Question posed to me on Amazon.

"In essence, you are saying that there are two different Gospels, one for Israel and one for the rest of us."

My response:

I am not saying anything...Gods WORD tells us that there are many "gospels" in the Bible (gospel simply meaning a piece of good news that God gave to mankind). God didn't give ALL of His good news at once however, and He gave some good news ONLY to certain named individuals or GROUPS of individuals, which He makes clear in His Word. We must determine from the text, or CONTEXT, to whom He is speaking.

For instance, Noah was given "good news" of how to save people from an upcoming and promised flood that would cover the entire earth. He warned people for many many years and no one listened. People made fun of him and came by daily to discourage him from doing what God told HIM to do. When the rains came and God SHUT THE DOOR, those same people were the ones who were pounding on the door for Noah to let them in. They had not listened to the good news that Noah was given to give to them.

Now we all know that God isn't telling anyone today to go out and build an ark. That was specific information for a specific group of people at a specific time.

It is the same with other bits of good news that God gave to mankind.

The gospel of the CIRCUMCISION was good news to the Nation of Israel. Peter and the 12 were commissioned with THIS gospel. If they trusted what God told THEM to do then God promised to bless them. If they didn't then God promised to curse them. This gospel had to do with the law of Moses and the covenant that Israel entered into with God in Lev. 26.

The gospel of the UNcircumcision was something totally different. Given specifically to ONE apostle, Paul, this gospel did what the law of Moses could NOT do:

Acts 13:39 And by him (speaking of Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross) all that BELIEVE are justified from all things, from which ye could NOT be justified by the law of Moses.

Circumcision and water baptism (both REQUIRED by Peter and the boys for the Kingdom gospel) were done away with and replaced by GRACE and the finished work of the Cross.

There is only ONE gospel that saves today, and it is found in Pauls epistles alone. It is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as Gods ONLY means of our being reconciled to Him, but during the time of ACTS...both belief systems were in operation at the same time, as the changing of the guard shows Peter being pre eminent at the beginning of Acts, and Paul being pre eminent at the end of ACTS. Acts is a TRANSITIONAL book where it actually shows God changing programs from Judaism to Christianity.

Marie said:I do not understand you hermeneutic, and I'm pretty sure that Paul would beg to differ. (One Lord, one faith, one baptism, etc., Ephesians 4:5.)

My response:

Paul wouldn't beg to differ at all. He KNEW he had a different gospel than Peter. You are correct in quoting Eph 4:5, as the ONE baptism of Paul was taking the place of the water baptism that Peter preached to the Nation of Israel who was a NATION of Priests to whom the water baptism referred. OUR baptism is not with water but with the HOLY SPIRIT when He places us INTO the Body of Christ as individual members, with Christ as the Head.

Peter preached Christ as the Messiah and King of Israel. He never mentions BODY TRUTH< as that was the MYSTERY HID IN GOD since before the world began,and it wasn't REVEALED until Christ RISEN revealed it to Paul for us.

Peter preached the Kingdom gospel to ONE gentile, and God had to drag him kicking and screaming the whole way. WHY? Because Peter KNEW he was instructed NOT to go to the Gentiles, that Israel was to BELIEVE FIRST, and then they could go to the other nations and bring them to God. Israel never believed, and God had a SECRET plan that would keep Israels unbelief from spoiling Gods plan to redeem the whole world.

Peter went to Cornelius as a special ONE TIME event that readied Israel for a change in program. God was letting them know that things were about to CHANGE. God was to SET ISRAEL aside as the channel of blessing to the world and was going to create something brand NEW...a NEW ENTITY that did not exist before Paul was saved...the ONE NEW MAN which is called the BODY CHURCH.

For charts that show the timing of this and how God interrupted Israels Kingdom program to begin building a NEW church which was comprised of Jew and Gentile alike, please visit www.graceteacher.com