The nature of the gospel is important to understand. The gospel itself is God’s arrangement by His grace. But it was costly, it cost God’s Son his life. We enter into covenant (agreement) by His work through faith. It is initiated by our obedience, (faith is obedience by repentance-turning toward God and believing in what He said), by this we are accepted by him? Christianity teaches we are saved by faith alone, but it is not alone - it is accompanied by good works. However there are many today who say we can be accepted by God by our good works alone without any blood atonement (not by an animal but by the sinless Son of God). That we can ask for God’s forgiveness on our own merits. This not good news but old news! It was Cain who wanted to approach God by his own good works, choosing his own offering. He wanted to be accepted as righteous on his own merit and not the blood sacrifice they were told to obey. He was the first person who rejected the way of God without any outside influence. (unlike Eve who was influenced into deception by the Devil). throughout mankind's history the Bible records that all righteous men sacrificed. This teaching comes from the garden when God by example showed Adam and Eve what is necessary for their sin. Since this first promise to Adam and Eve in Genesis there has been a mystery surrounding the gospel throughout history. The word mystery is found once in each of the Synoptic Gospels: once in Matthew; Mark; Luke. Paul used the word more than any of the writers; 21 times. It is used four times in the Book of Revelation, 28 times in all. The chief way the word “mystery” is used as the Mystery Kingdom- God in the Messiah, the Gentile and the Jews together as the Church which is covered from different aspects in the book of Ephesians and Colossians. Then there were also hidden meanings found in symbols and types. This mystery was written by the prophets and given in typology throughout the Old Testament but it was not revealed until something happened unlike anything before in history- Gen. 3:15 took place, the seed of the woman.
Paul relays this mystery, making it clear this gospel was not found in the stars, the pyramids or anything else held by mankind. Rom.16:25-26: “ Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith--According to my Gospel.”
Paul made this personal as he was saved from the law and learned true freedom under grace, that the gospel became his life so he calls it “my gospel.” It was not just something he taught but lived each and everyday. He was whipped for it, put in prison and suffered from his own brethren for going town to town delivering it as life to the gentiles to all the nations surrounding Israel.The phrase “since the world began” in Greek means “in eternal times” in all past times this has “always” been concealed. But now God's plan of saving people was made known to all nations by the “writings” of the prophets. The prophetic writings contained the doctrines but they were not all understood by the writers but confirmed the truth that the Gentiles should be made fellow heirs to the gospel. It is to these writings the apostle appealed to that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles.
Gal. 1:11-13 “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.”Rom.1:1 “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” Here we have Paul pointing back to the prophets writings saying it was a promise. Although he mentions the seed of David he certainly had in mind Gen.3:15 the seed of the woman. As he writes in Gal. 4:4 “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”
Rom.5:12 tells us sin entered the world through one man- Adam- and that everyone is given a built in death warrant because of their sin nature that has been passed on. The life is in the blood we are told in Leviticus. In Acts 20:28 it states “God purchased the Church with his own blood.” The blood from Emmanuel’s veins. This the very reason there had to be a virgin birth. It’s not that God has any blood, but that the life that was in the Son was pure, sinless.
Paul states in Rom. 1:16-17 the gospel of Christ, is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
They lived by faith in the Old Testament and we live by faith in the New Testament. They sacrificed animals to cover their sin but they had to have faith mixed with it or it was not accepted. It was brought to and through the Jews first- but it was meant for the Greeks / the gentiles as well.
In Galatians Paul states how this gospel was to affect all mankind. Gal. 3:8-9 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
It is in Eph. 3:6 we are told “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” In Gal. 3:17 “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ.” The promise of justification was made to believers in Christ Jesus, who are the spiritual seed, children of Abraham because of their faith. Abraham believed in God, and he was justified; as the Gentiles believe in Christ they are justified.
How was the Gospel preached to Abraham? This was done in a number of ways. In Gal.3:16 by the seed who is Christ and through his sacrificial act on mount Moriah.
In Gal. 3:16 Paul mentions a singular seed, the Messiah that would come through his lineage.
But Abraham had two sons, Isaac by Rebecca, and Ishmael by Hagar, along with numerous descendants by Keturah. So this had to be a certain line, which is through Isaac. God says in Gen. 17:19-20 “I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.” Gen. 21:10 Sarah said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.”V.12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.”
It is later in Gen. 22:2 when Isaac is grown up that God said to Abraham, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. ” Its not that Abraham had only one son, but there could only be one that could be taken to Moriah and be sacrificed, the seed of the promise.
When they get there Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” Abraham builds an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Abraham takes the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD calls to him from heaven stopping him. Saying “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham sees a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, THE-LORD-WILL-PROVIDE; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.” Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD (Yahweh), because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son.”
The Hebrew is clear it means God will provide himself as the lamb, and it was on this very mount that Abraham held back from sacrificing his only son that God the Father almost 2,000 years ago did not.
The bible makes it clear that it was the purpose of Christ to come into the world was to die for sins. John introduces Jesus into his public ministry as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The lambs were slain for sin in Judaism.
