The Big Picture: November 2020

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.4)

This is Part 4 of the Series

We continue our journey through this lesson series, gathering evidence to clearly show the distinctions between the parts of God's great redemption plan for humanity and creation. Recall that any plan or project has a start and an ending and that between the start and end one would typically have actions or events that drive you to the goal or what you want to achieve, being the ending! Each of these parts of the plan are foundational actions or events that have a part in the whole, but although they relate to each other to form the whole, they don't necessarily relate to each other in their details, or maybe I can state that they don't have the same steps or materials or qualities.

What does it REALLY mean to be 'In Christ'?

According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, when you hear the Gospel and respond positively to the faith that wells up inside you, and you call upon God, ---in that moment you are sealed into the body of Christ (in Christ) by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:13) and you become a new creation (or a new creature, KJV 2 Cor.5:17). But, notice the word "if" in the verse. This makes it conditional! It is only if we are in Christ that we are a new creation! In order to understand what "a new creation" means, we need to dig into what is means to be "in Christ".

Videos for Part 3 and Part 4 of the current Bible Study series called: God's Word is a Progressive Plan has been uploaded to our YouTube channel and can be viewed here.

If you have missed the first parts of our current Online Tuesday Evening Bible Study and would like to catch up with the lessons, feel free to do so via these videos.

In addition to the videos, I have uploaded the study notes here, and will soon be adding Part 4 of this study as a post in the Articles section of this blog.

Make a point to bookmark this site and feel free to return regularly to catch up on all that is happening in 'The BIG Picture'. Content is added regularly for your edification and encouragement.

God bless you and my His grace and peace be with you in these times. 😀

Inspirational Quote

**Q-A: What does it REALLY mean to be 'In Christ'?**

Read the shaded verses below slowly and carefully and then compare the first two verses to the last three. There is a HUGE difference in how Paul describes the believers at Corinth.

1 Cor 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,

What was the Gospel in Jesus' day? (Part.3)

(Click here for Part 2)

So then, what is the gospel for us today?

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

The clearest definition of the gospel for our day is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

What was the Gospel in Jesus' day? (Part.2)

(Click here for Part 1)

The Kingdom Gospel was a completely different gospel than Paul's grace gospel for today

(Rom.16:25; Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 2:7-8)

Paul's gospel requires that to be saved we must trust in the death, the burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Cor.15:1-4). Prior to Paul, no one preached that the gospel of salvation had been sent to Gentiles nor offered salvation through faith in the cross work of Christ.

Q-A: What was the Gospel in Jesus' day? (Part.1)

John the Baptist and Jesus preached the "gospel of the kingdom." The good news was to get ready, (to repent and get baptized), as the prophesied Millennial Kingdom was at hand. Why? Because the King of the kingdom had come.

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled (Gal 4:4), and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel".

The Two Ministries of Christ

Not many people know that Jesus had two ministries. His earthly ministry was under the law, as a Jew, in order to redeem those who were under the law, the Jews.
See Gal 4:4-5.

After Jesus had ascended to heaven, He appeared to Paul and provided him with the mysteries; a new gospel and a new doctrine. This was Jesus heavenly ministry worked out towards the Gentiles through the Apostle Paul.
See Rom 11:13, Eph 3:2-5.

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.3)

This is Part 3 of the Series

Click here for Part 2

The huge gap between Jews and Gentiles

During the Old Testament and the Gospels, there was a HUGE gap (or difference) between the Jews and the Gentiles. The reason for this gap was not because the Jews were discriminatory but because it was God's command and part of His plan. God had a purpose for Israel and this we see very clearly if we look into the Bible from a 'big picture' or 'cover to cover' viewpoint.

Paul, The First into a New Program

It is incredibly important to understand God's Word in the right context, and this is greatly supported by identifying periods of time, being aware of patterns or nuances, recognizing people groups and changes in program or instruction throughout the Bible. The example below is one such instance where, based on what Paul says, "that IN ME first...as a pattern...", it could be a bit confusing what he means by it! We have to dig in deeper and analyze why Paul said this and understand it in context with right division in the Word.

