The Gospel Paul Certified
"For the
darkness has turned to dawning and the dawning to noonday bright, for God's
great Kingdom has come to earth, the Kingdom of truth and light!" [from an old song]
“The proper
aim of all true doctrine is worship. Doctrine that does not begin and end in
worship is not biblical at all, but is rather the product of western
philosophy. The ultimate aim of all true knowledge is spirituality, in some
form or another. Only when knowledge is so understood is it faithful to the
intent of the Bible text itself.”
[adapted from Fee.]
“Then He said
to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with
you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." Luke 24:44 (NKJV)
Paul
preached the Certified Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also
ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep
in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." 1 Cor 15:1-2
"But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after
man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ." Gal 1:11-12
We can imagine
Paul saying something like this. “The
Judaizers say I preach a secondhand gospel, which I have distorted. Let me tell you this is not true! My gospel has no human origin! There is nothing secondhand about my gospel! It was Christ Himself who gave it to
me."
Paul is
probably thinking of Acts 26:14-19.
"But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee
for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things
which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto
thee; Delivering thee from the people,
and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that
they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in me."
[red letters]
Certified
gospel faith places absolute faith in a good God, the God who loves us, who not
only provided the salvation for us, but continues to bless us. John wrote: "We love him, because he
first loved us." 1 John 4:19
"Then
shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him." Psalm 67:6-7
Peter and
Paul preached the same Gospel.
“You built
the Church on Peter and Paul (and John). They were powerful in their service to
Jesus and proclaiming Your saving Word. We love the wholeheartedness of Peter.
We cherish the charismatic Paul. We thank You for their struggles and the way
they poured themselves out for Your Church. As Peter became protective of the heritage
and Paul became more expansive with the message, keep Your Church faithful to
the tension. Keep us faithful to the past as we create Your new future with the
kingdom keys You have given us.”
[adapted from Colaresi]
All the
apostles were each called by Jesus. Both
Peter and Paul (and John) were first among equals.
"Then
after three years I went up to Jerusalem
Paul preached
on Mars Hill: "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
Acts 17:31
Peter writes
in the context of assuring Christians of the hope we have, and of the dangers
which face the church. "And so we
have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that
shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your
hearts;" 2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV)
Peter is
saying: "We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard—God's glory,
God's voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep
focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for
daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts." Peter refers to the Transfiguration and the
things he and the others witnessed there.
Jesus is the Eternal WORD who came in flesh & bone into our world to
be the Lamb of God who takes away sin!
This is the Good News of the
Gospel of how God saves people for eternity!
For God So Loved The World!
First, a glimpse of heaven. [Luke 9:28-31]
Jesus on the mountain - transfigured!
His clothes are dazzling WHITE!
He's locked in discussion with the Two Witnesses.
Moses (the Law), Elijah (the Prophets) -
the Two Witnesses who speak of Who He Is!
They are talking with Him about how
He will soon fulfill God's Purpose by dying.
The LAMB OF GOD who takes away SIN.
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