Isa.7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name, (Immanuel) God with us.” The sign would be that a child would be conceived without any man. Isa.9:6 tells us “a child would be born ,” this refers to his birth and His humanity, the seed of a woman of Gen.3:15. It also says, “a son will be given”; this refers to His nature as the Son in his pre-existence. He is sent from heaven as the Son by the Father and comes the way of all humanity, being born through a woman. So he was fully human and fully God.
Mark 1:1-3 (also Lk..3) The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.”
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.” (also Lk.7:27) This portion is quoted from Malachi 3 however the next verse in Malachi says “And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple, Even the messenger of the covenant.”
Jesus came to the temple when he was 12 when his ministry began. He came and chased the money changers out in the beginning of his ministry (Jn.2:14) and at the end (Mt.21:12). He continued to teach in the temple throughout his ministry, the last time Jesus visits the temple is when he died and after he died He went in to rip the veil that separated the holy place from the holy of Holies.
Malachi speaks of two messengers. One that will prepare the way for the Lord, who is John the Baptizer described in Isa.40:3-4 as “The voice crying out in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah adds to Malachi 'Prepare the way of the LORD by saying, God will visit them, (Isa.7:14). Immanuel, (Mt. 1:23) God with us, v.25 tells us it is Jesus. Luke Chapter 3 quotes Isaiah, attributing it to John the Baptizer as the voice in the wilderness. There is another messenger in the 2nd half of Malachi, it is the same being who has been God’s ambassador on earth who made covenant with Israel in the Old Testament. He becomes the new Testament covenant maker. How? By becoming man and dying for our sins. (Isa.53 describes this event) The Lord Himself (Jesus/ Yahweh) is the messenger of the old covenant who came to His own temple. This is part of the mystery of the gospel. The mystery of Godliness, God was manifested in the flesh (1 Tim.3:16).
There is a scripture that is often overlooked that compliments Isa.53 it is Isa.63:7-8 God explains to us that he/God would become a man, “So he became their Savior. In all their affliction He was afflicted; and the Angel (messenger) of his presence saved them.” The same angel/messenger that appeared to Moses in the burning bush and saved Israel out of Egypt became a man in the NT. When was God afflicted? Isa.53: 4 “Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. V.7 says “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter.” In this Jesus fulfilled John the Baptists introduction as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”V.10-12 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, he shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.11He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest “Beware of the pleasant view of the Fatherhood of God--God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That sentiment has no place whatever in the New Testament. The only ground on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To put forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. God can forgive sin and reinstate us in His favor [only] through the Cross of Christ, and in no other way.”
and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” This is the reason He became a human to give His body as a sacrifice, since God is Spirit, He cannot die. Heb. 2:14 “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil”
1 Cor. 1:21 “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” This again relates to the mystery of the gospel now made known. They preached a crucified man.The cross was symbol of shame to the Romans but glory to the Christians. No religion has ever recognized the cross. It makes no sense to the natural man that one could suffer in the place of another, take their deserved penalty and out of mercy give them His life of freedom and his riches for doing nothing on their own.
The gospel was to be preached it began with Jesus and it is about Jesus. Mark 1:14-15 “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”Paul said Christ must die. Acts 17:2-3 “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” Acts 18:28 “for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
How did Paul do this, what did he concentrate on? Not only the prophecies of his coming, his life and miracles but that he would die and be raised again, the very essence of the Gospel.Jesus continued to tell the disciples ahead of time he would die. Jn.10:18: Jesus said “no one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself.” When Jesus said He is the way he meant through the cross, by his sacrifice on it. When he said he was the truth he meant not only the words he said: but that he came to die for us because we are sinners. Again, it speaks of the cross. When He said He was the life, he meant apart from Him and what He accomplished on the cross we have no hope. This is why inJn.14:6: Jesus said “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” It was through the cross.
Isa.53:10: “Yet it pleased God to bruise Him.” In Acts 20:28 writes the Church of Godwas purchased with His own blood.” Rev.1:5 speaking of Christ “To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” Eph.5:2: “Christ (the God/man) also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. Heb.2:17: “that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” The Bible says this was all ordained in the scriptures In Gethsamane Jesus asked if there be any other way. The Father showed him there was not as he did the fathers will.At his arrest Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? “How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. “But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. (Matt 26:52-56)
On the Emmaus Rd. after He rose from the dead He met some disciples and started to teach them the scriptures, the conversation ends up where “ He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:45-47).
Jesus spoke to the people (specifically the religious teachers ) saying “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. (John 5:39) These would be the scriptures that spoke of his coming and His going, His birth, death and RESURRECTION.
Acts 2:30-33 “Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, “he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
Rom. 1:1-4 “and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” Though they did this they were not left guiltless even though God determined that Christ should die. The LEADERS are held guilty (not all the people) for they knew what the messiah would act like, they had greater knowledge than the people did.
