There are people who state unequivocally that they view the entire Bible as binding on them. Still, if you press them, you find out they talked too soon.
I don’t know of anyone who considers the Bible to be the inspired word of God, of which some passages he or she does not consider to be binding or not applicable to him or her.
For example, I don’t know of anyone applying Deuteronomy 21:18-21. This is the passage that says that a stubborn and rebellious son should be stoned at the insistence of his parents.
I don’t know of anyone applying Matthew 10:9-10. This is where Jesus commands the twelve apostles not to take money with them on their mission, nor extra clothes.
So, all Bible students make a distinction between what they believe is applicable right now, and what is not. However, there is not consensus among them as to how and where to make that distinction.
The same Paul who wrote to Timothy toward the end of his ministry that all of Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness …. (see 2 Timothy 3:16), admonished in the same letter:
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
The original text of Scripture was inspired by God word for word, but not all of it is directly binding or applicable to believers today. We can learn something from it, but that’s not to say we are to keep every commandment or request in Scripture. All Scripture is written for us, but not everything is written to us, or concerning us.
Noah was commissioned to build a boat. Abram was commissioned to sacrifice his son to God. Moses was commissioned to lead his people from slavery into a promised land. God’s command for Samson was that his hair should not be cut. Jesus’ command to the twelve apostles during and after Jesus’ ministry on earth was that they focus their mission solely on Israel—to the exclusion of the gentile nations. None of these commandments apply to any of us today.
There are also promises in the Word to certain people, which do not apply to anyone. For example, the promise to Abraham and Sarah that they will have a child in their old age.
By dividing or partitioning the Word correctly, we can determine what applies directly to us in the present dispensation, and what not.
Jesus “divided” the Word on at least one occasion. That’s when He read Isaiah 61:1-2a in the synagogue in the hearing of those present (Luk 4:16-20). He did not read the entire passage, but stopped right in the middle of verse 2, closed the scroll and said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus knew the rest of verse 2 and the rest of the prophecy would only be fulfilled at His second coming.
Paul’s advice to Timothy to divide the Word right with diligence is linked to doing so with God’s approval—”present yourself approved to God”—and the thought that he need not be ashamed. I believe that in the resurrection, many preachers will be ashamed of how they interpreted the Word.
A verse that was meant for the nation of Israel is not necessarily meant for you and me.
Due to not correctly dividing, the Word is incorrectly blended resulting in confusion about:
Israel and the Church
Law and Grace
The covenants (old and new) and the secret pertaining to the Church which is Christ’s Body
Salvation and discipleship
Jesus of Nazareth and the risen glorified Christ
Due to not correctly dividing, the pastor will give a sermon on “everything is just grace” and at another time, “if you don’t pray, go to church regularly and tithe, there will be consequences.”
Due to not correctly dividing, there seem to be contradictions in the Bible. Jesus said in one place, Do not go to the nations other than Israel (the Gentiles) to preach the Word (Mat 10:5-7), and in another place, make disciples of all nations (Mat 28:19). James 2:24 says that one is justified by works, and not by faith only. But Romans 3:28 reads, “Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law.” Words along the same lines are found in Romans 4:4-5 and Ephesians 2:8-9. James says one thing and Paul says the opposite.
Does that mean Scripture is not reliable? Not at all! If the Bible student divides the Word correctly, he or she will find the answer.
The question that arises is, how can we know if we are “dividing the Word rightly”?
This is a huge topic on which much more can be said than I intend to do here. I’ll just make a few comments and want to encourage you, the reader, to study the topic in more depth yourself, without preconceived notions.
Cornelius Stam writes:
God’s dealings with men have been progressive, enfolding step by step with the advance of the ages.
The division between what is called “Old Testament” and “New Testament” (i.e. between the Hebrew and Greek writings) is a man-made differentiation. (Even the words “Old Testament” and “New Testament” are unbiblical concepts. Why talk about a Will? Is God dead? “Covenant” would be a better word than “Testament”. But there is reference to the New Covenant in Jer. 31:33 which is part of “the Old Testament”.)
