One Christian commentary we read stated that the thesis of First John is "assurance of our salvation." But the Apostle John gave us the thesis: "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not."

The Christian blindness of our day is pathologic. It is incredible. Although most of the New Testament commands us to live righteously, the influence of antinomian thought prevents us from perceiving what is written.

Humanism, Gnosticism, and antinomianism heavily influence Christian preaching and teaching.

Dispensationalism: When the entire Church Era is reviewed, the cultic teaching of Dispensationalism may emerge as the most destructive heresy of all.

One enormous error of Dispensationalism is the forcing of a division between Israel and the so-called "Gentile Church." Thus we have a Gentile Church ruling in Heaven and a Jewish Kingdom ruling on the earth. There are two kingdoms, two Brides of the Lamb, two elects of God.

Dispensationalism is not only totally unscriptural, being easily disproved by an alert high school student, but it is totally impractical as well.

The first Christian church consisted of five thousand Jews in Jerusalem, all Orthodox, all fervently following Moses. No doubt all of these were born again but they knew little or nothing of the doctrine of grace. None of them were Gentiles.

Now, do these Jews form an earthly kingdom or a heavenly church? It may be noticed in Acts that Paul never made a distinction in his message between Jews and Gentiles, nor did he in his Epistles. In fact Paul proclaimed one new man comprising elect Jews and Gentiles.

The truth is, there is no heavenly church. Several statements in the New Testament inform us that the saints will rule, being a royal priesthood, but no passage indicates the saints will rule in Heaven.

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:10)

There is only the one Kingdom of God, the kingdom that will come down from Heaven above. The members no longer have racial identity. Each has been born again and now is part of the Life of Christ. This is taught so clearly by the Apostle Paul as to be undeniable.

Not only is Dispensationalism destructive of Kingdom thinking, it also is destructive of righteous behavior on the part of Christians. It is one of the four horsemen of error along with humanism, Gnosticism, and antinomianism.

Dispensationalism teaches us we are in a "dispensation of grace." The idea is that in the previous dispensation, that of the Law of Moses, people were commanded to live righteously. Under the dispensation of grace we (Gentiles) are brought to Heaven to live forever (an unscriptural goal) on the basis of our acceptance of an abstract grace, an eternal amnesty unrelated to our behavior.

God would never usher in such a dispensation. The reason for bringing in a new covenant was that people were not behaving righteously under the old. The purpose of the new covenant is to write the law of God in our mind and heart so we behave righteously.

To be continued.