What gospel did Jesus preach?
Did Jesus preach that he would die for our sins and rise for our justification?
Yes, but first some hints that that is the case:
Mat 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luk 2:29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
Luk 2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
Luk 2:31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
Luk 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Luk 2:35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Joh 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold,
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
From those passages, we see that Jesus is the Saviour, through whom will come salvation from sin, including to the Gentiles, and it will come through his suffering, as the Lamb of God.
Then those hints continue in Jesus's words:
Joh 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
...
Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
Joh 3:15
that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 “
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Joh 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Joh 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
So, within the context of the need to be born again in order to "see the kingdom of God," Jesus clearly states that he must "be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." "Lifted up," of course, refers to his crucifixion. It is on that basis that then says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life," and that God sent him " in order that the world might be saved through him," by believing in his name.
There can be no other meaning that that of Jesus being crucified for the sins of the world and that those who believe will be saved and have eternal life.
That is the gospel.
Of course, all of that is consistent with what the Passover points to, what the sacrificial system points to, and what passages such as Isa. 53 clearly state.
But Jesus states more:
Joh 6:53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Joh 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
Joh 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Compare that with the institution of the Lord's Supper, which happened on the night prior to his crucifixion, on Passover:
Mat 26:26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
Mat 26:27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
Mat 26:28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Joh 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
...
Joh 8:28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
Joh 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Joh 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But for this purpose I have come to this hour.
...
Joh 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
Joh 12:32 And I,
when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
There is more that could be said, but that is more than sufficient to show that there is only one gospel and that is what Jesus and the Apostles all taught, both to Jews and to Gentiles.
[Mark 1:14-15 KJV] 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Jesus did not preach salvation by the cross, but rather, he preached the kingdom was at hand. This was the gospel Jesus preached.
Those are one and the same. You created a false dichotomy by making a distinction the Bible does not. Jesus absolutely did teach salvation by the cross, as I have shown, which is the same as saying that the kingdom was at hand.
God promised an earthly kingdom, in which, Jesus will reign from Jerusalem, sitting on David's throne......
Jesus sent the twelve apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom as well.........[Luke 9:1-2 KJV] 1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick............
Jesus's kingdom began with his presence, but was really inaugurated with his resurrection. It is what some refer to as the now but not yet--the inbreaking of his kingdom has started but will not come to its fullness until he returns and sin and evil are done away with forever.
Paul did not preach the gospel of the kingdom, which refutes the assertion that there is only one gospel.
Yes, he did, because there is only one gospel:
Act 14:21 When they [including Paul] had
preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
Act 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to
continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Act 19:8 And [Paul] entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly,
reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
Act 19:9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of
the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
Act 19:10 This continued for two years, so that
all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Act 28:23 When they had appointed a day for [Paul], they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them,
testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
...
Act 28:30 [Paul] lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,
Act 28:31
proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
The gospel of the kingdom is the gospel that Jesus died and rose again for the sins of the world, that whoever believes will have eternal life.
