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The name ‘Gospel’ is mentioned throughout the New Testament. Also, in a sense, in the Old Testament, Isaiah 53:4-5 may be suggestive of the Gospel to come.
Paul In Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” What is the Gospel he is referring to?
He pretty much defines the Gospel by saying that it is primer of God for providing salvation to anyone who believes. As can be seen from reading the four Gospels, this salvation extends from Lord Jesus. The four Gospels bear witness to Jesus’ crucifixion, but what makes his crucifixion different than, say, the two who were crucified along with him is that his crucifixion brings attention to the things he preached that would bring salvation to us if we adhered to them. And the fact that he aroused such opposition among some of the Jews, and perhaps among the Roman leaders at the time who feared that Jesus would be a disruption to the Hebrew provinces under Rome’s rule, made Jesus a force to be reckoned with.
In addition, Jesus’ crucifixion illuminates the God of the Jews as described in the Bible. Lord Jesus’ coming along, and his subsequent physical crucifixion adds the New testament to the Bible, centering around a new beginning for the salvation of not just the Jews but for everyone else. The Bible after the four Gospels is a clarification and an interpretation of what the Gospels report Jesus as saying and of his crucifixion which, for our benefit, showcases God’s commitment for everyone’s salvation by dying in the flesh for our sins. In a sense it’s a divine grandstanding, a show for our benefit, for in reality we have come to know that not only does God exist, but He will never die.
Some have asserted that it isn’t our works that brings us salvation, it is our faith. But I tell you that if we don’t have works to show our faith in God, then we have no faith. And if this is not the case, then why did Jesus bother including in his sermons, according to the four Gospels, the things we should do, such as loving our neighbor as ourselves, judging others as we would want to be judged, and not criticizing others before we address our own deficiencies? If these wouldn’t matter in our quest for salvation, it seems, notwithstanding Proverbs 3:5, that Jesus need only have told his audience about God’s existence and of the Grace He could confer.
But in telling his audience what they should do, the inference seems to be that not everyone will get God’s Grace. And there may be some for whom it would be impossible to get an understanding of what God has to offer, if their ability to understand is impaired. Does that mean they will get no Grace from God? Does that mean that God is not merciful to those who are unable to believe in Him? IF that should be the case, it seems that it is up to the rest of us to intervene on their behalf in our prayers to God, and is that not a matter of works?
Paul In Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” What is the Gospel he is referring to?
He pretty much defines the Gospel by saying that it is primer of God for providing salvation to anyone who believes. As can be seen from reading the four Gospels, this salvation extends from Lord Jesus. The four Gospels bear witness to Jesus’ crucifixion, but what makes his crucifixion different than, say, the two who were crucified along with him is that his crucifixion brings attention to the things he preached that would bring salvation to us if we adhered to them. And the fact that he aroused such opposition among some of the Jews, and perhaps among the Roman leaders at the time who feared that Jesus would be a disruption to the Hebrew provinces under Rome’s rule, made Jesus a force to be reckoned with.
In addition, Jesus’ crucifixion illuminates the God of the Jews as described in the Bible. Lord Jesus’ coming along, and his subsequent physical crucifixion adds the New testament to the Bible, centering around a new beginning for the salvation of not just the Jews but for everyone else. The Bible after the four Gospels is a clarification and an interpretation of what the Gospels report Jesus as saying and of his crucifixion which, for our benefit, showcases God’s commitment for everyone’s salvation by dying in the flesh for our sins. In a sense it’s a divine grandstanding, a show for our benefit, for in reality we have come to know that not only does God exist, but He will never die.
Some have asserted that it isn’t our works that brings us salvation, it is our faith. But I tell you that if we don’t have works to show our faith in God, then we have no faith. And if this is not the case, then why did Jesus bother including in his sermons, according to the four Gospels, the things we should do, such as loving our neighbor as ourselves, judging others as we would want to be judged, and not criticizing others before we address our own deficiencies? If these wouldn’t matter in our quest for salvation, it seems, notwithstanding Proverbs 3:5, that Jesus need only have told his audience about God’s existence and of the Grace He could confer.
But in telling his audience what they should do, the inference seems to be that not everyone will get God’s Grace. And there may be some for whom it would be impossible to get an understanding of what God has to offer, if their ability to understand is impaired. Does that mean they will get no Grace from God? Does that mean that God is not merciful to those who are unable to believe in Him? IF that should be the case, it seems that it is up to the rest of us to intervene on their behalf in our prayers to God, and is that not a matter of works?
