THE GOSPEL, WHAT IS IT? BY JOYCE CELVER Many voices speak to the world today telling us how we can know God, how we can improve our lives and do good in the earth and to our fellowman. Many of these are “politically correct” voices insisting that all paths to God are good and acceptable. They say there are many ways to God.  Because each of us is different, we must be allowed to find God in a way that suits us—a way that suits our individual personality, our culture, our personal history, our sexual orientation even—in whatever way “works for me.” Many proclaim that whether we are a Christian, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a New Ager, etc., we are all relating and talking to the same god. We can even make up our own way to have a connection to God if none of the above works for us.    The Bible tells us there is only one God and one way to him. That way is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you believe the Bible is the word of God, then hear its message.  So what is the message of the gospel according to the Bible? Starting with the definition of the original word in the Greek we find according to Strong’s Bible concordance the following meaning:   NT:2098 euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on); from the same as NT:2097; a good message, i.e. the gospel: KJV - gospel.   NT:2097 euaggelizo (yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo); from NT:2095 and NT:32; to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel: KJV - declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel)   When asked the question, ”what is the gospel?“ most of us would quickly reply that it is the good news.  As we see from the above that is exactly what the word “gospel” means.  But what is that good news?  What is its message?  When was the gospel first preached?  How do we appropriate it into our lives, what response is required from us? Why is it sometimes referred to as a mystery?   Gal.3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.  We read that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  In other words, God saw Abraham as righteous because he believed what God told him. Abraham demonstrated his faith by his actions—he obeyed God. What exactly did God tell Abraham which Paul says was the gospel?   Gen.12:3  …in you shall all the families of the earth shall be blessed. NKJV Gen 22:18  “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” NKJV Gen. 26:4  “And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…” Gen.28:14 …and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed.   These scriptures foretell the coming of Jesus Christ and what he would do that would be a blessing to all people.  Abraham’s seed that God spoke about  was Jesus.  Acts 13:22-23  And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. (David was a descendant of Abraham)  Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:   Rom.1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead…   Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. It would only be in Christ that all the nations would be blessed.   What  was it that Christ would do that would bring this great blessing to all people, all the families of the earth? All through the Old Testament we follow the story of one nation, the nation of Israel.  Through Moses, God began to work out the covenant he had made with Abraham. He gave  these people his law whereby He would be their God and they would be His people if they obeyed him and followed the commandments. We learn later that this law was to be a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. Even if they disobeyed he still made a way for them to be forgiven by making a sin offering unto him. Once a year the high priest would make this offering for the people. This offering had to be presented to God in the most holy place of the tabernacle which they had made according to the pattern God had given to Moses. This Most Holy Place held the ark of the covenant—it represented the very presence of God himself. This offering was a blood sacrifice, the blood of bulls and goats. Heb. 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. The people still had a consciousness of sin, however, so the offering had to be made every year. This provision was exclusively for the Israelites.    The wages of sin is and always has been death. God told Adam that in the day that they would disobey by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would surely die. Of course we know that Adam and Eve did eat of that tree. Up until that time they had access to the tree of life which allowed them to live forever. After they disobeyed, God sent them out of the garden where they had to work the ground and grow their own food in order to live.  Even at that, they would grow old and die. They no longer had the daily fellowship with God that they had known in the garden. They no longer could eat of the tree of life and live forever. Death began to work in them   Adam’s plight passed on to all men.  Not everyone committed the same exact sin as Adam, but all were disobedient in some way because they inherited Adam’s disobedient, sinful nature.  Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:   God, in the fullness of time brought forth his Son. He sent him to the earth to be born of a virgin who was in the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. But his father was God! Jesus lived a sinless life, always doing only what his father told him. He was not subject to the law of sin and death because he never sinned. When the time came he fulfilled what he came to do. He laid down his own life for his brethren. There was no longer a need for the high priest to make an offering every year for the sins of the people. Good news!   Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now that is good news indeed. How did he give us this gift?  He became the sin offering for us.  Only this was a better offering and it came with better promises. It was the offering of himself as a sin offering to God for the forgiveness of our sins. This was a pure sinless offering. Christ who knew no sin became sin for us. He came to earth to do his Father’s will to lay down his life as an offering to God for the remission of sins of the whole world.  And he only had to do this one time because he did not remain on that cross or in the grave. He was raised to life by the power of the spirit of God.  Then he ascended to the right hand of the throne of the father where he lives forever to make intercession for us. He is a priest after the order of Melchisedec in that he has an unchangeable priesthood because he lives forever. (Under the old covenant the priesthood changed every time the priest died and a new one was ordained.) Yes! Christ ever lives to make intercession for us!  He tasted death for every man and now he lives forever to make intercession for us so that now we, too, may live forever! This is the gospel! This is good news!  This is the best news we could ever hope for! We can’t even imagine what this forever life consists of.  1Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.    When the gospel was preached in the beginning there was a response required to become a beneficiary of its promises.  There had to be an acceptance of Christ’s gift and repentance from the old ways of sin that were at work in them. Many if not all, were baptized in water as well. Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Notice that the fact that Christ died and rose again and ascended into heaven did not automatically bring everyone into the Kingdom of God as if a magic wand had been waved over the whole world. It was those who believed, repented and were baptized who entered in. Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.   But the news gets even better! Remember, the old covenant priesthood applied only to one nation, one family, the Israelites. This new covenant in Christ is for all of us.  In Christ all nations or families of the earth shall be blessed. This gospel is available to everyone!  This is the mystery of the gospel: that it is free to all who believe and partake of Christ.   Rom.16:25-27 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.   Eph.6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel… This was spoken by the apostle Paul.  Paul himself was a Jew, an Israelite and a devout one at that.  God apprehended him as he was on his way to continue his persecution of the Christians. At that time only Jews had heard the good news and accepted Christ’s message of atonement. Paul was commissioned by God to bring the good news of the gospel to the Gentiles—all who were not of the nation of Israel. Now anyone and everyone could have this gift of eternal life with God—the only true God. This was the mystery that was revealed. All could know God. In Christ all nations would be blessed, people of all nations could receive not only forgivenes but eternal life--not just the Jews.   Christ is the only way to this life.  He is the door. There is no other way in to his kingdom and his blessings. Jn. 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. He promises that if we open our door to him he will come in.  Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. He never comes in by force or deceit. Jn.10:1-2  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Jn. 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.   God is waiting patiently for all to enter in.  He is not willing that any should die. If you haven’t received him already, invite him in. Open the door. Ask him to come into your heart and fellowship with you. God is not an ogre that wants to hit you over the head every time you do something wrong. He wants to express his unfathomable love to you. God is love! If you sin he will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness as you talk to him about it and are sorry. As you commune with him through the scriptures you will begin to know him more and more—just like you do with a friend you hang out with. He will impart his nature into you. You won’t worry about following the letter of the law. He will write his law in your heart and mind and you will fulfill his law because of the new nature within you—the nature of Christ. When you are sick, He will heal you. When you are troubled, He will give you peace. When you sorrow, He will comfort you.   1Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Readers may direct questions and comments to: hiswinepress@live.com return Well Drawers: