Jesus & Paul, Part 17

Loving the Christ-life!

Rightly Divide Truth

By Tammy Lacock

In this final week study of Jesus and Paul, Warren Litzman takes us right to the heart of Paul’s gospel of grace by helping us understand two very important scriptures.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Paul tells us in these two verses that we need to rightly divide scripture if we are to understand his gospel. Otherwise, then we don’t have the truth.

Warren explains that the Bible is divided between prophecy and mystery. Four-fifths of the Bible reveals law and prophecy and is directed toward Israel. The other one-fifth reveals the mystery of Paul’s gospel of grace and is directed to the born-again believer. Paul tells us we must rightly divide this truth, taking it further by dividing soul and spirit. The Old Testament, directed toward Israel, was based on soul salvation by outer works. Yet Paul tells us we are saved in our spirits. As born-again believers, we are no longer saved by our outer works, but by the miracle of Christ joining us to Him in spirit, making us one with Him. A Christian is one in whom Christ lives. We no longer are to know Him outside of us. No longer is our righteousness gained through obedience (Israel). In the New Testament, under Paul’s gospel of grace for us now, our righteousness is a person, and that person is Christ, His incorruptible seed birthed within us as believers. Now that our outer works are no longer required for salvation, we can finally rest in our new life in Christ.

In fact, in Galatians 2:20, Paul makes it very clear that our old lives are dead, crucified with Christ. We have moved from a soul/law mindset to a spirit/grace mindset. From law to grace, from law to Christ. The more we can see that our old selves, including our old mindsets, are dead, the more we can rest in the fullness of our new life in Christ and finally live who God created us to be.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)