"The Rule" 50 Question Primer
There is a teaching among grace believers which is very commonly believed,
but it has flaws in it. Because of these flaws, it causes division among
believers.
I knew this teaching caused division among mid-Acts believers but a
brother informed me a short while back that this teaching also causes
division among Acts 9 believers. So being an Acts 9 believer myself,
I feel it’s time to tackle this teaching head on and reveal it’s
flaws.
This teaching is what I call “The Rule” and it goes like
this:
The Rule:
If you believe Peter’s gospel it puts you into the new covenant
church (kingdom church) and if you believe Paul’s gospel it puts
you into the one new man (the body of Christ). If Peter preaches to
you, you go into the new covenant church and if Paul preaches to you,
you go into the one new man.
This rule seems pretty solid from the surface, but you will see shortly
as we get deeper into the scriptures that it does have flaws in it.
Plenty of them.
Lot’s of brethren take “the Rule” as flawless, but
because it has flaws in it, it causes division among brethren.
Example:
If it takes knowing Paul’s gospel to get into the body of Christ
then that means no one can get into the body of Christ until Paul received
his gospel.
This brings up the big question that causes division:
When did Paul receive his gospel?
Some say Acts 9, but they cannot prove it, some say Acts 11, and still
others say Acts 13 and others still say other times. This causes division
among us and we end up not speaking the same thing.
But the actual problem here is not the believers, but rather that “the
Rule” is flawed. I also taught “the Rule” for several
years and when scriptures came up that contradicted it, I ended up going
back over “the Rule’ and testing it and that is when the
flaws showed up.
Before I go on please understand that I already know all the differences
between Peter and Paul’s gospels, and Peter NEVER
preached Paul’s gospel of grace. But Peter did know, believe and
preach that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose again.
In the book of Acts, Luke never records Paul preaching that Christ died
for sins. It's simply not there. The closest he gets is Acts 13. But
from Paul's epistles we do know that Paul preached that Christ died
for sins.
Likewise the same thing goes for Peter, Luke never records in the book
of Acts that Peter preached that Christ died for sins but just as the
same as Paul, we find this in Peter's epistles.
So the book of Acts does not go into great detail of what Peter and
Paul preached but rather is just an overview of the what the apostles
did and said. To find the details of what Peter and Paul preached we
have to go into their epistles.
But there is a teaching that can clear up all of this mid-Acts division
problem. It is the teaching of Cornelius being in the body of Christ.
Of course, “the Rule” goes against this teaching. If “the
Rule” is flawless, then the teaching of Cornelius being in the
body of Christ is flawed.
But if the teaching of Cornelius being in the body of Christ is flawless,
then “the Rule” is flawed.
Below are 50 questions that are associated with many scriptures that
show why “the Rule” is flawed. There are many more, but
I just stopped at 50 because I figured 50 will give you a basic concept
of the teaching. If you believe “the Rule” is flawless,
then it will not allow you to believe the scripture means what it says
that you are about to read.
So what I am asking you to do is to go over these scriptures twice.
On the first time, try to keep in your mind that “the Rule”
is flawless, and as you go through these questions and scriptures you
will find that the scriptures do not match “the Rule”.
On the second time around, keep in your mind that “the Rule”
could have flaws in it. So just for a few minutes, please set “the
Rule” to the side, and allow yourself to believe the scriptures
mean exactly what they say and watch what happens.
But before showing the scriptures that go against “the Rule”,
let me give you a quick summary of why I disagree with “the Rule”.
And yes, I do have scripture to back all of this up.
1. “The Rule” has no scripture to back it up, but rather
it has many scriptures that go against it. It is a teaching that was
handed down to all of us and we all accepted it and ran with it. When
I saw a few scriptures that went against it, I did the job of a Berean
and fully tested it and found flaws.
2. “The Rule” will not allow you to believe the scripture
means what it says such as 1st Corinthians 15:11 and many others.
3. “The Rule” declares that what you know determines where
you go. The scriptures clearly show us that this is not so.
4. Salvation comes from, through and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal
life exists in Jesus Christ. Eternal life does not come from the gospels.
