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The Pauline Bootcamp: Session XI
The Work of Proclaiming Paul's Gospel:
Pauline Witnessing in an Evangelical, Fundamentalist World
3 January 1998
Stephen E. Rodabaugh
Trinity Grace Fellowship
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§0. Introduction. From
the previous sessions of this Pauline Bootcamp, two things should be manifestly
clear:
- Paul's gospel is fundamentally different from the gospel
of the kingdom, that is, the gospel from Christ through Paul is fundamentally
different from the gospel preached by Christ and Peter on earth.
- The leadership and seemingly most of the followership
of the evangelical and fundamentalist world stand opposed to the distinctiveness
of Paul's gospel; and many of those supposedly in favor of some sort of
distinctiveness of Paul's gospel stand opposed to that difference being
truly important and part of one's salvation. This latter group holds that
Paul's gospel is only a matter of determining reward, but it is not fundamental
to salvation.
This session, together with the previous and succeeding
sessions, examines the practical implications of Paul's gospel. And this
session is particularly devoted to the issue and necessity of proclaiming
Paul's gospel to an unsaved world, even an unsaved evangelical and fundamentalist
world. We affirm that the distinctiveness of Paul's gospel is non-optional
for salvation, that it is the very template of perseverence for the Body
of Christ into its Hope in the Third Heaven.
The following questions are addressed in this session:
- What is the distinctive Lordship of Christ to be proclaimed
today?
- What are the basic points of God's sovereignty to be
proclaimed today?
- What is the necessity of proclaiming the distinctiveness
of Paul's gospel today?
- What is the character and nature of the Anti-Body, that
group of supposed "saints" in opposition to Paul's gospel?
- What does it mean to witness to a seemingly unsaved evangelical?
An outline of the rest of this session is as follows:
- Proclaiming Distinctive Lordship of Christ in Paul's
Gospel
- Proclaiming Five Basic Points of Paul's Gospel
- Opposition of Anti-Body to Paul's Gospel
- Necessity of Proclamation of Paul's Gospel
- Witnessing to Unsaved Evangelicals and Fundamentalists
- Proclaiming Distinctive Lordship of Christ in Paul's
Gospel.
- Lordship of Christ in Paul's Gospel: Rom. 10:613
- Faith does not express itself symbolically or ceremonially:
Verses 68
- Confession of "Lord Jesus" made to Christ privately,
not symbolically: Verse 9
- Belief in the heart of the resurrection is private, not
symbolic: Verse 9
- Lordship of Christ is to all-without-distinction
= Headship over the Body: Verse 12
- Lordship of Christ is to Jew and Greek without distinction
= Headship over the Body: Verse 12
- Citations of the Law are without Jewish context: Verses
11,13
- Christ is Lord to the Body in the sense of being the
Head of a non-ceremonial, non-symbolic, non-ethnic, non-earthly (Eph. 2:6),
third heavenly (II Cor. 12:14), over-angelic Body (I Cor. 6:3, Eph.
2:6). This defines Lordship today and hence defines the confession of faith
unto salvation today. Any other confession is not out of the righteousness
of faith, i.e. not out of faith, and hence is in sin (Rom. 14:23).
- Lordship of Christ in Peter's Gospel and Confession:
Matt. 16:1320, Acts 2:1440; 3:1226
- Lordship in Peter's gospel is Messiahship over the Nation
Israel: Matt. 16:16, Acts 2:36; 3:20.
- Messiahship means the One Who saves the Elect of Israel
into Israel's future earthly empire: Ps. 2: 112, Is. 53:112,
Dan. 9:2027, Matt. 16:19, Acts 2:3036 (and note 46); 3:1826
(cf. 2:16).
- This is the gospel of the kingdom from the heavens: Matt.
5:3,5.
- Christ is Lord to Israel in the sense of being the Messianic
Deliverer of Israel (Luke 1:4655, 6879), an ethnic, earthly,
ceremonial, ritualistic, lineal part of God's Elect. Those of Elect Israel
must so confess him.
- Lordship of Christ in Noah's/Job's/etc Gospel and Confession
as the Creator/Redeemer/Last Adam: Job14:1017; 19:2527, I Cor.
15:45, Rev. 14:67. This is the Lordship of Christ as confessed by
the Righteous of the Nations who will inherit the various regions of the
renewed earth under the hegemony of Elect Israel (Gen. 1:28; 9:1, Is. 19:2325).
