šŸ“–šŸ’”šŸ‘‘ What Is The Gospel?

Introduction

Our English word gospel comes from the Old English godspell meaning ā€œgood news.ā€ ItĀ is a transliteration of the Greek word Īµį½Ī±Ī³Ī³Ī­Ī»Ī¹ĪæĪ½Ā which is a combination of ā€œgoodā€ (Īµį½) and ā€œmessageā€ or ā€œnewsā€ (į¼€Ī³Ī³ĪµĪ»ĪÆĪ±). In the broad view, the ā€œgospelā€ is what God has revealed to the human race regarding how we can have a relationship with Him. God has proclaimed the gospel throughout history and mankindā€™s response to this good news has always been theĀ same: faith. We read in Hebrews 11:6, ā€œAnd without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.ā€ In this same chapter are many examples ofĀ men and women who apprehended God by faith. Faith has always been the means of salvation. Thus the writer to the Hebrews wrote,

1Ā Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2Ā For by it the men of old gained approvalĀ (Hebrews 11.1-2).

While the means of apprehension (faith) has remained the same throughout history, the content of the gospel has not. It has changed according to what God has revealed.

The Gospel Through the Ages

The clearest definition of the gospel for our day is found in Paulā€™s letterĀ to the Corinthians. Paul wrote,

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2Ā by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3Ā For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4Ā and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5Ā and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve (1 Corinthians 15.1-5).

Therefore, the way we have a relationship withĀ God is by believing that Christ died for oneā€™s sins and was raised from the dead. The resurrection of Christ was the proof that He was victorious over sin and death as our substitutionary sacrifice. Itā€™s as simple as that. When one believes the gospel he is, in the words of the Scriptures, ā€œsaved.ā€

The above verses may be diagrammed as below:

1) First proposition Christ died for our sins
1a) Scriptural proof according to the Scriptures
1b) Physical proof and was buried
2) Second proposition He arose from the dead
2a) Scriptural proof according to the Scriptures
2b) Physical proof and was seen

Paulā€™sĀ gospel is a gospel of grace (Acts 20.24) and consists of the message that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. TheĀ question for every individual is, ā€œWill you believe it?ā€ Salvation is a choice and requires an act of will. Tragically, preachers, ā€œgospelā€ tracts,Ā and other well-intentioned witnesses often confuse the simple gospel. The gospel is that ChristĀ died for our sins and rose from the dead, period. Adding to the simple message of the gospelĀ such statements as ā€œinvite Christ into your heart,ā€ ā€œaccept Jesus as your personal Savior,ā€ etc., creates confusion. The gospel message should be as simple as the Bible presents it.

John the Baptizer,Ā Jesus, and the Twelve preachedĀ the ā€œgospel ofĀ the kingdomā€ (Matthew 3.2; 4.17).Ā This gospel was a gospel of repentance and the message was that Jesus was the Messiah-King who had come to establish His rule on theĀ earth and fulfill the Jewish covenants (Matthew 6.9-10; Romans 15.8). It required both individual and national repentance (Acts 2.36, 38-38, 3.17-23 cf. Romans 11.25-27). Thus, this good news was that the King was present andĀ the nation of Israel was to accept Him as the Messiah and King of Israel. That was the focus of faith.

Paulā€™s gospel was distinct from the gospel of the kingdom (Galatians 1.6-12; 2.1-9). Paulā€™s gospel was not a gospel of repentance, that Jesus was the King about to establish His kingdom on earth and fulfill Israelā€™s covenants. Paulā€™s gospel was that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. He received his gospel, not from Peter or the Twelve, but by direct revelation from the risen Christ. The language Paul used to refer to his gospel revealed that he regarded it as his own. Thus, we read of ā€œthe gospel which I preached to youā€Ā (1 Corinthians 15.1-5), ā€œmy gospelā€ (Romans 2.16, 16.25, 2 Timothy 2.8),Ā ā€œour gospelā€ (2 Corinthians 4.3; 2 Thessalonians 2.14), ā€œthat gospel which I preachĀ among the Gentilesā€ (Galatians 2.2), ā€œthe gospel of the uncircumcisionā€Ā (Galatians 2.7), ā€œthe gospel of Christā€(Romans 15.19; 1 Corinthians 9.12; 2 Corinthians 2.12, 9.13,Ā 10.14; Galatians 1.7; Philippians 1.27; 1 Thessalonians 3.2), ā€œthe gospel of the grace of Godā€ (Acts 20:24), ā€œtheĀ gospel of your salvationā€ (Ephesians 1.13), ā€œthe gospel of peaceā€Ā (Ephesians 6.15), ā€œthe gospel of his Son (Romans 1.9), ā€œthe gospel of the glory ofĀ Christā€ (2 Corinthians 4.4), ā€œthe gospel of our Lord Jesusā€ (2 Thessalonians 1.8), ā€œtheĀ glorious gospelā€ (2 Timothy 1.8), and ā€œthe gospel of Godā€ (Romans 1.1,Ā 15.16; 2 Corinthians 11.7; 1 Thessalonians 2:2, 8, 9).

