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This Book is crucial to
a proper grasp of God's operations. As our home studies involved a detailed
approach and extended discussions, the presentation is, consequently,
rather long. As it does take some time to prepare the material for uploads,
and to avoid further delay in sharing our thoughts, we plan to present our
understanding of the Book bite-sized.
As mentioned earlier concerning the sequence of Paul's letters in our
accepted texts, the arrangement is thematic rather than chronological. In
this scheme, this letter to the Romans is first and introduces us to the
revelation of God through His commission to Paul.
Section A: The Evangel Made
Known; Justification (1:1-6)
Balanced by Section a - Evangel: Hushed Up,
Conciliation (16:25-27)
01:01 Paul, a slave
of Christ Jesus, a called apostle,
severed for the evangel
of God
'Paul…'
This is the apostle who was converted on the road while on his way to Damascus
to ferret out believers of the heresy against traditional Judaism, the
religion God had given through Moses.
God, however, had had other plans for him and had been working on him in
preparation for these, without his being aware of it. So it was that God
called him in sudden and traumatic fashion and gave him a triple
commission, one of which was for a special work among the nations, to which
group he was officially dedicated a little later on.
Act.9:3-9
Now in his going he came to be nearing Damascus.
Suddenly a light out of heaven flashes about
him.
4 And falling on the earth, he hears a voice saying
to him,
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
Me?"
5 Yet he said, "Who art Thou, Lord?"
Yet He said, "I am Jesus Whom you are
persecuting.
6 Nevertheless, rise and enter the city,
and it will be spoken to you what you must
be doing."
7 Now the men who are journeying with him stood dumbfounded,
hearing, indeed, the sound, yet beholding no
one.
8 Now Saul was raised from the earth,
yet, his eyes being open, he observed
nothing.
Now, leading him by the hand, they led him
into Damascus,
9 and he was three days not observing aught, and he
neither ate nor drank.
Gal.1:15,16
…Now, when it delights God,
Who severs me from my mother's womb and
calls me through His grace,
16 to unveil His Son in me
that I may be evangelizing Him among the
nations,
Act.9:15,16 … "Go, for he is a choice
instrument of Mine, to bear My name
before both the nations and kings, besides
the sons of Israel,
Act.13:2 Now, at their ministering to the Lord and
fasting,
the holy spirit said, "Sever, by all
means, to Me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them."
Act.22;21 And He said to me,
`Go! For I shall be delegating you afar to
the nations.'
Act.26:15-18 Now I say, `Who art Thou, Lord?'
Now the Lord said, `I am Jesus, Whom you are
persecuting.
16 But rise and stand on your feet, for I was
seen by you for this,
to fix upon you before for a deputy and a
witness
both of what you have perceived and that in
which I will be seen by you,
17 extricating you from the people
and from the nations, to whom I am
commissioning you,
18 to open their eyes, to turn them about
from darkness to light
and from the authority of Satan to God,
for them to get a pardon of sins and
an allotment among those who have been
hallowed by faith that is in Me.'
This letter to the Roman community of believers is part of this
commission to the nations.
Rom.11:13
Now to you am I saying, to the nations, in as much as,
indeed, then, I am the apostle of
the nations, I am glorifying my dispensation,
Rom.15:15,16 Yet more daringly do I write to you,
in part, as prompting you,
because of the grace being given to me
from God,
16 for me to be the minister of Christ Jesus for
the nations,
acting as a priest of the evangel of God,
that the approach present of the nations
may be becoming well received,
having been hallowed by holy spirit.
1Tim.2:7 for which I was appointed a
herald and an apostle
(I am telling the truth, I am not lying),
a teacher of the nations in knowledge and truth.
Gal.1:15,16 Now, when it delights God,
Who severs me from my mother's womb
and calls me through His grace,
16 to unveil His Son in me
that I may be evangelizing Him among the
nations,…
Gal.2:7,8 But, on the contrary,
perceiving
that I have been entrusted with the
evangel of the Uncircumcision,
8 according as Peter of the Circumcision
(for He Who operates in Peter for the
apostleship of the Circumcision
operates in me also for the nations),
Paul begins every one of his letters, which have come down through the
received text to those to whom he had been commissioned, with his name. It
becomes his call sign or trademark by which we, believers out of the
nations, can recognize that what is about to be treated in that
epistle is of special relevance to us. He wrote a number of other
letters, but these, for reasons known only to God, have never come down to
us. Perhaps, they dealt with topics already handled by those letters that have
come to us, or they touched on subjects that were peculiar to some
particular readership and time, and has no relevance outside that
context.
