LESSON 1
RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH 2
Timothy 2: 15
TEN OUTLINE STUDIES OF THE MORE IMPORTANT DIVISIONS OF
SCRIPTURE
By Dr. C. I. Scofield
CONTENTS
Introduction ....
1. The Jew, the Gentiles, and the Church of God
2. The Seven Dispensations
3. The Two Advents
4. The Two Resurrections
5. The Five Judgments
6. Law and Grace
7. The Believer's Two Natures
8. The Believer's Standing and State
9. Salvation and Rewards
10. Believers and Professors
INTRODUCTION
In the second chapter of Second Timothy
the believer is presented in seven characters. He is called a son, v.
1;
a soldier, v. 3; an athlete, v. 5; an husbandman, v. 6; a workman, v.
15;
a vessel, v. 2l, and a servant, v. 24.
With each of these characters there is
a suited exhortation. As a son. Timothy is exhorted to be strong in
grace.
Grace goes with sonship, just as law goes with servitude--as we learn
from
Galatians. Then, as a soldier, Timothy is exhorted to endure hardness,
and to avoid worldly entanglements; these are right elements of good
soldiership.
As a vessel, he is to be cleansed, separated: as a servant. gentle,
patient,
meek, and so of each of these seven aspects of his life as a Christian.
In verse 15 he is told what is required
of him as a workman:
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
~ workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth."
The Word of Truth, then has right
Divisions,
and it must be evident that, as one cannot be "a workman that needeth
not
to be ashamed" without observing them, so any study of that Word which
ignores those Divisions must be in large measure profitless and
confusing.
Many Christians freely confess that they find the study of the Bible
weary
work. More find it so who are ashamed to make the confession.
The purpose of these lessons is to indicate
the more important Divisions of the Word of Truth. That this could not
be fully done short of a complete analysis of the Bible is, of course,
evident: but it is believed that enough is given to enable the diligent
student to perceive the greater outlines of truth, and something of the
ordered beauty and symmetry of that Word of God which to the natural
mind
seems a mere confusion of inharmonious and conflicting ideas.
The student is earnestly exhorted not to
receive a single doctrine upon the authority of these lessons, but,
like
the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11), to search the SCRIPTURES daily whether
these things are so. No appeal is made to human authority. The
anointing
which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that many
MAN teach you. (1 John 2:27.)
THE JEW, THE GENTILE, AND THE CHURCH OF GOD Key Test 1 Cor. 10:32
Whoever reads the Bible with any attention cannot fail to perceive that more than half of its contents relate to one nation, the Israelites. He perceives, too, that they have a very distinct place in the dealings and counsels of God. Separated from the mass of mankind, they are taken into covenant with Jehovah, who gives them specific promises not given to any other nation. Their history alone is told in Old Testament narrative and prophecy--other nations being mentioned only as they touch the Jew. It appears, also, that all the communications of Jehovah to Israel as a nation relate to the Earth. If faithful and obedient, the nation is promised earthly greatness, riches and power; if unfaithful and disobedient, it is to be scattered "among all people, from one end of the earth even to the other." Deut. 28:64. Even the promise of the Messiah is of blessing to "all the families of the Earth."
Continuing his researches, the student finds large mention in Scripture of another distinct body, which is called the Church. This body also has a peculiar relation to God, and, like Israel, has received from Him specific promises. But there similarity ends, and the most striking contrast begins. Instead of being formed of the natural descendants of Abraham alone, it is a body in which the distinction of Jew and Gentile is lost. Instead of the relation being one of mere covenant, it is one of birth. Instead of obedience bringing the reward of earthly greatness and wealth, the Church is taught to be content with food and raiment, and to expect persecution and hatred, and it is perceived that just as distinctly as Israel stands connected with earthly and temporal things, so distinctly does the Church stand connected with spiritual and heavenly things.