The gospels lead you to Christ. When you trust Christ as your Saviour,
Christ puts you where he has made a place for you. In the case of uncircumcised
Cornelius, he gave the one new man.
5. The uncircumcised Gentiles were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without
God in the world. God gave the one new man so he could save the uncircumcised
Gentiles. This includes Cornelius.
6. The new covenant church is Jew only. It was not Jew and Gentile.
The one new man is Jew and Gentile.
7. Peter was not Cornelius’ apostle. Paul is the apostle of the
Gentiles. Peter was not the apostle to Jews and Gentiles. Peter’s
doctrine did not apply to uncircumcised Gentiles nor uncircumcised Cornelius.
Paul’s doctrine did.
8. Paul’s doctrine of grace was given to him to give to the Gentiles.
Paul’s doctrine of grace applies to all Gentiles regardless of
who leads them to Christ. Paul said in Romans that God would justify
the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith. Cornelius
was justified through faith just like all the other uncircumcised Gentiles.
When Peter and Paul met in Acts 15 they shook hands and agreed that
Peter would not go to the Gentiles. The reason for this is because Peter’s
doctrine did not apply to the uncircumcised Gentiles, Paul’s doctrine
did.
9. The new covenant was promised to the house of Israel and the house
of Judah, not the Gentiles. The only way the Gentiles could be partakers
of Israel’s new covenant salvation is through the one new man.
Israel gets it at the second coming of Christ but the one new man gets
it now.
10. We all agree the kingdom program stopped. The scriptures show us
that this program stopped when the body of Christ was given with the
apostle Paul. Just as when the rapture takes place and the body of Christ
will no longer be available regardless of what gospel you believe, the
kingdom program had a stopping point also. This is why when Paul writes
the book of Romans in Acts 20 he said Israel was “diminishing”.
If the kingdom program were still in effect at this time, they would
have been “growing” instead of “diminishing”.
They were dying out.
11. If Cornelius was in the new covenant church then this would mean
that you would think that the books Hebrews through Revelation would
apply to him, which presents a problem. The epistle, “To The Hebrews”,
leaves Cornelius out because he was not Hebrew and James’ epistle
“to the twelve tribes” also leaves Cornelius out because
Cornelius did not belong to any of the twelve tribes of Israel. None
of these books would have applied to him because he was not a Jew. Hebrews
through Revelation was not written to Cornelius because these are Jewish
books and Cornelius was an uncircumcised Gentile.
Hebrews was not written to uncircumcised Gentiles and neither was the
book of James. This also means that Paul’s epistles where he says,
“For you Gentiles,” did not apply to the uncircumcised Gentile
Cornelius. So Cornelius ends up with Paul’s epistles not applying
to him and neither Hebrews through Revelation, which makes no sense
at all.
Paul’s epistles and his doctrine that the Lord gave him for the
uncircumcised Gentiles applied to uncircumcised Cornelius, even though
Peter led him to the Lord.
So this is a basic summary of why “The Rule” is flawed.
There is plenty more, but this will give you a basic outline.
I do have scripture to back all of this up but the problem is “The
Rule” will not allow you to believe it means what it says. I came
to a point in my studies where I had to either believe “The Rule”
or believe the scriptures. So what I did was just lay “the Rule”
to the side for a while and look again at the scriptures without “the
Rule” being in the way, and just believed the scriptures meant
what they said. After doing this, the flaws were revealed.
As we go through these scriptures you will notice that they contradict
“the Rule”.
So here goes:
Question #1
Do you really believe the King James Bible means exactly what it says?
Question #2
If someone were to ask you why Christ had to suffer, what would you
tell them?
Question #3
In 1st Peter 3 it says,
“18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in
the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
Why did Peter say that Christ had to suffer?
Question #4
In 1st Peter 3 again it says,
“18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just
for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in
the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
In chapter 2 it says,
“24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on
the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed.”
In Revelation 1, John says,
“5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the
earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood,”
Did Peter and the apostles know, believe and teach that Christ died
and paid for sins?
Question #5
We know for a fact by Matthew 16 and Luke 18 that before the cross the
apostles did not know that Christ was going to die much less die for
sins. But after the resurrection Jesus told the apostles a few things.
