HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD
CHAPTER FIVE
WEEK 2 - WEDNESDAY
THE ECONOMY OF GOD’S GRACE
Many Christians do not have a clear and precise understanding of the truth regarding God’s plan of salvation and the economy of God’s grace. The terms “economy” or “plan,” and “administration” (or stewardship, dispensation) were used by Paul in Ephesians 1:10 and 3:2, 9. Unfortunately, these terms have not been properly translated in the Chinese Union Version of the Bible.
Ephesians 1:10 says: “In the dispensation of the fullness of times.” The Greek term for economy also means “dispensation,” “plan,” or “administration.” Just as a businessman knows how to manage his resources, God also has His administration, His economy, in the universe. However, what God manages in His economy in the universe is His grace.
We have seen that God has a plan to save us and an economy to dispense grace to us. Just as a businessman has a plan for managing his business, the wonderful God has His plan to distribute grace among the human race. Chapters one and three of Ephesians speak about the plan, the economy, the mystery of God. If we read the book of Ephesians carefully, we will see that it is quite complicated, and not as simple as we might think.
In many human concepts, salvation simply means that God loved us and sent His Son to complete the redemption for our sins, so that, once we believe in Him, our sins are forgiven, and we go to heaven to enjoy eternal blessings.
If the salvation of the God we serve were really like that, then it would be undeniably very simple. But if we examine the entire Bible in detail, we will see that God’s salvation is not so simple. Therefore, we need to meditate on God’s Word carefully to understand the concept of the Scriptures deeply.
When reading the Word, we should not take any chapter or verse out of context. We cannot take one or two phrases from the Bible and then claim that God’s salvation is “this or that.” Doing so would be very dangerous. If we meditated on the New Testament as a whole, we would realize that the common concept in Christianity is very different from God’s revelation through the Holy Scriptures.
Today, the Lord has revealed truths to the churches in His restoration, so we should not hide them. However, we also do not want these truths to become ammunition for debates. If that happens, it will not only deprive people of the provision of life, but will also become a stumbling block for them. Whatever we do should serve to help and perfect others.
THE ERROR OF CATHOLICISM
To correct the inaccurate concepts of the past, we must first show what they are. Catholicism and Protestantism have done many things to harm the spiritual life of people, the work of the Lord, and the economy of God. The reason many have been harmed by Catholicism and Protestantism is because they did not have a precise and meticulous knowledge of the truth.
An example is the issue of purgatory. Catholicism teaches that after death, a person must be disciplined in purgatory for the sins they committed. Therefore, before dying, they must do their best to repent, and even after death, their relatives can repent on their behalf so that they can be taken out of purgatory. This is a harmful doctrine taught in Catholicism.
Many Catholics have the idea that, while a person is alive, they do not need to rely on the efficacy of the precious blood of the Lord. If they sin, they just need to confess their sin to the priests to be forgiven. While alive, they do not need to fear God or live a holy life to please Him, because before dying, they can simply make a donation or do good works to atone for their sins. Even if they cannot do this, their relatives can do it for them, by performing a mass in their name to release their soul from the sufferings of purgatory.
It is surprising that such an idea, such a concept, can exist in Catholicism and be accepted by nearly all Catholics. If you tell them it is heresy, they say it is an ordinance from the pope. If you say it is not biblical, they say it is a decree from the pope. In the opinion of many Catholics, they only have the pope.
THE ERROR OF PROTESTANTISM
Revelation 12 speaks of the man-child, who, having overcome, was caught up to God to His throne before the great tribulation of three and a half years (v. 5). Then, in chapter 14, we see the 144,000 who, having followed the Lamb, were caught up to Mount Zion in the heavens (vv. 1-5) while the Antichrist acted wickedly on the earth.
The words in the Holy Scriptures are so clear that there is no room for human doubt. Moreover, 1 Thessalonians 4 also says that when the Lord descends from heaven, the dead Christians who will be resurrected, and the living Christians who will be transformed, will join together to meet Him in the air (vv. 15-17).
While the Lord Jesus was on the cross, the repentant thief asked Him for a favor: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). If He had answered the thief according to his request, the Lord would have had to wait a long time to remember the thief: the time before He entered His kingdom. However, He answered: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (v. 43).
Where is the Paradise mentioned by the Lord? In heaven? No, because we know that the Lord went to Hades as soon as He expired. It was the fulfillment of what He had said about the Son of Man being in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights (Mt 12:40). With this, we can see that the Paradise mentioned by the Lord to the thief is in Hades. The words of the Lord are clear and precise, leaving no room for doubts and conjectures. Therefore, we should examine this matter according to the revelation of the Bible.
THE CONCEPT IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The Bible never says that the soul of a person who believed in Jesus and was saved will go to a heavenly mansion when that person dies. It is true that the Chinese Union Version of the Bible uses the term "heavenly mansion," but this is due to how the term was translated. The Greek term should be properly translated as “heavens.” This is the same term translated as “heavens” in the phrase “the kingdom of heaven is near” (Mt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7).
According to the biblical record, the term “heavens” refers to the third heaven, the dwelling place of God. In the Chinese Union Version, this term was translated as “heavenly mansion” in two places in the entire New Testament: Hebrews 9:24 and 1 Peter 3:22. Heavenly mansion is a term used in Chinese Buddhism to refer to “nirvana,” a place of perfect joy. However, the term “heavens” in these two passages of the Word refers to the third heaven where God dwells.
The Bible says that in the last age, when the new heaven and new earth come, the holy city, the New Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God, will descend from heaven, from God (Rev 21:2, 10). At that time, all the saved ones will undoubtedly enjoy eternal blessings with God. Not only their soul will be there, but their entire being, spirit, soul, and body, will also be filled with the divine element, and they will be in the dwelling place of the God of glory, mingled with Him and living with Him eternally.
I hope we all see that God’s salvation is the result of His plan, and that the gift of God’s grace to us is the result of His economy. Some Bible versions use the term economy or dispensation, which means “disposition” or “distribution.” These expressions show that the gift of God’s grace includes His economy, administration, and dispensation.
The Bible says that the God who works all things dispenses grace to us according to the eternal purpose which He has set forth in Christ (Eph 1:11; 3:8-11). This God, who has an expectation, a purpose, a plan, and an economy, does not grant us grace according to His whim. On the contrary, His gift of grace is His distribution of grace according to His economy, His dispensation.
Enjoy More: Hymn 268
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