Triplets of Faith: Everlasting Gospel

 

Photo by ForestWander 2011

Even in Florida, cooler mornings remind me to thank God for changing seasons. These evoke memories of admiring majestic mountains painted so vividly from autumn’s palette, as I breathe in the aroma of crisp leaves crunching underfoot and hickory smoke from a wood-burning stove, and savor warm apple cider spiked with cinnamon, cloves and honey. 

God designed man in His own Triune image, to seek Him, to know Him, and to love Him as our Savior, Father and Creator of all. How can so many fail to realize this basic truth?

He equipped our body with senses, working together so perfectly to perceive all the beauty of His universe. These cry out to our mind that only a Supreme Designer could do this. And in our spirit, the seat of our emotions and soul, we long for the love, joy and peace (Galatians 5:22) found only in fellowship with Him. Only the fool says in His heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1; 53:1), for the universe declares His glory (Psalm 1:11), and all who deny it are without excuse (Romans 1:18-25)

God is unchanging, for Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Yet He has revealed the specifics of His plan for mankind in different ways to different peoples throughout Bible history. Scripture speaks of three true Gospels, or Good News of salvation, given by God’s grace as a freely given, unmerited gift that sinful man does not deserve and cannot earn (Ephesians 2: 8-9).

The Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14), directed to the Jews and the nation of Israel (Psalm 98:2-3), tells of Jesus Christ as the coming King of His Kingdom. The Gospel of Grace (Acts 20:24) allows Gentiles as well as Jews to be saved by their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 14:6). And the Everlasting Gospel (Revelation 14:6-7) warns of judgment by the One True God Who is to be worshipped as the Creator.

The basis of the Everlasting Gospel, as well as of the other two true Gospels, is faith (Romans 1:17) that God is the Creator, Who is Who He says He is. and Who will do what He has said He will do. The Gospel is Good News to those who believe it, but judgment to those who reject it. Faith in the One true God results in eternal, abundant life with Him (John 3:16; 5:2410:10), but disbelief results in eternal damnation in hell (John 3:18), forever separated from His light and love (Luke 16:23-26).

The Everlasting Gospel was first revealed to Adam and Eve, and it will be confirmed shortly before Christ returns as Righteous Judge, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Even before Christ revealed the Gospel of Grace to Paul, allowing Gentiles who placed their faith in Him to share in salvation, there were occasional Gentiles throughout preceding Bible history who were saved by faith in what was known about God at that time.  These included Rahab (Hebrews 11:31), Ruth (Ruth 1:16), and the Roman centurion (Mark 15:39). Jews as well as Gentiles were saved by faith that God was Creator of all, worthy of our praise, worship, and obedience (Hebrews 11).

The Gospel of the Kingdom is the Good News of salvation to Jews who trusted in Jesus as their promised Messiah during His earthly ministry and those who will do so during the Tribulation. And the Gospel of Grace is the Good News of salvation to Gentiles (and Jews) who placed their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Although the third Gospel, the Everlasting Gospel, promises judgment rather than salvation, it is still Good News to the nation of Israel and to the faithful remnant who refuse to worship the beast during the Tribulation, because it means that their ordeal will soon be over as Christ returns to defeat the Antichrist and the enemies of Israel at the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).

Just before the Vial Judgments of the Tribulation, the angel will preach the Everlasting Gospel to people of every nation, kindred, and tongue. The message will be a warning to fear God, give Him glory, and worship Him, as the hour of His judgment is come. God is to be feared, glorified and worshipped as the Creator of Heaven, earth and sea, making this an Everlasting Gospel known since Adam and Eve. (Revelation 14:6-7). Those who follow this warning and die in the Lord will be blessed forever more, resting from their labors and honored thereafter by their works (Revelation 14:13).