In Luke 24 it says,
“44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I
spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled,
which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in
the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ
to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Jesus opened up their understanding that they might understand the scriptures
and he showed them in the scriptures why he had to suffer. He showed
them out of the books of Moses, the prophets and the psalms.
Who showed Peter and the apostles of why Christ had to suffer? Was it
the Lord Jesus Christ himself or was it the apostle Paul?
Question #6
When Jesus showed the apostles of why he had to suffer out of the scriptures
of the prophets is it possible he showed them Isaiah 53?
Question #7
Who knew that Christ died and paid for sins first, was it Peter or Paul?
Question #8
In Acts 8 Philip went up to the Ethiopian eunuch. In Acts 8 it says,
“32 The place of the scripture which he read was this,
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before
his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare
his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh
the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and
preached unto him Jesus.”
Philip was reading out of Isaiah 53. Who told Philip that the suffering
servant of Isaiah 53 was the Lord Jesus Christ?
Question #9
Is it possible that the Lord told the apostles about Isaiah 53 and the
apostles told the seven and others?
Question #10
In 1st Corinthians 15 it says,
“1 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:”
Here Paul gives the gospel of Christ dying and paying for sins. In verse
3 he says:
“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;”
If Paul ALSO received it, who else got it?
Question #11
In 1st Corinthians 12 it says,
“27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."
Were the Corinthians in the body of Christ?
Question #12
Do you really believe the King James Bible means exactly what it says?
Question #13
After Paul gives the gospel in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 he continues and
says,
“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 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.”
Paul said in chapter 12 that the Corinthians were in the body of Christ.
In chapter 15 he gives the gospel of Christ dying and paying for sins,
being buried and rose again and says in verse 11 it did not matter whether
it were him or the apostles that preached it to them as long as they
believed.
Do you believe this?
Question #14
According to what Paul said in 1st Corinthians 12 &15, Peter could
preach to a Corinthian and they be put into the body of Christ.
Do you believe this?
Question #15
Do you really believe the King James Bible means exactly what it says?
Question #16
Was Cornelius an uncircumcised Gentile?
Question #17
Who was the apostle of the Gentiles?
Question #18
Who was Cornelius’ apostle, was it Peter or Paul?
Question #19
Was Peter also the apostle of the Gentiles?
Question #20
Did Paul’s doctrine that was given to him to give to the Gentiles
apply to Cornelius or did Peter’s doctrine given to him to give
to the Jews apply to Cornelius?
Question #21
In Romans 3 Paul said,
“30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision
by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.”
Was uncircumcised Cornelius justified by faith as the circumcision were
or was he justified through faith as the uncircumcision were?
Question #22
Who was the book, “To The Hebrews” written to?
Question #23
Was the book of Hebrews written to the Gentiles?
Question #24
Did the book of Hebrews apply to Cornelius?
Question #25
In James 1 it says,
“1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
Who was the book of James written to?
Question #26
Was the book of James written to uncircumcised Gentiles?
Question #27
Did the book of James apply to uncircumcised Cornelius?
Question #28
In Ephesians 3 Paul says,
“1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ
for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is
given me to you-ward:”
Was Paul addressing this epistle to the Gentiles?
Question #29
Did the dispensation of grace and the doctrine associated with it that
the Lord gave to Paul to give to the Gentiles apply to uncircumcised
Cornelius?
Question #30
Did Paul’s epistles to the Gentiles apply to uncircumcised Cornelius?
Question #31
In Genesis 17 God made covenant with Abraham and the token of this covenant
was circumcision of the flesh. Starting in verse 10 it says,
“10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between
me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall
be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall
be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every
man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought
with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money,
must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for
an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not
circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken
my covenant.
According to verse 13, how long will this covenant last?
Question #32
According to verse 14, could an uncircumcised man be partaker with the
circumcision?
Question #33
Once again in verse 14, did an uncircumcised man break covenant with
God?
Question #34
In Exodus 12 it says,
“43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the
ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast
circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought
of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone
thereof.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover
to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come
near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for
no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that
sojourneth among you.”
According to verse 48, could an uncircumcised person partake of the
passover?
