The Actual Gospel of Jesus Christ (Part 1)

as presented by the early church

The gospel is for all people.

Luke 2.9.10 says, “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”” (N.K.J.V.)

John the baptizer had gone before Jesus with a mission to the children of Israel as stated by the angel Gabriel to Zecheriah, Johns father, in Luke 2.16.17, “Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” John the baptizer was not sent to the gentiles, only to the house of Israel, to prepare their hearts for the Messiah. However, through the Jews rejection of their Savior, Jesus, the gospel of salvation was passed on to the gentile nations.

It is quite clear from scripture, both Old and New Testaments, that this was not only foreseen by God but actually designed by Him, purposed before time itself.

First, lets look at what Luke, the gentile physician, had found in his research and placed in his gospel account. According to the angel in 2.10, the gospel he brought the shepherds concerning Christ the Lord was for “all people.” That this salvation was not intended strictly for the Jews is confirmed by the story of Simeon in Luke 2.21-35. Simeon was ‘an upright, devout man who was living in expectation of the comforting of Israel…the Lord’s Messiah’.

After his circumcision the parents of Jesus brought him into the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the law in presenting him to the Lord. Simeon had been led of the Spirit to be there and, taking Jesus in his arms said:

“Now, master, you will let your slave go free in peace, as you promised, for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have set before all the nations, a light of revelation for the heathen, and a glory to your people Israel.” (Verses 29-32 from E.J. Goodspeed)

Cross-referenced with Isaiah 9.2, 42.6 and 49.6 we find a few of the many prophecies concerning Gods promise of ‘a light of revelation for the heathen’. Furthermore, we find, according to Isaiah 60. 1-2 that God expected Israel to be a light to the gentiles (also Isaiah 2.3, 45.22-25 and 49.22,23).

We find no time in history where the Jews actively participated in God’s plan for the gentiles. Rather, we find the Jewish nation becoming increasingly exclusive until finally they wouldn’t even eat with the gentiles.

However, we do find the fulfillment of these prophecies in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the subsequent rejection of the Messiah by the Jews.

Paul, in Acts 13.14-41, was preaching the gospel to the Jews and gentiles in Antioch. Verse 26 states:

“Brothers! Descendants of the house of Abraham, and those others among you who reverence God! It is to us this message of salvation has been sent.” (E.J. Goodspeed) The gentiles present where converts to Judaism (v. 43) as Paul felt strongly that the gospel should be addressed to the Jews first as Gods ‘chosen people’.

But we read in verses 44-47:

“The next Sabbath almost all the town gathered to hear God’s message. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were very jealous, and they contradicted what Paul said and abused him. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out plainly, and said, “Gods message had to be told to you first, but since you thrust it off and judge ourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the heathen. For these are the orders the Lord has given us: “I have made you a light for the heathen, to be the means of salvation to the end of the earth’.” (Goodspeed)

So we find the basic principle of biblical interpretation; the New interprets the Old, the clear interprets the obscure, Paul clearly stating that his proclamation of the promises in the gospel to the gentiles was under direct order of God as stated in the prophetic writings.

As this subject is such a vital part of the gospel and takes up so much thought in the writings of the early church, I will be expounding on this idea in later portions of this work, so rather than repeating the same things over and over, I will leave off here.

(This is a part of a book I was working on in the late 80’s shortly before I became convinced of the intellectual absurdity of the Christian religion in its entirety. This series of articles do accurately portray my final conviction of what the New Testament writings actually portray as the message, purpose and mission of the groups of followers of ‘the way’ that were accepted as the Orthodox Church. They are presented here purely as a catalyst for shaking some fundamentalist minds awake as I believe this to represent the clearest biblically based and verified interpretation of the New Testament. )