Note here that Paul is saying he is less than the least of all saints because he is deeply grateful for the grace of God. He knows that without grace, his religious righteousness, which looked to be perfect to those around him, was worthless and had him just as hell bound as any other murderer.
Clearly there are things that were said to the Jews primarily for their use, just as some things are said to the Gentiles primarily for our use. But in the end, there is one Gospel that applies to everyone on earth equally and in the same way. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.
Before we get too far into this passage, I want to take a moment to talk about this word “dispensation”. I think this is important so that you have some background for the day when someone comes along and starts talking about “rightly dividing” scripture according to dispensations.
Paul, who elsewhere wrote that it was for freedom that Christ has set us free, refers to himself as the prisoner of Jesus Christ. This immediately brings to mind his comments in Romans 6:18 “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Sometimes what it says may be unclear. Sometimes what it says is different from what we initially think it says. To figure that out, we examine a particular text using a few rules to help us avoid reading our own ideas into it.
In Romans 8:1 a few translations read, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (KJV 1900) Most more modern translations read, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)
I love that Peter ties growth into spiritual maturity into the building of the Church upon the bedrock of the Lord Jesus Christ. He points out that we are becoming a part of what Father is building. We are in effect living stones. Each of us has a place and a part in the integrity of the entire structure.
It is tremendously important that we not gloss over this verse because it helps us to correctly understand another passage. We will see more clearly in the next verse, but let’s pause here for a moment to address a passage that has cause great misunderstanding for many.
The result of this change in citizenship is akin to that experienced by immigrants permanently relocating from one country to another. While some vestiges of their lifestyle from “the old country” may remain, their entire way of living changes. They have a new life in a new place with new and different ways.
We are about to embark on a journey together through the remaining chapters of The Revelation. This is a book that has been the source of a great deal of fear, confusion, and disagreement over the years. Let that not be the case with us. As we travel together through the most perplexing parts of this wonderful and glorious revelation of our lovely Lord Jesus, let’s expect to grow in His grace and in the knowledge of Him. Let’s anticipate knowing more about who He is, His plan for humankind, and how best to understand our current tribulation.
As we have seen in earlier segments, we bear the name of God and of the Lord Jesus. The Revelation also tells us that we will bear the name of the new Jerusalem. This is a curious statement until we read Revelation 21:9–10
From this blessing we are beginning to get a picture of the end of all saints. A glimpse of Life when the Lord has fully consummated the new creation in a new heaven and a new earth populated by new people, who are His spotless bride, clothed in purest white.
Observant readers may notice the use of “abolished” with regard to what can only be understood as the Law handed down by Moses. What is abolished ceases to exist. It is destroyed. Yet Jesus in Matthew 5:17–18, said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
There was a wall of hostility between the Hebrew people and all others. It is this wall that the Lord Jesus broke down. Whereas the Hebrew nation had been God’s chosen people, and everyone else was without hope and without God in the world, what Jesus ushered in destroyed that dividing wall and unified the people in both groups, reconciling them all to God.
The Bible is a message from God. As such, it tells a singular story. That story is that God has prepared a plan to make a new creation, both a new heaven and earth, and new people. When we look at scripture at a high level, undistracted by the details, we see something incredible. We see God telling this story over and over in many different ways.
New names confer new status. An example in the Old Testament is Abram being given the name Abraham after he believed God and God made a covenant with Him. Similarly in the New Testament we are told that Simon came to be called Peter when he affirmed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
White stones were sometimes used judicially to indicate a verdict of acquittal, with a black stone for a guilty verdict. A white stone was also sometimes used as a pass for admission to parties or gatherings on special occasions. The life-giving Manna provided to the Israelites by God was white.
We often equate paradise to heaven, and we equate heaven with the place we go after death. This can be problematic because scripture does not seem to portray heaven in that way. Rather, heaven is portrayed as the abode of God. The Revelation is very clear (as are all the scriptures) that God dwells among His people.
Everything in the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament points to this. All of it is designed to communicate about the Lord Jesus Christ. The covenants established in the Hebrew scriptures all required blood. This new covenant is no different. Life is on the line.
Many have taught, and not a few still teach, that Christianity is essentially a “Judeo/Christian” religion. Many have been told that at least some part of the covenant of the Law handed down from God to the nation of Israel by Moses applies to us today. Most would exclude the ceremonial laws and the sacrificial laws, even the dietary laws. But, they say, we need to keep the moral laws.
God spoke into existence everything that exists; except you. You, he “formed”. You, He fashioned. You, He crafted as one works to craft a poem. You are His workmanship, His poem. As amazing as that is, the verse doesn’t stop there. The Craftsman created us; and the venue or context in which this creation took place is “in Christ Jesus.
When we want to know why something in the Bible was said or done or the reason we are instructed to think or behave in a certain way, there are some key words we want to be sure we do not ignore. Words like “therefore”, “that”, and “for.” So, as we look for the reason why God Loved us so greatly and extended His vast mercy toward us, we can expect to find answers after those words.
Jesus is the Ark
Jesus is the Testimony
Jesus is the Word of God
Jesus is the Atonement and Propitiation
Jesus is the Mercy of God, full of grace and truth.
We may wonder if someone is beyond hope. We may find their attitudes and actions repulsive. What they do might turn our stomachs. It might make us furiously angry. We may be hurt by their obstinate and stubborn refusal even to hear the truth.
Scripture paints a picture of humanity as deriving from one of two sources. One source is characterized by independence, opposition, disobedience, rejection of the Love of God. The other Source is characterized by dependence, fellowship, obedience, and acceptance. All people are children of one or the other. Independence results in evil and spiritual death. Dependence results in righteousness and spiritual Life.
