The Gospel's of Peter and Paul

Dr. Couch, was the message of Peter and Paul the same about salvation to the believer?

ANSWER: I can't believe this question. Don't ask me. Please read the letters of Peter! That will give you the answer. I'd love to know from what heretical position such a question is coming. Mercy, mercy, mercy!

But here we go:

"Caused us to be born again" 1 Pet. 1:3.
"A living hope through the resurrection" 1 Pet. 1:3.
"To obtain an inheritance which will not fade away" 1 Pet. 1:4.
"The proof of your faith" 1 Pet. 1:7.
"You believe in Him" 1 Pet. 1:8.
"The outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls" 1 Pet.1:9.
"This salvation the prophets prophesied"1 Pet. 1:10.
"Who preached the gospel to you"1 Pet. 1:12.
"The grace to be brought to you, the revelation of Jesus Christ"1 Pet. 1:13.
"You were not redeemed with ..."1 Pet. 1:18.
"You were redeemed with the precious blood of a lamb, the blood of Christ" 1 Pet. 1:19.
"Who through Him are believers in God"1 Pet. 1:21.
"You have in obedience to the truth purified your souls"1 Pet. 1:22.
"You have been born again" 1 Pet. 1:23.

I think I'll stop here! This is only the 1st chapter of 1 Peter!

Thanks for asking,
Dr. Mal Couch (4/11)

Tolerance and Truth

Dr. Couch, tolerance seems to be the word for today. No one can speak the truth with strong conviction as the apostle Paul in the NT. What do you say? ANSWER:  Paul comes out swinging with strong words in his epistles against sin and its consequences. For example, in 1 Timothy 1, he makes it clear that evil is thoroughly evil and must be addressed. He says that the law was righteous but it was given for those who were unrighteous and rebellious (1:9). He adds, the law was "for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted."    Paul is saying that the gospel, and its indictment against the sins he has just listed, is to be applied to the culture and the society, not just for the acceptance within the church. These are sins that the gospel and the Word of God speaks against. Whether the culture likes it or not, these are sins that must be spoken against first by the Bible, and then by believers who are living in this world.    We presently have congressmen and judges in high places who are homosexuals and we should be able to speak out against them with the authority of the law of Scripture, that seems to be what Paul is saying in these passages.    We have been far too silent and passive. And I believe that we are all too afraid to address head-on the sinful state of our society. We have become quiet and do not have the ability to be vocal when the time arises.    Because of this silence, we will pay the price of seeing our nation sink deeper and deeper into the abyss of evil. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch (11/10)

Ephesians 6:23

Dr. Couch, what is going on in Ephesians 6:23? ANSWER:  The verse reads: "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."    The "Peace" and the "love with faith" both come from the Father and from the Son. Paul means that love is associated with faith. Love connected with trust, faith, bathes the relationship of the believers. And this is coming from the Father and the Son. We are not to have just simple love, but we are to have love that is bound together with Christian trust. This is not plain love. Thus, it is Godly peace and love! It may read "peace and love" with Christian faith both come from the Father and Son.       Believers are not to have ordinary peace and love. "Faith is presupposed as being the believers" bestowed by the Father and Son.--Alford    This makes Christianity unique!    Thanks for asking.    --Dr. Mal Couch (10/10)

