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Title: WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH Post by: Ambassador4Christ on March 11, 2004, 05:06:53 PM WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH
Acts 26:22 is a good example of a verse that has experienced many mishandlings. It is a verse, but it is not a complete thought. To quote Acts 26:22 alone, is to give a half sentence and a wrong impression. To only quote Acts 26:22, is to give only half the truth and to wrongly divide this word of truth in this particular context, where verse 23 is ignored in an interpretation of verse 22. Let's quote Acts 26:22 : "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come" This is the complete verse and it certainly looks like it could stand alone as a complete thought. But that is not true. Acts 26:22 cannot stand alone as a verse. Context and common sense should tell a student that Paul's whole thought is found in Acts 26:22 and Acts 26:23, read together as a unit. Let's quote them together and see how they belong together. Acts 26:22,23 : "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come : that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and unto the gentiles" Acts 26:22 twice appears above with the last 14 words in italics. This is the part of the verse that is mis-used to prove that Paul up to Acts 26, preaches only truth in harmony with the prophetic plan concerning Israel and her kingdom. When Acts 26:23 was quoted together with verse 22, the bold type helps to contrast what is missing ( if only Acts 26:22 is quoted ) and what a vital part it plays in a normal reading of the text and to demonstrate how any interpretation would be slanted because a complete thought is not being considered, in an effort to interpret here. Paul is not making a blanket statement here. He is not explaining how all of his ministry has been limited in scope and dispensation to things under the dispensation of Law. That is how some 'dispensationalists' use this verse. To them, it is a proof text. To them, it proves that all of Paul's ministry in Acts up to chapter 26, and all of Paul's epistles written previous to Acts 26 do not witness to any of the truths of the mystery in reference to the church which is Christ's body with the Lord as its head. This is called the Acts 28 position. [ The Acts 2 position, which begins the Body of Christ on the feast day of Pentecost reads Paul into Peter, making Peter agree with Paul's teaching, thus Peter is harmonized to Paul. The Acts 28 position reads Peter into Paul, making Paul in all of Acts and in his epistles ( written during Acts ) agree with Peter, thus Paul is harmonized to Peter.] But to cut asunder the relationship of these verses is to wrongly divide these words of truth. To take Acts 26:22 out of its context and make it read as if there is a period after the word 'come' rather than a colon, is an act of poor Bible reading and teaching. What is worse, is to have listeners and readers of this kind of presentation, accept it as real and honorable Bible teaching. Acts 26:22 is also connected with a faulty reading AND INTERPRETATION of Acts 26:17. Acts 26:17 in the KJV reads like this: "Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom 'now' I send thee…" Using the reading of the text as quoted, there is a claim that Paul is for the first time, here, to be sent to the Gentiles. But, 'now' is NOT really in the text. Therefore, Paul is NOT for the first time being sent unto the Gentiles ( in a distinct and different way than previously ) at this late date in Acts. But, ( even if 'now' was in the text ) remember also, that Paul is in Acts 26, telling of his conversion experience THAT HAPPENED IN ACTS 9, when these words of the Lord are spoken to Paul. It matters not what the words say, they were spoken in Acts 9, not Acts 26. The sending that is recorded in Acts 26:17, was given in Acts 9. The obedience to that sending happened long before Acts 26. Continuing, Paul states that there are two items that Moses and the Prophets said should come : "that Christ should suffer" "that he should be the first that should rise from the dead to shew light to both : the people [ of Israel ] and to the Gentiles" Paul is making a case before Agrippa. It is important to see that Paul is not limiting his past actions through his writings or his preaching ministry in Acts literally, absolutely and universally by these words in Acts 26:22. As we have shown, you can not judge Paul's total ministry by Acts 26:22 alone. What Moses and the Prophets said should come, is clarified by verse 23. Paul certainly preached what is found in Acts 26:23. But Paul preached more than just the sufferings of Christ as a fact. He gave the interpretation of this fact. I Cor. 15:1-4 unfolds the truth that when Christ suffered/died, he died on behalf of our sins. Moses and the Prophets knew nothing of this revelation. Paul preached more than just the fact of Christ's resurrection. Paul teaches that the Lord Jesus "was delivered [unto death on the cross ] on account of our offences, and was raised again on account of our justification [ through that same death ]. Cf. Rom 5:9 The resurrection here is a proof of justification, rather than a theology from the hymn 'One Day', where