This wisdom which had been “hidden in a mystery” from people until a certain time, was revealed by the gospel. They made known the divine wisdom which HAD BEEN hidden from the minds of all people both Jew and gentile until the preaching of it was delivered by the apostles The mystery of the gospel pertains to the person it is centered on, God becoming one of his creatures, a man
1 Cor. 2:7-8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Which rulers? Pilate-- the Roman government and the Sanhedrin and Pharisees (and possibly principalities and powers). If they had known the ways of God and the scripture they would not have had him crucified. (Col.2:15 tells us how he humiliated them all by his death) notice it says it was ordained from ages past but hidden. Christ was appointed from the beginning to be revealed in the fullness of time born under the law to a virgin. This Gospel was announced by the prophets, such as Abraham , although he did not fully know what he spoke of when he was to sacrifice his son and God gave him a Ram instead. He prophesied God will provide himself as the sacrifice. It was prefigured by the law, as in the Passover lamb yet the Jewish rulers, scribes, priests and Pharisees, did not have understanding of it. Matt 13:35 “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” But they needed to have faith and hear what Jesus said from the heart.
The cross stands as our personal decision between hell and heaven. It is a bridge to God not made with the hands of men. It is able to rescue all that are willing to repent. No matter what race or religion one is we can be brought to the God, the creator of us all (Acts 17:24-30). It is the rallying point of unity for all mankind as it beckons all to come to the one who hung on it. But there is an enemy who hates what it stands for, and blinds the eyes of the people that would look toward it. How? By substitutes! Making it look as foolishness to those who seek other ways. Those who seek knowledge and wisdom, those who work for their acceptance to God as their assurance. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who have been saved it is the power of God. It is Christ crucified. The Gospel is the “power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16).
Jesus cried out to his Father, “Into Your hands I commit My Spirit” and then breathed His last and died. He determined the time to dismiss his own Spirit (You try doing that, it won't happen). No mere man can have control of His Spirit and time of His own death by speaking. Only God has this ability.
Death did not linger, but its moment was chosen by the one who took upon himself all of our punishment and sins and then breathed his last saying, ”It is finished” dismissing His own spirit. When Jesus cried out on the cross “it is finished.” He didn’t say I’m finished, but the debt for sin was accomplished. The justice of God and the love of God had met and was taken care of in the person of Christ.
In this we find the love and mercy of God toward us. Rom 5:6-10:“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
This is the essence of the good news 1 Cor. 15:3: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
Philip was brought by God to meet a Ethiopian in the desert who did not understand what he was reading in a certain passage of Isaiah. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” Acts 8:32-33 We need to declare it to our generation
Matt 25:34-35 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” It was God’s intention from the beginning to have man live in harmony with his creation and have a relationship with his maker. As Jesus prayed “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24
1 Peter 1:18-21 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Rev 13:8 tells us “the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.” In other words God has a provision for Adams sin before He made Adam. He foreknew all that would take place as he knows the end from the beginning. It did not have him change his mind and scratch his creation to start over but instead He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, Eph 1:4. Those who worship the beast whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, Rev.17:8
Gal 1:6-10 Paul was angered when he had heard the Galatians were practicing parts of the law.
Paul was awe struck that the Galatian church had been removed from “ the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,” by those who came in and pervert the gospel of Christ.” Saying in V.8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” And he repeats it for those who were hard in understanding. V.9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.’
The gospel that saves contains nothing about baptism, good works, church membership, attendance, tithing, sacraments or rituals, diet or our dress the Sabbath or tongues are included. If we add anything to the gospel, we have destroyed it and thus come under Paul's anathema in Galatians 1:8-9! Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. The gospel that Paul delivered and we stand in is found in 1 Cor.15:1-4 it is centered on Christ dying for our sin and resurrecting. And Paul wrote in Eph.2:8-10 how we receive it. It comes from the heart first, (believe in the heart) and we are able to agree with the mind.
If your faith is placed in anything else for salvation than Christ’s work alone for you- then you have missed the good news.
Paul writes in verse three, For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. In other words, once the mystery was hid in God, but now the believer is hid in God. v.3 gives us the timing of the manifestation of our glory is: When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested. That will be the Second Coming. The fact is, as the verse continues: then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. Thus, just as the mystery was glory manifested, so shall we be manifested to the world in glory, meaning in our glorified state when we return with Him. The final goal is that Christ is all, and in all (3:11).
2 Cor. 5:15 “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
The war every Christian finds themselves in is declaring the gospel that was once hid. Eph 6:19-20 Paul states “and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” Unfortunately today we still hide it from people because we lack boldness.
We receive all God has for us through the death and resurrection of our savior. We meet God our healer Yehovah Rapha through the cross as he heals us from our life of sin. In Rom.16:20 It states “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” The last enemy defeated will be death. It was for this very reason that the Son of God appeared to destroy the devils work. (1 Jn.3:8) that “by his death he might destroy him who had the power of death-that is the devil. There is soon to come a day when Jesus will judge Satan and his whole kingdom will be thrown into the lake of fire never to be heard from again.
Isa. 25:8-9:“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Rev 21:4 echoes this, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
