What many believe to be the Gospel, is in fact not the Gospel … but rather some cooked-up message that hinges between good and evil, depending on how you feel at that specific time or point in your life … or what someone else makes you believe at the time.
But the Gospel is not that at all …
The Gospel is the exclusive Good News of Jesus Christ and how He gave it all so that we may have it all. It is the exclusive Good News of Love and Life and provision.
But through the ages and through the cunning intervention of the institutional church, the word was utterly corrupted with inclusions of works, law, provisions, traditions and like things.
So, let's analyze
Before we go to the Hebrew, let's just get a clear understanding of what the word Gospel, in the English today, is all about.
According to Miriam Webster, Gospel as a noun means:
1 - the message concerning Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation
2 - one of the first four New Testament books
3 - an interpretation of the Christian message
4 - the message or teachings of a religious teacher
5 - something accepted or promoted as infallible truth or as a guiding principle or doctrine
This is exactly the problem we are faced with today.
The Gospel is defined as just a message, a book, an interpretation, a religious teaching, a principle, a doctrine …
Can the real Gospel please stand up!
The Gospel is the Good News about One Person and all that He is. Just like Love. Just like Faith. Just like Truth, and Life and Light, and Righteousness …
The Gospel is the power of God onto salvation. It is not the Gospel mixed up with anything man may or may not come up with in his religious mindset.
The Gospel is the Pure-Good-News-Only Person of Christ abiding within every believer.
Not the Gospel and the ten commandments or the Gospel and the tithing you give or the Gospel and your good deeds or the Gospel and how much you love God … No! It is the Gospel and the Gospel alone.
Paul explains the Gospel to his spiritual son, Timothy in his letter to him (2Tim 1:10-11 MSG):
But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus. This is the Message I've been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher.
Paul gives us a reason
The Good-News-Only-Message has power … In fact, the power of God is the Good-News-Message-Only with nothing added whatsoever.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Rom 1:16)
In the Good-News-Only-Message God's righteousness is revealed. If we add, we get something else that does not testify of the goodness and righteousness of God.
Our part is to just believe the Good-News-Only-Message. Nothing more.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed (Jesus is the Righteousness of God and He reveals our righteousness) from faith to faith (He, as Faith Himself, depositing His Faith in us): as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Rom 1:17
Where does the Good News start?
In the beginning (remember this post?)
… but let's get into the Hebrew … and the words that Jesus quoted from the old covenant …
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound
The Hebrew word for the Gospel (good tidings) is bâśar.
Bâśar is derived from a Hebrew primitive root word, meaning to be fresh, to be full, complete; (rosy, figuratively cheerful); to announce (glad news): - messenger, preach, publish, shew forth, (bear, bring, carry, preach, good, tell good) tidings. (James Strong)
Why is this significant?
The quote here are the words of Jesus, quoted before His birth in the old covenant. (see Luke 4:18)
The word "Gospel" occurs 26 times in the old covenant, but more than 77 times in the New Testament.
What is more, in all instances in the old covenant it is a shadow onto Jesus. In the New, it is a testimony of the finished work of Christ and all that it represents for those who believe and receive.
So
Is there a word-picture?
Sure!
The word bâśar
ב - house
שׂ - receive (consume); take in
ר - the Highest
Put it all together in a pictogram and you get the dwelling (you) take in the Highest (Jesus).
Even if you turn it around, it still reads out the Gospel perfectly - the Highest was consumed for you.
Can you see how the word lives to be consumed by you?
YHVH is and always will be goodness Himself. Taking in the Good News, is devouring Him (that is why we have communion). Jesus made it really simple and easy for us …
Let's get practical
Rom 1:16
Paul is just being honest and pragmatic, having consumed the power of God (the Gospel), to proclaim in Romans 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.
When Jesus sends his disciples in the so-called great commission saying go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mat 28:19, what is it that He wants them to teach?
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
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,
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
No comments:
Post a Comment