By Graham Pearce
The Gospel
of Christ
T CANNOT BE DENIED that the restoration of
the nation of Israel in righteousness is the foundation of Jesus'
preaching. The words of the angel to Mary are brief, and their
brevity emphasizes their importance on such a momentous occasion.
The angel makes no direct mention of forgiveness of sins other
than announcing the name Jesus; there is the clear simple
statement that the son of God is to be given the throne of his
father David. Zechariahs’ witness by the Holy Spirit at the
end of the chapter is in line with this. God has raised up an
horn of salvation in the house of David who should deliver the
nation from their enemies, that they might serve God in holiness
and righteousness. This is the New Testament introduction of
Jesus—as the coming king on David’s throne, and
saviour.
Christ’s Ministry
When Jesus entered his ministry, the good news he taught was
that he was the fulfillment of God’s promise, he was the
king and saviour. In him the kingdom of God had come nigh. The
faithful who pressed to hear him knew well the glorious theme of
their prophets: "Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that
I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth. In his days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell
safely: and this is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5,6). "In that day will I
raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the
breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and will build
it as in the days of old; And I will bring again the captivity of
my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and
inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine
thereof; and shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them.
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be
pulled out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD
God". (Amos 9:11-15). Jesus’ teaching emphasized the
change of heart, and the seeking righteousness that was essential
to participate in the kingdom of God, but he in no way changed
the character of what they already knew from the prophets. He
encouraged the disciples to look for the restoration of their
polity in righteousness. "Behold, we have forsaken all, and
followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto
them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in
the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of
his glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel"(Matt 19:28).
This political foundation to his preaching was continued to
the end. The seal to his teaching was given when he
"witnessed a good confession before Pilate" (1 Tim.
6:13). And what was his confession? That he was king of the Jews:
and so his accusation declared "Jesus of Nazareth, the King
of the Jews". If that was not his role, he could have told
Pilate so, and escaped crucifixion. But as it was "the
Truth" (John 18:37-38), he did not waver, but witnessed a
good confession.
Paul’s
Gospel
We have confirmation of the nature of Paul’s preaching in
the confessions he makes at the several trials reported in the
last six chapters of the Acts. His witness was essentially to the
risen Christ, that he is the one looked for as the Messiah from
the prophetical writings: "saying none other things than
those which the prophets and Moses did say should come"
(Acts 26:22). "Now I stand and am judged for the hope of the
promise made of God to our fathers: unto which promise our twelve
tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to
come"(verses 6 & 7). So Paul in his preaching keeps
close to the original statement of the Holy Spirit by Zecharias
at the birth of John Baptist—God had remembered his promises
to the fathers and would save them from their enemies through
Jesus of Nazareth, that they might serve him in holiness and
righteousness.
When writing to the believers in the Galatian ecclesias,
bewitched by Judaisers, does he say ‘forget the things of
Israel?’ No, Abraham and the promises are the foundation of
his argument: it is the blessing of Abraham that is to come upon
the Gentiles. This concerns the inheritance—the inheritance
of the land of promise—but it is not by the Law, but by the
promise to Abraham. (Chapter 3:14-18). He concludes this chapter:
"And if ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed
and heirs according to the promise". Thus, in his arguments,
the original promises to Abraham stand as a prior matter. There
is to be a change of constitution for the nation (Galatians
chapter 4), when they enter on their future inheritance along
with the saints, but the concept of the material inheritance is
still fundamental.
Honouring God by Believing His Word
It is the wholehearted belief in God’s promises to Israel
that pleases God. The understanding and acceptance of these
things is the basis of faith being reckoned for righteousness. It
was Abraham’s belief in the promised seed and the promised
land as a possession, that constituted the faith by which he was
accounted righteous. As Paul says: "By faith Abraham, when
he was called to go out into a place which he should afterward
receive for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out, not knowing
whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as
in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise" (Heb. 11:8,
9). Paul exhorted the Hebrew christians to hold fast in this same
faith; and he exhorts us to do so. Do not be beguiled by the
reasoning of men. It is an important part of our pleasing God, to
believe that what He has promised to do in the earth He will
perform, and to believe that we too may have our reward in the
fulfillment of those promises, (Heb. 11:6).
Extracts taken from "What Is The True Gospel?"
1972.
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