What Luke and Acts tell us about the Gospel of the Kingdom

Luke 1:1-4 NRSV  Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us,  (2)  just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,  (3)  I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,  (4)  so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.

Act 1:1-5  In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning (2)  until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.  (3)  After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.  (4)  While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me;  (5)  for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Two New Testament books are most instructive in piecing together what first century Christianity was, and how it related to first century Judaism. They are of course, The Gospel of Luke, and The Acts of the Apostles. The reason is they were both written by Luke. There is little evidence to disbelieve that Luke was the author of both, and a substantial amount of evidence to believe that he was the author. What he clearly states is that he set out as a reporter that investigated the material from first hand sources. Given this, Luke becomes a most reliable source.

It also must be noted that Luke the physician was a companion of Paul's and was mentioned in his epistles. Therefore, it can easily be concluded that Luke got a lot of the input for his writing from Paul. But, Paul was not an actual eye-witness to the earthly ministry of Jesus and therefore Luke consulted others that were with Paul. Several biblical scholars believe that his chief eye-witness was Mary the mother of Jesus herself. This makes sense to me because there is no mention that his mother brothers and sisters thought that he might be out of his mind  when they went to find him as was portrayed in the Mark account. It seems likely to me that Mary would leave that part out.

John MacArthur, wrote a book entitled "The Gospel According to Jesus." In it, he emphasized the law aspects of Jesus message and, in my view, laid waste to the gospel message. What he did not consider for a minute was the transition that takes place in the New Testament. This transition is most obvious in the two works written by Dr. Luke. One could conclude that Luke wrote about two different gospels. That is not what happened at all. He merely as a good historical reporter finding the facts and presented them as they were. The facts he uncovered and wrote down show the transition very well.

Luke begins with the last Jewish Old Covenant Prophet John the Baptist. Luke presents the story of his birth, calling, and the miracles surrounding his birth and upbringing. He was the prophet that was foretold in Isaiah, "a voice of one crying in the wilderness make way for the Lord." It was a strictly Jewish message to a strictly Jewish audience. He was a prophet to the Jews, before the cross/resurrection event, and thereby was strictly Old Covenant. Jesus said as much. Luke NRSV 7:26-28  "What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.  (27)  This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'  (28)  I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." Jesus states simply and clearly that while John the Baptist was the greatest Old Covenant prophet he was not in the kingdom per se, and was not a gospel of the kingdom prophet.

Luke then takes up the mission and ministry of the Lord himself.  Now it should be very interesting that Luke did not dwell too much on Jesus teaching about the Mosaic Law. There is indeed a contrast between the story that Luke tells and the story that Matthew tells. The reason most scholars give for the difference was that Matthew wrote to a strictly Jewish audience and Luke wrote to a Gentile and Hellenic Jew audience. However, this also shows that there was not as strong an emphasis placed on the law as evangelical orthodox dogma suggests. Most of the references to the Law in Luke's gospel are concerning Jesus birth and youth. However, Luke did record this interesting statement by Jesus: Luke 16:16  "The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force." According to Jesus the Law was in effect until the end of the mission of John the Baptist. The writer of Hebrews explains that it was fading or passing because it was obsolete and would SOON disappear (Heb 8:13.) It would disappear when the temple was destroyed (Heb 9:8.)

Moving on to The Acts of the Apostles, there are several sermons recorded there. Most notably are those of Peter. He preached the gospel to the Jews on Pentecost, and to the Gentiles at Cornelius' house. The complete content of his gospel message in both instances was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This also agrees with what Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 15:1-4. Likewise, you have Paul stating that he determined to know nothing among the Corinthians except Jesus Christ crucified, again the gospel of grace. Finally, Paul states this:  Col 2:6-7 NRSV "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him,  (7)  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." How did they receive Jesus? The answer is by the obedience of faith. It is clear to see that the gospel of the kingdom was in fact the gospel of grace and nothing else.

People who want the gospel of the kingdom to be more than faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus often throw out the phrase "easy believism." Every time I hear or read that phrase I have to roll my eyes and shake my head. There was nothing easy about Jesus perfect faith in the Father. He believed that in spite of the ridicule and torture that he was the unique Son of God that had a special redemptive mission. It was his perfect faith that pleased the Father. How do we know this? Because the writer of Hebrews explained that without faith it is impossible to please the Father.

So back to the "easy believism" accusation; it is not easy to believe that God declares us righteous, which means justifies us, based on faith alone. Yet, that is precisely what Paul states in Romans 5:1. It just doesn't seem right to the human mind. That is why there are so many that want to add to their faith in Christ with their works for justification or to prove justification. It matters little if one adds works to justify or simply uses works as proof of justification. The end result is ALWAYS the same. It results in death by the killing letter of the law. The gospel of the kingdom operates in a very different manner. The person who hears the gospel, believes that they have been declared righteous by the Father, that they indeed have peace with God as the result of this reconciliation, will automatically love God based on the content of the gospel message. This presents a challenge however, we need to hear the message of the gospel over and over. Every time it is preached, it ALWAYS has the same exact effect. It promotes peace and love for God the Father. Upon hearing the gospel message one automatically fulfills the greatest commandment.

This is why the writer of Hebrews admonished his intended audience to not forsake the assembling of themselves. It was to hear and rehearse the gospel over and over and not for the purpose that most churches today try to force people to be in the church every time the door opens. It was the source of renewal for the Spirit life. The saint is in continual rebirth. We are freshly born of the Spirit each and every time we hear the gospel of grace. It is not that we become spiritually dead in between hearing the gospel message, rather it is that in hearing it we become revitalized. I pray to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the saints of God will awaken to this fact, that they will forsake the leaven of the Pharisees, that they will set aside the strong delusion, and will renew their commitment to the gospel of grace which is the gospel of the kingdom.

The Gospel According to Paul: Part 2

It was a while ago that I wrote The Gospel According to Paul: Part 1. You may want to read it before you continue on with this, but hopefully this will stand alone also. I write this series because there are many Christians these days that emphasize the red letter parts of the New Testament and down play or suggest that Paul was not an apostle really connected to the actual message of Jesus. And, quite frankly, it is easy to see why one would arrive at that conclusion by reading the content of two messages that seem to be different. Many liberal theologians have suggested that the Christianity of Christ and Paul is different, and that Paul is responsible for the Christianity that exists today, especially in evangelical circles.