the chorus says, '…rising he justified, freely forever…'. Paul teaches that we were justified by Christ's blood/death and the resurrection is the proof. Through Paul, the Lord Jesus 'came and preached peace to you [ Gentiles ] which were afar off, and to them [ the Jews ] that were near' Eph. 2:17 What happened in Eph. 2:17, happened before Eph. 2:17 was written in prison. In plain words, it was happening in the historical record in the Acts before Acts 26. The bottom line for this study is : Acts 26:22 does not teach that Paul lived, preached, taught and wrote only things limited to the revelation that was given to the Prophets and Moses. To make it teach this, is to ignore the text and context which must be read and interpreted with it, which means that Acts 26:23 must be used to gain the complete thought that Paul was only beginning to unfold in Acts 26:22. Rather than having Acts 26:22 control all the actions of Paul, all the actions of Paul should be used ( including all his previous actions in Acts prior to Acts 26 along with all his writings during this time) to gain the whole truth and intent of Acts 26:22. Then, a study of Paul's actions and writings after Acts 26 could contribute to a full, final and complete picture of the situation. Saying the same thing differently, we use all the Bible before the text and all the Bible after the text, to contribute to a normal understanding of that text. What a challenge to gain an understanding of the greatest book ever written. http://www.geocities.com/athens/cyprus/3717/jerrysterchi23.html e-mail Jerry Sterchi firstlight@csinet.net Title: WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH Post by: The Crusader on March 16, 2004, 05:06:52 AM WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH Acts 26:22 is a good example of a verse that has experienced many mishandlings. It is a verse, but it is not a complete thought. To quote Acts 26:22 alone, is to give a half sentence and a wrong impression. To only quote Acts 26:22, is to give only half the truth and to wrongly divide this word of truth in this particular context, where verse 23 is ignored in an interpretation of verse 22. Let's quote Acts 26:22 : "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come" This is the complete verse and it certainly looks like it could stand alone as a complete thought. But that is not true. Acts 26:22 cannot stand alone as a verse. Context and common sense should tell a student that Paul's whole thought is found in Acts 26:22 and Acts 26:23, read together as a unit. Let's quote them together and see how they belong together. Acts 26:22,23 : "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come : that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and unto the gentiles" Acts 26:22 twice appears above with the last 14 words in italics. This is the part of the verse that is mis-used to prove that Paul up to Acts 26, preaches only truth in harmony with the prophetic plan concerning Israel and her kingdom. When Acts 26:23 was quoted together with verse 22, the bold type helps to contrast what is missing ( if only Acts 26:22 is quoted ) and what a vital part it plays in a normal reading of the text and to demonstrate how any interpretation would be slanted because a complete thought is not being considered, in an effort to interpret here. Paul is not making a blanket statement here. He is not explaining how all of his ministry has been limited in scope and dispensation to things under the dispensation of Law. That is how some 'dispensationalists' use this verse. To them, it is a proof text. To them, it proves that all of Paul's ministry in Acts up to chapter 26, and all of Paul's epistles written previous to Acts 26 do not witness to any of the truths of the mystery in reference to the church which is Christ's body with the Lord as its head. This is called the Acts 28 position. [ The Acts 2 position, which begins the Body of Christ on the feast day of Pentecost reads Paul into Peter, making Peter agree with Paul's teaching, thus Peter is harmonized to Paul. The Acts 28 position reads Peter into Paul, making Paul in all of Acts and in his epistles ( written during Acts ) agree with Peter, thus Paul is harmonized to Peter.] But to cut asunder the relationship of these verses is to wrongly divide these words of truth. To take Acts 26:22 out of its context and make it read as if there is a period after the word 'come' rather than a colon, is an act of poor Bible reading and teaching. What is worse, is to have listeners and readers of this kind of presentation, accept it as real and honorable Bible teaching. Acts 26:22 is also connected with a faulty reading AND INTERPRETATION of Acts 26:17. Acts 26:17 in the KJV reads like this: "Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom 'now' I send thee…" Using the reading of the text as quoted, there is a claim that Paul is for the first time, here, to be sent to the Gentiles. But, 'now' is NOT really in the text. Therefore, Paul is NOT for the first time being sent unto the Gentiles ( in a distinct and different way than previously ) at this late date in Acts. But, ( even if 'now' was in the text ) remember also, that Paul is in Acts 26, telling of his conversion experience THAT HAPPENED IN ACTS 9, when these