BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS MESSAGE OF JESUS THE MESSIAH

The definition of the Gospel is the key to a sound understanding of Jesus and the New Testament. Unconsciously, many Bible readers mount fierce opposition to Jesus, because evangelicals have been systematically taught NOT to think of the Gospel teaching/preaching of the historical Jesus as of very much importance in salvation! Any down-playing of the teaching/Gospel of Jesus; the Gospel as he himself preached it; is really an amazing mistake in view of 2 John 7-9:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus the Messiah in the flesh. Such a one is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Note: This definition clearly is an indictment against what is taught by the Roman Catholic Churhc and all the Protestant Churhes, about a triune God and a god/man they claim to be Jesus. Those that teach such things are plainly called deceivers and antichrist's - antiMessiah's in the scriptures.

Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which you have worked for that you may receive a full reward.

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of the Messiah, does not have God.

Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son!

The teaching of Jesus began in Matthew 4:17 with a ringing command: "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven [God] is at hand" Mark (1:14, 15) summarizes the Christian faith recorded by Jesus’ opening salvo: "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The whole Christian faith rests on that foundation.

Certainly, the cross and the resurrection are essential to the Gospel, but they are not the first element in the Gospel. (Paul spoke of the death and resurrection of Jesus as "among matters of first importance"  I Corinthians 15:1-3.) The death and resurrection of Jesus follow from the first (Kingdom) element because no one can gain the Kingdom without the cross and the resurrection. But the Kingdom remains the heart of the One Gospel throughout the NT.

The message about the Kingdom provides the content of Christian HOPE, and hope is the second cardinal virtue after love. There is no reason for doubt on this subject. The Gospel teaching of Jesus about the Kingdom takes up the space of over 40 chapters in the Gospels before a word is mentioned about his death and resurrection.

John’s Gospel is a plea for belief in the Gospel/teaching/word/words of Jesus as the basis of salvation: "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has the life of the Age to Come [immortal life]" (John 5:24). How can you believe "if you don’t believe in my words?" (John 5:47). That word is defined as the "word about the Kingdom"

Note: Matthew 13:19: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the Wicked One comes and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is the one who was sown along the path. [the parable of the sower]

Luke 8:12: Now those beside the path are those who, when they have heard, then the Devil comes and takes away the word [defined by Mattfhew 13:19] from their heart so that they cannot believe and be saved.

Jesus obviously considered an intelligent belief in the Kingdom as the sine qua non; the indispensable factor; of a totally committed faith: He referred to the counter-activity of the Devil: "The Devil comes and snatches away the word of the Kingdom [Matthew 13:19] from their heart so that they cannot believe it and be saved" (Luke 8:12). This is amazingly clear teaching. Salvation, in the parable of the sower, is directly related to an understanding of and commitment to the gospel message of the Kingdom as Jesus preached it. If you reject the message of the gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached you will not have salvation, but will be destined for destruction at the White Throne Judgement, for your name will not be written in the book of life [Revelation 20:11-15]

Matthew has five blocks of teaching (possibly a deliberate parallel with the five books of Moses), each ending with "When Jesus had finished all these sayings..." The section which begins in Matthew 4:17 ("From that time Jesus began to proclaim…") ends at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (7:28). In that section, Jesus spoke of the only foundation for salvation: adherence to his teaching about the kingdom of God. That teaching is based on the command to repent and believe the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14, 15) and in view of that Kingdom to develop "the righteousness which must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees" (Matthew 5:20); otherwise we will not be fit to enter the Kingdom. The scribes and the Pharasees followed the traditions of men, i.e. oral tradition and deviated from the revelation God gave to Israel through Moses. A true follower of the Lord Messiah will reject the traditions of men and follow the example he gave, as being totally committed to faith obedience to God's will.

The whole Kingdom program is the gracious act of God who offers us salvation through Jesus and his words and work. If we accept Jesus words; then we must act them out in our lives, obey them. Paul, faithfully following in Jesus’ steps, looked back over his entire ministry and described it as "proclaiming the Kingdom of God" (Acts 20:25). Paul followed Jesus faithfully and continued to preach the message about the Kingdom of God everywhere.

 What a wonderful model for all those who believe in the Lord Messiah to do!