"Distinguish the ages and the Scriptures harmonize."
Augustine
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
The Gospel
A friend asks you "Have you heard the good news?" Your reply, of course, is "What good news?" because you know that all good news isn't the same. Yet few people ask this when reading in the Bible the phrase "the gospel" — which simply means "good news." They have been taught that "the gospel is the gospel" and "there is only one gospel." But this is simply not true in light of Scripture.
God has not proclaimed only one gospel, one item of good news, down through the ages, but many. He has qualified the word "gospel" by distinctive titles, like the "gospel of the Kingdom" and the "gospel of the grace of God." When we come upon the phrase "the gospel" without any qualifying title, we should immediately ask "Which gospel?" and the context will give us the answer.
For example, Luke 9:6 simply says that the twelve disciples went about "preaching the gospel," but verse 2 of the same chapter explains how the Lord had sent them "to preach the kingdom of God" — not the cross, but the kingdom, since He, the King, was in their midst. These disciples could not have been preaching "the word of the cross" as Paul later did (1 Cor 1:17-18), because it wasn't until at least two years later that the Lord began to tell them how He must suffer and die (Matt 16:21) and Peter "began to rebuke Him" (Matt 16:22) and none of the twelve even knew what He was talking about (Lk 18:31-34).
So contrary to what many say, the "gospel of the kingdom" and the "gospel of the grace of God" are not the same thing. That the Messiah had come and the earthly (millennial) kingdom was "at hand" was the good news of the kingdom, whereas the "gospel of the grace of God" is that God is extending grace, totally apart from works, to anyone who simply believes. The "gospel of the kingdom" was committed to the twelve while Christ was on earth (and don't forget people were still under the Law at that time). "The preaching of the cross" (as good news) — "the gospel of the grace of God" — was later committed to the Apostle Paul and to us (1 Cor 1:18; Acts 20:24).
Making this distinction isn't really all that important, is it? Yes it is, because if we fail to observe progressive revelation, we may wrongly try to evangelize by preaching the gospel according to Israel's earthly kingdom and not according to what was later revealed to us through Paul.
Many try to combine the two. But not only are these messages of good news not the same, they contradict each other. 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; 6:14-15; 23:2-3; Lk 10:25-28; 18:18-20).
Still, many try to reconcile these two gospels by one of the following ways:
•Read the kingdom gospel into Paul's gospel
•Read Paul's gospel back into the kingdom gospel
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 many evangelicals 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.
But there is a third choice — observe the progression of Scripture. This choice is the only one 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.
**"Faith will most assuredly approach God in God’s way at any time, and to seek to gain acceptance with Him in any other way would, of course, be unbelief and self-will. Thus, while works never did or could save as such, they did once save as expressions of faith…..Does this mean that works will be efficacious in themselves? No! They will avail only as the expression and evidence of faith..." (Stam)
God has not proclaimed only one gospel, one item of good news, down through the ages, but many. He has qualified the word "gospel" by distinctive titles, like the "gospel of the Kingdom" and the "gospel of the grace of God." When we come upon the phrase "the gospel" without any qualifying title, we should immediately ask "Which gospel?" and the context will give us the answer.
For example, Luke 9:6 simply says that the twelve disciples went about "preaching the gospel," but verse 2 of the same chapter explains how the Lord had sent them "to preach the kingdom of God" — not the cross, but the kingdom, since He, the King, was in their midst. These disciples could not have been preaching "the word of the cross" as Paul later did (1 Cor 1:17-18), because it wasn't until at least two years later that the Lord began to tell them how He must suffer and die (Matt 16:21) and Peter "began to rebuke Him" (Matt 16:22) and none of the twelve even knew what He was talking about (Lk 18:31-34).
So contrary to what many say, the "gospel of the kingdom" and the "gospel of the grace of God" are not the same thing. That the Messiah had come and the earthly (millennial) kingdom was "at hand" was the good news of the kingdom, whereas the "gospel of the grace of God" is that God is extending grace, totally apart from works, to anyone who simply believes. The "gospel of the kingdom" was committed to the twelve while Christ was on earth (and don't forget people were still under the Law at that time). "The preaching of the cross" (as good news) — "the gospel of the grace of God" — was later committed to the Apostle Paul and to us (1 Cor 1:18; Acts 20:24).
