Vintage

The ‘gospel’ is the name given in the Bible to the message preached by the Lord Jesus Christ, who, it is recorded:

Went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23)

The Gospel was preached also by the disciples of Jesus, both before and after his death and resurrection; his commission to them was:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)

But what is the true Gospel message?

What is this Gospel? What is the message that Christ once preached? How can it affect men and women? Is it so important today? This study will try to answer these questions so that the reader may have a better understanding of what it really was that Jesus taught.

Key To Understanding The Bible

Many find the Bible difficult to understand. Yet eternal salvation is bound up in an understanding of the Gospel They lack the key that will unlock its secrets. A proper understanding of the gospel acts as a key, which unlocks the secrets of God’s purpose. Paul shows us the importance of understanding the gospel:

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Therefore we urge that you closely and critically examine what we set before you in this study, and in particular we urge you to look up the Bible references in your own Bible.

The word “Gospel” means “good news” or “glad tidings.” It is sometimes referred to in Scripture as the “Gospel of God” because it is good news coming from Him.

The Gospel was the Theme of Christ’s Teaching

Before the time of Christ’s ministry, the promises of God had been very specific about the advent of the Messiah but had not explained what was required of the individual who wished to be a part of God’s kingdom. However, the emphasis on individual commitment was an essential part of Christ’s teaching.

Probably the most revealing part of this aspect of Christ’s teaching is to be found in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’, which can be found in Matthew, chapters 5 to 7. The teachings of Christ set the standard that is acceptable to God. One of the most telling verses in this part of Christ’s teaching is:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

This one verse contains the essential theme of Christ’s teaching concerning the Gospel. The theme is this: that without obedience to what God requires of us, we cannot hope to share in the future benefits about which the Gospel tells us.

It follows that to obey God we have to know what God requires of us, and to gain that knowledge, we must listen to God —listen to his words, which are there for us to read, in the Bible. This requires an open mind, one that is ready to receive instruction without prejudice. It was because of the lack of this attitude among some of the people of his day that Christ spoke to them by way of parables. He made this point quite forcibly as Matthew tells us:

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive' (Matthew 13:13-14)

Christ further underlined this concept of needing to be attentive to God’s requirements, in the parable of the wedding feast given by a certain king:

The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:2-13)

The Bible quite clearly shows that the parable is connected with the kingdom of Heaven (the kingdom of God). The invitation sent out by the king is similar to the one that God has given to us to be part of his kingdom. The people who rejected the invitation of the king, reminds us that many reject God’s invitation. But perhaps most importantly for our consideration, is the fact that a man was ejected from the wedding feast for not wearing the right garment. Christ teaches us here that we must be prepared to do things God’s way, as revealed in the Scriptures, if we are to obtain a place in the kingdom (the wedding feast).

The Gospel Preached by the Apostles

Whenever Jesus tried to tell his disciples about his forthcoming death they found this to be a concept they could not understand nor accept. They saw him as their Messiah; the one God had sent to free them from the cruel tyranny of Roman occupation.

They saw him as the future King of Israel, after he had overthrown the Roman domination of their land. They looked forward to the golden age of God’s Kingdom on earth, as proclaimed by the prophets of Israel.

Indeed when Judas led the soldiers to where Jesus was, so that they could arrest him, Peter was ready to take up arms to protect him:

When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” And He touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22:49-50 & John 18:10-11)

Therefore when Jesus was crucified all their hopes were dashed, and they were devastated:

Now behold, two of them were traveling to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleopas (Peter) answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:13-21)

Jesus spent the next six weeks amongst his apostles, teaching about the significance of his death and resurrection, before he ascended to heaven. This is well summed up in what he said to the two apostles on the road to Emmaus:

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

On the Day of Pentecost the Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus. Jews from nations all around the Roman Empire had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost (also known as the Feast of Harvest). Peter spoke to a large crowd of these pilgrims, and we suggest you read his address found in Acts chapter 2. You will notice that the subject matter has changed. The focus has now changed to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, …“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)

These Jews would have known well the Bible’s teaching about the Kingdom of God. This new teaching about Jesus hit them hard:

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:37-38)

The apostles had commenced the massive task set them by the Lord Jesus Christ:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

Two Fold Nature of the Gospel

What was it that the Apostles require men and women to believe before they were baptised? It is summarised for us by the Apostle Philip:

When they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptised. (Acts 8:12)

The gospel not only embraces the things concerning the Kingdom of God. It also involves the things to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus, summed up as “the things concerning the name of Jesus Christ”. This is shown in the letter Paul the apostle wrote to Titus:

…Our savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

Jesus foreshadowed his death in the following words:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. …As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. …Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. (John 10:11, 15, 17)

The apostles stressed over and over again that the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ were there for everyone to embrace and have as a hope for the future. They demonstrated that the mission of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection, was a great gift to mankind from God, the Creator of heaven and earth. But it will only benefit those that accept it as a gift from God and follow the prescribed path through believing in him. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

The apostles spoke in the same authoritative way that Christ preached. The reason for this was because it was of God and carried the power of his inspiration with it. The apostle Peter focuses our minds on the truth and hope of the Gospel in these words:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

It was his selflessness, his teaching, the miracles that he performed and his great sacrifice, that persuaded the first century Christians of the need for self-abasement and self-sacrifice in order to proclaim the Gospel in the face of incredible persecution. It was the reality of the hope of life unending, based on the sure foundation that Christ had laid, and that the apostles built on, that the first century Christians continued to preach.

