
GOD’S TRUTH. Christianity is so infested with the devil’s loonies that I should
have realised long before 2006 that the truth was hidden there. If a religion
appears very cool and together then the devil is leaving it alone. The truth
isn’t there.
That the devil’s corrupting and obscuring of God’s
truth has been extremely effective is demonstrated by the deep-seated and
widespread ignorance of true Christianity. The devil’s ‘Christians’ are
energetically spreading false gospels and disinformation. His main thrust is
the same one that Paul spent much of his energies trying to purge from the
churches he planted. JUDAISING - making Gentile believers see themselves as
second-rate members of a church in which the Jews are the true aristocracy.
The devil wants to keep you ignorant of the fact that
the glorified Lord Jesus Christ revealed unto Paul, the apostle of the
Gentiles, a simple gospel to be broadcast to the whole world – a new
dispensation of the grace of God sent to GENTILE-ward.
The church is not spiritual
“Cometh this blessedness then upon
the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in
uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he
had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that
believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed
unto them also: And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the
circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father
Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. For the promise,
that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his
seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” (Romans 4:9-13
AV)
“He (Abraham) staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also
to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was
not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to
whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans
“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee
shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham.” (Galatians 3:8-9 AV)
“Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest
by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:20-21 AV)
We are children of Abraham by faith. We receive the
blessing of Abraham, the Holy Spirit of promise, through faith. Abraham was in
UNCIRCUMCISION when he received imputed righteousness and became the spiritual
father of all who receive the righteousness of faith.
“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
(Galatians
The law was added so that all are concluded in sin and
prepared for the righteousness which is by faith alone. Most Jews misunderstood
the purpose of the law and the Judaisers of Paul’s
day, and of the 21st century, are those who trust in the law for
righteousness and teach others the same.
“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not,
And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And
this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the
law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it
should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law,
it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then
serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions,
till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by
angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but
God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if
there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin,
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:16-24 AV)
Any teaching which counters Judaising
is in for a torrid time and will soon fall prey to the devil’s massive
onslaught. This is precisely what is happening to mid-Acts dispensationalism.
Mid-Acts cults of personality are springing up all over the place and, as Tony
Garland has pointed out, we mid-Acts people can’t agree on very much. If you
can’t see that the devil is behind this then you are being very effectively
blinded by him.
Dogma has taken the place of “searching the scriptures
to see if it is so”. Established teachers have become too proud to admit when
they are wrong. What would their adoring followers think? God forbid they
should appear as mere humans capable of making mistakes.
So the devil’s loonies are now working overtime from
within and without to discredit mid-Acts dispensationalism. GOOD! If we didn’t
have the truth then the devil would leave us alone!
Israel
We mid-Acts dispensationalists see that a major
“gear-shift” in God’s dealing with the people of earth occurred sometime after
Tony declares that “scripture itself lacks any clear
indication of such a shift”. Yes. A certain amount of inference is necessary to
base
“But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never
forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:” (Mark
Because of
“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,” (Romans 16:25 AV)
God did not do away with the New Covenant, but instead of offering
it through
“ And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:30-31 AV)
“For there is no difference
between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him.” (Romans
“And so all
“It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made
partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto
them in carnal things.” (Romans
“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Christ
by the gospel:” (Ephesians 3:6 AV)
When God concluded them all in unbelief he effectively returned
the world to its pre-Israel state – i.e. when ALL were Gentiles.
Under the old dispensation the Gentiles would have been blessed
through
“And so all
Under the new and current dispensation of grace, the Gentiles are
blessed through
“Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the
diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?”
(Romans
The CASTING AWAY of
“For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world,
what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Romans
Individual Jews who want to be saved must now approach him in the
same manner as us Gentiles. It is not that we saved Gentiles have become
“Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only,
or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham
for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in
uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.” (Romans 4:9-10 AV)
“He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among
you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Even as
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye
therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”
(Galatians 3:5-7 AV)
The dispensation of grace was
given to Paul
Paul was involved with Stephen’s murder. He was
consenting to it and minded the clothes of the Jews who threw the stones.
