I would like to understand your position on two things with regard to comment #37. It would be beneficial to us non-dispensationalists if you were to expand upon the idea that:

All the Bible was written for us, but not all to us.

Maybe offering some biblical support for this would be helpful as well.

The other item is your listing of different portions of the Holy Scriptures in #37. It appears this is a way of breaking down who the target audience was/is for each portion. Can you help us to understand why you believe they should be broken down in this way?

Peace to you brother,
From the Middle East

Yep…”amazement” is a good word to describe my feeling. I do not recall ever coming across the teaching that Paul embraces. My time at Union University and Southwestern Seminary evidently did not include any “Dispensational Truth”. I am somewhat familiar with the concept of different dispensations throughout the course of time but I have never heard anything quite like Paul’s comments. It honestly, does not sound very orthodox to me and thus my amazement and my “tongue-in-cheek” desire that these things are not really being taught somewhere. Consider me naive, I suppose. I don’t understand how the Bible can be written “for us” and not “to us”. All Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”. ALL SCRIPTURE! Therefore, ALL SCRIPTURE is written “to us” as well as “for us”.

It is not my desire to personally attack anyone and so if my words did that–then, Paul I humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness. I would very much like to understand where you’re coming from and so I sit at your feet and ask for you to share.

I would ask for biblical clarification and support for the statement, “All the Bible was written for us, but not all to us”. In addition, I would very much like to consider for myself the biblical support for the outline of biblical books that you listed.

–Dave

I’m not particularly good at this type of thing, but here goes:

With all gentleness and respect, I feel I need to call you out on the “please tell me you don’t pastor a church” portion of your comment to Paul. I’m hoping you were simply trying to express amazement in a bit of a hyperbolic manner, but if so, it certainly doesn’t come across well… your words look like a personal attack.

Please look back over your comment and consider whether it comes across with the spirit in which you intended it.

Thanks, and God bless.

I am a Pastor, have had 3 churches, taught at a Bible College and in a Seminary.

Check our ”Dispensational truth” by Clarence Larkin.
Paul W. Foltz DD

I Cor 14:22 gives the purpose of two gifts, not all sign gifts. Jews are not mentioned.

I Cor 12 says the gifts of the Spirit are for the common good; this is a much broader purpose than evangelism.

Each of these letters was written to Gentile believers.

The gospels often say that the miracles were done “out of compassion.” Some will claim that miracles were done only to establish that Jesus was God’s son. I object to the word “only.” In the game of chess, each move must accomplish at least two goals. I expect God often practices the same.

I confess that I am frustrated by this conversation, primarily because I think the gap in conversation is not from the texts and their implications, but rather from differing starting assumptions, what the 80′s called a world view.

Consider the question: Do people matter to God? Is compassion and care for spiritual and physical needs a part of his character? In an earlier note I laid out a personal anecdote of why my answer to this question is yes. I’m now home from the hospital, but there is still a need – or at least a significant inconvenience.

Much of the contrary discussion in comments above instead sounds like a Pharisee who condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. There is greater concern that procedure is being violated than there is for practical action, the relief of suffering. I’ve seen such attitudes in management of non-church environments, and the results are abusive there just as they can be here. Jesus responded to such attitudes with “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

As a youth Bible study leader, I am committed to the Bible as God’s word. However, when I find people in whom the commitment to the page exceeds our commitment for the people the page was written to aid (Lk 4:18), to the extent that significant portions of scripture are fenced off as “that’s not for you,” then there is a problem. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those of the household of faith.”

p.s. to Dave Samples: Thank you very much for this post. The conversation has certainly gone in different directions, but it has been useful for me and, I hope, for you as well.

All the Bible was written for us, but not all to us.

Genesis 1-11-human race
Genesis1 2-book of John-Israel.
Acts 1-8 -transitional
Acts 12-Philemon-Church
HEBREWS -JAMES-iSRAEL

PWF.

Acts 1: They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers.
-> presumably this involved speech in the assembly.

Acts 2: Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
-> speech, presumably in a church setting.

Acts 18: Priscilla and Aquilla (notice the order of the names) taught Apollos the way of God more adequately.
-> both involved in teaching a man.

Acts 21: Philip had 4 unmarried daughters who prophesied.
-> speech, presumably in a church setting

Having been in an academic setting as both an engineering student and faculty member for nearly 30 years, I would suggest that there is a need to temper theory with practice.

Paul W. Foltz DD