Contradiction between Paul and Peter Regarding God's Sovereignty

Dr. Couch, is there a contradiction between what Paul says in Acts 17:31 and what Peter says in 2 Peter 3:12, about God's sovereign plan in history, and our hastening the "coming day of God"? ANSWER:  Good question. And this is where only a student of the Greek text can give a definitive answer. The apostle Paul says God has a plan, "He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, ... raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). God is in charge of when the day of judgment will come. It is an exact moment in His eternal decree of all things! But then the English in 2 Peter 3:12 reads: "... looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, ..." This sounds as if we can hasten the coming of the day of final judgment. Is this right?    No, it is not! Both "looking for" and "hastening" are Present Active Participles in the Greek text, but more, the word "hastening" is not a good translation in this context of the word speudo. The "looking for" is better translated "expecting" and the word "hastening" is better translated "earnestly desiring." As translated "hastening" it sounds as if we are causing the day of God to come quickly. Instead, the point is that we are "earnestly desiring" that it will arrive soon.    A problem like this is why I spent some 35 college and graduate hours in Greek, with some of the best Greek teachers in America, so that I could know exactly what the biblical text was saying! After I came to my conclusion I checked out the great old Greek scholar A. T. Robertson, and, he translates the verse the same way. We are not causing the coming of the day of God, we are anticipating its arrival!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (Oct., 09)

A Third Great Awakening

Dr. Couch, With all that is prophesied about the church in the last days, is it possible to have a great revival in the church as a whole? There is great concern for our nation. So is it possible to have a third great awakening as previously happened in the past with Finney, Whitfield, and Edwards? What is needed to achieve this? And if it is impossible, then what should we be doing?

ANSWER:    But also, if indeed we are into the last days, the apostasy, then there will be no turning back. How do we know we are in the end times? Israel is back in the Holy Land, and it is prophesied that she would return in unbelief, and that is just what is happening.

   What should we do? We should keep on keeping on! We can only touch those nearest to us. I find the harder we teach the more people are responding, but of course, I am resonating with believers and they are identifying with my hard and straight-on, tough explanation of Scripture. I would urge pastors to (1) teach their hearts out. (2) stop babying the sheep! (3) quite thinking that you must go easy and placate people. Some will walk, but so what?

   I had some young-ish soft Bible teachers tell me one time that I was too harsh in my presentation. But they failed to notice that this is what people really wanted. Often people want to hear righteous indignation! And many want Bible teachers to be prophets and speak the truth head-on! If we don't tell people the way things are, how will they change? (By the way, those young-ish Bible teachers ruined and destroyed everything they touched. They were not as smart as they thought they were!)

   The apostle Paul, Peter, and the writer of Hebrews often use the Greek word "stereos" when describing that we should use "steroids" and make people strong in the difficult times coming. For example:

   "The foundation of God must stand strong (be tough) not stand in a weak manner" (2 Tim. 2:19). "They were not able to eat strong T-bone steak" (Heb. 5:12). The churches are to be strong, tough in the faith (Acts 16:5). And "You be tough, steadfast in your faith in Christ" (Col. 2:5).

   Thanks for asking.
   Dr. Mal Couch
(September 2009)

Aristarchus

Dr. Couch, who is Aristarchus? ANSWER:  First, his name means "best ruler." He was a Greek or Roman and close companion to Paul whom tradition says was killed in Rome by Nero. This would stand to reason in that he was one of the closest followers of Paul. He was a native of Thessalonica. What is so interesting about him is that we know little about him! But he was always seen with the great apostle. Apparently, he was just "there," always at Paul's side, doing whatever was necessary to make the burden of ministry easier.    Aristarchus was seized along with Gaius during the great riot at Ephesus (Acts 19:29). He traveled with Paul from Troas on his last journey to Rome (Acs 27:2). He was with Paul at Rome when the apostle wrote the epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon. It is suggested that he shared his imprisonment voluntarily.    Various verses speak of the simplicity of Aristarchus' silent companionship. He did not have to do big and great things to be of help to Paul. He must have been simple but always dependable in his nearness to the apostle. Aristarchus was part of Paul's traveling companions who, as a fellow worker, sent his greetings to Apphia and Archippus in Philemon 24. He was in prison with Paul when he sent a greeting to the Colossian saints. He would be an instructor to them if he was able to travel to that city (Col. 4:10). And with a larger group of followers he was seen with Paul when the apostle was threatened with death by the Jews (Acts 20:4).    Sometimes just one's presence is sufficient to encourage and give comfort to another believer. That seems to have been the role of Aristarchus!    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch