The Gospel (part 1)

What is the Gospel we read about in the New Testament? Is it only found in the New Testament or is there mention of this Gospel in the Old Testament? Let’s start with the verse that is always brought up when this question is asked.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…

This is usually the furthest explanation I ever receive concerning the question, what is the Gospel. But, I would like to know much more considering in this passage Paul says we are saved by this Gospel and four sentences earlier in 1 Corinthians 14, he says he preaches the Laws of God.

1 Corinthians 14:37

If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.

Paul says he is teaching the commandments of God, and relates that to the gospel. There definitely seems to be more study required here.  What else do we see about the Gospel in the New Testament? Paul does talk about the Gospel in Galatians, Ephesians, Romans and we also see it in Hebrews.

Galatians 3:8

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”

We see in Galatians Paul says the Gospel was given to Abraham and that this was a gospel that would “justify”, as in make righteous, the Gentiles by faith. So, what do you see in Genesis with the gospel and Abraham, specifically the verse in which Paul pulls a quote from?

Genesis 22:18

In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

Genesis 26:4-5

And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.

We see the Gospel given to Abraham was his descendants will spread to all the nations of the earth and be blessed, because he obeyed the Law, Statutes, and Commandments of YHWH. Does this indicate the Gospel and God’s Law are linked? It seems at minimum possible according to Paul.

Romans 10:15-16

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

Here we have Paul saying there is a factor of obeying the Gospel. What is there to be obeyed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? Then he goes on to quote from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah says the gospel is preached at that time. In Isaiah 53, we see a prophecy concerning Christ and no one seems to have believed this “report” or prophecy. Notice, the gospel Isaiah talks about is concerning good news, peace and salvation, and linked to Christ.

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Before this passage in Romans, Paul talks goes into more depth about righteousness, which is that same as being justified according to Paul earlier.

Romans 10:5-8

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: "The one who does these things will live by them." So the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we preach)

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

So here we have Paul quoting right out of the Law of God. Moses gives instructions from God on how to be considered righteous, which is following the law. He tells us how being righteous by faith is related to the Law of God. We, in faith, should not say who will go bring Christ down from heaven for us, and who will bring Christ up from the dead for us. We should not be doing this because scripture says, His word is near us, we speak it, and it is in our hearts so we can do it. Paul is linking both the law and faith together here for righteousness. We are to be righteous this way and it is only a few verses later he brings up the gospel. Considering all this what else do we know? The Israelites were given the Law of God and chose not to follow it and it was said they did this in unbelief. Paul says the Israelites were given the same Gospel as what he is teaching.

Hebrews 3:16-19

For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:2

For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Those who came out of Egypt with Moses heard the gospel and rebelled. They had sinned and did not obey and this was considered to be their unbelief. We know what sin is according to John.

1 John 3:4

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

John is linking sin with unbelief as well as having faith with keeping the Law of God. John has a bit more to say on the topic of righteousness.

1 John 3:7

Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Yeshua is righteous.

Righteousness is justification, and John is saying we should be practicing this in order to be righteous. Remember Paul said earlier that righteousness comes from keeping the Law of God. Now John is saying we become righteous by practicing righteousness. So, breaking God’s Law is sin, and keeping it makes us righteous in God’s eyes. Now, we still know that keeping His law a way to earn eternal life through salvation. But, it is a way to keep us set apart from the ways of the world. Peter agrees we should be obeying God as well.

Acts 5:29

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Obeying God does and always has meant keeping His Law. Ill get to the mention of the Gospel in Ephesian later, considering it is the “mystery of the Gospel” portion. So then, what does the Old Testament say about the Gospel?

Deuteronomy 30:1-10

“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. “Also the Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

In this passage we can pull out a bunch of things. First notice God has driven His people into all the nations of the world. Second, we see those who were scattered among all the nations will return to YHWH and obey His voice as well as all the commands given to them from Moses. At this point, YHWH will have compassion on them and gather them from all the nations of the entire world. He will prosper and multiply them. He will circumcise their heart. In doing so, they will love God with all their heart and soul, and they will have life. They will again obey all the commands given by Moses. He will flourish the work done by their hands, increase their children and livestock, and the produce they grow. He will rejoice over them returning to Him. Then notice at the end it says, “if” they obey all that is written in the “Book of the Law” and turn back to God will all their heart and soul.

This is the same Gospel we read throughout the New Testament.

1.       Repentance of their sin

2.       Return to God

3.       Do His works

4.       Obtain a circumcised heart

5.       Be given everlasting life

6.       Have God rejoice for us

7.       Be blessed and multiplied

Acts 26:20

but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

Something else we can take away from this is the fact God scattered His people throughout the whole world and it is the descendants from these people who will be called back to Him. That is not to say no one other than these people will come to God. But it is saying these are the ones being referenced in the gospel, both from the Old and New Testaments. There is no prophecy anywhere that says gentiles, who are not and never where part of Israel will be called to come back to God. So, what did Israel do to be scattered among all the nations of the world? First we should know that the original covenant was a type of marriage covenant that both God and Israel agreed to.

Exodus 19:5-6, 8

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.

After this, God gives a warning to Israel.

Deuteronomy 28:58, 64

“If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD…

“Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone.

Then we see exactly what happened.

Ezekiel 20:18-26

“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

“Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

“Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the Lord.” ’

YHWH told the Israelites in the wilderness not to keep the laws of the nations, which is the laws, rules, and rituals of those nations and defile them. Do follow after their idols and (false) gods. He told them to walk in His Laws, keep His rules, and do them. Sanctify, as in set apart, His Sabbath days because they are supposed to be a sign between Him and them in order to know He is YHWH, their God.

These Israelites rebelled against Him and did not walk in His Laws, and did not observe His rules, meaning they chose death, not life. They disrespected His Sabbath days. It was because of all this He scattered or dispersed them among the gentile nations throughout all the countries. They despised or hated His given Law. So, we have seen the prophecy about not keeping the Law of God, and we have now witnessed YHWH has made it come true.

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