Making this distinction isn't really all that important, is it? Yes it is, because if we fail to observe progressive revelation, we may wrongly try to evangelize by preaching the gospel according to Israel's earthly kingdom and not according to what was later revealed to us through Paul.
Many try to combine the two. But not only are these messages of good news not the same, they contradict each other. 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; 6:14-15; 23:2-3; Lk 10:25-28; 18:18-20).
Still, many try to reconcile these two gospels by one of the following ways:
•Read the kingdom gospel into Paul's gospel
•Read Paul's gospel back into the kingdom gospel
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 many evangelicals 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.
But there is a third choice — observe the progression of Scripture. This choice is the only one 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.
**"Faith will most assuredly approach God in God’s way at any time, and to seek to gain acceptance with Him in any other way would, of course, be unbelief and self-will. Thus, while works never did or could save as such, they did once save as expressions of faith…..Does this mean that works will be efficacious in themselves? No! They will avail only as the expression and evidence of faith..." (Stam)
Sunday, January 22, 2017
TC
Reposting this because it's just as relevant today, if not more so. Let's put aside all the labels we give ourselves and others (Calvinists, Pentecostals, Dispensationalists, Reformed, etc...) and just see what Scripture says — taking into consideration progression revelation, of course!
“PC, or political correctness, is now being escorted by TC, or theological correctness. Just as one can be politically incorrect, so too now one can be theologically incorrect.
In evangelical Christian circles, a new form of censorship is breaking out. Now we have theological correctness. There are certain theological subjects which we are just expected not to discuss.
Our churches are awash in theological correctness. Of course not too long ago we identified this rot by other names, such as theological liberalism or false teaching or heterodoxy or even heresy. But in today’s wishy washy theological climate, Christians can say and believe almost anything and not fear being corrected or challenged.
Thus we have best-selling authors going on about how hell is not a biblical doctrine, or how in the end everyone will be saved anyway. We have all kinds of basic biblical doctrines now openly being challenged and millions of Christians are soaking it up.
They either lack all biblical discernment, or they just no longer care about the very things the Bible says we should care about. Indeed, we are warned repeatedly in Scripture that what we believe and what we do matters a great deal. If we believe false things or do wrong things, that is a mega-no-no in the minds of the biblical writers. But we simply think it is being intolerant, unloving and narrow-minded.
The hundreds of passages which speak to the need of believing right doctrine and living holy lives seem to be completely ignored by so many believers today.” (B. Muehlenberg)
I rather agree. Certainly it can't be right to remain silent about everything except the very basics, just so we can avoid offending people, can it (Heb 5:13)?
“PC, or political correctness, is now being escorted by TC, or theological correctness. Just as one can be politically incorrect, so too now one can be theologically incorrect.
In evangelical Christian circles, a new form of censorship is breaking out. Now we have theological correctness. There are certain theological subjects which we are just expected not to discuss.
Our churches are awash in theological correctness. Of course not too long ago we identified this rot by other names, such as theological liberalism or false teaching or heterodoxy or even heresy. But in today’s wishy washy theological climate, Christians can say and believe almost anything and not fear being corrected or challenged.
Thus we have best-selling authors going on about how hell is not a biblical doctrine, or how in the end everyone will be saved anyway. We have all kinds of basic biblical doctrines now openly being challenged and millions of Christians are soaking it up.
They either lack all biblical discernment, or they just no longer care about the very things the Bible says we should care about. Indeed, we are warned repeatedly in Scripture that what we believe and what we do matters a great deal. If we believe false things or do wrong things, that is a mega-no-no in the minds of the biblical writers. But we simply think it is being intolerant, unloving and narrow-minded.
The hundreds of passages which speak to the need of believing right doctrine and living holy lives seem to be completely ignored by so many believers today.” (B. Muehlenberg)
I rather agree. Certainly it can't be right to remain silent about everything except the very basics, just so we can avoid offending people, can it (Heb 5:13)?
Monday, January 16, 2017
So what were they preaching?
Luke 9:6 simply says that the twelve disciples went around "preaching the gospel." Verse 2 of this same chapter explains how the Lord had sent them "to proclaim the kingdom of God" (Lk 9:2). They couldn't have been preaching "the word of the cross," as Paul later did (1 Cor 1:17-18), because it wasn't until at least two years later that the Lord began to tell them how He must suffer and die (Matt 16:21) and Peter "began to rebuke Him" (Matt 16:22) and none of the twelve even knew what He was talking about (Lk 18:31-34). So what were they preaching?
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