Hi steko. I missed your post--a good one--for awhile, because it wasn't directly quoting a post of mine or tagging me ("@" followed by my username). If you'll do either in the future, I get notified.
Derf:
Immediately after Paul's conversion, he preached the gospel of the earthly Kingdom of David, which he was saved under. He later received further instruction from the ascended LORD concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the mystery of the grace of GOD. Acts is a historical narrative of a gradual transition from the prophetic program for national Israel to the mystery program for the church the body of Christ.
The gospel of the earthly Davidic Kingdom according to prophecy was a valid gospel up until Acts 15/ Galatians 2. From that point on, Paul's gospel according to the mystery became the only valid gospel for both individual Jews and individual Gentiles. Paul became the Apostle to the nations. Once that generation ended and the temple was destroyed, the gospel of the earthly prophetic Kingdom was set aside until a later date.
I'm ok with most all of that, except that the "gospel of the earthly kingdom" is intimately related to the gospel of grace. No one is/was saved by the gospel of the earthly kingdom! No one! And no one will be. We are all saved by grace. If the gospel of the earthly kingdom requires works of the mosaic law for salvation, then it is anathema to the true gospel, according to Paul.
No one is saved by works.
Today and for most of two-thousand years Paul's gospel is the only valid gospel for both Jews and Gentiles.
If we're talking about salvation, Paul's gospel is the only one that has ever been valid. The old covenant was not sufficient to save, as we learn in Hebrews:
Hebrews 10:1 KJV — For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
Derf:
During Christ's earthly ministry to the circumcision/national Israel, Jews were required to have faith that Jesus of Nazareth was their promised Messiah plus they had to be ceremonially cleansed by water baptism for forgiveness of sins and to be eligible for a nation wide priesthood to be ministers to the nations/gentiles in the Davidic Kingdom. Until Paul's gospel of grace intervened, works were always required for the Jews as an expression of faith.
Just as Paul said to gentiles, that we are made for good works...an expression of our faith.
2 Corinthians 9:8 KJV — And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
Today for both Jew and Gentile, what accompanies our faith is our confession that I'm trusting in Christ's finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, plus nothing,
No, that's not true. What
accompanies our faith is good works. Ask
@JudgeRightly
and that He resurrected the third day for my justification/righteousness before GOD.
I don't even think it's our belief that saves us, any more than it was the faith of those Jesus healed that healed them. Jesus healed them. It was His power at work. But their faith allowed the healing to take place. Our faith, as you describe, allows Christ's sacrifice to be applied to us.
Through the four gospels and early Acts, Israel was to be facing fulfillment of prophecy which would soon bring on the 70th week of Daniel/the tribulation through which individual Jews would have to endure/persevere to survive and receive their returning Messiah in the Day of the LORD. Trumpets, Atonement, and then Tabernacles.
The gospel of the earthly Davidic kingdom will be proclaimed again during that time.
And it will still be that the people that are saved will be saved by grace...not by works of the law. That's not a different gospel.
Derf:
Seems to me, both churches were simply preaching their gospels mostly to their corresponding recipients.
Peter was instructed to go to the gentile Cornelius' house with a special mission that was out of line with the so-called great commission to prepare the way for Paul's ministry to the nations.
Out of line with the command to go into all the world and preach the gospel? I don't see how.
After that event the Jewish believers were going to Jews only in spite of the fact that there had been Gentiles saved in Acts 10..
Yes they were. God had to allow them to be persecuted to even get them to leave Jerusalem.
Competition seems to have significantly begun at Antioch Syria when Jewish Kingdom believers began insisting that believing Gentiles become proselytes of Israel.
That's not competition...that's ANATHEMA.
The response to that event was the Jerusalem council of Acts 15/ Gal 2.
At some point around this time probably when Paul was in Ephesus, he wrote his letter to the Galatian believers who were being seduced into adding works to grace, particularly circumcision and the Mosaic law.
Paul continues to be opposed by the circumcision as expressed in several of his letters.
And he even had to rebuke Peter for falling into the same trap. That's not what you do for a friendly competition. That's what you do to save people from being accursed.
The gospel which he calls 'my gospel' he received directly by revelation from the ascended LORD Jesus and was to be the enduring gospel to both Jew and Gentile in this present age or dispensation.
Peter, James and John added nothing to his knowledge or practice but he informed them of that gospel which he preaches among the nations. Then they 'perceived' and understood his ministry and gave the right hand of fellowship to he and Barnabas. Paul's gospel is the only valid gospel today
Agree
until the fullness of the Gentiles and then GOD resumes the prophetic program/ministry/dispensation and the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom.
Disagree. They will still be saved by the grace of God, not by works of righteousness.
Derf:.
In early Acts Peter and the eleven under the power of the Holy Spirit made no mistakes.
That's a bold statement. You are certain that none of them ever made any mistakes??
After the stoning of Stephen, the diminishing of the Kingdom program for Israel and the raising up of Paul for the mystery program, Peter displayed his natural weakness of fearing what others thought of him as at the crucifixion. Peter had already understood Paul's doctrine of grace and said as much in Acts 15:7-9.
I'm glad you agree that Peter was in the wrong for returning to the law as his source of salvation.
Derf:
I don't understand that one.
Who are you referring to for saying that?
I'll have to go review it. Don't have time right now.
Derf:
Paul wrote to mostly Gentiles.
Peter wrote to Jews dispersed in other countries as, did James.
Peter said that Paul wrote to at least one Jewish assembly, the same assembly that Peter was writing to in his second letter. This begs the question as to what Jewish assembly Paul wrote to and where is that letter?
Peter tells us--it was the churches of Galatia.
1 Peter 1:1 KJV — Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Find a map that shows where Galatia is and what other provinces are in and around Galatia.
When I became a Christian in 1979, I accepted that Paul wrote the letter to the Hebrews.
After some time, I grew to believe that Paul did not write Hebrews and defended my position staunchly.
Only recently have I changed my position again having run across several good arguments for Paul being the author but written down by another person. Paul had good reason for remaining anonymous because of the Jewish opposition.
I agree with this, though I'm not unwilling to hear other possibilities. It runs counter to MAD doctrine.
Paul is my Apostle. He communicates to me the Church the Body of Christ doctrine and practice.
His epistles are written to me, about me and for me.
The four gospels, the Jewish epistles and the Revelation are to Jews, about Jews and for Jews.
Revelation includes 7 letters written to churches that were full of gentiles. They were full of gentiles when Paul wrote to and/or visited them, and they were still full of gentiles when Rev was written and received by all of those churches.
There is much for you and me to learn from reading the letters Jesus dictated for those mostly gentile churches. He even promises a blessing for reading them and keeping them.
Revelation 1:3 KJV — Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
It seems a shame not to accept a blessing from our Lord by disregarding His words, don't you think?