Though this letter under study is called 'First' Corinthians, there is
indication that there was another one that preceded it.
1Cor.5:9-11
I write to you in the epistle
not to be commingling with paramours.
10 And undoubtedly it is not as to the paramours of
this world,
or the greedy and extortionate, or
idolaters,
else, consequently, you ought to come out of
the world.
11 Yet now I write to you
not to be commingling with anyone named a brother,
if he should be a paramour, or greedy, or an
idolater, or a reviler,
or a drunkard, or an extortioner.
With such a one you are not even to be
eating.
The book of Hebrews, also, is commonly ascribed to him. This may
well be so, taking into consideration the style and thought-flow in the
presentation. However, the 'Paul' signature or call sign is not
found anywhere in the epistle, showing that this is not part of his
ministry to us of the nations. Its subject matter shows that it is addressed
to the Circumcision believers for the time-context that lies between the 'until
the complement of the nations may be entering' demarcation and the 'thus
all Israel
shall be saved' of Romans 11:25. We know that Paul did write to these
people and, as such, it would be a part of his ministry to 'the sons of Israel'
and under Peter's supervision.
2Pet.3:15,16
And be deeming the patience of our Lord salvation,
according as our beloved brother Paul
also writes to you,
according to the wisdom given to him,
16 as also in all the epistles, speaking in them
concerning these things,
in which are some things hard to
apprehend,
which the unlearned and unstable are
twisting,
as the rest of the scriptures also, to their
own destruction.
He may have been known by his Hebrew name 'Saul' as well as by his Greek
name 'Paul'. In Scripture, however, he is 'Saul' in the earlier chapters of
the book of Acts; but from chapter 13 and verse 9, after his severance at Antioch
for his special ministry, he is "Paul". This fact should have
some significance.
'…a slave…'
This is from the Greek doul'os, one who belongs to another,
owned by a master.
It is different from servant, dia'konos, THROUGH-SERVitor, which
refers to one who serves or works for another, though not necessarily owned
by him; dia'konos, in relation to things, is translated dispenser.
Paul identifies himself as the 'slave' of Christ Jesus. It is not in
any assumed humility that he does this. Paul as well as we who are
Christ's, have been redeemed together with the rest of humanity through the
priceless currency of Christ's very own blood, He being 'the correspondent
Ransom for all', so that we were bought off from the tyrannical dominion
and mastery of Death and Sin.
1Tim.2:3-7
… our Saviour, God,
4 Who wills that all mankind be saved
and come into a realization of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind,
a Man, Christ Jesus,
6 Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all
(the testimony in its own eras),
7 for which I was appointed a herald and an apostle
(I am telling the truth, I am not lying),
a teacher of the nations in knowledge and
truth.
But more than that, God has also specially purchased us from
ourselves through His down-payment to us of holy spirit so that
now we do not even belong to ourselves any longer.
Eph.1:13,14
In Whom you also--
on hearing the word of truth, the evangel
of your salvation--
in Whom on believing also,
you are sealed with the holy spirit of
promise
14 (which is an earnest of the enjoyment of
our allotment,
to the deliverance of that which has been
procured) for the laud of His glory!
2Thes.2:13,14 … God prefers you from the
beginning for salvation,
in holiness of the spirit and faith in the
truth,
14 into which He also calls us through our
evangel,
for the procuring of the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been double-purchased, so to speak. We have become the
property of God through Christ, set apart from the rest of humanity,
made holy by God! This fact should be indelibly imprinted on our minds and
should colour our every thought and action, making of them things pleasing
to our Owner and which will reflect His honour and glory.
1Cor.6:20
For you are bought with a price.
By all means glorify God in your body.
God is not a selfish glory-hungry Being. It is His right to
receive glory as God, but each time we glorify Him, He has arranged
it so that we are glorified with Him. We demonstrate that He
has brought us to the point where we recognize and realize
what is right. We glorify the righteousness of God Who, in exalting
Christ for His faith, enables us to believe His declarations.
