Why Foreign Missions? 20j. The Gospel
According to Paul—A Summary of the Content of the Gospel
These studies on the content of
the Gospel according to Paul (numbers 20 a-i) began by noting C. H. Dodd’s list of points that
constituted the early Church’s Gospel.
My word study approach has yielded similar results, showing that the Gospel
was centred on Jesus Christ. However,
these studies have also yielded some richer facts about the Gospel. In light of these studies, I might offer a
summary of the content of the Gospel.[1]
The Content of the Gospel: Jesus
Christ
The following elements of the
Gospel's content can be highlighted from passages in Paul's letters from word
studies of ‘Gospel,’ ‘Proclamation,’ ‘Word,’ ‘Witness,’ ‘Mystery,’ and
‘Truth.’ The first point emphasises
Paul’s view that the Gospel is continuous with the Old Testament. The second point emphasises that Paul
understood the Gospel as a truth revealed by God. Several points show that the Gospel is
centred on Jesus Christ, and the final points show how the apostles and
believers are related to the Gospel.
Promise/Fulfilment: Rom. 1.1ff; 1 Cor. 15.3ff.
Revelation: Rom. 1.1ff; 1.16f; 1 Cor. 2.1; 2 Cor. 4.3ff;
Gal. 1.8; Eph. 1.8; 3. 3‑6; 6.19; 2
Tim. 1.8.
Seed
of David: incarnate Son of God; promised Messiah: Rom. 1.1ff; 2 Tim. 2.8.
Son
of God in power, through the holy spirit by virtue of his resurrection:
Rom. 1.1ff.
Rom. 1.1ff.
Lord: Rom. 1.1ff; 2 Cor. 4.4
Grace
accomplished through Jesus (forgiveness of sins, salvation; reconciliation
to God by Jesus’ death):[2]
to God by Jesus’ death):[2]
Rom.
1.1ff; 1 Cor. 15.3ff; Eph. 1.13; Col. 1.5, 23; 2 Th. 2.14; 2 Tim. 1.10.
Jesus
was buried: 1 Cor. 15.3ff; (1 Cor. 11.26).
Jesus
was raised on the third day: 1 Cor. 15.3ff; 2 Ti.2.8.
Jesus
was seen after the resurrection: 1 Cor. 15.3ff.
Apostleship,
commissioned to proclaim this good news: Rom. 1.1ff; 1.9; 15.16;
1 Cor. 1.17;
(4.15); 9.16, 18; 2 Cor. 4.3ff; 11.7; Gal. 2.2, 5, 7; Eph. 3.2ff; 6.19; Phl.
1.7; 2.22; 4.3; Col. 1.23; 1 Th. 2.4, 8f; 3.2; 2 Tim. 1.10.
Obedience
of faith demanded as response to Gospel (belief, hearing, reception):
Rom. 1.1ff, 16f; 10.16; 1 Cor. 15.1f; 2 Cor. 9.13; Eph. 1.13; (Phl.1.27); Col. 1.5, 23; 2 Th. 1.8.
Rom. 1.1ff, 16f; 10.16; 1 Cor. 15.1f; 2 Cor. 9.13; Eph. 1.13; (Phl.1.27); Col. 1.5, 23; 2 Th. 1.8.
Universal, the
Gentiles now included in God's plan: Rom.1.1ff; 1.16f; 15.16, 19, 20; 2 Cor.10.16; Gal.
1.16; 2.2, 7; Eph. 2.16f; 3.2‑6; Col. 1.23.
Accompanied with power, Spirit, signs and wonders: 1 Th. 1.5; (2 Cor.
11.4: preach another Jesus, receive another Spirit, accept another gospel);
Eph. 1.13 (in which also believing you were sealed by the holy spirit of
promise).
Opposed: Rom. 10.16; 11.28; 2. Cor. 4.3ff; Gal. 1.7;
Phl. 1.12, 16; 1 Th. 2.4; 2 Tim. 2.8;
Philemon 13.
Philemon 13.
Five Comments on This Data
Some comments might be made regarding the content of the Gospel.[3]
a. There is
One, True Gospel
In Galatians Paul
argues strongly that there is only one Gospel, (1.6ff) which is opposed by
those wanting Gentile Christians to be circumcised and come under the Mosaic
Law (2.13‑5). This threat to freedom in
Christ was seen as a threat to the truth of the Gospel (2.4f) by those not
keeping in step with the truth of the Gospel (2.14). Although there may be other
"gospels," there is only one true Gospel (2 Cor. 11.4; Gal. 1.6ff).
All this is not to
say that Paul could recite a special wording of his creed, but it is to say
that he had a very clear understanding of the one true Gospel.
b. The
Gospel is Centred on Jesus
*He
is Christ (Rom. 1.1ff).