- Proclaiming the Five Basic Points of Paul's Gospel
We sketch using only Ephesians; other epistles and/or
combinations of other epistles can easily be used and are left to the reader.
- Total Depravity Today: No one is able to confess Christ
as Head of the Body as defined in §1.A above in the energy of their
Adamic nature: Eph 2:19.
- Unconditional Election Today: The Father unconditionally
chose certain members of humanity to be the fulness of His Son's humanity
as His Body as defined in §1.A above: Eph. 1:35, 2223.
Unconditional Atonement Today: The Son unconditionally
and judicially secured His Body as defined in §1.A above by representing
them before God as their Head as defined in §1 above: Eph. 1:68,11;
2:1122. Unconditional Regeneration
Today: The Spirit unconditionally regenerates the Son's Body as defined
in §1.A above to faith and confession of Christ as defined in §1.A
above: Eph. 1:89,11; 1314,1819 (Greek); 2:49.
Perseverence of the Elect Today: The members of
the Body as defined in §1.A above will persevere and progress in the
gospel given in Paul's epistles and outlined in §1.A above: Eph. 1:1719;
2:10 (preceding context); 3:1421 (in context of 3:110); 4:16;
6:1018. An integral part of progress
in the Pauline gospel or Mystery is in the understanding of it: Eph. 1:1719;
3:4 (in context), 18 (in context). Also see outline of previous session.
An integral part of progress in the Pauline gospel
or Mystery is in the proclamatiojn of it: Eph. 6:1820 (cf. I Cor.
11:1, Phil. 3:17; 4:9, etc). Also see more below on proclamation.
An integral part of progress in the Pauline gospel
or Mystery is in the honoring of it: both in public doctrine and behavior
(Eph. 4:16; 6:1018) and in private life and behavior (most of
Eph. 46). Also see outline of next session.
- Opposition to Paul's Gospel from the Anti-Body
- Anti-Body is formed in accordance with the Anti-Mystery
or Lawless Mystery of the Lawless One: II Thess. 2:316. The following
points follow from this passage:
- The Mystery of Lawlessness runs concurrently with the
true Mystery of Paul's gospel, i.e. throughout the present dispensation.
See Verse 7; also Verse 11 (is sending).
- The Mystery of Lawlessness is doctrine formed by the
Lawless One, namely Satan and Antichrist, to oppose the true Mystery revealed
by Christ to Paul (Gal. 1, Eph. 3, etc). The former might be dubbed the
"Anti-Mystery". It is THE LIE (Verse 11).
- Those formed by the Mystery of Lawlessness stand in opposition
to those formed by Paul's gospel. Since the latter are by Scripture called
the Body of Christ, then the former are by us called the "Anti-Body
of Anti-Christ". See Verses 1012; cf. 1316.
- This dispensation has two great purposes: to form the
Body of Christ, which as the expression of Christ's authority will supervise
the restoration and implementation of Israel's future empire; and to form
the Anti-Body of Anti-Christ, which promulgates the Anti-Mystery of Anti-Christ
and so prepares the way for Anti-Christ and his kingdom, part of the means
by which the true kingdom of Elect Israel will be brought in.
- Paul's gospel is precise and clear and light; The Lie
is murky and ill-defined and dark. Paul's gospel declares the distinctive
character of the Body vis-a-vis the rest of God's Elect; The Lie
declares that there is no real distinction, or that possible distinctives
are not really important and not part of salvation today. Paul's gospel,
and Scripture generally, are knowable and accessible by the normative hermeneutic
(or grammatico-historical method); The Lie declares that all such is "head
knowledge" and coldness toward a "God" who loves all men
without exception and simply wants our devotion. Paul's gospel declares
Christ as Lord as defined in §1.A above; The Lie preaches Christ as
a murky Lord with ill-defined relationship to His people today, and this
confession is made or confirmed by coming forward or raising one's hand
or being baptised or charismatic gifts or ... Paul's gospel preaches "Yea"
is "Yea" and "Nay" is "Nay"; The Lie preaches
the "black-white, square-round ball" (borroowed from DJR). Cf.
II Tim. 2:25 (Greek); 3:7 (Greek).
- Pauline issues are an important part of what documents
the Body vis-a-vis the Anti-Body: I Cor. 11:19.
