WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST?
I am more than qualified to teach "The Historical Gospel of Jesus Christ". For a period of about 20 years I subscribed to a theology magazine called "Verdict". Verdict was published by Robert D. Brinsmead. Brinsmead is a Christian scholar and a tropical fruit farmer in Australia. The magazine had a world wide circulation that was directed to pastors, seminary professors, theologians and Christian scholars. Verdict was not intended for the average lay Christian, at times I struggled to understand what was being said. Some of the most prominent Christian scholars of our time wrote articles for Verdict. I have all of the magazines that were published from the early 70's to the early 90's. The purpose of Verdict was to restore the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ that has been lost due to subjective religions. Verdicts motto was "The Gospel plus nothing and nothing but the Gospel".
Brinsmead wrote, "If it is the Gospel plus something, it is not the Gospel". The apostle Paul basically said the same thing when he said to the Galatians, "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel, which is not another; but there would be some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ" Galatians 1:6,7. There are many Gospel perverters today. organized religion and the "Historical Gospel of Jesus Christ" are not compatible, never have been, never will be.
Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" Romans 1:16. That is to everyone that believes the Gospel.
WHAT THE GOSPEL IS NOT.
Before we can understand what the Gospel is, we will first have to understand what the Gospel is not. The Gospel is not Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Catholics that compiled the books of the Bible did not understand or believe the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ. They still don't today. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have nothing to do with the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those books reveal Jesus Christ and what he did and who he was. They should have been called "The Christ event". There is nothing about the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is the "Kingdom Gospel" the Kingdom Gospel is the good news that the King has arrived. Wherever Jesus is at there is the Kingdom of God. Paul taught that the historical Gospel justifies the ungodly, Romans 4:5 and reconciles them and the world unto God, 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19.
The Gospel is not about us, the Gospel is about Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished in our name and on our behalf.
The Gospel is not about anything that we are, or have become, nor is the Gospel about anything that we have experienced.
The Gospel is not about being born again and becoming a Christian. That may be good news, but it is not the Gospel.
The Gospel is not about joining a religious organization or becoming a church member.
The Gospel is not about inviting Jesus into your heart or saying the sinners prayer.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The Gospel is a past historical event that took place over 2,000 years ago. It took place totally and completely outside of us , we had nothing to do with it, this why Paul wrote, "But God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Jesus said that he came into the world to save sinners, Matthew 9:13. A sinner is anyone that has violated God's Holy Law. Paul said, "There is none righteous, no, not one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:10, 23.
THE GOSPEL AND THE OLD COVENANT OF LAW AND RELIGION.
While Jesus was dying on the cross, God tore the veil that covered "The Holy of Holies" from the top to the bottom. This signified the end of the Old Covenant, the law and the Jewish religion, Matthew 27:51. According to the apostle Paul , the Old Covenant of law and religion has been abolished, Ephesians 2:15. Jesus nailed it to his cross, Colossians 2:14. This is why Paul said, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" Romans 1:17. Living by faith does not mean living by laws, rules and religion. What it means is to live by faith in Christ and his Gospel. The thief on the cross who was a sinner, never had a chance to do any good works or become religious. All that he had was faith in Jesus. Paul said, "But to him that does no works, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, Romans 4:5. The words "Law" and "Religion" mean the same thing. When one is doing their religion, they are doing the law. When one is doing the law they are doing their religion. Religion is man's preoccupation with his own spirituality, which is himself who is a sinner. The Pharisees were preoccupied with themselves by trying to be holy and keeping the law. In the 23rd chapter of Matthew Jesus referred to them as hypocrites 7 times. Jesus said of them "They say, but they don't do" Matthew 23:23. Religion tends to make one a hypocrite. James said, "If you fail in one point of the law, you have failed the whole thing" James 2:10. Jesus abolished the Old Covenant of laws, rules and religion because it causes one to sin. Paul said, "But sin taking occasion by the commandment , wrought in me all manner of concupiscence (lust) for without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died" Romans 7:8, 9.
THE GOSPEL THAT JUSTIFIES, SANCTIFIES, REDEEMS AND RECONCILES US TO GOD.
I sincerely believe that all that Jesus was, and all that Jesus did was for our justification and our salvation. When Jesus lived, we lived in him. When Jesus died, we died with him. When Jesus walked out of Joseph's new tomb, we walked out with him. Our humanity was constituted in him. He was God's new Adam and our new humanity. Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold all things have become new and all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given unto us the ministry of reconciliation" 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18. We do not become new creations in Jesus Christ. We are made new creations in Jesus Christ. Jesus has victoriously defeated sin, death and the devil and in doing so has reconciled us and the world unto God. Because of the doing and the dying of Jesus "We are complete in him" Colossians 2:10. We cannot become any better than what God has already made us in Jesus Christ. Jesus now sits in heaven as "The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords" Revelation 19:16.
GOD SEES "ALL THINGS" IN HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.
Isaiah wrote, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:8. 9. As far as God is concerned, Jesus has already victoriously defeated sin, death and the devil. "And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile All things" unto himself: by him, I say, whether they be things in the earth , or things in heaven" Colossians 1:20. All that have faith in Jesus and his Gospel are already reconciled unto God and now stand in God's holy court as perfect and complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.