The truth is that there is but one gospel and that progressive revelation unveils more and more as the pages of the New Testament expand. The reason for this was that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah during his earthly mission. In fact he stated that his mission was strictly to the Jews under the Mosaic Covenant. He even asked a Gentile woman at one time should he give the children's bread to the dogs, meaning  should he give the message meant for the Jews to the Gentiles. There was a reason, he was sent strictly to the Jews under the Old Covenant as the fulfillment of the Messianic promises and prophecies.

Mat 15:22-28 CSB "Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely tormented by a demon.”  (23)  Jesus did not say a word to her. His disciples approached him and urged him, “Send her away because she’s crying out after us.”  (24)  He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  (25)  But she came, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, help me!”  (26)  He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  (27)  “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  (28)  Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment her daughter was healed." 

Now, while he rewarded her faith, he maintained that his mission and message was to the Jews only. The gospel was to be given to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles. When Jesus sent out the seventy, he told them specifically not to go to the Gentiles. During the earthly sojourn of Christ the gospel was strictly for the Jews under the Mosaic Covenant. And yet, Jesus prophesied that ultimately, because of the fact that the Jews would reject Him as Messiah, the gospel would go to the Gentiles.

Fast forward to after the resurrection: Pentecost, the gospel still only was available to the Jews.  All of those who were baptized with the Spirit were Jews. In fact, the first nine chapters of the book of Acts was solely about Jews and the gospel of grace. From Pentecost forward, the gospel of the kingdom was in fact the gospel of God's grace. It is the tenth chapter of Acts where the narrative changes a bit. Peter is miraculously sent to Cornelius' house. There, the Gentiles as a group, first heard the gospel message, and upon hearing it, they were given the Spirit of God similarly to the Jews at Pentecost. There was a difference however, the believing Jews had been baptized by John the Baptizer and they received the Holy Spirit at nine in the morning on Pentecost. The Jews that heard Peter's sermon, asked what they could do? Peter told them to repent and be baptized in Jesus name and they would receive the Holy Spirit, and there were about three thousand that day added to the church. However, at Cornelius house, the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit upon hearing and believing the message Peter preached and were baptized afterward.

In both instances, the gospel that was preached by Peter was solely the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Peter did not rehearse the teaching that Jesus had given to the Jews during his ministry. For him as for Paul, the gospel was the good news of the reconciliation God provided by the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first four books of the New Testament known as the gospels, mostly refer to events that happened before the cross/resurrection event. This makes the bulk of their content Mosaic Covenant in nature. While the teaching of Jesus is timeless it was solely to Jews under the Old Covenant.

Paul was given progressive revelation. He was called the apostle to the Gentiles and he was specifically given understanding for what he called the "new creation." Jesus spoke of the new creation in less specific terms in John chapter three. He told Nicodemus that he must be born again.  Nicodemus did not understand it at the time but Jesus was really speaking to him about the new creation... i.e., being born of the Spirit. He also said that his kingdom was not of this world. That can only mean that it is a spiritual kingdom if it has reign in this world. Thus when Paul spoke of the kingdom of God, he did so with progressive revelation that went beyond the time when Jesus ministered solely to the Jews under the Mosaic Covenant.

To wrap this up let me state that from both part one and two, again I would suggest reading part one and two as a whole even though there is some distance in time between the two posts, Paul's understanding of the gospel of the kingdom is based upon spiritual reconciliation. While as pointed out in part one, salvation has two meanings... one is physical salvation from the impending destruction of the temple... and the other is spiritual salvation which is synonymous with reconciliation. The true kingdom of God is the one in which reconciliation has taken place and is completed. The only thing that humanity has to do with this situation is apprehend it by faith.

How to rightly divide the word of truth

2Ti 2:15 NRSV "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth."

Rightly dividing the word of truth is a phrase that is found in the KJV and the NKJV of the bible. It is also referred to as correctly teaching, correctly handling, and in the NRSV version posted above it is rightly explaining the word of truth. I have written a couple of blog articles on rightly defining the word of truth. They show beyond doubt that when Paul and James used the phrase word of truth, they meant the gospel and not the scripture per se. However, that is not that important to the discussion in this post because Jesus said that the entire scripture's purpose was to point to him so that the reader could find him and then by finding him find life.

So then, whether you want to think of it as rightly dividing the bible or rightly dividing the gospel I am quite happy with either conclusion. However, I think it is important that we use the above definition which is rightly explaining or rightly handling the word of truth.

First we'll discuss what I believe is the incorrect way of handling and explaining the word of truth. Many, and I would actually say most evangelicals first think of the word of truth as a legal constitutional document, handbook, or manual for Christian living. Similar in nature to the standard operations procedures manual (SOP) that you find most business have for their employees and managers. This is most definitely NOT the way to correctly handle or explain the word of truth.

So let's examine the various kinds of messages that are in the scripture. I will list them in importance as I see them. First you have what I call God's redemptive decrees. They are passages of scripture such as Ephesians 1:3-14, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:1-4, and John 3:16-18. This is by no means an exhaustive list but merely an example as there are myriads of these redemptive decrees throughout the entire scripture. Secondly, there are prophecies that point to redemption such as those by Isaiah, Jeremiah and many other prophets.  Third, there are promises of God's faithful care such as can be found in the Psalms. Fourth, there are historical stories that act as metaphors for spiritual realities, such as the forty-year desert wanderings etc. Fifth, there are occasional messages that are essentially cultural in nature and to a specific audience for a specific occasion.

Common sense should let one know that not all of the messages of scripture are of equal importance. Here is Jesus priority: John 5:39-40  "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.  (40)  Yet you refuse to come to me to have life." and..... Luke 24:27  "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures." and... Luke 24:45-47  "Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,  (46)  and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,  (47)  and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." It should be crystal clear from this that the important message in scripture in Jesus eyes and mind was redemption, and his redeeming mission.

When you look at the bulk of Paul's epistles you find that they all begin with the redemptive decrees. These redemptive decrees have pre-eminence in the scripture. I came up with a slogan about twenty years ago give or take a few years: it is simply this: "the only way to rightly divide the word of truth is with the cross." What that means practically is there are many passages in the Old Testament that prophesy of the time after the cross and the New Covenant, and get this, most of the gospels are written about a time before the cross about messages to Jews who were still under the Mosaic Covenant. A whole lot of doctrinal error is wound up in missing this most important point.

Old Covenant, New Covenant, or just one Covenant?