To divide the Word rightly, it will help if you ask certain questions: What is the context? What are the surrounding circumstances? You get it by reading the preceding verses and the subsequent passage. Then you ask: who’s talking here?; To whom is it addressed? What is it about? In what era or dispensation is it set?
It also helps to see that most of the Bible deals with Israel and their role as a leading nation in establishing the kingdom of God on earth, under the kingship of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. If you read from Genesis 12 to the last verse of Revelation, and you skip the letters of Paul, then everything is about Israel. It might take a big mind shift to see it in. Matthew and the other three Gospel books deal primarily with Israel. Jesus’ ministry was directed at them. Hebrews is addressed to Israel. James to the twelve tribes in the scattering. And so forth.
There is no text in the Bible that says that the Church (the Ecclesia) of today is spiritual Israel. The expression “spiritual Israel” does not appear in Scripture at all[1].
The view that God has turned His back on Israel and has now transferred all His promises to Israel to His Church, is totally wrong. First, God is faithful. He keeps His promises. It would have been against His character to do such a thing. Second, Romans 11 teaches us that God has not cast off his people. God partially and temporarily caused a hardening to come upon them. At God’s appointed time, all Israel will be saved.
How can we, who are not of Israel, make those passages directly applicable to us? It’s one thing to say we can learn from it, but another to say we have to live up to everything that’s in it.
Paul’s letters are different. He was the apostle to the nations—the nations other than Israel, the uncircumcised. He did not write anything about Israel and the Messianic kingdom that God will set up on earth.[2] We can and should pay much more heed to what Paul wrote—he who was the very one who wrote about “dividing rightly” the word of truth.
The Bible is not to be seen as Old Testament and New Testament. It is a unit. Where a distinction needs to be made is between what Paul wrote and what the rest of the Bible writers wrote. Paul spoke of “my gospel” (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 2:8); focusing on grace (Acts 20:24); what he received from the risen Jesus Christ—not from men (Galatians 1:1, 11); he was the one who explained the implications of the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus (cf. Romans 6:3-11, Col 2:6-13) and declared his unique calling as an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7-9).
Clyde Pilkington says:
God revealed more of Himself and His plan to Abraham than He had to Adam; more to Moses than to Abraham; more to David than to Moses; more to Peter than to David; with Paul being the summit of God’s revelation.
Even Paul has received continual revelations from God since his Damascus road—meeting with Christ in A.D. 36. He also initially received it in part (1 Cor. 13:9-10). Twenty-one years later (57 AD), he would still come to the visions and revelations of the LORD (2 Corinthians 12:1). Eleven years later, he wrote his last letters to congregations while in captivity: Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians. In these letters, God’s final revelations are given to us. It contains truths never before revealed to anyone—see Eph. 3:1-4, 8-9; 1:25; Col 1:25–26.
The apostle John had a vision of the New Earth and the New Jerusalem, the future residence of the earthly saints. But Paul was transported to the third heaven, and he wrote about our citizenship in the heavens (Philippians 3:20) and our seat in the heavenly spheres (Ephesians 2:6). The heavens are higher than the earth, and vastly greater in space and splendor.
Paul’s ministry commission was to make the Word of God fully known to the Ecclesia – the Church. God gave him insights and revelations that contained mysteries not previously revealed. Tradition has it that the Book of Revelation was written about 30 years after Paul’s last letters. If this view is correct, Paul’s letters complete God’s Word in a different sense. All the other books of the Bible are limited in their scope, by presenting earthly promises as far as space is concerned, and as far as time is concerned, confined to the eras (eons). Paul’s letters soar above the earthly to the “heavenly places far above all principality [rule] and power [authority]” (Eph 1:20-21) and to “times” that extend beyond the eras, when God will be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
This is an extremely important truth that every Bible student should consider. If this is not done, we get a blending/mixing of Law and Grace, contradictory Bible verses and confusion.