“And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was
standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that
slew him.” (Acts
Surely Tony and anyone with a smidgeon of common sense
can see that God moved away from his earlier program when he saved Paul. God
already had his twelve apostles. Merely the fact that the risen and glorified
Lord FORCIBLY recruited a thirteenth apostle (from among his worst enemies)
should give Tony a ‘HINT OF THE CENTURY’ that God was deviating from his
earlier program.
The Lord displayed both irony and justice in choosing
Paul to be his new apostle of a new dispensation of grace to both Jew and
Gentile.
“For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s
sake.” (Acts
The Lord’s choosing and saving ‘the chief of sinners’
serves for a pattern which gives hope to the most wicked of sinners in his
dispensation of grace: hope for all who should HEREAFTER (Paul-after) believe
on him.
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1
Timothy
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth
all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy
The Lord also gave us an indication of the composition
of the church in the dispensation of grace, by choosing for its apostle a man
who fully qualified as both a Roman and a Jewish Pharisee.
“And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this
freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they departed
from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid,
after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.” (Acts
22:28-29 AV)
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of
In blinding Paul for three days prior to his being
born of the Spirit, the Lord gave us a sign that served a dual purpose. It
harked back to an episode during his earthly ministry when he declared that the
Pharisees who ‘thought they could see’ would be better off if they were blind.
“And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words,
and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind,
ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” (John 9:40-41 AV)
But it is surely also a type of the ‘sign of Jonah’
(Matthew
“And Saul arose from the
earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the
hand, and brought him into
Paul’s similarities with Jonah don’t end with the
radical means by which God brought them both into line. Jonah was the
rebellious prophet who went in the opposite direction when God sent him to the
Gentile city of Nineveh to preach to the Gentiles there - so they might avoid
the coming wrath of God (Jonah 1:1-2). Paul was the rebellious Pharisee who
persecuted the
Tony concedes that Paul was given additional
revelation regarding the church but does not accept that God changed the
DISPENSATION after Acts 2. He seems to treat the formation of a new body and a
change of dispensation as the same thing. This seems to be Tony’s blind spot.
God’s earlier body of people on earth, his holy nation
To say that the new dispensation of the grace of God
was NOT made known to Paul BY REVELATION, is to make Paul (and the Holy Spirit
which inspired him) a liar.
“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,” (Ephesians 3:1-3 AV)
The “dispensation of the grace of God” was given Paul
to us-ward – i.e. GENTILE-ward. Paul’s gospel, the gospel or good news of the
grace of God, was given him BY REVELATION. Paul was not saved until Acts 9.
Therefore the dispensation of grace cannot have begun prior to Acts 9.
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which
I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
(Acts
“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught
it, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12 AV)
There is also a very clear scriptural indication of
exactly who was the first person saved under the dispensation of grace. Once
again we need only BELIEVE OUR APOSTLE. He declared his salvation a “ME FIRST” pattern of the Lord’s grace.
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that
he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I
did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the
grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in
Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me
first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them
which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy
1:12-16 AV)
Why was Paul the first person saved under the new
dispensation? All of those who had received the Holy Spirit of promise prior to
Paul were worthy of salvation to a greater or lesser extent. They were not
ignorant and they were not unbelieving. Paul
was in ignorance and unbelief - utterly unworthy and making war on the very
Lord who saved him. In this
dispensation of the grace of God, he has concluded
all under sin and in unbelief and saves who he will, according to his
purpose.
“For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have
mercy upon all.” (Romans
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise
by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” (Galatians
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose.” (Romans
Although this seems to take salvation entirely out of
our hands and put it entirely in God’s hands (as Calvinists teach) we must
remember that God also told us to “seek and ye shall find”. We must “diligently
seek him”. Was our call to diligently seek God predestinated? I don’t know. It
certainly seemed like it was my idea to do the seeking. As a Catholic nun once
told me, we must “act as though everything depends on us and pray as though
everything depends on God”.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search
for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 AV)
“And I say unto you, Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you.” (Luke 11:9 AV)
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 AV)
If those used by Satan are nevertheless personally
accountable for their actions, (e.g. Judas Iscariot; see John
“Woe unto the world because
of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by
whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18:7 AV)
Paul persecuted the Lord in ignorance and unbelief. He
thought he was zealously serving the God of Moses, the God of the scriptures
that he had studied with Gamaliel. It is not as though the Lord saved a totally
depraved scumbag out of the blue. As is demonstrated in stories throughout the
bible, God uses the most unlikely individuals to bring to nought things that
are.
