Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 4)

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 4 --- Righteous Works)

We continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ by looking at key elements that distinguish them from each other. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts.

Righteous works

Because the gospel of God was based on works, you will naturally see this works requirement manifest in the lives and actions of those who committed to, and were saved, under this gospel in the Acts period. For a Jew who believed in the gospel of God, that Jesus was risen and was the Christ, their works program did not change at all. They simply continued their routines based on the requirements of the Kingdom gospel, so there is not much we can learn from their accounts. However, by looking at examples from the saved Gentiles in this time, and what they did, we can glean an understanding that the gospel of God certainly had works unto salvation, as opposed to the gospel of Christ where we do not see this evidence.

Provision for Gentile Blessings through Abraham's Covenant

God is the sole judge and redeemer of the human heart. Only He knows the beginning and end of a persons life and the faith that a person would place in Him for salvation by the moments of truth He creates for them. In other words, before the gospel of God, or the gospel of the Kingdom, there were means and ways that God would provide to test the heart of a Gentile, creating moments where that person could trust in the Living God, and through that faith, to be redeemed.

If you consider the moments just before the Millennial Kingdom, at the judgement of the "sheep and the goats", it is the sheep who will enter the Kingdom, because they supported Israel during the Tribulation. It is because of these 'works' that they merit salvation based on the covenant made with Abraham.

During the Old Testament, Israel would many times be the means of this salvation. They were the light to the Gentiles and if Gentiles would receive them and bless them, there was provision for salvation through this according to a covenant God made with Abraham,

Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 

Maybe this is why Israel spent 40-years in the wilderness for which could have been an 11-day journey. Forty is the number for trial or testing, so the 40-years was a time to test the commitment and faith of Israel, but during this time, the godless Gentile nations were systematically exposed to the Living God through Israel's wilderness travels and interactions with them, whether by war or by simply passing through the region. It is in these times of interaction that Gentiles could learn of and experience a light and salvation of Jehovah, the God of the Jews.

Rahab

Rahab was one such example. She was a Gentile harlot who helped the Jewish spies escape Jericho. Her good deeds (works) and her trust in the God of Israel ultimately provided her salvation because of Israel's presents at Jericho. Before Israel came into contact with her, she was (as Paul puts it in Eph.2:12), without hope and without God in this world.

Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Cornelius

Cornelius (and his whole household) were the recipients of salvation by the gospel of God because Cornelius was a Gentile who prayed to the God of Israel, feared Him and blessed Israel by paying alms. It was these works which came up as a memorial before God. A memorial of what? Well, the covenant made with Abraham, that those who bless Israel will be blessed.

Acts 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

Acts 10:3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

Acts 10:22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.

Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

It is clear that Peter was preaching the gospel of God based on the verses below,

Acts 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) 37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

These Necessary Things

Further evidence of the requirements of works in the gospel of God can be viewed in the reports that were send by the apostles after the council at Jerusalem. The reports encourage the Gentiles that although proselyting was not a requirement anymore, it was still necessary to observe specific laws so as to keep the relations within the church that had Jews and Gentiles mixed together. Gentiles had to keep the following ordinances to require that peace was kept within these cross-cultural relationships,

Acts 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. 30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: 31 Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

Not of Works

But what about the gospel of Christ? Was blessing the Jews necessary in this gospel? Was keeping certain ordinances and laws necessary to keep the peace and to continue to bless the Jews? Was works still a requirement for one's salvation?

When Paul entered a city, we know that he presented the gospel of God to those present in the synagogues. To those who believed and had faith to 'continue in the grace of God' (Acts 13:43), Paul would teach that there was no laws or ordinances,

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

In Romans 14, Paul settles with clarity how one had to conduct themselves in this mixed culture church. Because the Jews were still under laws and ordinances, yet the Gentiles had made peace with the gospel of Christ, he had to provide advice that it was not in works and rituals, but rather that love and personal conviction was the best way to coexist and avoid disputes. 

Romans 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. ... 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. ... 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

The transition period of Acts has a clear progression when it comes to righteous works for justification. The period of the Kingdom Gospel was for the Jews only and required the works of the law as part of salvation. The gospel of God continued with the works requirement, but eased up on the law component as more Gentiles were being saved under the gospel of Christ. The council meeting in Jerusalem recognized that Gentiles were not familiar with all the laws and practices of the Jews and settled on them practicing only some very specific laws, not for salvation, but simply for keeping peace and coexistence of the two faiths. 

So, to answer the above questions; Was blessing the Jews necessary in this gospel? Was keeping certain ordinances and laws necessary to keep the peace and to continue to bless the Jews? Was works still a requirement for one's salvation? The answer is No! Unlike the gospel of God, the gospel of Christ did not require any works component to merit salvation. The rules from the council meeting were not a requirement for salvation but simply a means to keep the peace in the culturally-mixed members.

Unmerited Grace

The gospel of the grace of God was sent to those who were 'far hence' (as Paul puts it in Acts 22:21). It makes sense that no works were required here as these were the Gentiles who had no opportunity to 'bless the Jews', nor were they even familiar with their religion to merit practicing the sabbath and other customs and laws without any context. As we can see from this deduction, and unlike the participants of the Kingdom gospel and the gospel of God, who's salvation is tied into works that they can merit, the gospel of grace requires no works and is utterly based on unmerited grace. God chooses to save us because of the work of His Son imputed to us by His choice. 

Romans 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

So, as we follow this progressive trend through the gospels, and end with the grace gospel, we find that all forms or works to merit righteousness gets eliminated. The gospel of grace teaches that no works can be done to earn salvation because all of it was completed by the cross of Christ. By the year 70AD, at the fall of Jerusalem and the temple, Israel was no more a nation and Gentiles could not be saved by blessing the Jews. Righteous works in the form of laws and ordinances, and in the form of blessing Israel were completely redundant.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

2 Timothy 1:9 He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.