The Gospels and their Raptures (Christ - Part 18)
Conditions
We are now at the point where Paul has taken those Jews and Greeks out of the synagogue, —those who received his message, who believed in the gospel of God, and is now meeting with them in a home or another location. So, what is Paul going to preach to this group? What conditions apply to them? How will their lives change from what they knew?
Remember, under the gospel of God, conditions were still fully Jewish. The message was only going out to Jews, Acts 11:19. The gospel was that Jesus was the Messiah, that he had risen from the dead, and that He was coming back in power and glory to establish His Kingdom. If you believed in this message, you were expected to PROVE your faith with the following works, James 2:17-20;
- Repent,
- Get water baptized for the remission of sins,
- Receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit,
- Sell all you had and give the money to the church. (Why? Because in the Kingdom you would have everything you needed! Seek first the Kingdom and ALL these things would be added to you. Look at the birds and the flowers, how God feeds them and arrays them in splendour, etc)
- Obey the Mosaic Law
- Pick up your cross, endure to the end, love not your lives unto death
Law was transitioning to Grace
Paul was about to provide them with a much lighter load. Consider what Peter said during the Jerusalem council meeting, after hearing Paul's arguments and the message of the gospel of Christ,
Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
The yoke is in the law and the points listed above. Paul would not settle for this based on the revelations he had received from the glorified Christ. We find a new condition in what the apostles settled on in that council meeting,
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.
The gospel of Christ had brought about a change. The strict adherence to the law was dropped to contain only that which would keep the peace between the Jews and the Greeks in this transition period.
Signs were transitioning to Faith
We must understand that God had a plan with Israel. His covenant made with Abraham would create a physical nation and provide them with a physical land. God would interact with Israel through physical signs and wonders, and the proof that Jews would demand from a prophet and man of God was physical, visible signs.
1 Cor.1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Although the Jew was still first at this stage in the transition,
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
...we do see a turn in the conditions pertaining to this new gospel. Signs were become of less importance to simple faith in what Christ had done through His cross-work.
1 Cor.13:8 ...but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come [the completed written Word of God], then that which is in part shall be done away.
2 Cor.5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight:
Israel's rise was becoming Israel's fall
If Israel had believed in their Messiah, the Gentiles would have been saved by Israel, Isa.49. The rise of Israel would be the salvation of the Gentiles. This was always part of God's plan for Israel. However, since Israel did not believe in and receive their Messiah, they were set aside so that God could reach the Gentiles through grace. This is confirmed in the writings of Paul where he penned the following,
Romans 11:11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
So, through the fall of Israel, salvation was now going out directly to the Gentiles.
The Importance of Jesus life was transitioning to the importance of Jesus death
The message in the gospel of Christ placed the focus not on the life of Jesus and the earthly Kingdom, but rather on the value of His death and His current position in the heavens. The Jews were always looking for a 'living', flesh and blood Messiah King who would rule over them in righteousness and strength. Even when we look at the message of Peter in Acts 2 and 3, we see the focus on the life and resurrection of Christ, with Peter preaching that because Jesus had risen and ascended to Heaven, He would come back and restore all things.
Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. ... 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
As the gospel message continued to transition, we see a completely different outcome. The focus is not on the life of Christ, but on the death of Christ. Paul preaches that it's the cross of Christ that is our salvation. He writes,
...that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor.15:3), that He gave himself up for our sins, to deliver us from this present evil world (Gal.1:4), that He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification (Rom.4:25), that he should glory [boast], save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (Gal.6:14).
Works was transitioning into Waiting
One of the bullet points above referred to works and endurance. The very essence of the law was built on a foundation of works. This is why the book of James hammers home the need to prove your faith with works. Even the need to endure in these works was needed to be able to enter into the Kingdom. There are many verses in the Gospels that demand the need to endure,
Matt.24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
One more example that can imply this is the parable of the faithful servants in Matt.25:28-30. The servant that did not work at investing his portion (or talent) was cast outside the city as he was unprofitable. This is significant to notice as it is so different to what Paul was preaching in the gospel of Christ. In contrast to the gospel of God, the message Paul was preaching had nothing to do with works and endurance, but rather with waiting.
Romans 8:23 ... waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Galatians 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
1 Thess 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
2 Thess 3:5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
The reason why we wait in expectation is because Christ has done everything necessary to redeem us. We do not need to prove ANYTHING! We do not need to work out our salvation in fear and trembling! We do not need to work and endure because all (that was necessary) was done by Jesus Christ on our behalf. Christ has satisfied the payment and by his work we are justified before God.
A Future Salvation had become a Guaranteed Now Salvation
The gospel of God was always pointing to the future. The salvation relevant to the Jews was that future Kingdom in which they would be the head and not the tail, preeminent above all other nations. For those who believed in their Messiah, they would endure and be faithful to the end and die, knowing that He would return and raise them up to live in His sight, Hos.6:2. Their salvation was the hope of that earthly kingdom and their role in it.
Matt.19:28 So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
This of course is very different to the gospel of Christ, where Paul introduces and preached that salvation is not a hope out in the future based on one's works and the conditional requirement to endure to the end, but rather an immediate, factual, and unconditional sealing of one's salvation by the Holy Spirit because of the cross work of Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
2 Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Conclusion
These above are only a few of the obvious and common conditions that define the gospel of Christ as compared to the gospel of God. The message that Paul taught to these believers who came out to the synagogues was, to put it mildly, radically different to what was taught in the synagogues. There are many more conditions that can be compared, but this sampling provides a good context to confirm this point.
The message was so different from that which was taught before that I can venture to say that without the working of the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of these believers, there is no way they'd be able to process or accept this message. We find that Paul had to consistently remind believers of his credentials; that he was called by the Lord, that He was appointed as apostle of the Gentiles and that his message was not from man but from the glorified Lord Himself. But God was in control, and the Holy Spirit was an inward witness to the truth and the veracity of this message.
Part 19 will continue with the 'participants' of the Gospel of Christ.
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