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the
things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought
things that are:” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28 AV)
All salvation is by the grace of God, through the
faith of Jesus Christ, and the Spirit is received by each called person’s
hearing of faith. I know that Paul received the Holy Ghost after water baptism
and the laying on of hands and seemingly not by the hearing of faith that he
later preached as being the sole way in which the Spirit is received.
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:2 AV)
Paul did not immediately receive the Holy Spirit of
promise by the hearing of faith but his
“Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ
our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?” (1 Corinthians 9:1 AV)
“And last of all he was
seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” (1 Corinthians 15:8 AV)
So he was a believer extraordinaire prior to his
receiving of the Spirit when Ananias laid hands on him and water baptised him.
Paul suffered a great deal for the Lord and never wavered from his faith and
joy in the Lord through near death by drowning and stoning, beatings,
captivity, violent persecution and the certainty of his coming execution in his
last months. There is no doubt in my mind that he HEARD, SAW and spoke with the
ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ.
Israel
Paul was the first person saved in the dispensation of
grace and he was also given the job of dispensing God’s grace to the world.
Once the grace dispensation began, a remnant of
“Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant
according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of
works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no
more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” (Romans 11:5-6 AV)
Jews and Samaritans required special treatment
throughout the Acts period and, just as there are no recorded instances of
Gentiles requiring the laying on of hands to receive the Spirit during this
period, there are also no recorded instances of Jews or Samaritans receiving
the Spirit by the hearing of faith alone. It is also apparent that the signs
and wonders associated with the Jewish New Covenant dispensation persisted way
beyond the commencement of the grace dispensation in Acts 9.
Paul received the Spirit through the laying on of hands and water
baptism, yet it was also Paul who later declared that the Spirit is received
only by the hearing of faith and that he was sent not to baptise but to preach
the cross.
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us
which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-18 AV)
It was being progressively revealed to Paul that some
of the spiritual things associated with
“Charity never faileth: but whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part,
and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10 AV)
Some see “that which is perfect” as the completed
revelation contained in Paul’s completed epistles. Because all thirteen verses
of chapter thirteen of this letter written by the thirteenth apostle are
extolling CHARITY, then “that which is perfect” is the full manifestation of
God’s charity, or love, in a believer - as our old self-centred, carnal man
dies and we exclusively become the body or vehicle of Christ’s PERFECT
LOVE.
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect.” (Matthew
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ:” (Ephesians
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God
is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein
is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:
because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because
fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John
4:16-18 AV)
Christ’s perfect love can only be brought about in
believers through the effectual working of both the Word and the Spirit of God,
for the Spirit and the Word are one.
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when
ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as
the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe.” (1 Thessalonians
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (Ephesians
“For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one.” (1 John 5:7
AV)
Paul’s completed epistles contain the perfected
doctrine for this grace dispensation, but Paul himself said that all scripture
is given that the MAN of God may be
perfect.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may
be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good
works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 AV)
And he did say ALL SCRIPTURE. There was more scripture
to come from the apostle John whose contributions were penned after Paul’s
martyrdom.
Signs and wonders are for the Jews and all of the signs and wonders
associated with the Jewish Acts 2 dispensation followed Paul, at least until
Acts 28, when he was still supernaturally healing the sick and surviving a
deadly snake bite.
“And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them
on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And
when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said
among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped
the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he
shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when
he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked
a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said
that he was a god.” (Acts 28:3-6 AV)
“And these signs shall
follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and
they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18 AV)
“And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a
fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his
hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had
diseases in the island, came, and were healed:” (Acts 28:8-9 AV)
“Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye
shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the
Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14 AV)
Yet there is no talk whatsoever of signs and wonders in Paul’s later
epistles written after Acts 28. It is in Acts 28 that God, through Paul, ceases
from trying to persuade the Jews and wholly turns to the Gentiles.
“Be it known therefore unto
you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will
hear it.” (Acts 28:28 AV)
The signs and wonders of Spirit-filled believers up to this point were
God’s way of provoking unbelieving Jews to jealousy with an external display of
supernatural things.