- The Leadership and Membership of Anti-Body is Demonic.
- Leadership are ministers of Satan: II Cor. 11:1215.
- Opposers of Mystery / distinctiveness of Paul's gospel
are demonic: Eph. 2:2; 6:12, II Tim. 3:8.
- The Anti-Body develops in stages: e.g. I Tim. 4:15,
II Tim. 3:14:3.
- Possible case-study: Acts 16:1618.
- The Anti-Body Opposed Paul.
- Supposed "saints": II Tim. 1:15.
- Foremost among the ancient Anti-Body were these six:
Phygelus and Hermogenes (II Tim. 1:15), Hermanaeus and Phyletus (II Tim.
2:17), and Demus (II Tim. 4:10) and Alexander (II Tim. 4:14); cf. I Tim.
1:20.
- The leadership of the present day Anti-Body includes
all the evangelical and fundamentalist leadership who are opposed to Paul's
distinctive gospel.
- Necessity of Proclamation of Paul's Gospel
- Paul's Commission to Proclaim Mystery of Body: Ro. 2:16;
16:25, I Cor. 2:416, Gal. 1:112, Eph. 3:110, Col. 1:2329,
I Thess. 1:5, II Thess. 2:14, II Tim. 1:812; 4:17, Tit. 1:13.
- Paul's Commission to Proclaim Distinctiveness of Mystery
of Body: Rom. 16:25, Gal. 2:17.
- Body Must Emulate Paul: Ro. 16:17, I Cor. 11:1, Phil.
3:17; 4:9, I Thess. 1:67, II Thess. 2:15; 3:67.
- Important Instances of (make public, declare openly, proclaim): Ro.
16:25, Gal. 2:2, Col. 1:23, II Tim. 4:17, Tit. 1:3.
Witnessing to Unsaved Evangelicals and Fundamentalists
- God Saves Evangelicals and Fundamentalists! God is able
to save anyone, even anti-Pauline evangelicals and fundamentalists. Paul
was a rabbinical evangelical and God was pleased to save Paul in accordance
with the Mystery (Gal. 1:1117, Phil. 3:46, I Tim. 1:1217).
- Salvation unto Christ as Head According to God's Mercy.
We have not believed the precious, distinctive Mystery out of any innate
goodness of our own, so we must not be proud: I Cor. 4:7, Eph. 2:110.
Furthermore, we are still progressing in this sacred deposit (Phil. 1:9).
- Approach of Gentleness: II Cor. 6:14, Phil. 2:15,
II Tim. 2:25 (Greekmiddle voice for oppose); cf. Matt. 10:16.
- Assessment and Evaluation and Strategy.
- If the evangelical/fundamentalist is merely questioning,
he/she may be confused as we once were (and to a certain degree still are),
in which case:
Establish groundwork of approach to Scripture;
Explain the content of Paul's gospel; Make the case for the fundamental distinctiveness of Paul's gospel
and why it is important to one's salvation; Call on them to submit to Christ as Head of the Body
(this can be done without personal offence; e.g. "the gospel given
to Paul calls us to acknowledge Christ as our personal Head and be identified
with Him as part of the non-ceremonial, third heavenly, ... Body of Christ).
When they show interest in themselves, then give
them more and more to get them on their way into "Arabia" for
three years like our brother Paul! If the
evangelical/fundamentalist is contentious and possibly ill-informed, in
which case the previous case may be followed. If
the evangelical/fundamentalist is contentitious and you are sure that they
are reasonably well-informed, then you must warn them, without pronouncing
a judgment on them (that is the Lord's place aloneRom. 12:1921),
that if "one" (note the abstract usage) knowingly refuses, unto
the grave, Christ as Head as distinctively defined in Paul's epistles, then
that individual comes under the judgement of Rom. 2:16 and will burn forever
in the Lake of Fire. Now is the Day of Salvation in accordance with the
Mystery (II Cor. 6:2). Our Pauline witness
is nothing if we do not practice separation: I Cor. 11:19, II Cor. 6:118.
This is no partnership with those in opposition to Paul's gospel
(e.g. the Seven Ones). In all things, we are to
be measured against the benchmark which Christ Himself set up in the ministry
of Paul: Ro. 16:17, I Cor. 11:1, Phil. 3:17; 4:9, I Thess. 1:67, II
Thess. 2:15; 3:67.