Information Related to "The Gospel From Abraham to Paul"
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Do you understand what the gospel really is? Many have never really comprehended this most important truth.
by Greg Sargent
gross misunderstanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ has kept sincere students of the Bible from comprehending other biblical teachings for centuries. A proper understanding of the message Jesus brought is necessary for an accurate understanding of the whole Bible.
The apostle Paul not only pronounced a curse on anyone who would teach a gospel different from the one he taught; he pronounced a double curse. Obviously important to Paul was that people correctly understand the gospel; he felt it vitally important that it not be misunderstood, twisted or distorted.
To help our understanding of the gospel, which is simply an old word for "good news," let's take a journey through God's Word, beginning with God's promise to Abraham and ending with Paul's experiences while in jail. This excursion through the Scriptures will show us the undeniable meaning of the gospel.
Four verses only
The gospel is best understood when the rest of the Bible is used to describe it. Yet some insist on defining it through only one brief passage of four verses: "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1Corinthians 15:1-4).
Paul stresses that he is declaring the gospel to the church in Corinth, that he preached that same gospel to them before and that they received it from him. Paul had heard the gospel from Christ personally (Galatians 1:12,15-18). What the Corinthians received, and what Paul received, is the gospel.
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Table of Contents that includes "The Gospel From Abraham to Paul"
Other Articles by Greg Sargent
Gospel of the kingdom: