A follow-up to a previous topic:
There is a biblical warning about not preaching any OTHER gospel. But it seems that there was a gospel message to the Jews and a gospel message to the gentiles. Because the two audiences were completely different. - The Jews, of course were expecting a Messiah. The gentiles weren't. - The Jews...
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Respondents had great difficulty in defining what the one gospel is.
Disagreeing with me that there were many gospels, they brought more gospels of their own.
There was no consensus about what the ONE gospel is.
This topic is to focus on "WHAT is the one gospel?"
The one gospel - What is it?
In the previous topic, I answered saying that the gospel is that "God is present, active, powerful, and working through us."
I still think that's a good answer... for a one-line response. But like most one-line responses, a more complete answer can be given with a little more time/effort invested. So I'll try harder. The gospel can be stated in a number of different ways. Let's look at some of them.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND
According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this was the gospel message preached by Jesus, by John the Baptist before Him, and by His apostles after Him. Like most things Jesus says, it's a little opaque - to find the meaning takes a little digging, and it seems that's how Jesus wanted it to be.
Matthew 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Digging in a little, the Greek word (
Ἤγγικεν) here translated "at hand," is actually a verb. It usually means "to draw close" but in this case it expresses a completed act. If we put it in modern terms, we might say "has arrived." So, Jesus was more-or-less walking into various towns and announcing, "God's kingdom has now arrived!"
The word translated kingdom (
βασιλεία) is also ambiguous. While it CAN refer to a physical kingdom, it most literally refers to the AUTHORITY to rule, rather than the territory that is ruled. Given the repeated statements of "My kingdom is not of this world," and His insistence that this kingdom is within them
(quote below), it makes more sense that it refers to God's AUTHORITY than a physical kingdom.
Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Let's put context to that. The people Jesus is addressing this gospel to
(Israelites but mostly not from the tribe of Judah) were looking for a Messiah to come, or at least a prophet, because they hadn't had a recognized prophet for several hundred years. Many were looking for deliverance from Roman rule.
All of these views hold God as being far away, at a distance, even absent.
The "good news" delivered here is that God is
not absent, nor is He far away, at some distance. His AUTHORITY lives inside of us. His agency to work in this world is THROUGH us.
I said previously the gospel is that "God is present, active, powerful, and working through us." That
is the message here.
YOU ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST
Across Romans, both epistles to the Corinthians, and Ephesians, Paul proclaims that the church functions as the Body of Christ
(or at least ought to).
1Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ. ... 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
The modern church seems to take this as a metaphor. I suggest that Paul means it entirely literally. God is a Spirit, yes, and Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father. Yet, our Lord still has a physical body here in the world. It's us. We are literally His hands and feet. We're how He rules and reigns, now.
And this is the same gospel we just saw above. God is present, and powerful, and works through us.
THE TEMPLE OF LIVING STONES
Peter, too, offers us the same basic message:
1Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Paul calls the church a body, composed of many body parts, under the head, Jesus. Peter calls us a temple, composed of living stones, fitted together with the chief cornerstone and capstone, again Jesus. We are the royal priesthood that serves in that temple. The message is the same. God indwells those who believe. We carry out His will and work. He is present, and powerful, and works through us.
To sum up, Jesus, Paul, Peter, John the Baptist, and the rest of Jesus' disciples present the same message. To those waiting around for God to show up, you need not wait because He is already here. You only need to align yourself with God and the rest of the His people (aka repentance) to enter the unity of the faith. Those who do so will exercise God's authority in the world to rule and to reign.