I was asked this question the other day by someone. "What should we pay attention too....  the Old Testament, or the New Testament, or both? What she was asking is essentially how much of the Old Covenant is brought over into the New Covenant? In a way that is a great question but, it also demonstrates some of the error in teaching that is out there among evangelicals. Essentially you have three main views. The dispensationalists believe that in some ways both, with the New Covenant having priority. Those who are New Covenant theologians see the New Covenant as the only one in force, and then there are the Covenant theologians that see but one covenant, which they call the "covenant of grace." It is a covenant between the Father and the Son for the redemption of humanity. All of them are somewhat right but all of them are equally wrong. I personally believe that the New Covenant theologians are the closest to right. The reason is that the ONLY covenant that is in force today is the New Covenant aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant.

In all of the above mentioned covenant views there is a presupposition or assumption. It is that the bible/scripture is a legal constitutional document between God and humanity; a prescriptive document that is a manual for right living. This is where all of the views fall short. While I admit that what we call the Old Testament was in a way a legal constitutional document between God and Israel it is no longer that. The reason is that Jesus and the first century apostles/disciples that wrote the New Testament documents began to see it as the redemptive narrative that was all about the Messiah.

Of course the terms new covenant and old covenant come from a passage in the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah's mention of a NEW covenant of necessity suggests that there is an Old Covenant. When most people think in terms of the old covenant what they really mean is the Mosaic Covenant given on Mt. Sinai. It is important to note that there are other covenants mentioned in the portion of scripture that we call the Old Testament. God made a covenant with Noah and Abraham prior to the Mosaic Covenant. There is also a covenant with King David that Isaiah referred to as "the sure mercies of David" Isaiah 55. In fact, it is the Abrahamic Covenant that made way for the Old Covenant but, as we shall see moving forward, the Abrahamic Covenant also made way for the New Covenant and the sure mercies of David. The Mosaic Covenant was parenthetical with the purpose of developing a people who would bring forth the Savior. It was also designed to be a tutor or a pedagogue to drive humanity to Jesus Christ for reconciliation and justification.

To try to define some terms here, Jesus referred to what we now call the Old Testament as the Law and the Prophets or sometimes he simply said the law when he was referring to the Old Testament scripture. At least that is what is recorded of Him in the Gospels. He was referring to the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the writings which make up the Jewish TaNaKh which is what they call the Old Testament. The word comes from the three sections of the Jewish sacred text or the Masoretic Text. They are the Torah (Pentateuch,) Nevi'ium, and Ketuvim or in other words the TNK and the Jewish acronym is TaNaKh.

So then Jesus clearly stated that the Law and Prophets were in effect through John the Baptist. Luke 16:16 NRSV "The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. So then, by Jesus own words the force of the Law and Prophets would come to an end with the prophet John the Baptist." Now I know, what about Matthew 5:17-20? Well, the fact is that ALL must have been fulfilled because jots and tittles were taken away from the law. How you ask? Well, Genesis 17:10-14 was eliminated based on Galatians chapter three and Acts chapter 15. The Gentiles could be part of the Abrahamic Covenant without being circumcised, and Genesis 17:10-14 clearly and completely prohibits it. 

So the question remains, how do I see the covenants? My answer is somewhat nuanced. I think that Jesus has stated in the above Luke Text that the force of the Old Testament, the TaNaKh was coming to a closure. More than that however, as I have proven over and over in this blog with a preponderance of evidence, Jesus and his first century disciples were eliminating the legal constitutional reading of scripture in favor of a redemptive reading. Jesus stated in John 5:39-40 that the purpose of the scripture was to point to Him. More than that, In Luke chapter 24 it is recorded that Jesus actually opened their minds to understand the scripture and see that it was all about him (Luke 24:27; 43-45.)  Even further, it is recorded in Revelation chapter five that the Lamb of God, Jesus, opened the scroll to those who could not read and understand it.

Paul states quite clearly in Galatians chapter three that the Gentiles are brought into the Abrahamic Covenant through Christ Jesus. Paul's point is that Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham. Further, that since Abraham received the promise before circumcision, that the Gentiles could and would be included in the family of God as the children of Abraham based upon the faith of the promised seed, Jesus the Christ. This was the content of the good news... the gospel.

The gospel contained a better way to achieve righteousness. It was not from a legal point of view but rather from the view point of total unconditional justification based on the faith OF Christ (Galatians 2:16.) You will see the actual wording faith of Christ and not faith in Christ in the KJV, the NET, and the YLT. The clear fact is that it was the faith of Christ in the original Greek text. The gospel operates in the following way. When proclaimed, it gives peace with the Father, (Romans 5:1,) that translates into love for the Father, which in turn when proclaimed often and heard often produces love in the individual toward his neighbor which according to Jesus is everyone including what we see as our enemies.

The bottom line is that it is the New Covenant, and the gospel that are now in charge. The Mosaic Covenant ended with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. The Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants are part of the New Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant can still be beneficial when not looked at as Law whereby one can become righteous.

By his knowledge, my righteous servant shall justify many

Isa 53:11 NKJV  "He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities."

Isaiah chapter fifty-three is a passage that clearly states the gospel mission of Jesus earthly sojourn. In fact, it is probably one of the most concise explanations of the gospel found in the entire bible either New Testament or Old Testament. Isaiah prophesied that it would be Jesus' knowledge that would justify many. What on earth does this mean you ask?

What knowledge? It was the knowledge that he had by faith. He had perfect faith in the Father. He knew for certain that he heard from the Father, that he was the Son of the Father, and that he was only doing that which he heard from the father. Look at this passage: Joh 8:28-30 NRSV  "So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.  (29)  And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him."  (30)  As he was saying these things, many believed in him". You may be asking how does this show perfect faith? I'm glad you asked that question. You can get a clue from Hebrews 11:6. It states that without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God and Jesus says, I always do those things that please Him, therefore we can conclude that it is Jesus' faith that is pleasing.

So then, Jesus had knowledge by faith that God was His Father. He also knew that God was love/agape and loved humanity. Likewise, Jesus knew that he was eternal and that death need not concern him. He knew that if he was willing to die that God the Father would raise him from the dead. The key element in all of this is his faith. While the first Adam failed the faith test and brought about death, the Last Adam overcame death by his faith in the Father. That was the knowledge that he used to justify many. His knowledge allowed him to be willing to die and Paul explains it this way: Rom 4:25 NRSV  "who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification."

