“And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people [of Israel] unto the LORD.” Exodus 19:8 (KJV)

Most genuine believers would say the words of the Lord are inviolable or sacrosanct. Paul wrote that “All Scripture” is inspired truth as the Scriptures were inspired of by the Holy Spirit.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

This study is written with a view to help those who already know the blessed fact that “the LORD HATH SPOKEN” and ALL His words are forever pure and true. Yet many don’t know how to study His words.

We believe that the Bible not only contains the words of God, but that it indeed is ‘The Word of God.’

“For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)

The entire Bible is the inspired word of God. We further believe that God’s blessed inspiration applies equally to all the Bible’s words from Genesis to Revelation as written by the 40 writers of its 66 books.

Thus Moses when he wrote concerning the creation or the flood, and … and Matthew’s record the life of the Lord Jesus, and ... and Paul’s 7 Post-Acts epistles that reveal the “Mystery [Gk., musterion, ‘secret’ plan of God] which God had “Kept Secret Since The Foundation Of The World” (Rom. 16:25), were All Equally and Fully Inspired.

There can be but one response of a heart that believes in the inspired Scripture, and that is … unconditional, and whole-hearted obedience to conform to its revelation and instructions. For those who believe that ‘the LORD hath spoken,’ to them no argument could be given that would excuse disobedience.

I trust that most will agree with this conclusion, that All Scripture, being God’s truth, becomes the only rule of faith and practice, demanding whole-hearted obedience. This is nothing if not reasonable.

Yet there are many Bible Commands that We Today Have Never and will never Obey! Does this mean we today are liable to the penalties spoken of by Moses as noted in the Scriptures seen below?

We don’t read very far into Genesis before we come up against a problem. God enjoined upon Abraham the covenant of ‘circumcision,’ and using such words as these, ‘The uncircumcised ... shall be cut off from his people’ (Gen. 17:14).

Then in Exodus 12, the observation of the feast of the Passover is said to be ‘an ordinance FOR EVER’ (Exo. 12:14), and ‘whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel’ (v15). In Exodus 20:8, we read as a part of the commandments given by God:

‘Remember the [seventh day] Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work’.

If the reader will consider the inspired words of Numbers 15:32-36, he will find that absolutely no allowance was made for the disobedience of not keeping the Seventh Day Sabbath. Thus the man that gathers sticks on the Sabbath day did not escape punishment just because he observed the First Day of the week instead; the Lord said, ‘The man shall be surely Put To Death’. So, this is serious stuff for an Israelite.

Again in Exodus 31:14 regarding the Sabbath, we have the words quoted above, ‘that soul [individual] shall be cut off from among his people [Israel]’.

Leviticus 17:14 threatens the same punishment for eating flesh with the blood.
Leviticus 23:29 threatens the same for not observing the ‘day of atonement.’
Numbers 19:13-20 threatens the same to any who are not sprinkled by the water of separation, after touching a dead body, or even a bone, or a grave.

Question? It is obvious that if All Scripture is equally God’s truth; is it for today?  If so then we today have a problem. None of us has kept these laws and never will.

Yet, it’s clear that there can be but one result of whole-hearted belief in the inspired Scripture, namely, Unconditional, Whole Hearted OBEDIENCE. So it must be evident to all readers that IF this Conclusion stands as … Truth For Today, then we are faced with a series of facts that are of the most serious character – literally determining Life and Death.

Thankfully we today have the Apostle Paul’s Words that are Very Different From Moses:

Before attempting to explain the conundrum that is seen by demand of Obedience to “the Law” lets continue our search by comparing some equally God-inspired Scripture.

• Moses said, “And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people [Israel]; he hath broken my covenant.” Genesis 17:14
• Paul said in Galatians 5:2, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that If Ye Be Circumcised, Christ Shall Profit You Nothing,” and in Galatians 5:4 “Christ is become of no effect [no benefit] unto you, Whosoever Of You [Thinks You] Are Justified By The Law; Ye Are Fallen From Grace.” Galatians 5:4 (KJV)

So, Moses says the UN-circumcised shall be CUT OFF while Paul says the circumcised Are Cut Off From Any Benefit In Christ and His Cross-work.

Paul later, after the Acts period, writes of our liberty from Israel’s laws of dietary restrictions, rituals, rites, holy days and sabbaths.

Colossians 2:16 says, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat [food], or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths.”

Here, again Paul as “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13), sweeps aside the commands the LORD gave to Israel in the law of Moses regarding the feasts, fasts and the sabbaths.

‘Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I [Paul] am afraid of [for] you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain’ (Gal. 4:10-11).

What are we to say to Paul’s words of opposition to the Moses God-given inspired instructions?

If we believe that both Moses and Paul were equally inspired of God, then how is it that what Moses tells us God commanded … Paul then positively Contradicts and Sets Aside?

The answer is this. God Has Spoken Different Messages To His Variously Called People Groups At Different Times [in different dispensational ages]. Before we can render real obedience to the Scriptures we must learn to distinguish between the different “DISPENSATIONS” of the Bible. The fact is that;

• Moses was God’s messenger of the ‘dispensation of The Law’ for Israel ONLY.
• Paul is God’s messenger of Today’s Gentile “Dispensation of The GRACE Of God”.

“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 [Paul] to you-ward [Gentiles]:” Eph. 3:1-2

We will seek to explain and distinguish aspects of the different “DISPENSATIONS” in the next study when the first great division of “the Word of truth” will be set forth as we;

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15 (KJV)