words of the Lord are spoken to Paul. It matters not what the words say, they were spoken in Acts 9, not Acts 26. The sending that is recorded in Acts 26:17, was given in Acts 9. The obedience to that sending happened long before Acts 26. Continuing, Paul states that there are two items that Moses and the Prophets said should come : "that Christ should suffer" "that he should be the first that should rise from the dead to shew light to both : the people [ of Israel ] and to the Gentiles" Paul is making a case before Agrippa. It is important to see that Paul is not limiting his past actions through his writings or his preaching ministry in Acts literally, absolutely and universally by these words in Acts 26:22. As we have shown, you can not judge Paul's total ministry by Acts 26:22 alone. What Moses and the Prophets said should come, is clarified by verse 23. Paul certainly preached what is found in Acts 26:23. But Paul preached more than just the sufferings of Christ as a fact. He gave the interpretation of this fact. I Cor. 15:1-4 unfolds the truth that when Christ suffered/died, he died on behalf of our sins. Moses and the Prophets knew nothing of this revelation. Paul preached more than just the fact of Christ's resurrection. Paul teaches that the Lord Jesus "was delivered [unto death on the cross ] on account of our offences, and was raised again on account of our justification [ through that same death ]. Cf. Rom 5:9 The resurrection here is a proof of justification, rather than a theology from the hymn 'One Day', where the chorus says, '…rising he justified, freely forever…'. Paul teaches that we were justified by Christ's blood/death and the resurrection is the proof. Through Paul, the Lord Jesus 'came and preached peace to you [ Gentiles ] which were afar off, and to them [ the Jews ] that were near' Eph. 2:17 What happened in Eph. 2:17, happened before Eph. 2:17 was written in prison. In plain words, it was happening in the historical record in the Acts before Acts 26. The bottom line for this study is : Acts 26:22 does not teach that Paul lived, preached, taught and wrote only things limited to the revelation that was given to the Prophets and Moses. To make it teach this, is to ignore the text and context which must be read and interpreted with it, which means that Acts 26:23 must be used to gain the complete thought that Paul was only beginning to unfold in Acts 26:22. Rather than having Acts 26:22 control all the actions of Paul, all the actions of Paul should be used ( including all his previous actions in Acts prior to Acts 26 along with all his writings during this time) to gain the whole truth and intent of Acts 26:22. Then, a study of Paul's actions and writings after Acts 26 could contribute to a full, final and complete picture of the situation. Saying the same thing differently, we use all the Bible before the text and all the Bible after the text, to contribute to a normal understanding of that text. What a challenge to gain an understanding of the greatest book ever written. http://www.geocities.com/athens/cyprus/3717/jerrysterchi23.html e-mail Jerry Sterchi firstlight@csinet.net WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH Amen Title: WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH Post by: Brother Love on March 19, 2004, 06:07:18 AM WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH Acts 26:22 is a good example of a verse that has experienced many mishandlings. It is a verse, but it is not a complete thought. To quote Acts 26:22 alone, is to give a half sentence and a wrong impression. To only quote Acts 26:22, is to give only half the truth and to wrongly divide this word of truth in this particular context, where verse 23 is ignored in an interpretation of verse 22. Let's quote Acts 26:22 : "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come" This is the complete verse and it certainly looks like it could stand alone as a complete thought. But that is not true. Acts 26:22 cannot stand alone as a verse. Context and common sense should tell a student that Paul's whole thought is found in Acts 26:22 and Acts 26:23, read together as a unit. Let's quote them together and see how they belong together. Acts 26:22,23 : "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come : that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and unto the gentiles" Acts 26:22 twice appears above with the last 14 words in italics. This is the part of the verse that is mis-used to prove that Paul up to Acts 26, preaches only truth in harmony with the prophetic plan concerning Israel and her kingdom. When Acts 26:23 was quoted together with verse 22, the bold type helps to contrast what is missing ( if only Acts 26:22 is quoted ) and what a vital part it plays in a normal reading of the text and to demonstrate how any interpretation would be slanted because a complete thought is not being considered, in an effort to interpret here. Paul is not making a blanket statement here. He is not explaining how all of his ministry has been limited in scope and dispensation to things under the dispensation of Law. That is how some 'dispensationalists' use this verse. To them, it is a proof text. To them, it proves that all of Paul's ministry in Acts up to chapter 26, and all of Paul's