It should be apparent that the knowledge that justified humanity was acquired by revelation from the Spirit and believed and accepted by faith. That is why Paul speaks of "the obedience of faith." in Rom 1:5 NRSV  "through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name," My wife is a prophetess and one day the Lord spoke to her and said that faith IS obedience. That is interesting because it merely confirms what the scripture says and the scripture confirms the prophetic word. In the third and fourth chapters of his letter, the writer of Hebrews equates obedience and faith and sin and unbelief.

Obeying men rather than God

Act 5:27-29 NRSV  "When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them,  (28)  saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us."  (29)  But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority."

I know, I have the title of this post backwards. It is backwards on purpose. Over the years as a theology educator, working with pastors I have had several tell me that they do not want to miss the move of God. All the while they are deeply involved with following men and women. Yes, I know that the proverb states that there is safety in a multitude of counselors. However, if you look at redemptive history, you will find that major progress has been achieved by those who listen to God in spite of the input of others.

The examples begin with all of the Old Testament Prophets and then you have Jesus himself, Paul the apostle, Martin Luther, John Calvin and so forth. All of these mentioned received revelation or illumination from God to press forward with understanding. There is a need for this once again. It is so easy for the safety that comes from a multitude of counselors to devolve to a dogma that is as much if not more for control and maintaining the status quo, than it is for truly seeking what God is doing in the earth and what his ultimate plan for humanity is.

I know, one should not contradict what is already written and established clearly in scripture, but is that the reality? Is it really clearly written and established in scripture?  I don't think it is quite frankly. There are so many erroneous presuppositions that go into current evangelical dogma. Especially when it comes to how the scripture is viewed. Let's look at the definition of dogma; a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. In controvertible means undeniable. Identifying erroneous presuppositions and revisiting the dogma base on that is very important.

Back to the pastors I have known that expressed the idea that they were not always comfortable with the status quo, and did not want to miss a movement of God on the earth. Unfortunately, most are connected with groups of pastors that are so steeped in evangelical dogma that it is very difficult to break with tradition. While many break with tradition with respect to cultural norms such as dress and liturgy, they are reluctant to embrace ideas that seem to contradict the beloved and quite often sacred dogma.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to advancing in hearing God's redemptive plan unfold is the presuppositions about the scripture itself. Viewing the entire bible as God's Word and treating it as a legal constitutional document between God and humanity stifles the ability to hear from God. In reality, for New Covenant saints both Jews and Gentiles, The scripture is the redemptive narrative and the "Word of God" is the gospel, or Jesus the living gospel. This has been addressed and proven with a preponderance of evidence in many posts in this blog. Simply type in Word of God or redemptive narrative in the blog search bar and you will find them.

Another presupposition that is stifling is that the New Testament writings are all New Covenant. This is simply untrue. The gospels are written before the cross and therefore are actually old covenant in nature. Jesus entire message and ministry was to Jews that were expecting a Messiah. Only passage that refer to events after the resurrection are truly New Covenant. This presupposition does not allow for the transition that is obvious in the New Testament writings. The transition is as follows: John the Baptist, last Old Testament Prophet > Jesus, Jewish Messiah, prophet, priest and king > Pentecost, the installation of the New Covenant Jewish Church > The inclusion of the Gentiles at Cornelius house > Paul, the apostle to the "new creation" made up of believing Jews and Gentiles.

It should be pointed out that the apostles in the above passage were being brought before the Jewish council as heretics.  Let this marinate along with the title of this post.

Making sense of Justification

Rom 5:18 CSB  "So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone."

So many people find it hard to believe in justification based on Christ's faith in a loving Father. It does defy human logic to believe that God would justify sinners. So, what could be the possible reason for God declaring humanity righteous on the basis of the faith of His Son? Notice that I did not write faith IN His Son, but rather faith OF His Son (Gal 2:16, KJV-NET-YLT and ALL Greek texts.) Again, what possibly could be God's motive in such a thing? Here is the answer simple and clear. It was to alleviate fear and promote real love. Let me say that again. It was to alleviate fear and promote real love. Turn to your neighbor, and say neighbor "God justifies and declares you and I righteous to alleviate fear and promote real love."

To be more precise, it is to alleviate fear of God and to promote love for God. The fact is that once one believes the fact that they have been declared righteous by God. Not on any intrinsic merit in oneself, but based solely of the merit of Christ's faith, one cannot help but love such a creator. This is precisely the gospel of grace, and when I say the gospel of grace, I also mean the gospel of the kingdom as the gospel of grace is the only gospel. The fact is that Jesus demonstrates two things. One that God is in charge and was able to raise him from the dead and therefore by virtue of that is King of the kingdom, and that by declaring humanity righteous and eternal based on Jesus obedient faith, He has shown that there is really good news!

Genesis explains that God created humanity in his image. Therefore he desires humanity to have his qualities. What quality you ask? The quality or capability to love humanity! A person who truly believes the gospel cannot help but love God, and when they focus on the gospel, they cannot help but love others, which is loving humanity. It is justification that allows humanity to be partakers of the divine nature and what is that? God is Love/AGAPE! A true faith in forensic justification will promote and produce agape in the individual. However, it is necessary for a person to hear the good news of justification over and over. The more it is heard and believed, the more agape that resides in the hearing believer. Obedience in the Greek is hupakoe, and it means attentive hearing.

First God declares one righteous, and then when heard attentively, the Holy Spirit provides the measure of faith that will produce agape. Again, this is precisely why Paul claimed to know nothing among the Corinthians except the gospel of Christ, crucified and risen. It is why Paul told the Colossian believers that just as they received the Lord Jesus, they should always walk/live in him that same way. What way was that? Believing that they were justified by the faith of Christ. In other words, Paul told them to continue to walk in Him just as they came to him and it is in hearing and believing the gospel.

Solomon said that there is a way that seems right to a man but the end of that way is the way of death. The way that seems right is to gain righteousness by right living, but alas, Paul said that it was the way of death as the letter kills. The way that God declares us right is the path of justification based on the faith of the Last Adam Jesus Christ our Lord!

What is the best translation of the bible?

Someone asked my wife the other day what translation of the bible I use. What they were really asking is what is the best translation? The answer to that question is complicated. My first answer would be that any of the major translations are good as far as that goes. Most all of them have strengths and ALL of them have weaknesses. But the problem is much deeper than that. The real problems lie in the presuppositions that are brought to scripture interpretation. Presuppositions make all the difference in the world.