We grow and mature with understanding. A true appreciation of God and of
His values is, in fact, becoming ours.
Rom.3:21-23
… a righteousness of God is manifest …
22 yet a righteousness of God through Jesus
Christ's faith,
for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no
distinction,
23 for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of
God.
'…Christ Jesus…'
Paul names his Master 'Christ Jesus' instead of the usual Jesus Christ.
Scripture is not careless with words. We should distinguish between
words, and keep them distinct, to be able to grasp more accurately what
Scripture is driving at. Does God not know what He wants to say? Is He
unable to find words in the languages of inspiration to adequately express
Himself? Does He require us to edit His revelation? There is always a
reason for His choice and preference of words and for their order. This is
crucial to understanding the very fundamentals of the faith.
Psa.12:6
The words of Yahweh are clean words,
Silver refined in a kiln, Fine
gold cupelled seven times.
2Tim.1:13 Have a pattern of sound
words, which you hear from me, …
Rom.11:34 For, who knew the mind
of the Lord?
or, who became His adviser?
What is called 'Christianity', however, has flung such caution to the
winds. She has felt no qualms about adjusting the words of Scripture to
cover doctrines which are non-scriptural and, therefore, not the truth of
God.
An example of this is in her doctrine of 'God the Son', a term and teaching
not found in Scripture, instead of the truth of the 'Son of God'. This has
given rise to her doctrine of a Trinity which is, of course,
extra-scriptural, and the preposterous 'Mother of God' teaching concerning
Mary. If the doctrine that Jesus is truly God is a truth of Scripture, why
does the Protestant camp fight shy of accepting this consequent Catholic
dogma concerning Mary? After all, it is a simple equation:
Mary is the mother of Jesus. Jesus is God.
Therefore Mary is the mother of God. Period!
Such errors affect the very core of our understanding about Who God
is and What He is. Is it the true God that we worship? Scripture is
clear in declaring that:
1Cor.8:6a … for us there is one
God, the Father,
out of Whom
all is, and we for Him,
This same verse distinguishes
God from Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Many verses confirm this
fact.
1Cor.8:6
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through Whom all is, and we through Him.
Jn.17:3 Now it is eonian life that they may know Thee, the
only true God,
and Him Whom Thou dost commission, Jesus Christ.
What is recognised as 'Christianity' does not get her doctrines from
God's revelation through Scripture. Extra-scriptural means extracted
from pagan sources. Pre-Christian religions, especially around the Middle
East, abounded with such doctrines and traditions. These
heathen ideas were 'christianised' and passed off as truth. Error begets
error, which begets more error. Encyclopaedias point out the pagan origins
of the 'Christian' Easter and Christmas. Halloween is evidently demonic. Do
these exposés bother her? Is she even interested in truth?
Jn.4:23,24 But coming is the hour, and now is,
when the true worshipers will be
worshiping the Father in spirit and truth,
for the Father also is seeking such to be
worshiping Him.
24 God is spirit,
and those who are worshiping Him must be
worshiping in spirit and truth.
2Tim.3:4,5 fond of their own gratification
rather than fond of God;
5 having a form of devoutness, yet denying
its power.
'Christ' comes from the Greek Christos meaning 'Anointed'. It
corresponds to the Hebrew Mesach, translated 'Messiah'. It is a title
rather than a name and, here, refers to the anointing of the Son by the
Father for His own purpose. As a point of interest, Scripture says that we
who are believers are also anointed of God.
Heb.1:9
…Thou art anointed by God, Thy God, … beyond Thy partners
Mt.16:16 Simon Peter said, "Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God."
2Cor.1:21 He Who is confirming us together with
you in Christ,
and anoints us, is God,
1Cor.12:12 For even as the body is one and has
many members,
yet all the members of the one body, being
many, are one body,
thus also is the Christ.
'Jesus' is the Greek form of Joshua, the shortened form of Jehoshua,
and means Jehovah-SAVIOUR. He was not known by this name prior to
His becoming flesh through Mary in the operation of salvation for, then, He
was the Logos, the Word, of God.
Jn.1:1
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was toward God, and God was
the Word.
