Part 10 of 17 – 

“Teach No Other Doctrine” 

Than Paul’s Gospel Message of Pure Grace

 

In strong language, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine”; no other doctrine, obviously, than that which Paul had taught them. 1 Tim 1:3 As I (Paul) besought thee to abide still at Ephesus…that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine…

In summary of 1Tim 6:3-5, Paul closes his epistle by saying: “If any man teach otherwise (than Paul), and consent not to wholesome (safe and healthful) words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ... from such withdraw thyself.” Paul here is not referring to the words of Jesus of Nazareth but rather the words of the post-resurrection Jesus, the resurrected One who has become “both Lord and Christ” (see Acts 2:36). In the above passage the Apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of fidelity to that heaven-sent message committed to Paul by revelation of the ascended Lord Jesus Christ. Paul refers to the pure grace gospel message, God’s plan from “before the ages began," that was not made known until "due time... through preaching which is committed unto me (Paul)...” (Titus 1:2, 3). Paul’s gospel is of a new “grace dispensation,” subsequent to the “Law” dispensation during which Jesus of Nazareth had appeared on earth in His coming “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24 …I (Jesus) am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Ever since Paul's day religious leaders have substituted other messages for that which was committed by the glorified Lord Jesus Christ to Paul and so it is today with many seemingly respected Christian denominations. The Law of Moses, the Sermon on the Mount, the so-called "great commission," the so-called “Lord’s prayer,” and Pentecost, all belonging to Israel, have all been confused with God's message and program of the pure unadulterated grace of God under this day’s “the dispensation of the grace of God.” This falling away from the mystery (secret) gospel revealed to Paul, and the substitution of “another gospel” is what has bewildered and divided the Church, ripening it for the great apostasy we see today.

With all the confused thinking about the Ten Commandments and Sermon on the Mount, etc., it’s little wonder that modernism of the liberal church organizations has deceived many. They make a moral and social gospel of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Man of Galilee, encouraging their followers to follow Jesus’ footsteps toward what they perceive as a call to social betterment, political reform, etc. Multitudes are deceived and so taken up with the social gospel, so eager to help make the world a better place to live in, that they don’t even notice that the modernists deny the very fundamentals of the Christian faith (e.g., the divinity of Christ, His death, His shed blood for us and His resurrection life to be in us as the new us) that was given to Paul for “the church which is His body.”

Actually, the Lord is not working to improve the world by having men attempt to imitate Jesus of Nazareth, but rather He is working, by His Spirit, to draw and save men to the full by depositing the very “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” into believers, making them members of “the body of Christ.” Christ as God then is the indwelling Lord and who may live in and through each body member, as He wills. Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Seeing this, then we should know that we are not to follow or imitate “Jesus of Nazareth” as He was and did in His earthly, external, ministry – rather Christ lives within the believer’s spirit as the believer’s new empowering, guiding and governing life. Following the lie of WWJD is a proof that one does not yet see the focus of Paul’s mystery gospel of Christ literally indwelling and living through the believer as He wills today. Rather than WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do”) Paul encourages the believer to “walk in the spirit,” then the believer is walking spontaneously by the indwelling life of Christ. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 5:25 (NIV) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

The neo-evangelicalism of many of our fundamentalist churches today is just as dangerous as the apostate modern liberal churches. Many are big, well financed, popular, and subtle. Perhaps their greatest danger lies in the fact that while claiming to be “conservative” and having supposed fidelity to what they call “the gospel,” they actually minimize the importance of the fundamentals of the gospel for today, Paul’s mystery gospel. They often mingle law and grace, apostatizing from Paul’s mystery gospel of “the grace of God.”

Thus, the inspired words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy apply once again today: “Charge some that they teach no other doctrine,” being all the more urgently needed in our day than they were in his.

Note what it is that Paul preached as his mystery gospel – “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It is the indwelling Christ alone who is able to express Gods life, from WITHIN THE TRUSTING BELIEVER.

Colossians 1:25-28 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil (to complete) the word of God; ²⁶ Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: ²⁸ Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect (teleious, complete) in Christ Jesus:

After noting the subjective aspect of “the mystery,” defined which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” then also we may go on to carefully note verse 28a, “Whom we preach.” As I’ve written before, Paul bumper sticker would never say “Christ is the answer.” Rather, Paul’s bumper sticker would say “Christ in you is the answer.”

What is notable here is the Christ that Paul preached was not “Jesus of Nazareth.” Again, Paul, in his fourteen epistles, never refers to anything Jesus said or did – only His birth, death, burial, resurrection, now as “the Spirit of life,” who comes to indwell believers. Jesus of Nazareth has now become the resurrected “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (2Cor 3:17, Rom 8:2a). It is this fully processed Christ, processed through His human incarnation and the cross, who has now come to indwell the believers who make up “the body of Christ,” as His ambassadorial representatives on earth (2Cor 5:20).

Thus, we see that Paul did not preach Jesus of Nazareth, but only the risen “Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” who now is available to indwell every believer’s human spirit – as the “Christ in you.” Only Christ indwelling and living through the believer is the Christian’s “hope of glory.” “Glory” equals “expression.” It is only Christ’s life in the believer that gives that believer the ability to “express Christ’s righteous life.” This expression now works in a spontaneous way, just as an apple tree automatically produces apples when the apple tree branch abides in the apple tree. John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.