The Gospel message being what the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms said about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was to go beyond the Jewish nation to the Gentile world. The revelation of Christ concealed in the writings of the Word of God to the Jew first was now revealed to all humanity through preaching. The basis of the Gospel was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning Christ as the Messiah. These prophecies were vaguely recognized by the Jew through the Holy Scriptures and totally unknown to the Gentile world.
· Rom 16:25-26…Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
The purpose of the Gospel was to offer the power and presence of Christ to an unsaved world. Saint Luke described the Gospel as a means of repentance and remission of sins. Mark described the Gospel as a means of being saved. The Apostle Paul described the Gospel as the power of God unto salvation. Repentance, remission of sins, and salvation for the soul is the power of the God that comes through the Gospel message. How? Through man’s belief in Christ as Savior and Lord based on what was written.
· Rom 1:16…For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth
Records show that men of old that preached the Gospel were Jewish men. The Gospel message recorded in the Holy Scriptures came through the Jewish nation. The Jewish people from whom the Word of God came have always kept perfect records and perfect genealogies concerning the Messianic lineage. Jesus was a Jew, the 12 Apostles were Jewish, and the Word of God was written by, and given to the Jew. This is the reason why the Apostle Paul said the Gospel was to…the Jew first.
· Rom 1:16…For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The Apostle Paul clarified what the Gospel was in the following verses. As a knowledgeable Jew concerning the Law of Moses yet later converted to Christianity, Paul understood how the truth of the Gospel was derived from the Holy Scriptures.
· 1 Corinthians 15:1-4… Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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.
· Rom 1:1-5…Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
The above verses point to the prophetic truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ written in the Scriptures. The Grace of God was given to man and received by man through faith in Christ. Faith came by hearing the Word of God. The Word of God confirmed the person of Christ through preaching. The Word of God preached by the Apostles was Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms concerning Christ. Remember the New Testament Epistles had not been written yet.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit upon the human soul actually confirms the truth of the Word of God through the Gospel message. This same Gospel message preached today contains the same person of Christ preached in the first century… in repentance, redemption, and the forgiveness of sins.
· Acts 13:38-39…Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Prophecy reveals and confirms the truth about Christ. Messianic Prophecy goes back to the Garden of Eden where God promised a Savior to the Serpent, after the serpent caused the fall of man…Genesis 3:15. Genesis 3:15 was the first prophetic utterance of the promised Savior. This Prophecy concerning Christ was written in Genesis, the first book of the Law of Moses. It was concealed for centuries but revealed in part when the Messiah actually came. Now, in the Church Age it’s revealed more through the power of a Living Savior and the work of the Holy Spirit. Even more is to be revealed after the Rapture of the church, and the second coming of our Lord in the Kingdom Age to restore Israel. Christ with all power and authority over the devil through the ages is the central theme of this verse.
· Gen 3:15…And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel
· 1 John 3:8…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible…Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus. Being the Holy Scriptures for the Hebrew, the Nation of Israel, and the Jewish people the first five books of the Bible were called the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses pointed to the Messiahship of Christ. The Gospel can be preached from prophecy contained within the Law of Moses.
· John 5:46…For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
The Prophet Isaiah recorded one of the most descriptive passages in the Bible concerning Christ as Savior and redeemer…Isaiah 53. The Gospel can be preached endlessly from this passage that distinctly reveals a Savior and redeemer.
· Isa 53:4-7…Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:
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