The Daily Word of Righteousness

You Are My People, #6

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)

God moves in "dispensations." The Dispensational model of Scripture interpretation is to be shunned by the scholars of Israel. According to this model we now are in the "dispensation of grace." This means God, observing that all of His other attempts to redeem man have failed, has decided to accept man as he is. God now sees man only "in Christ," meaning that when an individual lies, or steals, or fornicates, God does not see the sin. God sees only the moral perfection of Christ.

If such were true (and it is terribly untrue!) it would represent a change in God. A change in God would be the worst of all possible calamities. Our only hope of not perishing and of a future world of righteousness and joy depends entirely on the unchanging Nature of the God of Israel.

God, who understands the end from the beginning, conceived of a plan that would perfectly fulfill His inscrutable purposes. From the seventh day of creation God has been resting. The almighty power and wisdom of the Word of God has been controlling all persons, events, and things of history in accordance with the eternal desires of God. God is God!

Since the bringing forth of Adam, God has been working to create people who will act righteously, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Sad to say, many Jewish scholars have evaded this simple goal, substituting a doctrinaire observance of the letter of the Levitical statutes in the place of righteousness, mercy, and humility. The Gentile Christians have evaded the Divine goal by substituting a magical "grace" as the means of pleasing God.

The plan of God is one plan from Adam to the descent from Heaven of the glorified Jerusalem. Enoch walked with God. Abraham walked with God. Moses walked with God. Jesus walked with God. Paul walked with God. And each one of us, Jew and Gentile, is to walk with God. It is one Divine program from beginning to end.

In the day of Israel's visitation, the rabbis and their congregations are to have nothing whatever to do with the idea that the God of Heaven moves in "dispensations," changing His goals and methods on a pragmatic basis.

To be continued.