Jn.1:14 And the Word became flesh and
tabernacles among us,…
Lk.1:31 And lo! you shall be conceiving and be
pregnant
and be bringing forth a Son, and you
shall be calling His name Jesus.
Jn.20:30,31 many other signs also Jesus does, in the
sight of His disciples,
which are not written in this scroll.
31 Yet these are written
that you should be believing that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that, believing, you may have life
eonian in His name.
Our Lord's name is Jesus and His title Christ. So, in
this case, 'Christ Jesus' puts an emphasis on His present office
and authority as the Anointed of God, rather than on His finished
work as Saviour.
Mt.1:16
now Jacob begets Joseph, the husband of Mary
of whom was born Jesus, Who is termed
"Christ."
Mt.16:15-17 He is saying to them,
"Now you, who are you saying that I
am?"
16 Now answering, Simon Peter said,
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God."
17 Now, answering, Jesus said to him, "Happy
are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,
for flesh and blood does not reveal it to you,
but My Father Who is in the heavens.
Jesus was anointed, or sacredly appointed, by God for many
things, one of the most important of which being the creation and
reconciliation of all that has ever come into existence!
Col.1:15-20 …for in Him is all created,
that in the heavens and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones, or lordships, or
sovereignties, or authorities,
all is created through Him and for Him,…..
20 and through Him to reconcile all
to Him
(making peace through the blood of His
cross),
through Him, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens.
Jn.1:3 All came into being through
it,
and apart from it not even one thing
came into being
which has come into being.
Heb.1:2 in the last of these days
speaks to us in a Son, …
through Whom He also makes the eons;
To carry out His objective of saving sinners and His ministry
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel the Logos became flesh (and
became known as Jesus), divesting Himself of all power and glory which had
been His to that point, humbled Himself and obeyed unto death.
Phil.2:6-8
Who, being inherently in the form of God,
deems it not pillaging to be equal with
God, 7 nevertheless empties Himself,
taking the form of a slave, coming to be in
the likeness of humanity,
8 and, being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Though having completed His assignment as Saviour, and been
raised to God's right hand, to the highest place possible in creation, He
has still further assignments. Some of these, which accord with God's
purpose for creating the eons, even the Circumcision believers out of Israel
were quite unaware of.
Eph.1:8-10 in all wisdom and prudence
9 making known to us the secret of His
will
(in accord with His delight, which He
purposed in Him)
10 to have an administration of the complement of
the eras,
to head up all in the Christ--both that in the heavens and that on the earth--
Phil.2:9,10 Wherefore, also, God highly exalts
Him,
and graces Him with the name that is above
every name,
10 that in the name of Jesus every knee
should be bowing,
celestial and terrestrial and subterranean,
11 and every tongue should be acclaiming that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
for the glory of God, the Father.
It is under this umbrella, or banner, that Paul brings the message
he has. It is a distinct message which none of the other bible writers share
in the responsibility of transmitting. Because this special message was
entrusted to him, as an exclusive commission, he sometimes refers to
it as his evangel.
Rom.2:16
… when God will be judging the hidden things of humanity,
according to my evangel, through Jesus Christ.
Rom.16:25 …Him Who is able to establish you in
accord with my evangel,
'…a called apostle…'
Paul is not just a self-appointed do-gooder with admirable intentions,
trying with dogged perseverance to help God to make this a better
world! Neither is he one with a title conferred on by a group of his peers.
He neither looks nor yearns for the applause and approval of men and their
organisations!
The word 'apostle' comes from the Greek apostolos and refers to one
who is sent to carry out an assignment, a commissioned representative with
delegated authority.
He insists that he is a called apostle, one with a specific
commission, given by God through Christ, without any other
intermediary. He did not grow in the faith until he was knowledgeable and
experienced enough to be elevated to the rank of apostle. It was not an
office he sought or applied for. He was not nominated and voted in by the
twelve apostles, or by any board of selectors. To them, at the time he was
called, he was their rabid enemy.
Foreknown and destined by God, he was called as an apostle and then
given the message he was to carry to the world. His call included
his appointment to the office. The message he was to preach was given to
him subsequent to this.