Further, Scripture shows him that neither Israel nor the Church always existed. Each had a recorded beginning..That of Israel he finds in the call of Abram. Looking then for the birth of the Church he finds (contrary, perhaps, to his expectations, for he has probably been taught that Adam and the Patriarchs are in the Church) that it certainly did not exist before, nor during the earth-life of Christ, for he finds Him speaking of His Church as yet future when He says (Matt. 16:18.), "Upon this rock I will build My Church." Not "have built," nor "am building," but "WILL build."
He finds, too, from Eph. 3: 5-10, that the
Church
is not once mentioned in Old Testament prophecy, but was, in those
ages,
a mystery "hid in God." Scripturally, he finds the birth of the Church
in Acts 2 and the termination of its career on the earth in 1 Thes..
4.16,17
]
The student also finds, in the Scriptural
division
of the race, another class, rarely mentioned, and distinguished in
every
respect from either Israel or the
Church--the Gentiles. The comparative position of the Jew, the
Gentile,
and the Church may be briefly seen in the following Scriptures:
The
Jew
The
Gentile
The Church
Rom, 9:4,
5
Eph. 2:11,
12
Eph. 1:22, 23
John
4:22
Eph. 4: 17,
18
Eph. 5:29-33
Rom, 3:1,
2
Mark 7:27,
28
I Peter 2:9
Comparing, then, what is said in Scripture concerning Israel and the Church, he finds that in origin, calling, promise, worship, principles of conduct, and future destiny 411 is contrast.
CALLING
ISRAEL
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto
a land that I will shew thee. Gen. 12: 1.
For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good
land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring
out
of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and
vines,
and fig-trees. and pomegranates; a land of oil olive and honey;
A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without
scarceness.
Dent. 8: 7-9.
And he said, I am Abraham's servant. And the
LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he
hath
given him flocks and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and
maid-servants, and camels, and asses. Gen. 24: 34, 35.
The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise
up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out
against
thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. Dent. 28:7.
And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not
the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath.
Dent. 23: 13.
CHURCH
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly
calling. Hebrews 3: 1.
For our citizenship is in heaven. Phil. 3:20,
R. V.
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes,
and the birds of the air have nests: but the Son of man hath not where
to lay His head. Matt. 8: 20.
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you. I Pet. 1:4.
Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and
thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain
dwelling-place,
1 Cor. 4: 11.
And J e s u s looked round about, and saith unto
His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the
Kingdom
of God! Mark 10:23.
Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen
the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He
hath promised to them that love Him? Jas. 2:5.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea,
the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth
God
service. John 18:2.
Whosoever therefore shah humble himself as this
little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 18:4.
Of course it is not meant that a godly Jew did not, at death, go to heaven. The distinction is that the incentive to godliness in his case was earthly reward, not heavenly. It should be needless to say that, in this Dispensation, neither Jew nor Gentile can be saved otherwise than by the exercise of that faith on the Lord Jesus Christ whereby both are born again (John 3:3, 16) and are baptized into that "one body" (1 Cor. 12: 13) which is "the Church" (Eph. 1:22, 23). In the Church the distinction of Jew and Gentile disappears. (1 Cor.. 12:13, Gal. 3:28, Eph. 2:14, Eph. 2:11, "in times past Gentiles," I Cor. 12: 2, R.V., "when ye were Gentiles.")
The contrast between Israel and the Church further appears in the rules given for the conduct of each. Compare:
ISRAEL
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the
land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations
before
thee . . . thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt
make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them. Deut. 7:1, 2.
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand,
foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Exodus 21:24, 25. AlSO Deut. 21: 18-21.
CHURCH
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which
despitefully use you, and persecute you. Matt. 5: 44.
Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we
suffer it; being defamed, we intreat. 1 Cor. 4:12, 13.
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy fight cheek, turn to him the
other
also. Matt 5:39. Luke 15: 20-23.
In the appointments for worship we still find
contrast. Israel could worship in but one place, and at a distance from
God--only approaching Him through a priest. The Church worships
wherever
two or three are gathered, has boldness to enter into the holiest, and
is composed of priests. Compare:
Lev. 17:8, 9 with Matt. 18:20. Luke 1:10 with Hob. 10: 19, 20 Num.
