A modern method that mishandles the word of God
This modern method of mishandling the Scriptures—for modern it certainly is, being quite unknown to Christendom till little more than a century ago, and only within recent years being adopted by those who are outside the narrow circle where it originated—is based upon 2 Timothy 2:15,
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Very little or nothing at all is said upon the first two clauses of that verse, but on the third one, which is explained as “correctly partitioning the Scriptures unto the different peoples to whom they belong.” These mutilators of the Word tell us that all of the Old Testament from Genesis onwards belongs entirely to Israel after the flesh, and that none of its precepts (as such) are binding upon those who are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, nor may any of the promises found therein be legitimately appropriated by them. And this, be it duly noted, without a single word to that effect by either the Lord or any of His Apostles, and despite the use which the Holy Spirit makes of the earliest Scriptures in every part of the New Testament. So far from the Holy Spirit teaching Christians practically to look upon the Old Testament much as they would upon an obsolete almanac, He declares,
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the (Old Testament) Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
Arthur W. Pink The Application of Scriptures-A Study of Dispensationalism
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Geneva Bible
1677/89 London Baptist Confession
A Study of Dispensationalism by Arthur W. Pink
Reblogged this on My Delight and My Counsellors.
Sometime last year I went through Pink’s study on Dispensationalism…I found myself actually agreeing with his position although I felt that while he dealt with the nearly antinominian nature of most Dispensationalists, there are some such as Dr. John MacArthur (from what I understand) and myself who wouldn’t go that far in our hermeneutics to make everything that’s OT law that’s irrelevant for today or the church.
I appreciate your comment brother.
I understand your position brother. But as one who used to hold to a dispensational method of interpretation I have now come to realize that it all boils down to hermeneutics.
MacArthur may not affirm everything within the dispensational system, nevertheless his hermeneutical method is faulty. His hermeneutics is one that is centered in Israel. My hermeneutic is centered in Christ.
No theologian of history ever saw a separate plan for Israel and the Church until John Darby and this hermeneutic was popularized by C. I. Scofield.
Dispensationalism claims that God promised the land to Israel and therefore Israel will one day inherit it, while the Church dwells in heaven.
This is false. Galatians 3:16 declares that all the Abrahamic promises were promised to ‘a seed’; not to ‘seeds’, and this ‘seed’ is Christ. Christ is the heir of the Abrahamic promises. Paul goes on to say in Galatians 3 that those in Christ are the true children of Abraham and the heirs of the Abrahamic promises. This means that the Church is the heir of those promises.
Therefore when Jews get saved they become part of the Church and are looking for the Father’s house as Gentile Christians do John 14:1-3; they are not looking for an earthly inheritance unless the have fallen into dispensationalism and choose to ignore scripture.
The earthly Jerusalem was cast out and had to give way to the heavenly Jerusalem Galatians 4. Also Abraham did not recognize the promise as being about a spot of land in the middle east, but wandered through the world looking for a city whose builder and Maker is God and those who profess that they are pilgrims in this world confess that they are looking for the same thing. Wherefore God has prepared for them a city Hebrews 11:8-16.
Paul the Apostle also realized that the land promise included the whole world Romans 4:13. By the way Romans 4 is a commentary on the promises given Abraham in Genesis 17.
Of course dispensationalism teaches a pre-trib rapture, seven years of tribulation, and a thousand year millennium. I challenge folks all the time, on Facebook, for scripture proof. To this day, no one can provide any.
Blessings.