Question #35
In Ezekiel 44 it says,
“5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and
behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto
thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all
the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every
going forth of the sanctuary.
6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel,
Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of
all your abominations,
7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised
in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute
it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and
they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.
8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set
keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.
9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor
uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger
that is among the children of Israel.”
Could an uncircumcised man go into the sanctuary?
Question #36
In Jeremiah 31 it says,
“31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the
day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith
the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man
his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from
the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
According to verse 31, to whom is the Lord going to make this new covenant
with?
Question #37
According to verse 31, is the Lord going to make this new covenant with
uncircumcised Gentiles?
Question #38
Could an uncircumcised Gentile that could not be partakers with Israel,
could not be partakers of the passover, could not go into the sanctuary,
could this uncircumcised Gentile be partaker of a new covenant that
was not promised to him to start out with?
Question #39
In Malachi 3 it says,
“1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare
the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to
his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”
In Matthew 11 Jesus quotes this verse and refers it to John the Baptist
and tells us that John is the messenger. Notice the verse says the messenger
of the covenant.
We know that the covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham and the
covenant of the law was given to Moses.
We know that Jesus was the mediator of the new covenant so this would
make John the messenger of the new covenant.
Do you believe this?
Question #40
Who did God say he was going to make a new covenant with?
Question #41
In Luke 16 it says,
“16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that
time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
If John is the messenger of the new covenant and the law and the prophets
were until John is it possible that John came offering the new covenant
unto the nation of Israel?
Question #42
In Matthew 10 it says,
“5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them,
saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the
Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Is it possible that Jesus told the apostles to not go to the Gentiles
because he is offering Israel the new covenant and the new covenant
was not made for Gentiles?
Question #43
In Matthew 16 it says,
“18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and
upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it.”
From this verse we know that Christ is going to build a church and from
Matthew 10 we know it will consist of only the lost sheep of the house
of Israel.
Do you believe this?
Question #44
In Luke 21 it says,
“27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
According to these verses, when will this church receive their redemption
of their souls?
Question #45
In Acts 3 it says,
“19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins
may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all
things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets
since the world began."
In Romans 11 Paul says,
“26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written,
There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
According to verse 26, Israel will be saved at this time and this is
the new covenant that was promised to them.
Was this new covenant promised to uncircumcised Gentiles also?
Question #46
In Ephesians 2 it says,
“11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles
in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called
the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope,
and without God in the world:
According to these verses, Paul is telling us that the uncircumcised
Gentiles were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope,
and without God in the world:
Would this include uncircumcised Cornelius?
Question #47
In Colossians 2 it says,
“13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses;”
According to this verse, Paul says there were two things that made the
Gentiles dead, their sins and the uncircumcision of their flesh.
Did this apply to uncircumcised Cornelius?
Question #48
In Ephesians 2 it says,
“13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far
off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down
the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them
that were nigh."
Paul tells us that the Gentiles which were far off, that God has now
reconciled along with the Jews into one body by the making of the one
new man.
So the Lord made the one new man so he could save the uncircumcised
Gentiles.
Does this apply to uncircumcised Cornelius?
Question #49
So the scriptures clearly indicate that the new covenant church was
Jew only and the body of Christ is Jew and Gentile. This would put Cornelius
into the body of Christ.
Do you believe this?
Question #50
Do you really believe the King James Bible means exactly what it says?
When you see that Cornelius was dead in his sins and the uncircumcision
of his flesh and that God gave the one new man (the body of Christ)
so he could save the uncircumcised Gentiles, this clearly puts Cornelius
in the body of Christ.
This will clear up the mid-Acts division of when the body started. If
you can see that Cornelius was in the body of Christ in Acts 10, then
it is very easy to see that the body of Christ started before Acts 11
or Acts 13.
These few questions are just the beginning. This teaching can get very
complex if you let it. These questions are just a primer to the full
teaching.
Thank you for taking the time to look over these scriptures and answer
these questions. If these questions seem interesting to you and you
desire to know more about this teaching, or if you have any questions,
please contact me.
Lord willing, the full teaching will be released this summer.
In Christ,
Jerry Pourcy
Grace Bible Study
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