It's so fascinating that you have gone from one chapter of Acts to another and each happen to be various points at which some Mid-Acts Dispensationalists believe is when the dispensation officially changed. I've stated before that I think the best argument, by far, is for Acts 9 but I think that whole debate misses the point of the book of Acts, which was primarily to give an overview of Israel's rejection of their Messiah and God, in response, turning to the Gentiles. That is the theme of the book of Acts and Acts 28 is a fitting last chapter.
In Acts 28 Paul is speaking to a group of Jews. This single point explains everything he said to them. It is extremely doubtful that he was giving any of these people the details of the grace message. That would have come later.
It's just exactly like it would be today. If I, a person fully convinced of the truth of Acts 9 Dispensationalism (hereafter A9D), were to go to the home of a Jewish family or asked them to come to mine to discuss the Christian faith in an attempt to get them to believe it, the only possible place I could start with them is to show them via the Law of Moses as well as the rest of the Old Testament that Jesus is their Messiah. That's where the Gospel of Grace, Paul's Gospel, begins, especially for the Jew. Once a Jew believes that much, then and only then would a discussion about Israel's rejection of the Messiah and the rest of the details about the grace gospel make any sense.
On a separate point and in an effort to refocus the discussion a bit, remember that Mid-Acts Dispensationalism is not the same sort of doctrine that you are used to dealing with. Most of your last several posts have focused on what you consider to be problem texts. This is understandable and so I've made my best effort to deal with them at face value but I don't want to go to far down this road for fear of giving the wrong impression. Mid-Acts Dispensationalism is not merely a particular doctrinal position on the same level as something like taking a position of whether you can lose your salvation or whether water baptism is required or the timing of the rapture. Mid-Acts Dispensationalism is truly a different doctrinal
paradigm!
What I mean by that is this; I do not have problem texts. And I mean that literally. I have responded to what you see as problem texts because I think it is valuable for you to see how I understand these passages but its important for you to catch the real point which is that none of what you see as problem texts read in my eyes as anything but proof texts. My hope is that by understanding how I see the details, it will help you to see the whole but that can only go so far because you, from your paradigm will have 66 books full of what you think are problem texts for me to deal with.
This is the reason you'll only very rarely see me post a proof text on this web forum about anything. It feels like I've posted more of what might be called proof texts on this single thread than I've posted in the last year on all my other threads combined. That might be over stating it but even so, the point is that proof texts do not convince people. They just don't. And the reason they don't is because of this whole paradigm issue.
So why is my doctrinal paradigm superior? That's really the question at hand here and it a very difficult question to answer because even the answer to the question is tinted by the paradigm you already hold. But that cannot be helped so here goes nothin'...
Your doctrinal paradigm is the way you see the big picture or the overall plot line of the bible as a whole and in this case, of the New Testament in particular. The bible, like many books, has a plot. Each point along the plot line follows logically from those that precede it. Some plot points are not at all surprising (or shouldn't be). The death of Christ, for example, was clearly prophesied throughout the Old Testament and so when it finally occurs, it makes sense. (Note that it was the paradigm held by the Jews that kept them from being able to accept a crucified Messiah - and still is to this day.) Other plot points however are not so expected. You might call these plot twists. It is absolutely critical that you catch the plots twists. With points of the plot that aren't twists but are just expected steps down the story line, you can pick up the story without confusion even if you skipped the section of the book where the event took place but you can't do that with plot twists. If you skip over a plot twist, you're going to be confused and perhaps without even knowing that you're confused because your brain is very good at forcing things to make sense and will create connections where none actually exist. Such is the power of a paradigm!
So what then is the plot of the New Testament according to A9D? Here it is in a nut shell...
- Christ was born under the Law and He was circumcised and lived His life according to the Law.
- Christ was "cut off" (i.e. killed).
- Christ rose to save the Circumcision (Israel).
- The Circumcision rejected their risen Messiah.
- God "cut off" the Circumcision.
- God is now working with the Uncircumcised.
- God will work again with the Circumcision.
Now, you might find the terminology a little awkward in that list but I state it that way intentionally. This plot line parallels an episode that occurred in the Old Testament (see question 3 below) and I wanted to bring it up because the main point I want to make with this post is that A9D answers a great many, seemingly unrelated, doctrinal questions. And not only does it do so but it does so without creating as many questions as it answers. Or put another way, it answers the questions without having to alter the plain meaning of the texts. The result is a bible that is full of nothing at all but proof texts and NO PROBLEM TEXTS.
A9D provides the fame work (the plot line) needed to answer all of the following questions (and several more, I'm sure)...
- Why Paul? Where the need for a 13th Apostle?
- Why did Peter (and the Holy Spirit) insist that believers sell all their possessions and turn all of the proceeds over to the Twelve?
- Why did Moses not have children circumcised for forty years while in the desert? Circumcision is a symbol for the whole law (i.e. both are a cutting off of the flesh). So you have a whole generation born without the Law and those of the previous generation never entered the promised land. (Joshua 5:6)
- Are we the Bride of Christ?
- Did the Body of Christ replace Israel?
- Why did the Twelve never forsake Israel or their Kingdom rules. (Luke 22:29-30; Acts 21:17-20; Romans 9:11; Revelation 21:12-14.
- Why did Paul have to get in Peter's face when the men "from James" showed up?
- Can you lose your salvation?
- Is baptism necessary for salvation?
- Must a believer continually ask God for the forgiveness of his sins or is he already forgiven?
- Should believers speak in tongues?
- Should believers see and perform physical miracles?
- Should we keep the Ten Commandments (i.e. the law)?
- Does saving faith require works?
- Should we keep the Sabbath?
- Is Sunday the "Sabbath" for today?
- Are there any foods that we should consider to be "unclean"?
- Will believers be subjected to the Tribulation?
- Will the Rapture occur and if so, will it be before, during or after the Tribulation?
- And there are so many more!
And the really incredible thing about the fact that all of these questions are answered isn't so much that they get answered but that they get answered almost automatically with one single teaching that can be stated in a single sentence! And, once again, answered in a way that leaves you with no problem texts!
What stronger argument could possibly be made? I cannot conceive of a more powerful argument than that for the veracity of any systematic theology! The only thing left is to see the evidence. That is to say, I've made one whopper of a claim here and I've spent I don't know how many hours trying to give a taste of the biblical evidence but I think for you to really see it, a much more in depth and detailed treatment of the topic is necessary than I have to time or the skill to present, especially on a web forum.
Lastly, I don't want to leave you with the impression that I'm trying to bring our discussion to a close. That isn't my intent with this post at all. I only wanted to sort of corral it back around to the real issue at hand so as to prevent us from loosing the forest for the trees.
Resting in Him,
Clete
P.S. Once again, I am deeply indebted to Bob Enyart for the content of this post. If you haven't read
The Plot, chances are, you don't understand the Bible. Its that good! Read it!