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owner of the letter. But the owner would be foolish, if, before he opened the letter, he
decided that every sentence must refer to him and no one else because he is the owner!
Statements in the letter might refer to a dozen different people and these would have to be
given their place.
We must bear this in mind when we come to the Scriptures. By all means let us note
to whom it is addressed. Failure to do this will affect the interpretation. But don't let us
assume that every statement in Scripture can only relate to those who are mentioned in
the opening verses.
Let us take for instance the prophecy of Isaiah in the O.T. and the epistle of James in
the N.T. Isaiah tells us that his prophecy is "concerning Judah and Jerusalem" (1: 1).
James addresses his epistle to "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (1: 1). We
have heard it said that because these Scriptures are addressed to Israel, they are not "for
the Body" and therefore they need not receive careful study by those who belong to the
Body of Christ. And this, in spite of the statement by the Apostle Paul, that "all Scripture
is profitable for doctrine (teaching), . . . . .that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work" (II Tim. 3: 16, 17).
Let us turn to Isa. 26: 3 where we read:
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in Thee",
and then compare this with Phil. 4: 7:
". . . . . the peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus."
These two Scriptures are addressed to two different groups of God's children, the
people of Israel, and the Body of Christ, but both deal with the same basic truth that
peace of mind can be enjoyed to the full through complete trust in the Lord. The
previous verse in Philippians mentions prayer and thanksgiving which must include trust
in God. This is typical of what we can find right throughout the Word of God and
therefore we must be careful to distinguish between what is foundational or basic, with
what is dispensational.
The command to "rightly divide" the Word of God (II Tim. 2: 15) goes far beyond
making a distinction between Israel and the Church, or recognizing Acts 28: as a
dispensational division. It means that we must go carefully through every passage of
Scripture we are studying and note what is basic and what is the position of the people in
the context (dispensational) and their relation to the purpose of God. Foundational truth
upon which the purpose of the ages is built is covered by such Bible terms as
justification, redemption, atonement, sanctification, propitiation, reconciliation,
substitution, identification, forgiveness, pardon, ransom. Dispensational truth on the
other hand, notes the differences that God has planned for various sections of His
redeemed family. Their placing in glory depends entirely on His elective purpose and in