The One True GOSPEL

Yesterday afternoon, while speaking with a professing Christian relative, I was asked if I had ever heard of Pauline Christianity. He asked, “Are you aware that Saul preached a different gospel other than the four gospels?” I told him that I had heard of this Pauline Christianity and that I denounce it quite strongly. I told him that there is only one gospel ── the glorious Gospel Message is the gospel message preached by Jesus Christ of Nazareth and His Church concerning the history of Jesus Christ and the future coming of the Kingdom of God, established by our soon-coming King of kings and Lord of lords. The establishment of God's government on earth. And that the Apostle Paul taught the same gospel message that the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John taught. And that the Apostle Paul was commissioned by our Lord Jesus to preach to the Gentiles. He vehemently responded, “O’ no, the gospel that Saul preached was a different gospel! The gospel preached by the four gospels was only for the Jews.” We concluded our brief theological discussion with him encouraging me to read the Book of Acts, which would support his position. 

Well… what is the true Gospel that our Lord Jesus preached, that the apostles taught ── including the Apostle Paul? Did Paul preach a different gospel to the Gentiles,  one that my relative so strongly believes? Today, in this article, I would like to make plain the living truth of God regarding the one true Gospel, and to show that the Apostle Paul was not teaching a different gospel.

WHY IS THERE SUCH CONFUSION ── such perplexity ── because it should be the function of Christianity to point the way. Yet, here ── coming out of left field,  I came face to face with this grave misunderstanding. Hundreds of “Christian” denominations are in complete disagreement with each other. We find different sects preaching a variety of different GOSPELS! WHY HAVE THEY LOST THE ONLY TRUE GOSPEL WHICH WAS SENT BY FATHER GOD? WHY? 

How Many Gospels Are There?

Does it make any difference what gospel we believe? Let’s listen to what the Spirit has to say from our Eternal LORD God, inspired in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians ──

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9) As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” – Galatians 1:8-9.

WHY then has this world’s Christianity ── as well as the world at large ── lost sight of the true Gospel? Why do people, like my relative, believe that the Apostle Paul preached a different gospel? Yet the many ── nay, hundreds of millions ── today, don’t know what the Gospel is? Again, our Lord Jesus’ parting commission to His apostles ── “’ Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you …’” – Matthew 28:19, 20. They were to preach the Gospel message.

Our Lord Jesus said, “’ Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16) He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.’” – Mark 16:14, 15. Notice what He said, ‘HE WHO BELIEVES’! Believes what? THE GOSPEL! Not a gospel. Not any gospel. THE GOSPEL. On the authority of our Savior, Jesus Christ, it is necessary to believe THE PRECISE AND IDENTICAL GOSPEL OUR LORD JESUS PREACHED to be saved! Believing in a Pauline Gospel will not get you saved. And, to believe the one true Gospel, it’s important to know what it is. 

Now… with whom, from where, and to whom did the one true Gospel originate? Was it from our Lord Jesus Christ? No.

The Gospel Sent From the Father God

Were you aware that the LORD ── YHWH ── had promised to send His Messenger of the covenant from heaven, bearing a message from Him ── the very One who revealed Himself to the Prophet Moses, “I AM.” 

“’ Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight, Behold, He is coming,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” – Malachi 3:1.

And that messenger, as also stated in Mark 1:2, was John the Baptist ── “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’”

The first sermon given to the Gentiles ── when the Apostle Peter was sent to the house of Cornelius-- gives us very explicit directions for locating the one and only true Gospel.

“The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ ── He is Lord of all ── 37) that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.” – Acts 10:36-37. 

 The Gospel Jesus Christ Preached 

Notice:

1. The Gospel Originated with God. “The word which God sent.”
2. The Gospel was sent to “the children of Israel.”
3. The Gospel was brought by Jesus Christ, preaching peace through Jesus Christ.
4. The Gospel was first preached in Galilee. “It was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee.” 

The Gospel ── as I very briefly stated to my confused relative ── was originally sent by God to the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, but was subsequently opened up to the Gentiles. The Gospel did not originate with our Lord Jesus or with the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Or, the Apostle Paul. It was sent by the LORD ── the great Ancient of Days who would become known as God the Father. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the divine Messenger of the New Covenant. The Prophet Moses was the messenger of the Old Covenant, as affirmed by many Scriptures. 

