There is only one gospel today. It was given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul (Rom 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8), namely that salvation is by faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. This good news is clearly laid out for us in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and it includes the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's important to note that Peter didn't preach the same thing as Paul. It’s true that he also preached about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but he preached about it in regards to Israel's earthly kingdom program. When we look at Acts 2:22-36 and 3:13-15, we see that Peter preached about the crucifixion of Christ as the cause of judgment upon the Jews. We don't find him preaching faith alone at Pentecost.
In fact, Peter told the Jews to repent of killing Jesus Christ. If they (as a nation) would repent, then the times of refreshing from God would come upon the nation Israel. While it’s true that Jesus Christ is the source of the good news for both the Jews and Gentiles under the earthly kingdom program and us today, we certainly can’t say that Peter understood the gospel of "the word of the cross" (1 Cor 1:18) at Pentecost. After all, it wasn't revealed until the Apostle Paul.
Does any of this really make a difference? Well yes, it makes a big difference. If we fail to observe progressive revelation, we may wrongly try to evangelize by preaching the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) according to Israel's earthly kingdom and not according to what was later revealed to us through Paul. The New Testament clearly teaches both. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 flatly contradicts the message of faith plus works as the expression of their faith that we find in the gospel accounts (Matt 5:19-20; 12:50; 23:2-3; Mk 11:26; Lk 3:10,12,14; 6:46; 8:21; 10:25-28; 17:10; 18:18-20). If we try to combine the two, we will have a contradictory gospel. So in an attempt to harmonize the Scriptures, most theologians do one of three things:
•Read the kingdom gospel into Paul's gospel
•Read Paul's gospel back into the kingdom gospel
•Observe the progression of Scripture
The first choice is what some Bible teachers have done in an attempt to make sense of the good news of the earthly kingdom and the good news later revealed to us. An example of this is the teaching of Lordship Salvation.
The second choice is what most fundamentalists do. They understand the gospel of salvation as revealed in Paul's epistles. They teach that salvation today is apart from works and totally by faith alone in the finished work of Christ, but then explain away, rationalize, or spiritualize the teachings of the gospels that clearly teach faith plus works.
The third choice is the only choice that allows God's Word to say what it means and mean what it says. Understanding Paul's unique apostleship and message allows the Bible to teach what the literal sense of the words clearly indicate — a message of faith plus works to the Jews in keeping with their earthly prophetic program under the law, and a message of faith alone to everyone today in keeping with the heavenly program revealed to us through Paul.
It's important to note that Peter didn't preach the same thing as Paul. It’s true that he also preached about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but he preached about it in regards to Israel's earthly kingdom program. When we look at Acts 2:22-36 and 3:13-15, we see that Peter preached about the crucifixion of Christ as the cause of judgment upon the Jews. We don't find him preaching faith alone at Pentecost.
In fact, Peter told the Jews to repent of killing Jesus Christ. If they (as a nation) would repent, then the times of refreshing from God would come upon the nation Israel. While it’s true that Jesus Christ is the source of the good news for both the Jews and Gentiles under the earthly kingdom program and us today, we certainly can’t say that Peter understood the gospel of "the word of the cross" (1 Cor 1:18) at Pentecost. After all, it wasn't revealed until the Apostle Paul.
Does any of this really make a difference? Well yes, it makes a big difference. If we fail to observe progressive revelation, we may wrongly try to evangelize by preaching the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) according to Israel's earthly kingdom and not according to what was later revealed to us through Paul. The New Testament clearly teaches both. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 flatly contradicts the message of faith plus works as the expression of their faith that we find in the gospel accounts (Matt 5:19-20; 12:50; 23:2-3; Mk 11:26; Lk 3:10,12,14; 6:46; 8:21; 10:25-28; 17:10; 18:18-20). If we try to combine the two, we will have a contradictory gospel. So in an attempt to harmonize the Scriptures, most theologians do one of three things:
•Read the kingdom gospel into Paul's gospel
•Read Paul's gospel back into the kingdom gospel
•Observe the progression of Scripture
The first choice is what some Bible teachers have done in an attempt to make sense of the good news of the earthly kingdom and the good news later revealed to us. An example of this is the teaching of Lordship Salvation.
The second choice is what most fundamentalists do. They understand the gospel of salvation as revealed in Paul's epistles. They teach that salvation today is apart from works and totally by faith alone in the finished work of Christ, but then explain away, rationalize, or spiritualize the teachings of the gospels that clearly teach faith plus works.
The third choice is the only choice that allows God's Word to say what it means and mean what it says. Understanding Paul's unique apostleship and message allows the Bible to teach what the literal sense of the words clearly indicate — a message of faith plus works to the Jews in keeping with their earthly prophetic program under the law, and a message of faith alone to everyone today in keeping with the heavenly program revealed to us through Paul.
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