Act.9:15
Yet the Lord said to him
"Go, for he is a choice instrument
of Mine, to bear My name
before both the nations and kings, besides
the sons of Israel,
Gal.1:15,16 Now, when it delights God,
Who severs me from my mother's womb and
calls me through His grace,
16 to unveil His Son in me
that I may be evangelizing Him among the
nations,…
Act.26:16-18 … for I was seen by you for this,
to fix upon you before for a
deputy and a witness
both of what you have perceived and that in
which I will be seen by you,
17 extricating you from the people
and from the nations, to whom I am
commissioning you,
18 to open their eyes, to turn them
about from darkness to light
and from the authority of Satan to God,
for them to get a pardon of sins and
an allotment
among those who have been hallowed by
faith that is in Me
Gal.1:10-12 For, at present, am I
persuading men or God?
Or am I seeking to please men?
If I still pleased men, I were not a slave
of Christ.
11 For I am making known to you, brethren,
as to the evangel which is being brought by
me,
that it is not in accord with
man.
12 For neither did I accept it from a man, nor
was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus
Christ.
1Cor.4:1-3 Thus let a man be reckoning with us--
as deputies of Christ, and administrators
of God's secrets.
2 Here, furthermore, it is being sought in administrators
that any such may be found faithful.
3 Now to me it is the least trifle
that I may be being examined by you or by
man's day.
The Twelve also received Christ's call and commission, too, though
these were assigned a different service with a different
scope.
Lk.6:13-15
And when it became day He shouts to His disciples,
and chooses from them twelve, whom He
names apostles also:
14 Simon, whom He names also Peter, and Andrew, his
brother,
and James and John, and Philip and
Bartholomew,
15 and Matthew and Thomas, and James of Alpheus
and Simon, called a Zealot, 16 and Judas
of James
and Judas Iscariot, who also became a
traitor.
Mt.10:5-7 These twelve Jesus commissions, charging
them, saying,
"Into a road of the nations you may not
pass forth,
and into a city of the Samaritans you may
not be entering.
6 Yet be going rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 Now going, herald, saying that `Near is the kingdom of the
heavens!'
Jn.15:16 Not you choose Me, but I
choose you, and I appoint you,
that you may be going away and be bringing
forth much fruit,…
Jn.13:18 Not concerning all of you am I speaking,
for I am aware whom I choose, but
that the scripture may be fulfilled,
`He who is masticating bread with Me lifts
up his heel against Me.'
Judas became disqualified and his place became vacant when he betrayed his
Lord and strangled himself. It needed to be filled as there was Jesus'
promise to the apostles.
Mt.19:28
Yet Jesus said to them,
"Verily, I am saying to you, that you
who follow Me, in the renascence
whenever the Son of Mankind should be seated
on the throne of His glory,
you also shall sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And that reserved place could only be filled by someone with certain
specified qualifications. As we know, the lot fell to Matthias.
Act.1:21,22 Then, of the men coming together with us
in all the time in which the Lord Jesus
came in and out to us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which He was taken up from us--
of these one is to become a witness of
His resurrection together with us."
Act.1:23-26 And they nominate two,
Joseph, called Bar-Sabbas, who was surnamed
Justus, and Matthias.
24 And praying, they say, "Thou, Lord, Knower
of all hearts,
indicate one whom Thou choosest,
25 out of these two
to take the place of this dispensation
and apostleship,
from which Judas transgressed, to be gone into his own place."
26 And they give lots for them, and the lot falls on
Matthias,
and he is enumerated with the eleven
apostles.
With God's choice of Matthias the number of apostles was complete
once again. After this incident, the places of these twelve, as they
died, were never taken by others. There were no more replacements.
The place of James who was assassinated by Herod (Act.12:1,2) has
remained vacant. The privileged position of each was
'personal-to-holder' only! All the claims of Roman Catholicism to
preeminence of its popes through 'apostolic succession' are in direct
opposition to this fact.
Though Paul was appointed an apostle, it is clear from Scripture that he
was not numbered among the twelve. His was a different
ministry.
'…severed...'
Both Paul and Barnabas had been ministering among the other
believers, who were Jews and proselytes, at Antioch,
but were severed from these others for a special work to be carried out
among the nations. The others in Antioch
were not to be sharing in this particular work of bringing the
"evangel of God" to the nations!
Act.13:2
"Sever, by all means, to Me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called
them."