3:10 with I Pet. 2:5
In the predictions concerning the future
of Israel and the Church, the distinction is still more startling. The
Church will be taken away from the earth entirely, but restored Israel
is yet to have her greatest earthly splendor and power. See,
THE CHURCH
In My Father's house are many mansions: if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14: 2, 3.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall
not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend
from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are
alive
and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thes.. 4:
15-17.
For our citizenship is in heaven; whence
also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fashion
anew
the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of
His
glory. Phil. 3:20, 21. R.V.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He
shall
appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor
to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made
herself
ready. And to her was granted that she could be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And
He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage
supper of the Lamb. Rev. 19:7-9.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but
they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a
thousand
years. Rev. 20: 6.
ISRAEL
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be
great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God
shall
give Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the
house
of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:
31-33.
(Of these seven promises to Mary five have already been literally fulfilled. By what rule of interpretation are we authorized to say that the remaining two will not be fulfilled?)
Simeon hath declared how God at the
first
did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And
to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I
WILL RETURN, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is
fallen
down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.
Acts
5: 14-16.
I say then, Hath God cast away His people?
God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the
tribe of Benjamin. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should
fall?
God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the
Gentiles,
for to provoke them to jealousy. For if thou wert cut out of the olive
tree which is wild by nature, and weft grafted contrary to nature into
a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural
branches.
be grafted into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that
ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the
fulness
of the Gentiles be come in. AND SO ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED: as it is
written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn
away
ungodliness from Jacob. Romans 11: 1, 11, 24-26.
And it shall come to pass in that day,
that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the
remnant
of His people ....
And He shall set up an ensign for the
nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed
of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isa. 11: 11, 12.
For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob,
and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the
strangers
shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
Isa. 14: 1. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it
shall
no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of
Israel
out of the land of Egypt: but, The LORD
liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of
the north, and from all the lands whither He had driven them: and I
will
bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Jer.
16:14,15.
Behold, the days come, saith the Loan, that I will raise unto David a
righteous
Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment
and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called,
THE
LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jer. 23:5, 6.
Behold, I will gather them out of all
countries,
whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great
wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause
them
to dwell safely: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
Jet. 32:37, 38.
Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel;
be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The
Loan
hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy: the King
of
Israel, even the Loan, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil
any more. Zeph. 3:14, 15.
It may safely be said that the Judaizing of the Church has done more to hinder her progress, pervert her mission, and destroy her spirituality, than all other causes combined. Instead of pursuing her appointed path of separation, persecution, world-hatred, poverty, and non-resistance, she has used Jewish Scripture to justify her in lowering her purpose to the civilization of the world, the acquisition of wealth, the use of an imposing ritual, the erection of magnificent churches, the invocation of God's blessing upon the conflicts of armies, and the division of an equal brotherhood into "clergy" and "laity."
LESSON 1 WORD OF TRUTH TEST PAGE 1
Please highlight this page and copy and paste it to email us It would help us greatly if you would put your answers in CAPITAL LETTERS. True of False test. Type T or F in the space by the question.
1. In 2 Timothy Paul gives seven characteristics of a
believer. Could you
name three of them?___________________
2. More than half of the Bible is written to or about what nation?_________
3. There are three main groups of people that the
Bible
is about. Can you
name them?________________
4. Israel is a "chosen people" and they are part of
the
Church. True___or
false___
5. Does God's promises to Israel pertain to a land on
earth or a place in
heaven. Which?______________
6. The "rapture" has nothing directly to do with
Israel.
True ____or
False____
7. Could we say that Israel is an earthly people and
the Church heavenly?
Yes ___or No____
8. Israel is now away from the Lord. Will God bring
them
back to Himself in
the future?
Yes___or
No_____
9. Was the Book of Corinthians written to the unsaved
Gentiles?
Yes__No___
10. Has man mixed the Jew's religion into the church systems of today?
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