The Past And Future Kingdoms

The fact that a limited version of this kingdom existed in the past helps our understanding of what is yet to be established. We are told that:

…the kingdom of the Lord, was in the hand of the sons of David … (2 Chronicles 13:8)

Again, the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, who succeeded his father David on the throne of Israel:

“Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.”

Always ruled over from Jerusalem by a descendant of king David it was, however, overthrown by God for its wickedness some six hundred years before the birth of Jesus. The kingdom of God will be a revival of this old kingdom, albeit world wide in extent, when once again the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion. From now on, even forever. And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:7-8)

Once more a descendant of king David will reign over God’s kingdom. Jesus Christ, of whom the angel said at his birth:

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. (Luke 1:32)

The name ‘Christ’ means ‘anointed’, and amongst the Jews the ‘anointed’ one has always been king. The Hebrew word for ‘anointed’ is ‘Messiah’ and the Messiah, or Christ, was, and still is, the God-given ruler that Jews have long looked for to revive the ancient kingdom — the ‘anointed’ descendant of king David to rule once more from Jerusalem.

A Heavenly Kingdom On Earth

The term ‘the kingdom of God’ is synonymous with another Bible phrase, ‘the kingdom of heaven’. Yet there is nothing vague or unsubstantial about this kingdom, which despite its connection with God and heaven, is to exist on the earth. In ‘the Lord’s prayer’, Jesus prayed:

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

Thus Jesus defined both the nature and the locality of the kingdom of God. God’s will is to be done on the earth as perfectly as it is now carried out in the heavens.

Again, referring to this happy time in prospect for this planet, Jesus said:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

Precisely the same future for the earth was predicted in the Old Testament:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)

But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (Psalm 37:11)

The Bible defines the kingdom of God as a heavenly kingdom to be established on the earth.

Has the spreading of the moral teaching of Jesus Christ far and wide around the world produced the kind of improvement that we would expect from such a kingdom? Obviously not. The world is no better a place today than it was when Jesus himself preached the gospel. God’s will is not yet done on the earth as it is in heaven. The knowledge of His glory does not at this moment cover the earth. It is not yet inherited by the meek. Nowhere is there an abundance of peace. However good their intentions men and women will never be able to establish such conditions on this earth. The turmoil that covers our globe is a problem, which has no human solution.

The Bible, however, tells us that the power of God will establish this kingdom on the ruins of the states and kingdoms that have hitherto existed. Daniel was told:

In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44)

The prophet Isaiah paints a wonderful picture of the transformation that will come upon this strife torn and wasting earth, once God’s kingdom is established:

He (God) shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; ...They shall build houses and inhabit them; …They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; ...They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; ...The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25)

Belief

Jesus said that ‘whoever believes’ shall have everlasting life. Belief is the essential first step on the way to salvation. The gospel message is not only about the kingdom of God, but also about the way to that kingdom through Jesus. Knowledge of this gospel can only save us if we respond to it, by believing it and allowing it to change our lives. Jesus said:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

The Gospel is the foundation of all teaching in the Bible. It is the key that will open the door of understanding of its pages for you. Its glorious hope permits us to look to the future with hope and confidence. It provides a sound purpose to life, as we look beyond to the ultimate purpose of God.

Meanwhile, it enables us to discern the hand of God at work in events that surround us in our daily living, as well as guiding the destiny of the nations. The modern revival of Israel, the growing power of Russia and the developing world crises confirm that God is active in the world today. With the Gospel in mind, we can view these events with understanding and without fear.

An understanding of the teaching of the Bible imposes a challenge. It demands that we do something about it. It is wonderful to know that God has a purpose with the earth. It is exciting to contemplate the prophecies of Christ’s second coming, and the glory of the Kingdom he will establish. But there is no guarantee that we shall participate in those events unless we act as Abraham did. Only those who embrace the hope of Abraham, and walk in his steps, becoming heirs of the promises by baptism into Christ, will receive the inheritance held out by God.

Your personal destiny is bound up in what you do in regard to the message of the Bible. Why not look into these matters a little further? It could obtain eternal life for you.

For the next study in this series, click here: http://www.biblenews.org/The-Lord-Jesus-Christ-in-Prophecy/ .