I am more than qualified to teach "The Historical Gospel of Jesus Christ". For a period of about 20 years I subscribed to a theology magazine called "Verdict". Verdict was published by Robert D. Brinsmead. Brinsmead is a Christian scholar and a tropical fruit farmer in Australia. The magazine had a world wide circulation that was directed to pastors, seminary professors, theologians and Christian scholars. Verdict was not intended for the average lay Christian, at times I struggled to understand what was being said. Some of the most prominent Christian scholars of our time wrote articles for Verdict. I have all of the magazines that were published from the early 70's to the early 90's. The purpose of Verdict was to restore the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ that has been lost due to subjective religions. Verdicts motto was "The Gospel plus nothing and nothing but the Gospel".
Brinsmead wrote, "If it is the Gospel plus something, it is not the Gospel". The apostle Paul basically said the same thing when he said to the Galatians, "I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel, which is not another; but there would be some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ" Galatians 1:6,7. There are many Gospel perverters today. organized religion and the "Historical Gospel of Jesus Christ" are not compatible, never have been, never will be.
Paul wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" Romans 1:16. That is to everyone that believes the Gospel.
WHAT THE GOSPEL IS NOT.
Before we can understand what the Gospel is, we will first have to understand what the Gospel is not. The Gospel is not Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Catholics that compiled the books of the Bible did not understand or believe the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ. They still don't today. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have nothing to do with the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those books reveal Jesus Christ and what he did and who he was. They should have been called "The Christ event". There is nothing about the historical Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is the "Kingdom Gospel" the Kingdom Gospel is the good news that the King has arrived. Wherever Jesus is at there is the Kingdom of God. Paul taught that the historical Gospel justifies the ungodly, Romans 4:5 and reconciles them and the world unto God, 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19.
The Gospel is not about us, the Gospel is about Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished in our name and on our behalf.
The Gospel is not about anything that we are, or have become, nor is the Gospel about anything that we have experienced.
The Gospel is not about being born again and becoming a Christian. That may be good news, but it is not the Gospel.
The Gospel is not about joining a religious organization or becoming a church member.
The Gospel is not about inviting Jesus into your heart or saying the sinners prayer.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The Gospel is a past historical event that took place over 2,000 years ago. It took place totally and completely outside of us , we had nothing to do with it, this why Paul wrote, "But God commended his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. Jesus said that he came into the world to save sinners, Matthew 9:13. A sinner is anyone that has violated God's Holy Law. Paul said, "There is none righteous, no, not one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:10, 23.
THE GOSPEL AND THE OLD COVENANT OF LAW AND RELIGION.
While Jesus was dying on the cross, God tore the veil that covered "The Holy of Holies" from the top to the bottom. This signified the end of the Old Covenant, the law and the Jewish religion, Matthew 27:51. According to the apostle Paul , the Old Covenant of law and religion has been abolished, Ephesians 2:15. Jesus nailed it to his cross, Colossians 2:14. This is why Paul said, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" Romans 1:17. Living by faith does not mean living by laws, rules and religion. What it means is to live by faith in Christ and his Gospel. The thief on the cross who was a sinner, never had a chance to do any good works or become religious. All that he had was faith in Jesus. Paul said, "But to him that does no works, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, Romans 4:5. The words "Law" and "Religion" mean the same thing. When one is doing their religion, they are doing the law. When one is doing the law they are doing their religion. Religion is man's preoccupation with his own spirituality, which is himself who is a sinner. The Pharisees were preoccupied with themselves by trying to be holy and keeping the law. In the 23rd chapter of Matthew Jesus referred to them as hypocrites 7 times. Jesus said of them "They say, but they don't do" Matthew 23:23. Religion tends to make one a hypocrite. James said, "If you fail in one point of the law, you have failed the whole thing" James 2:10. Jesus abolished the Old Covenant of laws, rules and religion because it causes one to sin. Paul said, "But sin taking occasion by the commandment , wrought in me all manner of concupiscence (lust) for without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died" Romans 7:8, 9.
THE GOSPEL THAT JUSTIFIES, SANCTIFIES, REDEEMS AND RECONCILES US TO GOD.
I sincerely believe that all that Jesus was, and all that Jesus did was for our justification and our salvation. When Jesus lived, we lived in him. When Jesus died, we died with him. When Jesus walked out of Joseph's new tomb, we walked out with him. Our humanity was constituted in him. He was God's new Adam and our new humanity. Paul wrote, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold all things have become new and all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given unto us the ministry of reconciliation" 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18. We do not become new creations in Jesus Christ. We are made new creations in Jesus Christ. Jesus has victoriously defeated sin, death and the devil and in doing so has reconciled us and the world unto God. Because of the doing and the dying of Jesus "We are complete in him" Colossians 2:10. We cannot become any better than what God has already made us in Jesus Christ. Jesus now sits in heaven as "The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords" Revelation 19:16.
GOD SEES "ALL THINGS" IN HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.
Isaiah wrote, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:8. 9. As far as God is concerned, Jesus has already victoriously defeated sin, death and the devil. "And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile All things" unto himself: by him, I say, whether they be things in the earth , or things in heaven" Colossians 1:20. All that have faith in Jesus and his Gospel are already reconciled unto God and now stand in God's holy court as perfect and complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.