“But I say, Did not
A different set of problems arises for Acts 2
dispensationalism or normative dispensationalism as Tony Garland calls it. I
would rather have our problems than theirs.
·
If Acts 2
dispensationalists can read then they will be aware that
·
Acts 2
dispensationalists will try and get around the fall of
OK. If this is the case then why don’t they who repent and get water baptised
in the name of Jesus Christ, invariably and immediately receive the Holy Ghost
(Acts 2:38). (Some should also burst into spontaneous and supernatural tongues
upon receiving the Holy Ghost (Acts
And why are they not all living together in communes and having all things in
common, selling their possessions and goods and parting them to all the
believers? (Acts 2:44-45)
And why can’t believers HEAL THE SICK,
RAISE THE DEAD, WALK ON WATER, MIRACULOUSLY FEED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, SURVIVE
DEADLY POISON AND SNAKE BITES etc., etc. (Mark 16:17-19, John 14:12-14).
Explain that for us, please Tony.
It is the pathetic charades of ‘supernatural’ gifts in
churches that think they are spiritual Israel, that kept me, and no doubt
thousands (millions?) of others, in unbelief. I am not saying that God doesn’t
ever supernaturally heal people any more. He does and I can testify that he
does. But he didn’t heal me in front of people as a sign or wonder to
unbelievers. He did it when no one else was looking.
We mid-Acts dispensationalists see that BUT NOW God
has revealed the mystery and that the dispensation of grace with the Gentiles
is the arrangement by which we now receive his New Covenant spiritual things.
His prior dispensation of New Covenant spiritual things via
“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made
manifest to his saints:” (Colossians
The SPIRITUAL THINGS that God PROMISED under the
provision of his New Covenant (the indwelling Spirit and all it brings with it
– righteousness, salvation, eternal life etc.) are currently ONLY DELIVERABLE
via his dispensation of grace with the Gentiles. Jews are not ineligible but
get no special treatment because they have been concluded in unbelief along
with unbelieving Gentiles. We are currently benefiting by the fall and
diminishing of
“It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of
their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal
things.” (Romans
We need only explain why receiving the Spirit after
water baptism and/or the laying on of hands persisted beyond Acts 9 and why
signs and wonders persisted at least until Acts 28. I believe the explanation
is that
“I say then, Have they
stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall
salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if
the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the
riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” (Romans 11:11-12 AV)
During
“For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
(1 Corinthians
The bottom line for me
No matter how clear I try to make mid-Acts
dispensationalism there remain certain anomalies which muddy the water and
cause even serious students of the Bible, such as Tony Garland, to reject it.
·
The bottom line for
me is that I received the Holy Spirit of promise by the hearing of faith. The
first Gentiles to receive the Holy Spirit of promise (Cornelius and his kinsmen
and near friends - Acts 10) also received the Spirit by the hearing of faith.
All who received the Spirit of promise prior to this were Jews and Samaritans
who required water baptism (and in some cases the laying on of hands) to
receive the Holy Spirit of promise.
·
I received the Holy
Spirit of promise when I saw for the first time in my life that the risen,
glorified Lord had saved the apostle Paul and sent him to us Gentiles with the
dispensation of the grace of God. Implicit in this illumination is the full
acceptance that the Lord is indeed risen and glorified and mediating between
God and man from heaven.
You cannot take Paul seriously, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, unless you also
take the Lord’s MINISTRY FROM HEAVEN seriously. That is God’s salvation “Catch
22” and the reason that God raised Paul to prominence from Acts 13 onward. Take
Paul seriously and you IMPLICITLY take the Lord’s resurrection seriously - YOU
ARE SAVED (Romans 10:9)
·
I received the Holy
Spirit of promise when I realised that my arrangement with God is different to
the arrangement he had with the Jews. After receiving the Holy Spirit of
promise, the Spirit himself moved Matthew, Mark, Luke and John into the
background of my mind and helped me install Romans to Philemon (the scriptures
of the grace dispensation to the Gentiles) into the foreground.
·
I received the Holy
Spirit of promise when, for the first time in my life, I related to God and the
scriptures AS A GENTILE.
· John Bisset,
·
Website:
https://johnbisset.nz/
·
Email: john.bisset@gmail.com