Praise God that all who have been saved before the Tribulation will have a heavenly perspective on these events, viewing them unfold from above, for God will spare us from the wrath to come! Meanwhile, may we have the patience of the saints, keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

© 2013 Laurie Collett

Triplets of Hope: The Just Shall Live by Faith

Photo: Andreas F. Borchert 2015

In the New Testament, there are three mentions of our study verse – the just shall live by faith –(Romans 1:17; Galatians.3:11; Hebrews 10:38 ). All three were written by the apostle Paul, if we assume that he is the author of Hebrews as well as of the other two epistles. In Romans 1, he describes himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God (v. 1). All of these make him just, or holy and righteous, not by his own merit but by his relationship to Jesus Christ our Lord (v.3).

Only the Lord Jesus Christ (v.,7) can justify, or reconcile, sinful man to holy, Triune God, for He alone is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). He is the Son of Man, or the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3), as well as the Son of God (God the Father) empowered by the spirit of holiness (Holy Spirit), Who raised Him from the dead (v.4).

When we are made just by having faith in Christ, we can live in Him! The essential belief we must have to be saved is that He died as the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins, was buried, and rose again to give us eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16).

Our abundant life in Him (John 10:10) includes the daily benefits of His ongoing grace; the privilege of apostleship, meaning that He has called, empowered, and sent us to be His ambassadors; and obedience to His Word, demonstrating our faith (Romans 1: 5-6). We are His beloved, to whom He gives grace and peace (v. 7). Following Paul’s example, we worship Him with thanksgiving, service, and prayer (v. 8-10).

Paul’s prayer for himself and the Roman church is that he could visit them, give them a spiritual gift to strengthen their faith, and be comforted with them by their shared faith in Christ (v. 11-13). He is thankful for the blessing of having led Romans, Greeks, and Barbarians to the Lord (v. 13-14) through the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (v.16).

That brings Paul to his summary statement, in which he repeats the word “faith” three times: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (v. 17).

In contrast to Paul’s description in the above verses of the blessings of living justified by faith, his next mention, in Galatians 3, of “the just shall live by faith” points out the dangers of attempting to be self-righteous, which brings only condemnation by the law. He calls the Galatians foolish, bewitched, and disobedient for not believing the truth of the sufficiency of Christ’s perfect sacrifice (v. 1).

Paul asks them three times whether they received the Spirit, began their new life in the Spirit, and were ministered to by the Spirit by keeping the law, by being justified in their flesh, or by the hearing of faith (v. 2,3,5). Of course, faith is the only true answer, repeated three times (v. 7,8,9). Faith allows the believer in God to have imputed righteousness as Christ’s perfect holiness is credited to our account (Romans 4:6,11,22); to be the children of Abraham and thereby be grafted in to God’s chosen and blessed people (Romans 11:17-24); and to be justified before God, Who no longer sees our sins (Galatians 3:6-9).

But if we foolishly attempt to be saved by keeping the law, we are under a curse, because breaking the smallest part of the law makes us guilty of breaking all of it, and we cannot be justified by the law in God’s eyes (v. 10-11). Paul again concludes this passage with “The just shall live by faith” (v. 11).

In his last mention of this verse (Hebrews 10: 38), Paul describes how it applies to the past, present, and future of the believer. Once we were saved (justified) by grace (unmerited, life-giving favor) through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) we were tested by our own hardships, those of fellow believers, and mocking from nonbelievers who seem to enjoy our suffering (Galatians 3: 32-34).

But Paul encourages us to find joy even in hardships (v. 34; Philippians 4:4), to be confident in God’s promises (v. 35), and to be patient as we wait for Him to fulfill them (v. 36). Our future is secure – a blessed, glorious and living hope (Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 1:3) – Christ is coming back for His church at the Rapture!

Hebrews 10: 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry .

 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Praise God that He will return for those who are just in His eyes by living by faith, without which we cannot please Him (Hebrews 11:6). May we have faith in His exclusive power to have saved us, to keep us securely in the palm of His hand (John 10:28-29), and to glorify us when He comes again!

© 2015 Laurie Collett