Let's look at science for a minute. In observing the night sky King Ptolemy reasoned that the earth was the center of the universe. That was his presupposition and it was wrong. The sun and stars do not revolve around the earth it just appeared that way to him. Copernicus advanced astronomy and concluded that the Sun was the center of the universe because it appeared that everything in the night sky was revolving around it, including the earth. Each astronomer that followed built additionally on the previous one and more and more facts were revealed and proven mathematically. But each in their own way were wrong in what they presupposed.

Scripture interpretation is very similar. Most all evangelical theologians would agree that the bible contains progressive revelation. In other words, illumination and understanding is added with the development of the scripture. A significant part of scripture interpretation however is based upon presuppositions that are brought to the process very similar to the presuppositions used in developing astronomy theories.

Here are some of the basic presuppositions in evangelical theology. I think they are wrong or only partly right:

• Evangelical Presupposition #1: The New Testament calls the scripture the word of God. I disagree wholeheartedly with this one. The New Testament authors meant gospel when they used the phrase word of God.
• Evangelical Presuppositon #2: The entire scripture is a legal constitutional document and must be read as such. I disagree with this one as well. While I will admit that the Old Testament writings were originally a legal constitutional document to Israel, they broke the covenant. The New Testament writers viewed the scripture as the redemptive narrative for the New Covenant era and Jesus backed this up with his teaching on scripture.
• Evangelical Presupposition #3: The end times is a future happening. While that may be true to an extent, the fact is that the end times that the first century writers of the New Testament referred to was in the first century and related to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and the dispersion of the unbelieving Jews.

The bottom line is this. All translations are good and all fall short. Some are better than others. I like the KJV because of its translation of Gal 2:16 & 2:20. It is definitely the faith OF Christ and not faith IN Christ. The KJV falls short in Romans 1:5 as it should be translated the obedience of faith instead of obedience to the faith. Romans 10:17 is more clearly understood in most other translations. I could go on and on but you get the picture.

My best advice is to keep more than one translation. The ones that I use most often are the NET, CSB, NASB, KJV, NLT, YLT, and AMP. I also use the NRSV frequently because it is the one used mostly by modern scholars. 

The gospel according to Joseph, or the gospel as I understand it.

This is a little bit longer than usual post but it is worth it to read till the end.

I guess illumination would be a better descriptor than revelation when it comes to my take on the gospel of Christ. The gospel is known by a variety of phrases. It is the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of Christ, the gospel of God, and the gospel of his grace. These are all referring to the one true gospel. There is not a gospel of the kingdom and a gospel of grace. There is only the gospel. So, I want to lay out my understanding of the gospel and how it operates by the Spirit in the lives of believers.

The need for the gospel:
Humanity is separated from God. God is not separated from humanity. God created human kind in his image and declared in Genesis 1:31 that it was very good. In order for humanity to be able to love and worship God and not be merely a robot type individual there was of necessity a need for this separation. Further more, humanity needed to receive the ability to judge, thus the knowledge of good and evil had to be introduced. Finally humanity needed mortality to finalize the separation.

Humanity also needed a survival instinct to continue as a race. The survival instinct is the source of greed. Greed forces the individual to justify their self centered choices. Only God, the creator can decide and know what is truly good and what is really evil. So then, humanity's sin, I prefer the word pathology, is the result of being able to judge between good and evil while facing ultimate mortality and the uncertainty of what death brings. From all of this arises the need for two things. First is to know ones acceptability to the creator, and second to know that one is eternal. You can see clearly that God did not need to redeem humanity... it needed redemption for its sake and not Gods. With the knowledge of good and evil and mortality comes fear and doubt about death. This makes faith without doubt virtually impossible. Humanity needed redemption because of the innate lack of faith or the lack of the ability to have faith. Humanities fall destroyed faith with the addition of the knowledge of good and evil and death.

Note:
1Co 15:1-5 CSB  "Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand  (2)  and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  (3)  For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  (4)  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  (5)  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve." This is a very important passage when it comes to understanding the content of the gospel. Paul makes several claims about the gospel he preached. He said that it was the gospel he preached, the gospel they received, the gospel they believed and the gospel in which they stood. It is the gospel of the resurrection and the gospel of grace. Paul states emphatically that This is the entirety of the gospel.

The function of the redeemer:
With all of humanity locked in a faithless dilemma, there was needed a human who could have perfect faith in a loving creator to show the way for others to have faith. Since the problem that had to be overcome was death, Jesus the redeemer had to die with perfect faith in a loving creator... faith that he was eternal, and totally accepted for who he was, the unique Son of God. This is precisely why the Sure Word of God had to be made flesh. The challenge needed a human that was capable of perfect faith and in order to provide that God had to embrace and embody human form. The redeemer would be a human that would overcome the fear of death and triumph over the grave. Finally, the resurrection was necessary for humanity to see that they are eternal. The Holy Spirit supernaturally gives faith in the gospel message and assurance of the eternal nature of humans. Paul stated this with respect to the human need for the gospel: 1Co 15:55-57 CSB  "Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting?  (56)  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  (57)  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"

The operational function of the gospel in the human transformation process:
The first century apostles and saints taught the concept of transformation. The transformation process is aided by the renewing of the mind to the gospel of grace. The entirety of the law is summed up in two things; loving God and loving humanity. The gospel of grace fulfills both. An individual, aware by faith that God has declared him or her righteous on the basis of Christ's faith causes peace with God, and ultimately, love for God. Resting in the gospel no matter what causes the love for God to be translated into loving what God loves which is humanity. This transformation can only take place when the person is resting in the justification provided by Christ. The minute that the individual begins to judge his or her righteousness by adherence to the law the transformation ceases and reformation begins. Self reformation is a futile exercise. This is why it is necessary to proclaim the gospel often. This is true no matter how long the person has had faith in Christ. There is never a time when the saint can try to live the law and keep the peace and love offered in the initial gospel message. It is all by grace. The more often the saint hears the gospel the more they are aware of their love God. The more they are aware of their love for God the more they become transformed into a loving individual.

How the gospel presented by the evangelical church falls short of the mark:
Contrast the above explanation with the way in which the current evangelical church presents the gospel. There are various gospels that are presented and so I am going to provide what I believe is the most grace filled gospel. All the other iterations are more legalistic and less grace focused but as you will see the best falls way short of the mark.