It is especially the last letters of Paul—that which he wrote while in captivity, which wholly apply directly to us, who are part of the Body of Christ. During his imprisonment, after Acts 28:28, Israel as a nation had already been set aside by God (cf. Romans 11:25-32); his ministry was directed at the non-Jews and not Law-bound; and there he received the full revelation of God’s secret, of which the prophets of yesteryear did not even know (Ephesians 3:9).
A table highlighting the distinction between the two groups of Paul’s letters:
| PRE – PRISON EPISTLES | PRISON EPISTLES |
| The “culture” of “First for the Jew, but also for the Greek” was the order of the day (Acts 13:46, Romans 1:16, 2:9-10; 2:29; 9:3-5) In line with the program for Israel, the second coming of Christ was seen as at the door (1 Thes 5:1-2, 1 Corinthians 7:29) The Jews ask for signs. Signs and miracles were present (John 4:48, 1 Corinthians 1:22; Acts 2:22; 28:1-5) The secret of God was only partially revealed, and some insights were not permissible to be shared (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) Written during the events described in the Book of Acts | The middle wall between Jew and Greek was broken down (Ephesians 2:11-14) The focus is on the appearance of Christ with His Body (the Church of this dispensation) in heavenly places (Colossians 3:4). Signs and miracles are not mentioned (cf. 2 Timothy 4:20) The secret was fully revealed and Paul could write about it (Ephesians 3:9) Written after the weighty statement of Paul concerning Israel in Acts 28:28 |
It is important to remember that all Scripture is profitable for us. As Paul says, the Law is not meant for the righteous, but it is good when used in the right way (1 Timothy 1:8). What we read in the Books not written by Paul we filter through the truths in Paul’s letters. That which is written in the pre-prison epistles of Paul we filter through the truths in his prison epistles.
To illustrate, I take the Book of James as an example. There are certain truths that are valid for all the dispensations since the creation of man to the present, which should be precious to all of us:
• Every good gift comes from God (1:17 – cf. Ephesians 2:8)
• Do not get angry easily or quickly (1:20 – cf. Ephesians 4:26, 31)
• Keep yourself undefiled from the world (1:27 – cf. Romans 12:2)
• Do not judge anyone by the outward appearance (2:1 -cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28)
• Whoever tries to keep the whole law, but breaks one law, is guilty of all (2:10 – cf. Galatians 5:3-4)
• The body without breath [spirit] is dead (2:26 – cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7)
• An uncontrolled tongue can do great harm. No man can tame the tongue. (3:1-8 – cf. Colossians 3:8)
• The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle and willing to yield (3:17 – cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, Galatians 5:22, Colossians 3:12-15)
• This life is like a vapour that only appears for a short time and then vanishes away (4:14 – cf. 1 Corinthians 15:19)
• Consider it a great joy when all kinds of trials befall you (1:2 – cf. Romans 5:3-5).
To interpret Scripture correctly, wherever God makes distinctions, we should do the same. In the process, many man-made differentiations will disappear into thin air, while new insights will appear on the horizon. Enjoy the journey and discover the “depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Romans 11:33).
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A book I highly recommend is God’s Holy Nation – Israel and Her Earthly Purpose Contrasted with the Body of Christ and Its Heavenly Purpose by Clyde L Pilkington Jr – Bible Student’s Press
[1] Gal 3:7-9 is often propounded as support. It reads, “…those who are of faith are sons of Abraham…And Scripture …preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed,” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
Also in Rom 11:16-24 the analogy is used of the grafting of branches in an olive tree to illustrate the position of gentile believers.
Since Peter’s vision where God showed him that gentiles should not be excluded until Acts 28:28, gentile proselytes were allowed in their meetings, but they were regarded as second-class members. When God sets up His kingdom on earth, Israel will fulfill its dominant role and the other nations will be blessed by their relationship with the nation of Israel.
[2] There is a difference between the kingdom Paul mentions in Eph 5:5, Col 1:13 and the Messianic Kingdom on earth.