Our Apostle Paul wrote, βAll Scriptureβ¦is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousnessβ (2 Tim. 3:16). Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written to and for the nation Israel under the law, in accordance with her earthly, millennial hope. It is in the epistles of Paul that we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny for us, the Church, the Body of Christ, today under grace. However, there is great value in studying the four Gospels. They are βprofitableβ for our spiritual lives.
When I was taking classes atΒ Berean Bible InstituteΒ in Slinger, Wisconsin, I took a Missions class. Pastor and missionary Joe Watkins was my instructor. In one class, he pointed out what he perceived to be a weakness in the grace movement: that we were too often guilty of neglecting the four Gospels. He said, βThat is our Savior too. There is much we can learn from His love, humility, compassion, and kindness.β Then Pastor Watkins shared an example: the healing of the leper in Mark 1.
βAnd there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou cleanβ (Mark 1:40-41).
Pastor Watkins pointed out that nobody touched a leper. But in healing this man, the Lord was βmoved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him.β He didnβt need to touch him to heal him. All He needed to do was say the word. But that man hadnβt felt a human touch in years. Thus, out of His great compassion, the Lord reached over, touched him, and said, βBe thou clean.β
Like Paul, we are to teach βall the counsel of Godβ (Acts 20:27). In my pastorate atΒ Kettle Moraine Bible ChurchΒ in West Bend, Wisconsin, in both the Sunday School and Worship Service, I taught series of messages from the four Gospels. I shared how the Lord lived under the law and kept it perfectly, how He taught Israel in light of the coming Tribulation and her hope of the earthly Kingdom, and how the Gospels portray the Lord as Prophet, Priest, King, God, and man. Most of all, as Pastor Watkins had shown me, I made sure to teach about the love and mercy of our Savior. And as a result of a series on the miracles of Christ, one woman in the assembly shared that, although she had known about rightly dividing the Word for years, it was the differences in the four Gospels that really helped her to see the truth of grace for the Body of Christ today. There isΒ value in learning the four Gospels! source