When did our Lord Jesus begin preaching this Gospel in Galilee? “after the baptism which John preached.” So, the true GOSPEL of the New Covenant did not begin with John the Baptist. It was after John had completed his baptismal ministry. 

So these very precise directions lead us directly to the Book of Mark. 

John the Baptist did not come preaching the Gospel; he “came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”     

The “baptism of repentance” prepares the way for salvation through Jesus Christ. Then, we come to verses 14 & 15 ── 

“Now after John was put in prison, …” – the exact time for the beginning of the preaching of the true Gospel. John the Baptist was put in prison around 27 A.D. “ … JESUS came to Galilee …” – Jesus was the divine Messenger whom the LORD sent. So, we now have the time, the Messenger, and the place. Whatever we find Jesus preaching IS THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOSPEL. And what do we read? ──

“ … Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15) and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel.’” 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

If the one and only true Gospel is “the gospel of the kingdom of God,” what about the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Is this a false gospel? No. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of the kingdom of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not mankind’s gospel about the person of Jesus. It is CHRIST’S Gospel ── the very gospel Jesus preached ── the gospel sent by the LORD. Therefore, it is also called in His living word, the Gospel of God. The very Gospel sent by Father God, as He Himself said ──  

“’ For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50) And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.’” – John 12:49-50.

Yes! The LORD sent our Lord Jesus Christ bearing a message, which is the good news of the soon-coming kingdom of God! JESUS is the LORD’s Spokesman ── “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14.

Notice that the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist ── 

“’ The law and the prophets were until John. SINCE that time the kingdom of God has been preached, …’” – Luke 16:16.   

What Is Meant, the Kingdom of God?  

Again, hundreds of millions of modern professing Christians are confused regarding what gospel ── as well as what is meant, the kingdom of God. Many, like my confused relative, believe (and though he didn’t say in our brief discussion, I’m sure he would believe this, because he had stated that “the gospel preached by the four gospels was only for the Jews”) that the kingdom of God is not for this present age ── this NEW COVENANT time of grace.

They utterly reject and do not believe the true Gospel as our Lord Jesus commanded,  and thereby reject the conditions to salvation, claiming that the kingdom is a gospel only for the Jews. But as the Apostle Paul ── under divine inspiration ── says in the Book of Romans, “Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, … 16) For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone WHO BELIEVES, for the Jew first and also for the Greek [the Gentile].” – Romans1:13, 16.

So, there was a definite starting point for the Gospel ── since John the Baptist. The law and the prophets were until John. Since John’s “baptism of repentance” ministry, the kingdom of God has been preached.

And, what is that Gospel? 

The Greek word for gospel is euangelion, meaning “gospel, good news.” The good news of the KINGDOM OF GOD. 

What is a kingdom? 

Back in December 1998, I bought my wife a Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition, which states that the definition of a kingdom is “1 archaic: KINGSHIP. 2: a politically organized community or major TERRITORIAL unit having a monarchial form of GOVERNMENT headed by a king or queen.” 1

And in the biblical sense, there is a dual sense of KINGDOM, including all its subjects or citizens, and the GOVERNMENT by which it rules. Again, in God’s living word, a kingdom is often a family from a single parent grown into a nation. As in the kingdom of Israel.

There are four things necessary for a KINGDOM: 1) territory. A specific location and definite boundary lines. 2) A Monarch. A supreme ruler or government agent. 3) Subjects or citizens within the territory. 4) LAW for the kingdom. If we leave out any of these vital requisites, we cannot have and cannot believe the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

Now… what about the Gospel of Grace ── the Gospel of Salvation?

Born Again Into the Kingdom of God

When a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus came to our Lord Jesus by night, recorded for us in the Book of John the 3rd chapter, our Lord Jesus said to him, “’ Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” – John 3:3. So, our Lord Jesus was proclaiming the kingdom of God ── and he was explaining a very important phase of it. 

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth ── 

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the KINGDOM OF GOD …” – 1 Corinthians 15:50.

In other words, a mortal human being cannot enter into the kingdom of God. So, it is not then a kingdom whose citizens are mortal flesh-and-blood human beings. Our Lord Jesus went on to explain to Nicodemus that we who are born of flesh are flesh ── just mortal flesh-and-blood. But, it is possible to be born again ── this time, not as a mortal flesh-and-blood human being, but born of the spirit.

“’ God is Spirit, …’” – John 4:24.

