The Actual Gospel of Jesus Christ (Part 4)
as presented by the early church

The promises fulfilled.

Acts 13.23, 33 read, “WE tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.” (N.I.V.)

As gentile believers in the 20^th century, 2000 years removed from the incarnation of Christ, steeped in history and traditions far removed from the simpler Jewish lifestyle of that time, it doesn’t really surprise me that we tend to relegate most of the Old Testament scriptures to a time and a people either long gone or still in the future.

Deeply embedded in dispensational thinking is the idea that God had done something unique, almost unheard of, in building His church. One would get the impression from talking to them that the church was almost an afterthought, something God was pressed into because His chosen ones, the Jews, were rejecting His Messiah. Or that God, because of their rebellion, was forced to set them aside for a while to concentrate on the church, only to return to them after he was finished with the gentiles.

This simply is not true. This is contrary to the clear teaching of scripture and takes some pretty fancy footwork to make the Bible even LOOK like this is what is taught.

Using Acts 13 as a springboard, lets see what scripture has to say on the subject of the church and the Jewish nation, and what part this plays on our study.

Beginning at verse 13 we find Paul preaching on the Sabbath in the Synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. He addresses himself to the ‘men of Israel’ (v.16) and ‘children of Abraham’ (v.26) as well as the gentile converts to Judaism. He begins with an encapsulated history of the nation of Israel up to the advent of the Savior, his death at the hands of the people of Jerusalem and their leaders, and his being raised by God from the dead.

Verse 39 sums up the point of Paul’s message:

“Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses.” (N.I.V.)

Paul and Barnabas are invited back to speak on the following Sabbath, which is recorded in verses 44-48. This time news of Paul’s preaching had spread and almost the entire city came to hear him. This angered the Jews because this was a predominately gentile city in a gentile country, Galatia in Asia Minor.

Verses 45-47 read, “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, “God’s message had to be told to you first, but since you thrust it off and judge yourselves 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 a means of salvation to the very ends of the earth!”” (Goodspeed)

The message of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection as fulfillment of prophecy is the good news, the gospel; but no less is the message that the good news of salvation was to be extended to the Gentiles as fulfillment of prophecy. All inclusive salvation, complete with birthrights and full privileges of sonship.

Acts 3.25, 26 reads, “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up his Servant Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you you’re your iniquities.” (N.K.J.V.)

Peter here was addressing the Jews in Jerusalem long before his dealings with Cornelius and his revelation concerning calling anything unclean that God called clean. This is true. However, this narrative was compiled by Luke, a Gentile believer and close companion of Paul. Furthermore, although Peter may not have understood all the implications, he certainly knew God was desirous of somehow extending salvation to the Gentiles as he had surely heard the stories of the prophecies regarding the Christ (Luke 2.32, 3.6), his ministry before meeting Peter (Luke 4.24-27), as well as the years he spent physically traveling with Jesus, listening to his teachings (Matt. 8.10-13, 21.42-44, 23.35-39).

The importance of Acts 3.25, 26 is expanded in the teaching of Paul, not only in Acts, (26.6, 28.20, 28) but in nearly every epistle or letter he wrote he deals with this truth. However, possibly nowhere does he deal with it more bluntly or forcefully than in Galatians, written to the same people he was addressing in Acts 13.

Paul begins his letter by making sure the Galatian believers (most of whom were gentiles) understood how thoroughly believing his gospel and following Christ were intertwined. If you followed another gospel, a different gospel than taught by Paul in the beginning, you were turning away from Christ (1.6-9).

“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel form heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (N.A.S.)

He goes on to state that the gospel he taught had not come to him through learning, not taught to him by men, but came to him be revelation of Jesus Christ (1.11, 12) with the purpose of outreach to the gentiles (v. 16).

Chapter 2, verses 11-21, give us not only an example of the deception of not being ‘straightforward about the truth of the gospel’ (v. 14), but also gives us some indication of the problem the Galatian churches were facing: Jewish legalism.

Paul destroys the arguments for legalism with his gospel, which in brief states:

· We have died to the law to live in Christ. (2.19, 21; 3.19)

· We are saved by faith and heirs of the promises of God through Abraham. (3.6, 8, 14-18)

· We, as believers, ‘are sons of Abraham’ (3.7), ‘sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus’ (3.26), ‘Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise’ (3.29)

What an incredible revelation. We, as gentile believers, are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8.17), but even more:

“…as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Rom. 8.14) “…those who are the children of the flesh (the Jews), these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” (Rom. 9.8) “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” (Gal. 3.7) “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal.3.29)

I hope you can see the importance of what Paul is saying. There are no promises or salvation for the nation of Israel outside of Jesus Christ! God has taken the believing Jews (the remnant) and believing gentiles and, through Jesus, has made a new man of the two, reconciling us both in one body through the cross. (Ephesians 2.14-22)

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” 14-18 (N.I.V.)