Gal.1:15,16 Now, when it delights God,
Who severs me from my mother's womb
and calls me through His grace, 16 to unveil
His Son in me
that I may be evangelizing Him among the
nations,…
The significant word here 'sever', from aphorizö,
FROM-SEEize, denotes a clean cutting off, a distinctive break with no
further dependence on that from which it is cut off. Scripture prefers this
word to 'separated', from chörizö, SPACE-ize, which is merely
putting a little distance between two entities.
We must keep in mind that the other apostles were also carrying a message
of salvation from God. And yet Paul and Barnabas were cut away from them.
This is an indication that the message Paul and Barnabas were carrying is
not the same one that the others were preaching. This will become clearer
as we progress.
We must remember that Paul was neither an addition to the original
Twelve, nor was he a replacement for any of them. There were two ministries
and these were distinct from one another.
'…the evangel of God…'
The often heard word ‘gospel’ is translated from the Greek eua[n]ggelion,
which may be better translated ‘evangel’ as English already has the
well-understood derivatives 'evangelise' and 'evangelist.' This word has
the meaning of good news, glad-tidings, and more literally, well-message.
It would be good to bear in mind that, whenever we come across such phrases
in the ‘New Testament’, that these are all translated from the same basic
Greek word euaggelion. It is this common ambivalence given to this
word, found within each version of the bible, that has caused much truth to
become more hidden from us.
Somehow this word ‘gospel’ has been accepted by most as referring to one,
and only one, good news that is from God to humanity. This
misconception is compounded when the word is attached to the accounts of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, giving the idea that this same, one and
only, good news has been tailored to suit different audiences. The
scriptural evidence, however, will not support such a concept.
The word evangel, or gospel, is a common noun such as the words
'law', 'language', 'history', etc. In scripture, whenever we meet with the
word ‘law’, we know that we have to depend on a qualifying word, or the
context, to determine whether it refers to just the Decalogue, the whole
‘Old Testament’, or even secular law such as the law of the Medes and
Persians. We know that the ‘law of Germany’ and the ‘law of Malaysia’ cannot
refer to one and the same system of law set up by a single judicial
body but delegated to Germany and to Malaysia separately. We know that the language
of the Russians is not the language of the Japanese; that the
history of India cannot
be the history of Mexico!
So, too, when we come across the word 'evangel' or 'gospel' or any of their
equivalents within the same version of the bible, we have to pay greater
attention to exactly what is being referred to.
Paul speaks often of the 'evangel of God'.
Rom.15:16
for me to be the minister of Christ Jesus for the nations,
acting as a priest of the evangel of God,
that the approach present of the nations
may be becoming well received,
having been hallowed by holy spirit.
2Cor.11:7 Or do I sin in humbling myself that you may
be exalted,
seeing that I bring the evangel of God
to you gratuitously?
1Thes.2:2 but, though suffering before and being outraged
in Philippi,
according as you are aware, we are bold in
our God
to speak the evangel of God to you
with a vast struggle.
1Thes.2:8,9 Thus being ardently attached to you,
we are delighting to share with you not only
the evangel of God,
but our own souls also, because you came to
be beloved by us.
9 For you remember, brethren, our toil and labor: working night and
day
so as not to be burdensome to any of you,
we herald to you the evangel of God.
It must be borne in mind, however, that the term 'the evangel of
God' is generic, not specific. Any good news that comes from God IS an
evangel of God. The contexts must determine what the evangel
is that is before us.
Though many insist that there is only one gospel (albeit with
variations to suit target audiences), Scripture speaks of a number
of different evangels. For example:
(a) The Evangel which God brought to Abraham said that in him
would all the nations be blessed. It did not speak of the birth, life,
death, burial, or resurrection of Jesus, nor of the necessity to ‘accept
the Lord Jesus’ as personal Saviour for the salvation of the individual.
( KJV, RSV, NIV: 'gospel' )
Gen.12:3
And bless those will I who bless you,
and those making light of you will I curse.
And blessed in you and in your seed are all
the families of the ground.
Gal.3:8 Now the scripture,
perceiving before that God is justifying
the nations by faith,
brings before an evangel to Abraham,
that In you shall all the nations be
blessed.