The current evangelical church sees the gospel of Christ as an entry point to the so called "Christian Life." Once a person believes the gospel, they are set on the path of allowing the Holy Spirit to aid in living the law. Once the person has entered in, the focus changes from being justified to how to self improve. There is no detailed explanation of how the Holy Spirit works in the individual. The individual proves the efficacy of their conversion by living a life of radically changed behavior. Now in the most grace filled iterations of this gospel, people are able to "First John One Nine It" and be in a continual cycle of confessing. That is not the way the first century gospel operated. You do not find this concept in Paul's writing. You will say, so what, it is in John's writing. This is one of the sources of the error of evangelical doctrine. Paul was called the apostle to the Gentiles, and he received revelation directed at the New Creation composed of Jew and Gentile, Male and Female, Bond and Free.

Paul's writings are chocked full of redemptive decrees. By redemptive decrees, I mean statements that are either solely true and stand alone or if altered are totally in effectual. Now Paul also wrote occasional messages that were cultural in nature, but the redemptive decrees have precedent. An example of an occasional cultural message is Paul's stance on women in the church. One of the best examples of a redemptive decree is this passage which I am posting in its entirety: Eph 1:3-11 NRSV  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  (4)  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.  (5)  He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,  (6)  to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  (7)  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace  (8)  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight  (9)  he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,  (10)  as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  (11)  In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will," This passage clearly states that God's purpose in creation was redemption as he has stated it was BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.

Here is another example of a redemptive decree. Gal 2:16 NET  "yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." The Greek scripture clearly states that we are justified by the faith OF Christ, as it is in the genitive case. I used the NET version of the bible as only it, the KJV and YLT translate it the faith of Christ. Finally another example of a redemptive decree is as follows: Rom 5:1 NRSV  "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," This is an important decree because since we have been justified by the faith of Christ we can have peace with God as we apprehend Christ's faith by believing the gospel message. That is the way that we stay in right relationship with God... not by "First John One Nining" it. First John was definitely an occasional letter, and while it has redemptive decrees we can not be certain of the occasion for verse nine of chapter one. It is possible that he is referring to the initial repentance which is a change of mind to believe the gospel. We can be sure that it is not referring to fellowship with the father and each other as fellowship is connected to 1 John 1:5-7 walking in the light. Walking in the light would be based on believing, accepting and resting in the gospel as Paul expressed it.

Now that is settled, let me reiterate the gospel in the simplest of terms. First I will quote Paul and then I will break it down further. I believe that this is Paul's best distillation of the gospel of grace. 2Co 5:17-21  "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  (20)  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  (21)  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." This is the gospel in a nutshell.

Here is my distillation (my Cliff Notes) of the gospel including the way in which the Holy Spirit uses the gospel to transform lives. God has reconciled and justified humanity on the basis of the faith of Christ and his willingness to die on the cross for our unbelief so that he could be raised from the dead to prove that we are eternal, and eternally loved by God. We apprehend this justification and peace by our faith in the gospel message which is supplied by the Holy Spirit. It is peace with God based on the work of Jesus Christ that produces love for God and in turn love for our sisters and brothers in humanity. Hearing the gospel often enlivens our love and faith and as we believe and love we grow in grace toward the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Hearing but never understanding

Mat 13:14  With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: 'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
Isa 6:9-10  And he said, "Go and say to this people: 'Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand.'  (10)  Make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed."

Isa 29:10-14  For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep; he has closed your eyes, you prophets, and covered your heads, you seers.  (11)  The vision of all this has become for you like the words of a sealed document. If it is given to those who can read, with the command, "Read this," they say, "We cannot, for it is sealed."  (12)  And if it is given to those who cannot read, saying, "Read this," they say, "We cannot read."  (13)  The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;  (14)  so I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing. The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

Are you familiar with fractals? Fractals are reoccurring patterns that are found in nature. They are produced over and over again; an example would be a snow flake. This is the case with prophetic messages and prophecies as well. They occur over and over again. I mention them because I see the above prophecies repeating today with the doctrine and practice of evangelical Christianity. Jesus was the Lamb that opened the scroll, that is.... opened the understanding of scripture (Luke 24:27; Revelation 5:9.) Yes, Jesus opened the scroll for his followers right after the resurrection.

How did he open the scroll you ask? Well, he told everyone listening to him that the scroll/scripture was all about Him and his mission of redemption. He taught that the Word of God was the gospel of the kingdom and that he the King was the living gospel or in other words, the gospel made flesh that tabernacled amongst humanity. In fact, I have conclusively proven over many posts in this blog that when the first century followers of Jesus who wrote the New Testament used the phrase "word of God" they always meant gospel or Jesus the living gospel and NEVER meant the scripture as a whole. There are many parts of the scripture that are cultural and explain the happenings at a specific point in time or occasion.

I think one of the clearest examples of that is Exodus 21:7-9. In that passage is given a humane way to treat concubines. Certainly, it was not meant that concubines were God ordained. No, it was a message that improved a cultural practice. Prior to this passage, concubines (sex slaves) had no rights to speak of and could be treated any old way. The Exodus passage regulates the practice improving their lot in life. Of course this is not the only passage that is simply cultural. There is a myriad of cultural references throughout the pages of both the Old and New Testaments. Additional examples are the regulation imposed on women in the New Testament. They were not allowed to be teachers or elders and again, this was cultural and not God ordained.

This is why one should not adopt a legal constitutional reading of scripture. It is also why it is erroneous to call the entire scripture the Word of God. The word of God is the gospel pure and simple. It is the redemptive narrative and not a legal constitutional document. Look at what Jeremiah said about the legal constitutional  aspect of the scripture/covenant. Jer 31:31-32  "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,  (32)  not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD." Yes, Israel broke the covenant. A broken covenant does not have to be enforced any longer. The broken covenant of Israel eliminated the legal constitutional aspect of the covenant awaiting the new and better covenant based on new and better promises.

The point of this post is that the above passages can just as well be about the evangelical church today. They hear but do not understand and look but do not perceive. I think that it could be because of the fact that 2 Thess 2:11 was fulfilled in the first century. There is a big difference between the gospel that Paul preached and elaborated on and what the early church fathers of the second century wrote. Furthermore, there was a forty year silence between the destruction of the temple and the first writings of the second century Christian communities.

