Frequently Encountered Misconceptions (FEM)
The purpose of this page is to briefly discuss some frequently encountered misconceptions concerning the truth of the dispensation of the Mystery and Paul's "good news" (gospel). When one critiques a position it is best that one first take the time to understand the position and how terms are being used. If this is not done then one is in danger of misrepresenting the view and attacking a caricature of the position using simplistic dogmatic assertions or vague polemics.
FEM 1. A frequent charge by those of covenantal persuasion is that belief in an eternal distinction of Jews, Gentiles and the Body of Christ in God's redemptive plan requires an erroneous split among the elect and is contrary to the "one" people of God in "one covenant" of Grace. The claim is that in someway, the teaching that there are three households in God's elect with three distinct eternal hopes (redeemed men both on earth and in heaven) and different administrative relationships destroys the unity of "one" people of God. (For a summary view of the hopes follow this link). The answer to this is simple. First, we do believe there is just one covenant of grace within the Triune Godhead, but this does not require that there be only "one" people (homogeneous) of God without distinctions (households) within the elect. This is so in precisely the same way that the doctrine of the Trinity, in which there are distinctions of persons within the Godhead, does not contradict or destroy the numerical oneness of the Godhead. As an aside, it is interesting that those who put forth this objection insist on the numerical singleness of "one" people of God, yet embrace and require two or more baptisms (thus splitting the One Body into many sects on that basis) in spite of what Paul says is the one and only sufficient baptism for members of the One Body (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:4-6) -- this is a glaring case of selective myopia. Follow this link for discussions of the many baptisms in Scripture and the truth of the one and only baptism for the Body of Christ. FEM 2. Related to FEM1 is the similar claim that more than one "good news" also splits the "one people of God," but even worse, so the objectors say, is the claim that a distinction in the content of Paul's "gospel" from the "one gospel" entails more than one way of salvation. We agree that someone who espouses more than one way of salvation is in very serious error. However, this misconception relies on a loose use of the term "gospel" -- taking it to be always identical with the good news of salvation in Christ. It is then a short step to the assertion frequently made: "There is only one gospel." Yes, it is true there is only one "gospel" in the sense of salvation through the finished work of Christ; but there is more "good news" that Paul tells us about (Rom. 16:25, and the dispensation of the Mystery through out Paul's epistles). Follow this link (coming soon) for a discussion of the word "gospel" in Scripture.