The True Gospel (Good News)

[jeremiah1five]

The true Gospel of God, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is only three words:

A Promise Fulfilled.

Three words. God has kept His Promise and we are witnesses of that Promise. That was the message of the Lord's apostles. They were commissioned to herald that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has kept His Promise to send a Deliverer, a Prophet like unto Moses, who would deliver God's people and usher in a time of peace, prosperity, and safety.

The Promise:

Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.


The Fulfillment:

Acts 2:36
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The apostles were commanded and instructed AFTER they were endued with power from on high (the Holy Ghost), to preach a message of a fulfilled Promise of God, and they also were able to emphasize that message with the testimony that they saw a dead man come alive and rise from His grave. This was the message the apostles preached. Everything else in Scripture about ​their Messiah was peripheral information and knowledge. The core of their message which was punctuated in exclamation by their witness of seeing a dead man rise from His grave was a simple three-word message: God has kept His Promise, it was: A Promise Fulfilled.

 

[biggandyy]

It's only good news if you know there is bad news. The bad news is when you die you are going to Hell. The good news is God provided a means of salvation, namely His Son, Jesus.

 

[jeremiah1five]

It's only good news if you know there is bad news. The bad news is when you die you are going to Hell. The good news is God provided a means of salvation, namely His Son, Jesus.

What's up, Andy?
Thanks for stopping by and giving me your thoughts.
If I can be more precise...
From where we get the word "gospel" it is a term that basically means "good news." And the "good news" is always from the perspective of the herald who is speaking it.
When a king speaks to his subjects through his messengers or heralds, the news that is given out to the people is good news from the standpoint of the herald, never from the people that hear it. To them it may just be "bad news," like higher taxes, or some other adverse message given from the king to his subjects.

Here's an example. Jesus says:

John 3:19-20
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Now, we all (hopefully) know that Jesus is the Light, right? So, let's put these verses is right perspective:

John 3:19-20
19 And this is the condemnation, that light [Christ] is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light [Christ], because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light [Christ], neither cometh to the light [Christ], lest his deeds should be reproved.

If men love darkness rather than light [Christ], and if men hate the light [Christ], neither do the come to the light [Christ], then how is the message to the people to "accept Jesus into your heart and you will be saved," or "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near," a "good news" message if Christ Himself says that men love darkness, hate Christ, neither do they come to Christ in exercise of their will (which is another post for there is no free will in man)? Such a message to a people bound in sin and held captive would not be "good news." So, the message the Church proclaims of "accept Jesus into your heart" is not gospel (good news) if Jesus says it is impossible. It would be bad news to them. They can't do it. It is impossible for men bound in sin to release themselves and "come to Christ" when Christ Himself says it just isn't done. Impossible.

 

[aspen]

we do not need evil to know good. this idea is herectical

 

[jeremiah1five]

we do not need evil to know good. this idea is herectical

Not sure who you are directing your comment to, but I believe for the purposes of God in man it is necessary for man is not omniscient. We can never fully understand what it is to be God knowing only Good and Goodness. But for man it is necessary for him to learn the knowledge of good and evil and that man was indeed evil, not good. That was the purpose of the Tree. It was to reveal the condition of the man and woman that they were evil, not good in a moral sense. But good in the sense of "to specifications" or "good enough."

 

[aspen]

i disagree. adam and eve knew God and therefore, Goodness intimately.

 

[jeremiah1five]

i disagree. adam and eve knew God and therefore, Goodness intimately.

Yes, they knew of God's goodness. They were given every tree in the garden for food but one. That's a lot of trees. That's a lot of goodness.
God is good.

 

[aspen]

evil is the lack of good, not an opposite force. believing it is an opposite is believing in dualism, which is a heresy.

 

[jeremiah1five]

evil is the lack of good, not an opposite force. believing it is an opposite is believing in dualism, which is a heresy.

I don't believe I said it was an "opposite force." And as I declare in my "Adam" post, man was created sin-ful, or fallen short of the glory of God, or if you will, lacking any good that is equal to God's good. And anything and anyone lacking that equality of God is sin. Only the Son and the Holy Spirit can stand before God. Without atonement man is doomed. But God has made atonement in eternity and in TIME for the benefit of His Elect.
I understand dualism as the school of thought and belief that evil is and equal to good. The belief also states that God and Lucifer are equal and opposing forces in the universe. I reject that belief. Lucifer is a servant of God. God is God. There is none like Him. He shares His glory with NO ONE.

 

[aspen]

i disagree. adam was created to be a perfect man; a perfect lover of God and neighbor. anything less is evil.

 

[brightmorningstar]

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of Jesus Christ, all of who He is and what He has done. .. so less than three words, two really, Jesus Christ.

 

[jeremiah1five]

i disagree. adam was created to be a perfect man; a perfect lover of God and neighbor. anything less is evil.

There is only ONE God.
In your world evil can come from perfection, and this is impossible.
God is Perfect. I wonder how long before God who is Perfect sin if in your world sin can come from perfect.
If God created Adam perfect there would be two God's.
There is only ONE God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of Jesus Christ, all of who He is and what He has done. .. so less than three words, two really, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of God is three words: A Promise Fulfilled.
God has kept His Promise.
This was the message the apostles preached and it was a message punctuated with their testimony of seeing a dead man rise from His grave.

Acts 3:13-15
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 3:22

22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

Acts 3:24
24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

A Promise Fulfilled.

 

[aspen]

my world is shared by Augustine, Aquanis, and the rest of orthodoxy. I am standing on the shoulders of giants of the faith on this topic. the ultimate Good cannot, would not create broken good or evil

 

[brightmorningstar]

jeremiah1five,
I am not saying your statement is wrong, on the contrary it is correct, and the promise is the whole truth through Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has done.

 

[jeremiah1five]

my world is shared by Augustine, Aquanis, and the rest of orthodoxy. I am standing on the shoulders of giants of the faith on this topic. the ultimate Good cannot, would not create broken good or evil

And those are some great men of my faith as well. Also Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, Edwards, Hodge, Piper, Peter, Paul, James, Moses, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, you know, the rest. It's such a great cloud (not iCloud) of witnesses.
Of course God cannot reduplicate Himself. There is only ONE God. Anything and everything else in creation outside Himself will fall short of His glory.
Perfection is His glory. Holiness is His glory. Righteousness is His glory....and on and on.

And He says this about His glory:

Isaiah 42:8
8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

The only way He can create a moral being is fallen short of His glory. There is only ONE God.

Don't you think?

jeremiah1five,
I am not saying your statement is wrong, on the contrary it is correct, and the promise is the whole truth through Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has done.

The Promise was made in Genesis 3:15.
From that TIME forward God reveals things that would identify the Messiah, things He would do and say, how He would live and die. All these things are secondary to the Person, and the Person is who God testified He was to be: fully God and fully man (Gen. 3:15).

The Promise was fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:32
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.