Paul wrote the Galatians,

6Ā Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.Ā 7Ā Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.Ā 8Ā The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ā€œALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.ā€ (Galatians 3.6-8).

While faith has always been the means of salvation, theĀ content of faith has changed through the ages. It should be obvious thatĀ since Christ had not gone to the cross and been raised from the dead, men and women priorĀ to this event believed something different for salvation than what Paul declared as theĀ gospelā€“the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins. The Gospels indicate clearly that the Twelve had no clue about the good news of Jesusā€™Ā death and resurrection. In Luke we read,

31Ā Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ā€œBehold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32Ā For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33Ā and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.ā€ 34Ā But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were saidĀ (Luke 18:31-34).

Men and women are justified by faith in what God has revealed in their own timeĀ frame. Thus, we read regarding Abel,

ā€œBy faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain,Ā through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about hisĀ gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaksā€ (Hebrews 11.4).

Implicit from the Old Testament account is thatĀ God had revealed that righteousness was to be obtained through the offering of a bloodĀ sacrifice. According to Genesis,

3Ā So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORDĀ of the fruit of the ground. 4Ā Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORDĀ had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5Ā but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fellĀ (Genesis 4.3-5).

Why did God not accept Cainā€™s offering? Because God hadĀ revealed that to come to him one had to offer a blood offering (Genesis 3.21). Cain chose toĀ disobey and disbelieve God. He wanted to come to God and be accepted by God his ownĀ way. He refused Godā€™s revelation. Abel, on the other hand, believedĀ what God had said. Because he believed, he obtained righteousness.

Abraham is another example of one who was accepted by God andĀ who obtained righteousness. Abraham apprehended God by faith. God justified Abraham because Abraham believed him. What was the content of theĀ ā€œgospelā€ which Abraham believed? According to Genesis 15, Abraham askedĀ God,

2Ā Abram said, ā€œO LORDĀ God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and theheir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?ā€ 3Ā And Abram said, ā€œSince You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.ā€ 4Ā Then behold, the word of the LORDĀ came to him, saying, ā€œThis man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.ā€ 5Ā And He took him outside and said, ā€œNow look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.ā€ And He said to him, ā€œSo shall your descendants be.ā€ 6Ā Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousnessĀ (Genesis 15.2-6).

The gospel for Abraham was that God would give him an heirĀ from his own body and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.Ā Abraham responded to God by believing him (Galatians 3.6-8). This is what faith is, believingĀ what God says.

What about those who lived under the Law of Moses? WhatĀ was the gospel for them? The Lawā€™s purpose was never to make a person righteous.Ā Rather, its purpose was to reveal a personā€™s condition before God. In effect,Ā its purpose was to condemn. Paul wrote,

19Ā Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20Ā because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sinĀ (Romans 3.19-20).

The Lawā€™s purpose was to show a person his sin and his needĀ for God. A large part of the Mosaic Law concerned the Levitical service and sacrifices.Ā A Jew under the Law was to believe and obey God with regard to these sacrifices. Thus, a believer inĀ those days believed in and obeyed God by going to a priest, offering a sacrifice, and believingĀ that God had dealt with his sin by means of the animal sacrifice. That was the ā€œgospelā€Ā and the revelation which God had given to that point.

What was the gospel in Jesusā€™ day? John the BaptizerĀ and Jesus preached the ā€œgospel of the kingdom.ā€ According to Mark,

14Ā Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee,preaching the gospel of God, 15Ā and saying, ā€œThe time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospelā€ (MarkĀ 1.14-15).

How did a person become a believer and obtain righteousnessĀ in Jesusā€™ day? First, it is clear that a person had to repent (cf. Matthew 3.2, 4.17;Ā Mark 1.15; 6.12; Luke 13.3, 5). Believing the gospel meant one had toĀ believe the good news that the Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, had come.Ā This gospel included the fact that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that he wasĀ about to establish the long prophesied kingdom upon earth. We also note from the ministryĀ of John the Baptizer that one needed to be baptized in water as baptism was a sign ofĀ repentance (Matthew 3.5-6, 3.11; Mark 1.4-5; Luke 3.3, 3.12 cf. 7.29-30; John 1.33, 3.23).Ā According to Matthew,

5Ā Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 6Ā and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sinsĀ (Matthew 3.5-6).

This requirement of water baptism continued throughout Jesusā€™Ā ministry and into the ministry of the Twelve following Jesusā€™ resurrection (see Acts 2.38).Ā In John, we read,

1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2Ā (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), (John 4.1-2).

Salvation under the gospel of the kingdom required that one believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah (Matthew 16.13-17; John 11.27; Acts 8.35-38, 9.18-20). This was a completely different gospel than Paulā€™s. Paul gospel requires that to be saved we must trust in the death and resurrection of Christ. We simply do not see this in the gospels or afterwards with Peter or the Twelve.