Church and Ministry Burnout? There is a solution

Luke 5:37-39 NET  "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.  (38)  Instead new wine must be poured into new wineskins.  (39)  No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”

In the first century most of the Jews did not follow Jesus. The above passage addresses one of the reasons. Jesus used new wine as a metaphor for the gospel. He carried the metaphor farther by mentioning wineskins. In this case the wineskins was the people. Today, many think of the wineskins as a church or community of believers, and that is likely appropriate but the actual metaphor is for individual people. So, the people are wineskins and the gospel is the new wine. Jesus is explaining in the above passage that most of the Jews will be content with the old covenant and not want to venture into the new covenant.

Fast forward to 2019. The church in general and specifically the evangelical iteration has adopted a mixture of the old wine and new wine that renders the new wine really old wine. Jesus warned of this in Matthew 16, Mark 8, and Luke 12. He called it the leaven of the Pharisees. Further Paul warned of a similar thing in Acts 20:29-30. He told the Ephesian Elders that savage wolves would come into their midst, not sparing the flock and that members of their own community would rise up and pull away the flock from the purity of the word of God's grace. Neither Jesus nor Paul said this might happen, no, they said it would happen. Further, Jesus prophesied that the entire kingdom would be leavened (Matthew 13:33.)

Now you have the whole church that needs the new wine. Unfortunately, like the first century Jews many say, the old wine is good enough. The problem is that so many churches have people on a treadmill of performance. It is like the carrot dangling on the stick in front of the animal it cannot be attained. There is no way that anyone will ever feel righteous by their effort to live the Christian life. It is impossible. There is an additional problem as well. Many of the leaders, elders, pastors and ministers, find themselves on this same treadmill. They suffer burn out from striving.

There is an answer however. It is the original new wine that was offered in the first century. It is the pure gospel of God's grace. It is wrapped up in being justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ, Galatians 2:16. Oh by the way, you have to find it in the KJV or the NET version of the bible. The reason is that all the other versions render it faith in Christ rather than the faith of Christ. That doesn't matter for my purpose here because in the Greek it says the faith OF Christ. You can find other posts on this blog that address this issue by typing in the faith of Christ in the blog search bar.

The bottom line is that one can rest in the gospel message. The writer of Hebrews called it the Sabbath Rest. This alone is the antidote for church and ministry burnout.

Implications of being justified by the faith OF Jesus Christ

Gal 2:16-21  yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.  (17)  But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages sin? Absolutely not!  (18)  But if I build up again those things I once destroyed (the law,) I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law.  (19)  For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.  (20)  I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (21)  I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

Paul clearly taught that one was justified by the faithfulness or faith of Jesus Christ. Christ's faithfulness describes His faith in the Father. Unfortunately, many of the versions of the scripture translate this passage to be justified by faith in Christ rather than the faith of Christ or faithfulness of Christ. This is a very important distinction and it changes the reality of what took place on the cross and with the resurrection. The Greek clearly states faith of Christ as it is in the genitive case. The question is why did the translators render it faith in Christ? I personally believe it is for theological reasons. The belief that it is faith in Christ that saves is what drove the interpreters to use "in" instead of "of."

If in fact one is justified by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and not by their faith in Jesus Christ then it means that Christ's death, burial and resurrection justified everyone. The justification is not dependent on the faith of the individual. Rather, the  individual apprehends the justification with their faith. I think that this illustration does a good job of explaining what I mean. If someone was to deposit 10 million dollars in your bank account it would be there but would not benefit you unless you knew it was there and believed that it was there. Only then can you apprehend the benefits of the deposit. If you don't know it's there you will not benefit, and if you are told it is there but do not believe it you also will not benefit. It is only when you hear of the deposit, believe it is really there that you can go to the bank and benefit from the money.

People often ask this question. If all people are justified by the faith of Christ, what would be the point in preaching the gospel. The answer is in the above paragraph. There are great benefits available for believing and apprehending the gospel. If one realizes that he/she has peace with God because of the justification of the faith of Jesus, he/she can truly begin to love and appreciate God. Loving God for real is the catalyst for loving others. This love for God comes from Sabbath Rest. This is the Sabbath Rest that is mentioned by the author of the letter to the Hebrews. It is a rest from working for acceptance with God. This is precisely the benefit that comes from being justified by the faith OF Christ.

The bottom line is this. If we are justified by the faith of Christ, and grammatically we are according to the original Greek texts, then we only apprehend that justification by our faith in the gospel message. The reason that we are justified by the faith of Christ is explained in a couple of places in the New Testament. First, we are told that Jesus was God's son in whom he was well pleased. Then we are told in Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God. One can easily extrapolate that since God was well pleased with Jesus it was his faith in the Father that was pleasing. So then, where the first Adam failed with no faith, the Last Adam, Jesus succeeded with his perfect faith. Our faith would never be acceptable for justification, because there is always doubt and fear to a degree. Like the father of the sick son in Luke, we must say, Lord I believe, help my unbelief. On the other hand, Jesus perfect faith was the source of justification, and when we believe the gospel, the Holy Spirit gives us a measure of faith. Our measure of faith apprehends the perfect faith of Christ.

Romans 10:17, Word of God, or Word of Christ?

Rom 10:17 KJV  "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Or,

Rom 10:17 CSB  "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ."

In my view, Romans 10: 17 is a very misused verse. I have many times heard preachers say that hearing comes from preaching the word of God in general. The implication is that faith comes from hearing any passage of the bible. This could not be farther from the truth. The truth is that faith comes by hearing the gospel of Christ.

The above passages illustrate the variance of readings. Most all of the newer versions of the bible render the passage as the message about Christ or the word of Christ which is most definitely the gospel and not the scripture per se. But let's assume for a minute that the original said word of God and not the word of Christ. It still is referring to the gospel of Christ. How can I say that you ask? For two reasons, one in context it is obviously the gospel because Romans 10:8-10 says it is. Paul says in verse 8 that the word he is referring too is the word of faith he preaches. What word was that? "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you WILL be saved. That my friend is the gospel. The second and equally important reason is that when you see the phrase word of God in the New Testament it is almost exclusively referring to the gospel of grace and not the scripture. You can find a myriad of posts on this blog that prove that point with a preponderance of evidence. All  you need do is type the phrase word of God in the search function of the blog.

So then, you have to wonder what you are being taught when you hear Pastors and other ministers completely misuse this passage. It simply shows ignorance of the overarching message of scripture. Here is precisely what Jesus said the overarching message of scripture was. John 5:39-40 CSB  "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.  (40)  But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life." How much clearer can the message be? Jesus says that the scripture is all about the gospel or message of Christ. It is the redemptive narrative. When it is not used for a redemptive purpose, that is, when the gospel is not proclaimed, it is misused!