(b) The Evangel which Gabriel brought to Zechariah
spoke of the greatness and mission of John the baptist rather than of the
essential, axial, position of Jesus Christ in God’s scheme of salvation.
( KJV: 'glad tidings'; RSV, NIV: 'good news' )
Lk.1:13-19 Now the messenger said to him,
"Fear not, Zechariah, because hearkened
to is your petition,
and your wife Elizabeth shall be bearing you
a son,
and you shall be calling his name
John. 14 And there will be joy for you,
and exultation, and many shall be rejoicing
at his birth,
15 for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord.
And wine and intoxicant may he under no
circumstances be drinking,
and with holy spirit shall he be filled
while still of his mother's womb.
16 And many of the sons of Israel
shall he be turning back to the Lord their
God.
17 And he shall be coming before in His sight
in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn back the hearts of the fathers to
the children,
and the stubborn to the prudence of the
just,
to make ready a people formed for the
Lord."
18 And Zechariah said to the messenger, "By
what shall I know this?
For I am aged, and my wife is advanced in
her days."
19 And answering, the messenger said to him,
"I am Gabriel, who stands before God,
and I was dispatched to speak to you and to
bring you this evangel.
(c) The Evangel which a heavenly messenger brought to the
shepherds spoke only of the birth of Jesus, and not of the sufferings,
death and resurrection through which salvation is effected.
( KJV: 'good tidings'; RSV, NIV: 'good news' )
Lk.2:10,11
And the messenger said to them, "Fear not, for lo!
I am bringing you an evangel of great joy
which will be for the entire people,
11 for today was brought forth to you a
Saviour, Who is Christ, the Lord,
(d) The Evangel which Timothy brought to Paul informed
him of the faith and welfare of the Thessalonians. This good message cannot,
for obvious reasons, be the very same message that Paul himself had
first preached to them.
( KJV: 'good tidings; RSV, NIV: 'good news' )
1Thes.3:6
Yet at present, because of Timothy's coming to us from you,
and bringing us the evangel of your faith
and your love,
and that you have a good remembrance of us
always,
longing to see us even as we also you--
(e) The Evangel of the Circumcision is put directly in
contrast with
the Evangel of the Uncircumcision
( KJV, RSV, NIV: 'gospel' )
Gal.2:7-9
But, on the contrary, perceiving
that I have been entrusted with the evangel
of the Uncircumcision,
8 according as Peter of the Circumcision
(for He Who operates in Peter for the
apostleship of the Circumcision
operates in me also for the nations),
9 and, knowing the grace which is being given to me,
James and Cephas and John, who are supposed
to be pillars,
give to me and Barnabas the right hand of
fellowship,
that we, indeed, are to be for the nations, yet
they for the Circumcision--
(f) The different Evangel which is not another,
warns against the introduction into the evangel of the Uncircumcision of
parts of the evangel of the Circumcision, even though the latter, as a
whole unit, is also of God. Such 'cut-and-paste' disqualifies
the resultant concoction as a legitimate evangel of God! It distorts what
God has actually said to the people He addresses.
( KJV: ‘a different gospel which is not another’ )
Gal.1:6-9
I am marveling that thus, swiftly, you are transferred
from that which calls you in the grace of
Christ, to a different evangel,
7 which is not another, except it be that some who are disturbing you
want also to distort the evangel of
Christ.
8 But if ever we also, or a messenger out of heaven,
should be bringing an evangel
to you beside that which we bring to you,
let him be anathema!
9 As we have declared before and at present I am saying again,
if anyone is bringing you an
evangel beside that which you accepted,
let him be anathema!
(g) The Eonian Evangel announced by a messenger over
the earth to warn people to worship God (as Creator rather than as
Redeemer) or face His further wrath. It is a declaration to counter that of
the Antichrist who demands worship for himself. It is specifically for that
particular eon.
( KJV: 'everlasting gospel'; RSV, NIV: 'eternal gospel' )
Rev.14:6,7
And I perceived another messenger flying in mid-heaven,
having an eonian evangel to bring to
those situated on the earth,
and to every nation and tribe and language
and people,
7 saying with a loud voice, "Be ye afraid of
God and give glory to Him,
for the hour of His judging came;
and worship the Maker of heaven and
the land and the sea
and the springs of water."
