Answering Herb Evans (part 4)

The Basis of Salvation

Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the FIRST testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

No one gets saved without the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a BASIS of salvation, whether O.T. or N.T. MAD’s mistake is to not realize that although the exact BASIS of everyone’s salvation is not specifically revealed until Second Corinthians by Paul. Still, the death of the Testator is the basis of salvation for ETERNAL salvation for those under the O.T. who believed as well as those in the four Gospels and also the N.T. Epistles. The death of the Testator is also the basis of Christ being the Mediator of the N.T. Notice that it was Christ’s death that redeemed the transgressions of those under the FIRST Testament to an eternal inheritance. Of course that death also includes all who believed and received Christ, from the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry through Christ’s ministry through Paul’s ministry and has nothing to do with the Book of Acts.  To put all your dispensational eggs in the historical basket of Acts being a transitional period is to ignore the Book of Corinthians as a transitional period for formulating New Testament doctrine and practice. 

Well, I do not know what all that means but I do know that John the Baptist was an OT preacher/prophet/apostle because the NT did not start till after Christ died (Heb. 9:16). I will also point out that Israel was looking for the remission of sins at the 2nd coming and not back to the cross entirely, Acts 3:19 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"
Acts is clearly transitional just by reading chapters 10 and 15, plus Paul says it is transitional. (Romans 11:1-7, 11-12, 25-31) Israel has not been set aside but is being "blinded", Israel has had a "fall" and is being "diminished". The Gentiles have salvation through Israel's fall and Paul is still trying to "provoke them to jealousy" and see some of Israel saved.

Romans 11:25 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.

Not to mention something new HAD to start for Paul to get saved as he had blasphemed the Holy Ghost in Acts 7 with the stoning of Stephen. What do we know about blaspheming the Holy Ghost?

Mark 3
[28] Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
[29] But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

Luke 12:10 
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

We saw that a reality in Acts 5 with the lovely couple that was there got killed on the spot for lying to the man filled with the Holy Ghost. Paul watched and authorized the stoning of a man filled with the Holy Ghost! How could he be forgiven? 1 Timothy 1:13,14,16 "...Who was before a blasphemer.....And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant......I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting". A new dispensation had to begin. Ever noticed how it was impossible for Paul to be forgiven, but Stephen said " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" in Acts 7:60? Stephen had the prayer promise of John 14:
 [13] And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
[14] If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

So Stephen had to get what he asked for and the only was a new dispensation. (which was amazingly given to Paul) 
 
 
                                         Repentance

. . . Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots GO INTO the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you IN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots BELIEVED him [John]: and ye, when ye had seen it, REPENTED NOT afterward, THAT YE MIGHT BELEVE him.  -- Matt. 21:31-32

. . . REPENTANCE . . . BE PREACHED IN HIS NAME among ALL NATIONS . . .  -- Luke 24:47

. . I . . . shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at JERUSALEM, and throughout all the coasts of JUDEA, and then to the GENTILES, that they SHOULD [1.] REPENT [2.] TURN to GOD, and [3.] DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE.   --Acts 26:19, 20

Testifying BOTH to JEWS, and ALSO to GREEKS, REPENTANCE toward God, and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Acts 20:21

Repentance belongs to both Testaments; it belongs to the Gospels, the Epistles, the Book of Acts, and the Revelation. Neither Christ nor His apostles gave any indication that repentance was opposed to grace or mercy or that it was to be separated from the remission of sins or separated from the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Repentance is the very recognition of one's unworthiness, sinfulness, hopelessness, helplessness, and need of grace and mercy. It is the sinner's acknowledgment of his lost estate and desperate need of deliverance. Such self judgment, in the light of God's holiness, results in a readiness to receive with meekness the engrafted word and belief of the truth. Dissatisfaction with self and self effort causes one to long for deliverance. In repentance, the sinner views himself as helpless to save himself and casts himself at the Saviour’s feet.

The Kingdom of God Still Connected with the Salvation Gospel

Act 14:21, 22   And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a SAVIOUR, Jesus: WHEN JOHN HAD FIRST PREACHED before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel . . . there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. Men and brethren to you is the WORD of THIS SALVATION sent, children of the stock of Abraham, and WHOSOEVER among you feareth God,.  -- Acts 13:23-26

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, SAYING unto the people, that they should BELIEVE ON HIM [Christ] which should come after him [John], that is, on Christ Jesus. -- Acts 19:4

Act 20:21 – 27 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ . . . But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Act 28:23 -- 28 . . . there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening  . . . For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

MAD makes too strong a distinction between the Gospel of the kingdom of Heaven/God and the Gospel of salvation and grace, ignoring the references to the kingdom of God later in Acts and in the Pauline epistles. Paul views the Gospel and the Kingdom of God as one in the same and preaches it at Lystra and calls it the gospel of the grace of God as late as Acts 20. He also preaches repentance towards God to Jew and Gentile and faith towards Jesus Christ and counts it as the whole counsel of God. Although the Jews rejected this salvation that Paul preached, Paul prophesied that the Gentiles would be sent the same salvation and word and that they would hear it.

Jew No Different Than the Gentile

Act 10:43 - 47 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name WHOESOEVER BELEIVETH IN HIM SHALL RECEIVE REMISSION OF SINS. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

Act 15:7 – 11 . . . Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The big reason that the MID Acts Dispensationalists call it that is because they cannot specifically pinpoint their so called change in the dispensations. In Acts 15, Paul tells us that Gentiles should hear the word of the Gospel and believe. He also tells us that there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile and believes that Gentiles will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ EVEN AS JEWS are so saved. The kingdom of God was still a reality in Galatians 5:21.

Okay, yes repentance which is acknowledgement of ones sinfulness is something I heavily believe in and it is found in our gospel. 

1 Corinthians 15:
[1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
[2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
[3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
[4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 

I do not know where Herb was going with this about repentance. 

Also, the kingdom of God can refer to either the earthly kingdom of God or the heavenly kingdom.  

Also, anytime anyone has ever been saved in any age/dispensation has been saved by God's grace. (that one is obvious)

In Conclusion

MAD is in confusion about its dispensational claims, because unlike real Baptists, they are confused about:

1. The Beginning of the Gospel;

2. The Gospel;

3. The Basis of all salvation (O.T. and N.T.);

4. Salvation without works;

5. Repentance;

6. The Church or body of Christ;

7. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost;

8. The transition period from Law to Grace;

9. The Mystery;

10. Law versus Grace;

11. Old Testament Salvation

12. Salvation in the Gospels;

13. Jew versus Gentile salvation. 

14. Invisible churchism.

MAD merges all this confusion and doctrinal error into one false, composite, dispensational scheme and system by inference, assumption, and innuendo, much of which cannot be covered in this brief article. But they are still MAD!

-- by Herb Evans

Who cares about being a "real Baptist"? I want to be a King James Bible believer that studies the scriptures rightly divided (2 Tim. 2:15, 3:15-16). I care nothing about being a part of any denomination or sect. I addressed all those points, and I am still glad to be MAD! 

Herb Evans type of Larry, Curly, and Moe theology is so far from the Bible that we should not have to take a minute of our time to deal with. But it is our duty to "to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ" -Ephesians 3:9

Glad to be MAD.....