Ephesians, Chapter 2.
"Wherefore remember that ye being in TIME PAST Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands: That AT THAT TIME" (what time? TIME PAST)"ye were WITHOUT CHRIST, being ALIENS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, and STRANGERS FROM THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE, HAVING NO HOPE, AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD:"(v. 11,12)
"BUT NOW in CHRIST JESUS ye who sometimes were far off are made NIGH BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST."(v.13).Why?
"That IN THE AGES TO COME he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward US through Christ Jesus."(v.7).
So right here, in one Chapter we have 3 divisions made by God. TIME PAST, BUT NOW, and AGES TO COME.
What brings TIME PAST into BUT NOW? THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. That means that everything BEFORE Christ's shed blood was TIME PAST. EVERYTHING BEFORE the CROSS was TIME PAST. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. TIME PAST. When, again, did BUT NOW begin and TIME PAST end? At the CROSS.
TIME PAST was TRUTH. BUT NOW IS TRUTH. THE AGES TO COME WILL BE TRUTH. But they are divided, by God, and His plan for mankind. To be studied rightly divided. Meaning, to get your doctrine for God's approval as a workman that needed not to be ashamed, where would you go now for instructions?: BUT NOW. If you are trying to get your instructions for righteousness from TIME PAST, you are following instructions for another group of people, before the Cross.
That's just one example.
Such needless confusion and deceit by not rightly dividing.
I don't know any 5th graders who are at all proficient in 16th century English and very few children or adults who understand the theological meaning of "age". The irony of having this discussion regarding 2 Timothy 2 seems to have been lost on you. The following is a more accurate translation of the relevant portion:
"Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. - Timothy 2:14-17
Peace be with you
Thanks for that.
Of course God doesn’t change. There is no doubt about that, otherwise He would be denying Himself.
However, His dealing with mankind can change without Him denying Himself. Galatians clearly teaches that the purpose of the Law was to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Keeping the Law never was a means of salvation because nobody can do it. All it does is show us God’s standards to show us how far short we fall and how incapable of earning out salvation we are. Otherwise, there would not have been the system of sacrifices to continually demonstrate that and foreshadow Christ.
The righteous shall live by faith.......