Foundational Apostles and Prophets Continued: New Covenant, Foundational Prophets

1Co 14:3 NET  "But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation."

In the previous post, I began a conversation about foundational apostles and prophets. The adjective foundational comes from Ephesians 2:20. Furthermore, it was established that foundational apostles and prophets focused primarily on the gospel of grace. In this post, I will look at how the New Covenant foundational prophet functions, and what the nature of the prophecy is. The New Covenant foundational prophet is not like the Old Covenant prophet. She/he does not prophecy about God's impending wrath. You can see from the above scripture that the New Covenant foundational prophet prophesies to strengthen, encourage and console.

It is interesting that during the earthly ministry of Jesus, his disciples were sent on ahead to prepare for his eventual appearance in a Samaritan village. The village rejected the overture and Jesus' disciples asked him if he wanted them to rain fire down on their heads. In Luke 9:54 - 56 this incident is recorded. In verse 55 Jesus rebuked them. He went on to tell them that they did not realize what spirit they were of or from and that his mission was salvation and not judgment. I realize that the latter thoughts are not found in the older manuscripts and have been omitted from several of the newer translations of the bible. While it may have been added later to explain Jesus reasoning for the rebuke, I personally believe that it is Holy Spirit illuminated and revealed.

Paul also explains that there are different types of prophecies but they are all for a specific purpose and that purpose is to establish the truth of the gospel of grace. There is the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom. You may be curious as to what the difference is between the two. The word of knowledge is to establish that the prophet has supernatural knowledge provided by the Holy Spirit. It is knowledge of a situation that the individual prophesied too knows well, but has not told anyone or knows that it is not well known, and that the prophet has no way of knowing what she/he has shared. This places a stamp of approval on the gospel of grace message that the prophet is sharing.

The word of wisdom is a word that offers encouragement by making the recipient aware of a pending pit fall or something that may be working against the person. It is a word that can help the hearer avoid a problem. It can also be a word that simply adds wisdom to the individual such as prophesying that the hearer has a gift or calling that they may not currently be aware of, or they are aware but are in need of conformation. The word of wisdom often can be a word of conformation. An example of the word of wisdom being a warning is where the daughters of Philip prophesied about the impending imprisonment of Paul upon reaching Rome. Another example of a word of wisdom is when the prophet is given a message that God wants the individual to know about their calling.

As I have visited many congregations that recognize prophets and the prophetic, I have found that way too many of these prophets have patterned themselves after Old Covenant prophets that are expressing the impending wrath to come. I do not believe this is a valid example of New Covenant Foundational Prophets. New Testament foundational prophets function for both the saints of the assembly and potential converts that are being evangelized.

Foundational Apostles and Prophets: The sign of an apostle and prophet for the New Covenant

Eph 2:20 NET  "because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone."

According to Paul, the apostles and prophets were foundational to the faith. In fact, in another place in Ephesians Paul stated that the purpose of foundational apostles and prophets would be there UNTIL "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature." Eph 4:13 NET. There is little unity of the faith.

Based on this there needs to be a renewal of foundational apostles and prophets. I know, there are already many on the scene today. I question however that they are functioning as foundational. It seems to me that most modern day apostles and prophets are hung up on signs, wonders and manifestations rather than the foundational gospel that was the source of all the power. Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel as it was God's dynamite... dunamis. Yes, dunamis is the Greek word that we get dynamite from.

He says that in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Hmmn, have you not wondered what from faith to faith means? Well, I believe the Spirit has illuminated that for me. Paul said in Galatians 2:16 that we are justified by the faith/faithfulness of Jesus Christ. So the righteousness of God is revealed by the faith OF Jesus and we then apprehend the faith of Jesus by the measure of faith given to us by the Holy Spirit upon hearing the gospel of grace. That explains from faith to faith.

Back to foundational apostles and prophets. Acts 14:3 explains that the purpose of the signs and wonders was to establish the truthfulness of the gospel of grace. "So they stayed there for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through their hands." (Acts 14:3.) It is interesting that so few of the modern day apostles and prophets place any emphasis at all on the gospel of grace much less, have it be foundational.

Yes, the sign of a foundational apostle or prophet is a strong commitment to the gospel of grace. Paul explained in 1 Cor 2:2 that he was determined to know nothing among the Corinthians except Jesus Christ crucified, the gospel of grace. There is a very good reason for this. It is the gospel of grace that is transformative. A foundational apostle or prophet should know this. Here is how the first century apostles understood the gospel and how the Holy Spirit used it to transform people into loving individuals. The gospel explains that because of the faith of Jesus Christ humanity is justified. This fact, if believed, creates peace with the Father. Peace with the Father translates into genuine love for the Father. Genuine love for the Father creates a desire to please the Father.

It must be clearly stated however that a person has to hear the gospel often to keep the mindset of peace with the Father. They have to be assured that they are justified by the faith of Jesus. Furthermore, this justification must always be apart from the law or law obedience. The foundational prophets and apostles of the first century church understood this and taught it to the rest of the members of the ecclesia. There are several verses in the New Testament that explains that the apostles and prophets taught in word as well as by letter. When letters were written, they were always prompted by a specific occasion. In other words they were occasional, and it is often difficult to extrapolate what the occasion was. It is important to realize that we have the letters but are missing the oral teaching of the apostles which was much greater in detail and volume. However, we can only know the oral teaching with the help of the indwelling spirit of Christ.

Therefore, foundational apostles and prophets always would be explaining how the gospel of grace operates. You can see a practical explanation of how this works in Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter seven. He explains why the letter of law kills the spiritual life brought forth by the gospel of grace. He explains why one cannot really focus on living according to the law. He says that it is sin that exists in the flesh and that the law arouses the flesh. Therefore, the gospel works to control sin in the flesh by putting the focus on peace with Father God. This focus is what it means to be spiritually minded. Spiritually minded is not the mind focused on the law of sin and death. This is precisely why Paul determined to know nothing but the gospel of grace when he was with the Corinthians. So again, the emphasis of the gospel is the mark of a foundational apostle and prophet.

Yet, so many modern day apostles and prophets seem to fear grace. They emphasize the idea that a focus on grace can give people a license to sin. Nothing could be farther from the truth. People do not need a license to sin. They were born with it. In fact, the only way to overcome the inborn sin is to renew the mind to the spiritual focus of the gospel of grace.

In the next post I will focus on foundational prophets.