Rev.13:15-17 ...it was given to it to give spirit to the
image of the wild beast,
that the image of the wild beast should be
speaking also,
and should be causing that whosoever
should not be worshiping the image of the
wild beast may be killed.
16 And it is causing all, the small and the great,
and the rich and the poor, and the free and
the slaves,
that they may be giving them an emblem on
their right hand,
or on their forehead,
17 and that no one may be able to buy or sell
except the one having the emblem of the wild
beast,
or its name, or the number of its name.
As a further example, Paul received an evangel, though
neither this word nor its equivalents are used, of God through His
messenger, which promised the safety of all who were on board ship with him
(Act.27:12-44). Paul fully believed this good news but this evangel was
restricted to those in the ship with Paul, and only they were
covered by it - even though they may not have believed it
themselves.
Act.27:12-44
…22 And now I am exhorting you to be cheerful,
for not one soul from among you will be cast away, more than the
ship.
23 For there stood beside me this night a messenger
of God, Whose I am,
to Whom I am offering divine service also,
24 saying, `Fear not, Paul! Before Caesar you must
stand.
And lo! graciously has God granted you all those who are sailing with
you.'
25 Wherefore, be
cheerful, men, for I am believing God that thus it will be
even in the manner which has been spoken to me.
26 Yet we must be falling on a certain island……
By acknowledging that he is the slave severed for the evangel
of God, Paul tells us that it is his lot, as a slave of Christ Jesus to labour
in the evangel and even to suffer evil with it (2Tim.1:8). It
becomes his lifestyle. His Master requires that he serve Him in this
capacity. And as a true slave, the message that he brings is not of his own
concoction, of his own formulation and construction, but a set-apart
message entrusted to him by God through His Christ for the nations!
Gal.1:10-12
…am I persuading men or God?
Or am I seeking to please men?
If I still pleased men, I were not a
slave of Christ.
11 For I am making known to you, brethren,
as to the evangel which is being brought by
me,
that it is not in accord with man.
12 For neither did I accept it from a man, nor was I
taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus
Christ.
1Thes.2:4-6 … according as we have been tested by
God
to be entrusted with the evangel, thus are we speaking,
not as pleasing men, but God, Who is testing our hearts.
5 For neither did we at any time become flattering in expression,
according as you are aware;
neither with a pretense for greed, God is
witness;
6 neither seeking glory from men, neither from you, nor from
others,…
2Tim.1:8 You may not be ashamed, then,
of the testimony of our Lord, nor yet of me, His prisoner,
but suffer evil with the evangel in accord with the power of God,
Phil.1:29 for to you it is graciously granted,
for Christ's sake,
not only to be believing on Him, but to be suffering for His sake also,
Col.1:24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings
for you,
and am filling up in my flesh, in His stead,
the deficiencies of the afflictions of Christ, for His body, which is the
ecclesia
Is it not right that we, too, should have this attitude of our
apostle? We should have our faith and confidence in the evangel God directs
to us. To effect this we need to ascertain what this evangel that
belongs to us is. With so much error and misrepresentation that
exists around us we need to know what God actually says to us so
that we can be pleasing to Him.
Jesus Christ is the epitome of this spirit, this disposition, this frame of
mind, of selflessness in the face of God's will. Not that we will be able
to fulfil His will as well and as completely as He does, but something is
surely wrong if this willingness is missing. Are we believers, or are we
not?
Rom.8:9
… Now if anyone has not Christ's spirit, this one is not His.
Rom.8:15 For you did not get slavery's spirit
to fear again,
but you got the spirit of sonship, in
which we are crying, "Abba, Father!"
Gal.4:6 Now, seeing that you are sons,
God delegates the spirit of His Son
into our hearts, crying "Abba! Father!"
Phil.2:5-8 For let this disposition be in
you, which is in Christ Jesus also,
6 Who, being inherently in the form of God, deems it
not pillaging to be equal with God,
7 nevertheless empties Himself,
taking the form of a slave, coming to be in
the likeness of humanity,
8 and, being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross.
Rom.12:10,11 Let us have fond affection for one
another
with brotherly fondness, in honor deeming
one another first,
11 in diligence not slothful, fervent
in spirit, slaving for the Lord,
Back to:
Index of
Articles - Romans
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April 2003
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