By Marvin Duncan
Philippians 1:10
One of the most profitable subjects for Bible study is the prayers of the Apostle Paul. In his prayers, Paul opens his heart and we see the innermost desires he had for the saints with whom he was dealing. Not only are Paul’s desires seen in his prayers, but these desires are also the desires God has for the saints of this dispensation. One of Paul’s prayers (Philippians 1:9-10) shows us that Paul desired the saints of this dispensation to grow in Spiritual knowledge and judgment (verse 9). This growth could come only as they studied the Word of God especially the revelation of the Mystery which was committed to Paul. The reason for this desire for Spiritual knowledge and judgment was that these Saints would be able to “approve things that are excellent” (Philippians 1:10
What was the reason for Paul wanting these saints to “approve things that are excellent?” Surely, every saint of God would approve those things that were excellent. Since this seems the normal thing for anyone to do, why would Paul make this a matter of prayer for the saints?
To grasp what Paul was concerned about when he made this plea to God, we need to examine what Paul said. Our King James translation of this verse isn’t as clear as it could be. A more literal translation of this phrase would be, test the things that differ.
Why Test Things That Differ?
There are many things in the Word of God that arc confusing to the average reader who believes the Bible presents only one program that is to be followed by all of God’s redeemed from the creation to the end of the millennial reign of Christ. For example, we read in Genesis 17:9-14 that God made a covenant with Abraham concerning circumcision. God said (verse 14) every male must be circumcised or he would be cut off from God’s people. Yet, the Apostle Paul tells the Galatian Saints (Galatians 5:6) “in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor un-circumcision: but faith which worketh by love.” How can we reconcile these two Scriptures if the Bible contains only one program for all of God’s redeemed? The answer to this dilemma is that the Bible contains two programs for God’s redeemed. One program deals with God’s purpose for the earth, with Israel as the channel through whom He will work to bless all the inhabitants of the earth. This is called God’s prophetic program. This Prophetic Program was “made known since the world began” (Acts 3:21). Circumcision was necessary for any male wanting God’s acceptance while this program was in effect. The Scriptures also contain a second program which has to do with God calling out a people to inhabit Heaven. This program is called God’s secret (or Mystery) program. This Secret Program was “kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25). These two programs are as different from each other as day is from night. Paul wanted the saints to be able to determine which program any given Scripture belonged to. By testing things that differ, the Saints of this dispensation should be able to determine which of God’s commands are for our obedience today, and which pertain to Israel and the earthly program.
What Scriptures Are For Us?
The concluding statement of Philippians I: 10 gives us the reason for “testing the things that differ.” Paul wanted the saints to “be sincereand without offence till the day of Christ.” If we are to walk pleasingly before our Lord in this Christian life, we must know what God has commanded us to do and then follow those commands to the letter. If we are not aware that God has two programs revealed in His Word, how are we to know which commands are for us and which are for another dispensation? Much of the confusion in Christendom today is the result of God’s Saints not knowing that their Bible contains God’s revelation about two programs – one for the earth and one for the Heavens.
Some who do not understand that the Bible contains two programs will say, “All the Scriptures are for our obedience,” or, “Every promise in the Book is mine.” These are just glib statements made without even considering the consequences of what they are saying. It is true, all scriptures is for us. That is, all Scripture is for our learning (2 Tim. 3:16). But, not all Scripture is addressed to us. One of the first rules of Bible study is that when we read any Scripture, we are to ask, “To whom is the writer speaking?” Once we have answered this question, we can then determine if that Scripture is addressed to us as Gentiles living in this dispensation of God’s Grace, or, is it addressed to those in the dispensation of Promise who had the earthly kingdom as their hope.
The Bible is basically two letters written by the Holy Spirit and addressed to two different groups of people. The Prophetic Scriptures are addressed to Israel while Paul’s letters are addressed to us who are living in this dispensation of the Grace of God. We night use the illustration of you and I receiving letters from a mutual friend. Because we each know the writer of the other’s letter, we can exchange letters and gain much because we both know the writer. But, if I read in your letter that our mutual friend promised to take you to dinner if you met him at a given location on a given date, I would be foolish to go to that place on that date expecting our friend, to take me to dinner.
I wasn’t promised a dinner, you were. This same principle applies when we study the Scriptures. We can read Israel’s -“mail because we know the writer (the Holy Spirit), but we would be foolish to take promises made to Israel and expect God to fulfill them for us today.
Some Things That Differ
One of the things we will notice as we search the Scriptures is how our Lord’s ministry differs in the four gospels from what it is in Paul’s epistles. For example, Christ told His disciples:
“Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6).
