The BIG Picture (Study)

Eternal Life or Eternal Death – Man's Choice Article written by Arthur J Licursi (on his website here ) The "gospel of Christ" is the most glorious offering our creator God could make unto lost mankind. "For I [Paul] am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it [Paul's "gospel of the grace of God" for this age] is The Power of God unto Salvation to every one that BELIEVETH…" (Romans 1:16 (KJV)) The one caveat in the above verse is to "BELIEVE," trusting in Christ, as the Sole Basis of One's Salvation. This means all men are free to Choose Salvation unto eternal life or, alternatively, they may reject Christ… unto "everlasting destruction." It is not God's will for us to Not Believe and Receive the Gospel's Free Gift of Salvation. It is called "the gospel of the grace of God" since 'grace' speaks of a Free, Undeserved, Gift. Paul here wrote of the destiny of unbelievers who "persecute" a...

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 6 --- Call upon the name of the Lord or confess His name) We continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ by looking at key elements that distinguish them from each other. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts. Call upon the name of the Lord or Confess the Lord In the Old Testament and the four Gospels, it was required by Jews to call upon the name of the Lord, or confess His name. The purpose of this was to proclaim Him as one's Messiah, to identify Him as your Lord and King. This requirement, to call upon the name of the Lord, or to confess Him as your Saviour, was a necessary requirement of salvation during the law dispensation and in the Kingdom gospel and the gospel of God. Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call...

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 5 --- A Future Salvation) We continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ by looking at key elements that distinguish them from each other. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts. Salvation was Future A simple fact that does not need much proof is that in the gospel of the Kingdom, and the gospel of God, the hope of salvation lay out in the future. This of course is very different to the gospel of Christ (or the Grace gospel), where salvation is not a hope out in the future based on one's works and the conditional requirement to endure to the end, but rather a factual and unconditional sealing of one's salvation by the Holy Spirit because of the cross work of Christ.

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 4 --- Righteous Works) We continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ by looking at key elements that distinguish them from each other. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts. Righteous works Because the gospel of God was based on works , you will naturally see this works requirement manifest in the lives and actions of those who committed to, and were saved, under this gospel in the Acts period. For a Jew who believed in the gospel of God, that Jesus was risen and was the Christ , their works program did not change at all. They simply continued their routines based on the requirements of the Kingdom gospel, so there is not much we can learn from their accounts. However, by looking at examples from the saved Gentiles in this time, and what they did, we can glean an understanding that the gospel of God...

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 3 --- By the Scriptures) In this post we continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts. By the scriptures vs. Unsearchable  The gospel of God is the Kingdom gospel with the addition of one HUGE event; the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This gospel, preached by Peter in Acts 2, reignited the hope that the King could come and bring a restoration to Israel through His Kingdom. This narrative had been prophesied centuries before and many aspects of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection can be found in the scriptures as proof of His identity and purpose. Before we continue with our point, I'd like to state one fact that is worthwhile mentioning at this time. We must understand that even if all of Jesus life and purpose was laid out in the prophetic scriptures, it was Go...

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 2 --- To the Jews first) We continue, from this post , to work through the comparisons, differences, and nuances, between the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ through the transition period. To the Jews first, then to the Greek vs. to all men or nations During the Kingdom gospel, Jesus, on multiple occasions, mentioned that He had come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, ( Matt.15:24 ). By saying this, He was excluding the Gentiles from His ministry. This was because of the plan of God to save the Jews first so that they, according to prophecy, could be the light to the Gentiles, ( Isa.60:3 ). The gospel of God was no different. Because this gospel was based on the Kingdom gospel, the audience was still the same. In the first few chapters of Acts, Peter and the other apostles were still going to the Jews only. The difference however was that the gospel messaged had changed to includ...

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences  (Part 1 --- Introduction) In the previous study we discussed how Paul, during the first half of his ministry, — that is, his missionary ministry represented in ACTS , —preached two gospels. The general trend that Paul would follow is; He would preach the gospel of God to those Jews and Gentiles (friends of the Jews) who came together, typically, but not exclusively, in the Jewish synagogues. The gospel of God in summary was, believe in Jesus' resurrection and 2nd coming, repent, be water baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, obey the law, prove your faith with works, and endure to the end. Then, to those who believed Paul's preaching of the above gospel, he would introduce them to the 'mystery' gospel of Christ . that Jesus died for their sins and that they could trust in nothing else but the all-sufficient cross-work of Christ (death , burial, resurrection) for sal...

How the Gospels Transitioned through ACTS (Part 5 --- The Gospel of Christ) As we build on the transition of the gospels through the book of Acts, it is important to keep in mind a progression of events that influenced its message. To do this, I'd like to reflect on the details we have already discussed, and just build it up again to get a good understanding of the progress of change, not only from the gospels, but also from the practicality and presentation of the good news to the people of that day. We can logically deduce that the lifestyle and mentality of a typical Jew (let's call him Jacob), who lived during the Acts period was as follows. Jacob was law abiding, —well, as far as possible! The main laws were no problem to keep as it was part of the routines that Jacob was used to. Jacob went regularly to the temple to offer sacrifices. He upheld the Sabbath and did the best he could to remember and practice the many intricate laws he learned from childhood from his f...

How the Gospels Transitioned through ACTS (Part 4 --- The Gospel of God) Before I get into the topic, I'd like to remind you of the infallibility of God's Word as printed in the King James Bible (1611). As I have written in other posts, we can trust that every word of every paragraph in this version is accurate and has inspired meaning and context.  So, when we read of the 'gospel of God' in some places, and in other places of the 'gospel of Christ', we, as students of the Word, should take note and understand that it's not just an inconsistency or a reference to the same gospel with two different names. No!   It's similar to the expressions, the "day of the Lord" ( Amos 5:18 ), the "day of our Lord Jesus Christ" ( 1 Col.1:8; 2 Col.1:14 ), the "day of God" ( 2 Peter 3:12; Rev.16:14 ), or "the last day(s), which are specifically used in the context of future events when Christ will intervene decisively for jud...