epistles written previous to Acts 26 do not witness to any of the truths of the mystery in reference to the church which is Christ's body with the Lord as its head. This is called the Acts 28 position. [ The Acts 2 position, which begins the Body of Christ on the feast day of Pentecost reads Paul into Peter, making Peter agree with Paul's teaching, thus Peter is harmonized to Paul. The Acts 28 position reads Peter into Paul, making Paul in all of Acts and in his epistles ( written during Acts ) agree with Peter, thus Paul is harmonized to Peter.] But to cut asunder the relationship of these verses is to wrongly divide these words of truth. To take Acts 26:22 out of its context and make it read as if there is a period after the word 'come' rather than a colon, is an act of poor Bible reading and teaching. What is worse, is to have listeners and readers of this kind of presentation, accept it as real and honorable Bible teaching. Acts 26:22 is also connected with a faulty reading AND INTERPRETATION of Acts 26:17. Acts 26:17 in the KJV reads like this: "Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom 'now' I send thee…" Using the reading of the text as quoted, there is a claim that Paul is for the first time, here, to be sent to the Gentiles. But, 'now' is NOT really in the text. Therefore, Paul is NOT for the first time being sent unto the Gentiles ( in a distinct and different way than previously ) at this late date in Acts. But, ( even if 'now' was in the text ) remember also, that Paul is in Acts 26, telling of his conversion experience THAT HAPPENED IN ACTS 9, when these words of the Lord are spoken to Paul. It matters not what the words say, they were spoken in Acts 9, not Acts 26. The sending that is recorded in Acts 26:17, was given in Acts 9. The obedience to that sending happened long before Acts 26. Continuing, Paul states that there are two items that Moses and the Prophets said should come : "that Christ should suffer" "that he should be the first that should rise from the dead to shew light to both : the people [ of Israel ] and to the Gentiles" Paul is making a case before Agrippa. It is important to see that Paul is not limiting his past actions through his writings or his preaching ministry in Acts literally, absolutely and universally by these words in Acts 26:22. As we have shown, you can not judge Paul's total ministry by Acts 26:22 alone. What Moses and the Prophets said should come, is clarified by verse 23. Paul certainly preached what is found in Acts 26:23. But Paul preached more than just the sufferings of Christ as a fact. He gave the interpretation of this fact. I Cor. 15:1-4 unfolds the truth that when Christ suffered/died, he died on behalf of our sins. Moses and the Prophets knew nothing of this revelation. Paul preached more than just the fact of Christ's resurrection. Paul teaches that the Lord Jesus "was delivered [unto death on the cross ] on account of our offences, and was raised again on account of our justification [ through that same death ]. Cf. Rom 5:9 The resurrection here is a proof of justification, rather than a theology from the hymn 'One Day', where the chorus says, '…rising he justified, freely forever…'. Paul teaches that we were justified by Christ's blood/death and the resurrection is the proof. Through Paul, the Lord Jesus 'came and preached peace to you [ Gentiles ] which were afar off, and to them [ the Jews ] that were near' Eph. 2:17 What happened in Eph. 2:17, happened before Eph. 2:17 was written in prison. In plain words, it was happening in the historical record in the Acts before Acts 26. The bottom line for this study is : Acts 26:22 does not teach that Paul lived, preached, taught and wrote only things limited to the revelation that was given to the Prophets and Moses. To make it teach this, is to ignore the text and context which must be read and interpreted with it, which means that Acts 26:23 must be used to gain the complete thought that Paul was only beginning to unfold in Acts 26:22. Rather than having Acts 26:22 control all the actions of Paul, all the actions of Paul should be used ( including all his previous actions in Acts prior to Acts 26 along with all his writings during this time) to gain the whole truth and intent of Acts 26:22. Then, a study of Paul's actions and writings after Acts 26 could contribute to a full, final and complete picture of the situation. Saying the same thing differently, we use all the Bible before the text and all the Bible after the text, to contribute to a normal understanding of that text. What a challenge to gain an understanding of the greatest book ever written. http://www.geocities.com/athens/cyprus/3717/jerrysterchi23.html e-mail Jerry Sterchi firstlight@csinet.net LOVE IT! Paul preached more than just the fact of Christ's resurrection. Paul teaches that the Lord Jesus "was delivered [unto death on the cross ] on account of our offences, and was raised again on account of our justification [ through that same death ]. Cf. Rom 5:9 The resurrection here is a proof of justification, rather than a theology from the hymn 'One Day', where the chorus says, '…rising he justified, freely forever…'. Paul teaches that we were justified by Christ's blood/death and the resurrection is the proof. AMEN!!! :) |