Our Destination is Different from O.T. and Gospel Saints

Have you ever noticed that Old Testament and Gospel saints were NOT PROMISED HEAVEN as a destination? Instead they were promised an everlasting kingdom on earth. As a matter of fact, these saints never even had a concept of "going to heaven" when they died. The reason is because all through the Old Testament and prophecy it was spoken of a glorious new earthly kingdom; one which would be restored and refreshed as it was before.

The Difference Between Sin and Sins

It's always good if one learns a new insight or revelation that causes you to see something new in the scriptures; to help you to understand a verse or passage in a deeper or more profound way. One such moment came for me when I learned that there was a marked difference between the word "Sin" and the word "Sins". One might think that it's the same thing except that the plural means more than one sin, right? Well, actually, no, depending on the context of the verse.

Lets look at some verses that illustrate the difference between the two,

Q-A: The Bible - Why isn't all Scripture written TO You?

I often use the phrase, "All Scripture is written FOR you, but not all Scripture is written TO you", and this generally provokes a response of astonishment, if not a stronger aversion from the person. It does not however surprise me as there are not many who understand the Word rightly divided. So, lets delve into this phrase and explain it clearly and concisely.

Enjoy this Visual Comparison
of Prophecy and Mystery

Click on image to enlarge

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.2)

This is Part 2 of the Series

Click here to start with Part 1

Examples of 'primary' progression and context

In part 1 of this article, we proved that the Bible is a singular PLAN, albeit very intricate. As with any plan (or project), it has a start and an end point, and between these one typically has parts or specific actions that provide progression and momentum to achieve the planned objective. In this part, we will have a look at the divisions of the plan that provide its progress.

Two Verses that might Challenge your Doctrine (Part.2)

This is part 2 of the series

Click here to start with Part 1

The two verses I deal with in this article played a HUGE role in helping me to understand the Bible in its proper context. If one does not understand how to divide the Word and bring context to the two verses that are mentioned in this article, they can be pretty hard to interpret correctly. As I mentioned before in part 1, these are the two verses that got me on the path of studying the Word in a dispensational way, (or as Paul puts it, rightly dividing the Word of truth, 2 Tim.2:15). The reason is because these two verses mention some very interesting things, things that will cause you to question if you actually read the verse correctly, things that will certainly make you think twice about what Paul was really saying.

Two Verses that might Challenge your Doctrine (Part.1)

The following two verses referenced below played a HUGE role in helping me to understand the Bible in its proper context. If I never knew at that time what I now know about the Bible, these two verses would have been hard to swallow, hard to digest, hard to agree with! I trust you get my point. :)

In actual fact, it is these very two verses that got me on the path of studying the Word in a dispensational way, (or as Paul puts it, rightly dividing the Word of truth, 2 Tim.2:15). The reason is because these two verses mention some very interesting things, things that will cause you to question if you actually read the verse correctly, things that will certainly make you think twice about what Paul was really saying.

The Connection between Abraham and Paul (Part.2)

This is part 2 of the series
Click here to start with Part 1

Lets connect the dots between Abraham and Paul

Having set the scene, in part 1, that creation is corrupt in both heaven and earth, we indicated that God predestined the cleansing of these two realms by two separate people groups. Genesis 22:15-17 is an incredible verse that describes the two people groups in God's plan of redemption, but lets have a look at some even more incredible connections (similarities or parallels) within these two people groups.

The Connection between Abraham and Paul (Part.1)

Setting the scene

There are 2 programs in God's PLAN of redemption; an earthly program and a heavenly program. We all know that Genesis 1:1 reads,

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Heaven and earth are two separate realms that make up God's creation. We should also be aware that both these realms are corrupt and need 'cleansing'.

OBS: God's Word is a Progressive Plan (Part.1)

Consider a plan or project. Logically, it has a starting point and an end. Between the start and end there are a series of steps, or actions, that navigate those involved in the project to the end result. If there is deviation from the planned steps or actions, the project flow is disrupted and complications can occur.

Welcome to The BIG Picture

Understanding the Word in the context of God's progressive PLAN of redemption

The articles on this site will always be confirmed, not by men's opinions, but by other scriptures. We trust that you will find this site informative and inspirational. May its content draw you closer to God and reveal the true context of His Word.

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