Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 1)

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 salvation.

It is important that we understand that this was a very unique time, as a transition was taking place. By Gods design, we have a short period of time where two programs were intersecting. It was a mix of Jews and Gentiles, law and grace, prophecy and mystery, and of course, the phasing out of one gospel message into another. We should never think that the intricacies of this time should reflect on, or influence us in this age of grace. Our gospel of grace and the relationship we have with God, in Christ, is settled and uncomplicated because of what we learn and can extrapolate from the transition period.

The purpose of this post is to provide insights into the transition and therefore clarify what we have today in the grace gospel and spiritual relationship with God in Christ. The purpose is not to challenge our faith, but to clarify, and celebrate what we have because of Christ.

Having said all this, let's now get into some key points that will help us understand the differences between the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ. To know how these gospels fit together, have a quick look at this simple illustration,

 --- Kingdom Gospel >>> Gospel of God <<< ||| >>> Gospel of Christ >>> Gospel of Grace --- 

The Kingdom gospel became the gospel of God due to one significant reason, the resurrection of Christ and the hope therefore that the Kingdom program was not lost, but still in effect. Everything stayed the same with these two gospels, except that the good news could now be added to it and proclaimed. In other words, the Kingdom gospel and the gospel of God have similarities, however, both these are very different to the gospel of Christ and the gospel of Grace which are the same message for two different people groups, (which I'll elaborate on later). For now, just keep the above in mind as we work through the comparisons and show the differences, and nuances, between the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ through the transition period.