*He
is our Lord (Rom. 1.1ff; 2 Cor. 4.3ff).
*The
Gospel may be called the Gospel of God (Rom. 1.1; 15.16; 2 Cor.
11.7; 1 Th. 2.8, 9)
or the Gospel of his son, Jesus, Christ (Rom. 1.9; 15.19; 1 Cor. 9.12; 2 Cor.
2.12; 4.4; 9.13; 10.14; Gal. 1.7; Phl. 1.27; 2 Th. 1.8). As the Gospel of God it is that which God
commissions (1 Th. 2.2, 4). Timothy is
called Paul's fellow worker of God in the Gospel of Christ (1 Th. 3.2). Here God is the one commissioning this
ministry and the content is Christ. The
Gospel is God's message of what God has done in Christ.
*Paul
cares nothing for circumstances and little for motive, as long as the Gospel is advanced (Phl.
1.12), that is, as long as Christ is preached (Phl. 1.16). The Gospel is the preaching of Christ.
*Sometimes
more specific content of the Gospel is presented.
**In
Rom. 1.1ff Paul says of the Gospel that it was
1. promised by God's prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning
his son,
2.
that he was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
3.
determined son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness from resurrection of the dead,
4. that Jesus Christ is our Lord,
5. through whom we received grace and apostleship;
4. that Jesus Christ is our Lord,
5. through whom we received grace and apostleship;
6.
for obedience of faith, in all the nations on behalf of his name.
**1 Cor. 15.1ff
affirms
1. Christ's death on behalf of our sins,
2. his burial;
3. that he was raised on the third day;
4.
that he was seen after the resurrection (by Cephas, then the Twelve, then 500
brothers at once, then James, then all the apostles, and last of all Paul).
c. The Gospel brings salvation.
As Christ is savior, so the Gospel brings salvation
(Rom. 1.16f: it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe). It is not believed by those being destroyed,
whose eyes the god of this age has blinded (2 Cor. 4.3). Eph. 1.13 calls the word of truth ‘the Gospel
of your salvation, in which also believing you were sealed by the holy spirit
of promise.’ It is called the Gospel of
truth (Col. 1.5; Eph. 6.15). It is to be
obeyed (Rom. 10.16; 2 Th. 1.8), or it results in obedience (2 Cor. 9.13). God establishes the Romans ‘according to my
Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ’ (Rom. 16.25). The Colossians are reconciled ‘in the body of
his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblemished and blameless
before God, if indeed you remain in the faith, founded and established and not
moved from the hope of the Gospel to every creature under heaven, of which I,
Paul, have become a servant’ (Col. 1.22f).
As such, it will also be opposed and disobeyed and needs to be defended
(Phl. 1.16: apologia; 1 Th. 2.2, 4).
Addendum:
Joseph Fitzmyer discusses the Gospel as the power of God (Rom. 1.16):[4]
He says, 'In other words, it not only proclaims the redemptive event of
Christ's death and resurrection but is itself a force that spreads it to
men. In a sense, it is a redemptive
event whenever it makes its appeal to men.
Strikingly, Paul calls it 'the power of God,' just as he referred to
Christ himself (1 Cor. 1.24). This is
why to 'preach Christ crucified' is to 'preach the gospel.' Both Christ and the gospel bring the Father's
salvific bounty to men. The gospel is
the Father's means of accosting men, soliciting from them the responses of
faith and love. That is why it is 'God's
gospel' (1 Thes. 2.2, 8, 9; 2 Cor. 11.7; Rom. 1.1; 15.16); it is also his
'gift,' his 'favor' (2 Cor. 9.14-15). So
Paul can write to the Thessalonians that his 'gospel was not preached to them
in words only, but with power and the holy Spirit and full conviction; (1 Th.
1.5; cf. 1 Cor. 4.20). For as the 'power
of God,' the gospel is not proclaimed without the assistance of the Spirit of God. Indeed, through this 'good news of salvation'
believers are sealed with the promised holy Spirit, 'the pledge of our
inheritance' (Eph. 1.13). Through it men
are already saved (1 Cor. 15.2).’
d. The
Gospel is all‑important for Paul.
The message is urgent and must reach everywhere. The messenger is completely expendable, as a clay jar carrying a treasure (2 Cor. 4.7). Paul goes where the door opens for evangelism (2 Cor. 2.12). He avoids any appearance of wrongdoing in proclaiming this Gospel so as not to become an obstacle for anyone. Thus he preaches the Gospel free of charge, even though his apostolic authority and the words of Jesus would allow him financial remuneration (1 Cor. 9 ; 2 Cor. 11.7;). Chains are irrelevant, as long as the Gospel is preached (Phl. 1.12; Eph. 6.19). Anyone helping in the Gospel proclamation is reckoned as participating in the fellowship of the Gospel (Phl. 1.5). And it is a fellowship of ones united in battle, for the Philippians are to stand firm with one common purpose and to contend for the Gospel faith, believing in him and suffering for him just as is the case with Paul (Phl. 1.27‑30). Timothy serves with Paul in the Gospel (Phl. 2.22; 1 Th. 3.2; cf. Pastoral Epistles), as also Euodia and Syntyche, Clement and others (Phl. 4.3), Titus and an unnamed brother (2 Cor. 8.16‑24).
The message is urgent and must reach everywhere. The messenger is completely expendable, as a clay jar carrying a treasure (2 Cor. 4.7). Paul goes where the door opens for evangelism (2 Cor. 2.12). He avoids any appearance of wrongdoing in proclaiming this Gospel so as not to become an obstacle for anyone. Thus he preaches the Gospel free of charge, even though his apostolic authority and the words of Jesus would allow him financial remuneration (1 Cor. 9 ; 2 Cor. 11.7;). Chains are irrelevant, as long as the Gospel is preached (Phl. 1.12; Eph. 6.19). Anyone helping in the Gospel proclamation is reckoned as participating in the fellowship of the Gospel (Phl. 1.5). And it is a fellowship of ones united in battle, for the Philippians are to stand firm with one common purpose and to contend for the Gospel faith, believing in him and suffering for him just as is the case with Paul (Phl. 1.27‑30). Timothy serves with Paul in the Gospel (Phl. 2.22; 1 Th. 3.2; cf. Pastoral Epistles), as also Euodia and Syntyche, Clement and others (Phl. 4.3), Titus and an unnamed brother (2 Cor. 8.16‑24).
e. Paul
sees his calling tied up with his own salvation (1 Cor. 9.23; Phl. 3.10ff;
1 Tim. 1.15f).
His encounter
with the risen Lord was at once a saving and calling, and the two distinct
notions were seen together in Paul’s case.
Salvation can be designated in many ways (reconciliation, redemption,
salvation, sanctification, justification/righteousness, dying and rising with
Christ, atonement, liberation, forgiveness), but it is also understood by Paul
to be God’s grace that included his calling as an apostle. Paul was called to be an apostle and set
apart for the Gospel of God (Rom. 1.1).
Believers are also "called" by God. Their salvation overlaps with the community’s
calling to be a holy people (cf. Exod. 19.5-6): Rom. 1.7; 1 Cor. 1.2; Eph. 1.4;
4.1; 2 Ti. 1.9; Gal. 5.13f (freedom); 1 Th. 4.7; 5.23f; 2 Th. 2.13f. Election (calling) is not to be equated with
salvation: it reflects God’s purpose in His plan to work salvation on the earth,
and both calling and salvation are by God’s grace.
[1] This
material originally appeared in my dissertation. Cf. Rollin G. Grams, ‘Gospel and Mission in
Paul’s Ethics’ (unpublished PhD dissertation, Duke University, 1989).
[2] Morna Hooker's (Not Ashamed of the Gospel: New Testament
Interpretations of the Death of Christ (Eugene,
OR: Wipf & Stock, 2004; orig. pub. 1994), pp. 20-46) discussion of the Gospel in Paul
emphasises the idea of participation in Christ, that is, a reciprocity in which
Jesus stands in our place and we in His.
This goes beyond the idea of substitution: Christ does not die instead of us; His death means our
death, His life our life. E.g., 1 Th.
4.9: ' For God has destined us not for
wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died
for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.' Hooker finds this notion of participation in
the other Pauline letters. Her
discussion of Galatians is over several pages (31-34), but the following quote
captures the point: In Gal. 3.14, e.g., 'we are reminded of those words in 1
Thess. 5.10--Christ died, in order that we might live with him; if blessing
comes to us, it is because we are in him; if we receive the Spirit, it is
because we share in his life--and [in Gal. 4] … the Spirit we receive is in
fact the Spirit of the Son. It is not,
then, a case of Christ and the believer changing places, but of the believer
sharing in Christ's life. If Christ has
been vindicated and raised from the dead, the same must be true of those who
are united with him' (33). Cf. Gal.
2.20; 1 Cor. 1.30 with 6.11 (what Christ is we become); 2 Cor. 5.14 (where
'huper' means 'as representative,' not 'instead of'); 5.21; 8.9; Rom. 5.6, 8,
12-21; 6; 8.1-17; Phl. 2.1-11; 3.7-11, 21.
In addition to these verses are those in which Paul describes his own
suffering: e.g., Gal. 6.17; 2 Cor. 1.3-7; 4.7-12; 6.4-10; etc.
[3] See Rollin G. Grams, Gospel and Mission in Paul's Ethics, (Ph.D. Dissertation, Duke University,
1989), pp. 183-185—with some slight modification.
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