The kingdom of God is composed of those BORN OF GOD. As I have explained several times, God is not a single being, but rather the Hebrew word for God (as in Genesis 1:1, 26) is “Elohim,” meaning more than one being ── God is a family of beings. (See: John 1:1).

Notice that we have about six kingdoms on Earth in biology. Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaea, and Bacteria. And God’s living word reveals that there is an angel kingdom, created by the LORD God and composed of spirit. And then, high above in the upper heavenly realm is the very kingdom of God. In other words, the GOD kingdom. Recall, “’ Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …” – Genesis 1:26. The LORD God is REPRODUCING THEMSELVES! The LORD God created man in God’s image and likeness, so that man may be gifted the glorious Holy Spirit, begotten, by the very Spirit of God, and then, resurrected, and be BORN AGAIN as an immortal spirit being within the kingdom of God.

Our beloved Apostle Paul made it very plain and easy to understand to us that while we are mortal flesh-and-blood, we cannot inherit, or even enter into, the kingdom of God, until this mortal puts on immortality, and this corruptible puts on incorruption. 

How to Enter the Kingdom of God 

How then may we enter into the glorious kingdom of God? Well… our Lord Jesus Christ ── recorded for us His first known words as He came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, “ …’ Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Truly, two things that we must do! REPENT and BELIEVE. And, to believe simply means to believe the Gospel ── which truly means believe our Lord Jesus Christ, the soon-coming King of His kingdom, the soon-coming King and Ruler over all the nations of the Earth. It means believing that He is our personal Savior and is our High Priest. It also means that we are to obey and observe all things that He has commanded us.

To repent simply means that we are to CHANGE OUR LIFE in respect to sin. Again, sin is the transgression of God’s Law. It means a complete CHANGE OF MIND AND HEART. It means that we repent of transgressing God’s law, statutes, ordinances, and judgments. Notice what our Master, Elder Brother, and Savior said to one who came and asked Him, “ … ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’” Our Lord Jesus Christ responded, “ …’ if you want to enter into life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.’” And He went on to confirm what laws He was speaking of ── the TEN COMMANDMENTS. Summed up in two great commandments, “ …’ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” And, the second is like it: “’ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The WAY to eternal life! 

The Kingdom of God Was and Is Preached 

And, again, just what gospel did the original apostles proclaim? Including the Apostle Paul? It was – and is – the Gospel of the Kingdom of God! Let’s go through some of the Scriptures that prove this ──

“These TWELVE Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ‘Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6) But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7) And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom [from] heaven is at hand’” – Matthew 10:5-6.

This is an end-time prophecy! Even though the story started out in about 30 A.D., the story became a prophecy for the end times. … Now, think about that phrase, ‘lost sheep.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My sheep.’ Now, in one sense, the physical people of Israel are the ‘lost sheep.’ But in an even more spiritual, more heightened, more intense meaning, I think Jesus Christ might very well be saying, ‘Go to the lost Church members.’ ‘Go to those people who thought they were in a good organization, they didn’t realize their leaders were corrupt and their doctrines were impure – or highly compromised.’ ‘Go to those lost sheep!’ I think it has a double meaning!

“He sent them to preach the kingdom of God …” – Luke 9:2. 

“ … ‘and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” – Luke 10:9b. 

“But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, …” – Acts 8:12.

“And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God” – Acts 19:8.

“ … among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, …” – Acts 20:25.

“ … and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, …” – Acts 28:23. 

“preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ …” – Acts 28:31.

“for the kingdom of God is not …” – Romans 14:17. 

“For the kingdom of God is not …” – 1 Corinthians 4:20a.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” – 1 Corinthians 6:9. See also verse 10.

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; …” – 1 Corinthians 15:50. 

“ … those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” – Galatians 5:21b. 

“For this you know, that no fornicator [whoremonger, meaning “pornos – one who is sexually immoral], unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” – Ephesians 5:5.

“ … These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God …” – Colossians 4:11b.

“ … that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, …” – 2 Thessalonians 1:5. 

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God [God the Father], and the power of His Christ [Jesus the Christ] have come, …” – Revelation 12:10.

And, let us always be reminded that the apostle Paul WARNED that a DOUBLE CURSE would be pronounced on anyone preaching any different gospel – Galatians 1:8-9. □              

1) Webster, M. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, Merriam-Webster’s Incorporated, 1996, pg. 643.