Yet, Paul writes to Timothy telling him:
“(God) will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (First Timothy 2:4).
If there is only one program recorded in the Bible, How could God limit His message to just the nation of Israel and desire that all men be saved? The answer lies in the fact that in His earthly ministry, Christ came only to the nation of Israel. We see this from what Paul writes to the Saints at Galatia. In Galatians 4:4, Paul says that when God’s timetable was right, Christ was “made under the Law.” This means Christ lived as an Old Testament personality. Everything He did and said was in keeping with the Law of Moses. The four Gospels arc all Old Testament ground. It was during God’s dealing with Israel as His special people that the Gentiles were “given up” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28) and excluded from God’s program. We see this very clearly by the attitude of our Lord in His dealings with the Gentile woman in Matthew 15:21-28. When His disciples beg Him to bless her so she will go away, our Lord tells them:
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).
Later, when the woman comes and worships Him, He turns to her and says:
“It is not meet (not right) to take the children’s bread (Israel’s blessings) and cast it to dogs (to Gentiles)” (Matthew 15:26).
The change in God’s program came after Israel rejected the offer of their King and His Kingdom (Acts 3:18-7:60). When Israel would not receive the message of the Twelve during early Acts God set Israel aside just as He had set the Gentiles aside because of their unbelief (Rom. 1:21-23). After setting Israel aside, God saved and commissioned Paul to be the Apostle to the nations (Rom. 11:13) with a message that had been “hid in God” (Eph. 3:9) from the beginning of the world and not made known until it was revealed to Paul.
It is the revelation of the Mystery that explains the true meaning of the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ. Without Paul’s Epistles we would never know about Christ’s death being the payment of our sins. Peter didn’t know anything about this. In fact, Peter and the other Apostles saw the death of Christ as a crime Israel had committed and one they should repent of. Notice Peters preaching of the Cross in Acts 2:23 and Stephen’s message in Acts 7:52. Both men preached Christ’s death as a murder Israel was guilty of. Yet, in light of the revelation of the Mystery, Paul tells the Galatian saints:
“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14)
Galatians 4:5 tells us that Christ came “to redeem them that were under the Law.” Since only Israel was under the part Jewish. Because of Christ’s personal ministry to Israel during His earthly life, and because the four gospels are Old Testament ground. .we should not be using these Scriptures as God’s instructions for us today. This is what Paul was praying about in our Philippians 1:10 text for this study. God’s instructions for us who are living in the dispensation of the Grace of God will only be found in Paul’s Epistles. This is why Paul says twice that we are to be followers of him. In First Corinthians .4:15, Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says: “be ye followers of me.” Then, later in this same letter, Paul says: “be ye followers of me, even as i also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Paul tells Timothy that he was saved as an example of God’s Grace. In First Timothy 1:15-16, Paul tells Timothy that he was the “chief” of sinners and God saved him by His Grace. Therefore, if God could save Paul after all he had done, then there is no one who could not be saved just as Paul was by grace. Note that Paul says he was “a pattern to them which should hereafter believe” (1 Tim. 1:16). As we follow Paul as our “pattern” we will be living pleasingly before our Lord. Not only are we to follow Paul in salvation (being saved by Faith alone), but we are to also follow him as he put the message of the Mystery as his marching orders for his Christian life..
Rightly Dividing the Word Of Truth
When Paul told Timothy he was to study the Word of God and “rightly divide” it, he was telling Timothy the same thing he had told the saints at Philippi. Rightly Dividing and Testing Things that Differ are doing the same thing. An example of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth or Testing Things that Differ is in looking at the “hope” of Israel and the “hope” of the Body of Christ. Israel’s “hope” looked to the return of Christ to this earth to re-establish David’s kingdom over Israel. In this kingdom, Christ would sit on David’s Throne as the son of David and rule over Israel for one thousand years. During this time, Israel would be a nation of Priests (Ex. 19:6).
Today, in the dispensation of the Grace of God, the saints are not looking to Christ returning to the earth to reign as Israel’s king. We are looking for Christ to return to the clouds of the air (1 Thes. 4:17) and His call for us to leave this earth and join Him in the heavenlies where we will rule and reign with Him for all eternity.
In past dispensations salvation was through Israel (a Gentile ‘had to become a proselyte. That is, become a Jew religiously). Today, anyone can be saved in spite of Israel. Salvation today is on the basis of individual faith in the finished work of Christ. Salvation is only one of the things that differ in the two programs recorded in the Scriptures. We are to test the other things that differ to make sure which Scriptures are addressed to us in this dispensation of God’s Grace.