Do You Use Slippers?

I heard a ‘mid-Acts-hyper-dispensational’ preacher make the statement that you have to ‘leave the doctrine where it fits in the gospel of John. He said you have to connect John 3:16 with Romans 5:8 to get the gospel of grace.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

After telling how he had used John 3:16 at a funeral, the ‘mid-Acts-er’ also said, "You can take a verse like that and slip it over and use it sometime .... but you don’t really need to do that." That’s a rather odd way of handling scripture. I think if HE wants to ‘slip’ .... ‘a verse like that’ over and use it sometime, he does. But in my previous nearly 30 year history of being a ‘mid-Acts-er’, I can’t recall hearing any other ‘mid-Acts-er’ doing such a thing. If anyone spoke any words or phrases from the 4 gospels, they were looked at as not being ‘in the know’ and may get questioned how long they had been a ‘mid-Acts-grace-believer’.

Well now, John 3:16 does not say that Christ died .... and neither John 3:16 nor Rom 5:8 says that Christ resurrected from the dead. So technically, the ‘full gospel’ (dare I call it that?!) that was already written in the scriptures .... of the death of Christ for our sins and His resurrection .... is found in 1 Cor 15:3-4. Also notice the context that shows not only Paul, but a lot of others including Cephas (Peter), the 12, over 500 brethren, James, and all the apostles, ALSO preached ‘this’ gospel:

1 Cor 15:1-11 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas,
then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once;
of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James;
then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

Here’s another ‘salvation verse’ that ‘mid-Acts-ers’ don’t use. They think it belongs in ‘Israel’s program’ and that it is not for ‘the body of Christ’:

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

But if you want to use a verse from the 4 gospels or Peter, James, or John .... just for a ‘slipper’ .... you have the leader’s permission to bring it over sometime. Just remember, don’t do it often, and certainly, don’t make it a habit of it!

This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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