Great confusion has resulted in Christianity from the teaching that the Church, i.e., the Body of Christ, began at Pentecost. The Scriptures teach clearly the Church did not begin at Pentecost. The early chapters ofĀ Acts reveal nothing about Jew and Gentile being equal in Christ. One will search the Scriptures in vain to find any mentionĀ of the Body of Christ by any writer other than Paul.

Only with Paulā€™s calling and commission did God reveal the ā€œstewardship or dispensation of the grace of Godā€ (Ephesians 3.2) or of the ā€œthe gospel of the grace of Godā€ (Acts 20.24).Ā Prior to Paul, no one offered salvation through faith in theĀ shed blood of Christ nor preached that the gospel of salvation had been sentĀ to Gentiles. The early chapters of Acts record that the prophetic programĀ of the King and the kingdom that had been proclaimed in the Gospels was still in effect and theĀ audience remained wholly Jewish. On the day of Pentecost Peter addressed no Gentiles. He addressed Jews, i.e., ā€œmen of Judeaā€ (Acts 2.14), ā€œmen ofĀ Israelā€ (Acts 2.22), and the ā€œhouse of Israelā€ (Acts 2.36). Ā Peterā€™s message was that Jesus was the Messiah, that they had crucified Him, and that He had risen from the dead. InĀ response to his message his audience asked, ā€œBrethren, what shall weĀ do?ā€ (Acts 2.37). Peter did not tell them to believe that Christ diedĀ for their sins and was raised from the dead. What did he tell them?

38Ā Peter said to them, ā€œRepent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39Ā For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himselfā€ (Acts 2.38-39).

Whom does this sound like? John the Baptizer!Ā Jesus the Messiah! Baptism was a requirement under the gospel of theĀ kingdom. Again, whom is Peter addressing? Gentiles? No. Jews. Peter quoted from the Scriptures. The Scriptures little to nothing to Gentiles but everything to Jews. He specifically said that the Holy SpiritĀ was the promise for you and your children, etc. This was prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31.31-34), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36.22-32, 37.14, and Joel (Joel 2.28-32). Indeed, in his sermon Peter quoted Joelā€™s prophecy (Acts 2.17-21) for what was then happening in Israel.

Conclusion

The content of the gospel has changed throughout the agesĀ according to the progressive revelation of God. Salvation is gained by believing and obeying what God has revealed at the time.Ā Today, because of the revelation of the message of grace toĀ the apostle Paul, salvation is as simple as putting your trust in Christā€™s work on yourĀ behalfā€“that He died for your sins and rose from the dead for your justification.Ā Salvation today is faith + 0. Faith in ChristĀ is not ā€œinviting Christ into your heartā€ or ā€œaccepting Christ as your personal Savior.ā€ Such ā€œinvitationsā€ are falseĀ gospels without Scriptural basis. No one in this day isĀ required by God to repent, to be baptized, to offer a blood sacrifice, to join a church, or to doĀ anything else that may have been necessary in an earlier age. The gospel forĀ us is that Christ died and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15.1-4). Christā€™s work is wholly sufficientĀ and has paid for your sins. At the moment you put believe the gospel and trust Christ, you can beĀ assured that you are a child of God and that God has given you eternal life. source

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Moses Victor Zirabamuzaale

Glory to God n Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, thanks very much for your message regarding the gospel which I am supposed to believe it’s very clear that many people out there in the world are missing the cores of today’s despensation in fact you have given me a starting point for am going to publish the gospel to the people of God all over the world telling them the difference between old testament gospels and New testament gospel am very glad that you have pointed out Spiritual facts from Abraham to Jesus Christ ministry andā€‹then Paul the apostle of… Read more »

Revived Life
6 years ago

Amen, brother! Thank you for standing for the truth and fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)!

Revived Life
6 years ago

Amen, brother! Thanks for commenting!

Moses Victor Zirabamuzaale

Thanks for your message and positive response towards my real long time questions regarding the true gospel of Christ Jesus King of Kings n Lord of lords, am glad to hear that it’s a requirement for one to believe and receive GOD’s promise since Apostle Paul preached the gospel of grace, kindly please send me all the necessary information plus documentations that contains a vast distnction of all the gosples one after the other plus the audience as well and the purpose thereof as you have given me a starting point from the above mentioned scriptures, I belong to Miracle… Read more »

Derrick
7 years ago

Hi brother, and I thank you so much for taking the time to comment and read through this vitally important doctrine. I would also recommend the following articles and all the others in our “Doctrine” section:

https://revivedlife.com/the-great-hinge-in-the-book-of-acts/

https://revivedlife.com/pauls-mystery/

https://revivedlife.com/the-three-fold-division-in-scripture/

Please continue to study the Scripture rightly divided (2 Timothy 2:15) and use this site, http://bereanbiblesociety.org, and http://doctrine.org for resources. Please also, if you would, keep in touch and let us know how your ministry is progressing.

In His grace and service,
Derrick

Godstrong Women - A strong woman hopes she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of Godly strength has faith that it is in the journey where she will become strong. // Zechariah 10:12The Godstrong Women channel on YoutubeThe Revived Life channel on YoutubeRevived Wire Media - Design, Development and Hosting by RevivedWire.com

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