My Sunday Skl

The Gospel: The Grace That Should Come

Let’s continue the series we’ve been exploring by turning to 1 Corinthians 15:1-3. Here, the Apostle Paul declares, “I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”

Pay close attention to what Paul says here. He preached the gospel to them, and this gospel is the message that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. But what Scriptures is he referring to?

To find the answer, let’s turn to Luke 24:25-27, where Jesus himself explains: “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Here, Jesus clarifies that the Scriptures He’s referring to are the writings of Moses (the first five books of the Bible) and the writings of the prophets. These Scriptures contained the message that Christ (the Messiah) would suffer and then enter into His glory.

So, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that he preached that Christ died according to the Scriptures, the Scriptures he’s referring to are the writings of Moses and the prophets. These are the very Scriptures that Jesus himself used to expound the message about His suffering and glory.

In 1 Peter 1:10-12, we get further insight into the content of these prophecies: “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.”

Did you catch that? The prophets prophesied about the grace that would come to us. They foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. Their prophecies, recorded in their writings (the Scriptures), became the message of the gospel that was later preached by the apostles.

The Gospel: The Prophesied Grace

So, what is the gospel? It is the grace that was prophesied to come, the message of Christ’s sufferings and subsequent glory. The prophets ministered this message to us through their writings, which the apostles then reported and preached as the good news (the gospel).

When you understand this connection between the prophecies of the Old Testament and the gospel preached by the apostles, it becomes clear that our teachings on grace are rooted in the very Scriptures that Jesus himself used. From Genesis to Malachi, the documentations of God’s grace are found in the writings of Moses, the prophets, and the psalmists.

Consider this: If you remove the writings of Moses and the prophets, there would have been nothing for Jesus to teach from. His teachings, the very essence of the gospel, were drawn from these Scriptures. Moses, Samuel, David, and all the prophets were preachers and teachers of grace. Their prophecies, recorded in their books, are the wellspring from which we derive our understanding of grace.

So, when we proclaim ourselves as grace teachers today, we are standing on the shoulders of giants, continuing the work that began with the prophets who foretold the grace that would come to us. Their prophecies became the gospel that was preached, and it is from their writings that we glean the truths we now share.

So what are we saying here? The prophets ministered to us through their writings. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel – their prophecies were not just for their own time but for us, the recipients of the gospel preached by the apostles.

In Romans 15:4, Paul confirms this truth: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

The writings of the prophets are our education system, teaching us about the patience and comfort of God. As you read through the Scriptures, you will find revelation after revelation of God’s enduring patience and His consolation for His people – the very prophecy of the grace that was to come.

This is why Paul declares, “Now the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus” (Romans 15:5). As we immerse ourselves in the prophets’ writings, we encounter the God of patience and comfort, the very essence of the gospel message.

But there’s more. In Hebrews 4:2, we read, “For indeed, we have had the gospel preached to us, just as they also did; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united with faith in those who heard.”

Who are “they” in this verse? Turn back to Hebrews 3:16, and you’ll find the answer: “For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?”

Astonishing, isn’t it? The gospel was preached to the Israelites who came out of Egypt with Moses. The very same gospel we have received was preached to them by Moses himself!

This gospel, this good news, is the promise made by God to the fathers, as Paul explains in Acts 26:6-7: “And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day.”

But how did God make this promise? Romans 1:1-2 tells us: “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures.”

God made the promise through His prophets, and it was recorded in the holy Scriptures – the very writings we’ve been discussing.

What is this promise, this gospel of God? It concerns His Son, Jesus Christ, as Paul clarifies in Acts 26:8: “Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?”

The promise, the gospel, is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. God promised that He would raise His Son, distinguishing Him by the power of the Holy Spirit, as declared in Romans 1:4.

This is the hope, the good news, that Paul preached tirelessly, as he says in Acts 26:22-23: “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead, He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Can you see now, the vital importance of the prophets’ writings? If you remove what God spoke through them, there is nothing left for Paul, Peter, James, or even Jesus to teach. And by extension, there would be nothing for you or me to share with others.

Our message, the gospel we proclaim, presupposes that the writings of the prophets remain intact. If their words had not been preserved, our message would be baseless. It is because their prophecies were recorded that we can confidently proclaim the good news of God’s promise fulfilled in the resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Source of Paul’s Message

This truth is further reinforced in 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, where Paul reminds the believers in Corinth: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”

Again, we see that the gospel Paul preached was founded on the Scriptures – the writings of the prophets and Moses. He did not invent a new message; he simply delivered what he had received from those sacred writings.

Can you see the unbroken chain? Moses wrote, the prophets amplified and expounded on what Moses had written, and then Paul preached the very same message, “stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place.”

This is why Jesus, in Luke 24:27, began “with Moses and all the Prophets” to expound “the things concerning Himself.” It is why Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the prophets drew their message from the writings of Moses. And it is why you and I must also start from the same source – the writings of Moses and the prophets.

If you were to examine the content of Paul’s message, you would find it rooted in Moses’ writings. If you checked Isaiah’s or Ezekiel’s writings, you would trace them back to Moses. For they were all students amplifying and emphasizing what Moses had originally written.

The Essence of the Message

So, what is the essence of this consistent message, this gospel that Paul preached? It is encapsulated in Acts 26:23: “that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead, He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

Everywhere you find the grace of God, the gospel, or the promise mentioned, you will consistently encounter the figure of Jesus – His sufferings and His glorious resurrection from the dead. This is the heart of the good news, the prophecy of grace, the promise that God made to the prophets and committed to the apostles to preach.

In Titus 1:2-3, Paul reinforces this truth: “In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior.”

God manifested His word, His promise, through the preaching that was committed to Paul and the other apostles. This preaching, this content, was the promise of eternal life – the promise of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Promise of Transformation

In 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul declares, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” This profound statement unveils a mystery – a truth previously hidden but now revealed through the prophetic writings.

Where did Paul obtain this knowledge of our future transformation? He draws from the Scriptures themselves, quoting from Isaiah 25:8 in verse 54: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Verse by verse, Paul unveils the mystery, explaining that “this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (v. 53). He is speaking of the transformation of our physical bodies, a truth he derived from the prophetic writings.

The apostles did not leave us to struggle or wrestle with these mysteries alone. They wrote down their explanations and understandings, inviting us to read and comprehend the depths of the prophetic revelations.

As Paul said in Ephesians 3:4, “When you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.” The invitation is open – dive into the Scriptures, both the prophetic writings and the apostolic explanations, and unlock the mysteries of the gospel for yourself.

In doing so, you will discover the unbroken continuity between the words of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles, all proclaiming the same glorious message: the sufferings of Christ, His resurrection, and the promise of eternal life for all who believe.

The Foundation: Christ Alone

In 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul declares a profound truth: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Do you grasp the significance of this statement?

The foundation upon which Paul built was Christ Himself, and this foundation was laid by preaching the gospel, as he reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:1-3: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you… that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Paul, as the wise master builder, laid this foundation according to the grace given to him by God (1 Corinthians 3:10). And what was this foundation? Christ and Christ alone, as revealed in the Scriptures of the prophets.

In other words, you can trust us as ministers of the gospel to the degree that we become students of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms. For it is in their writings that the foundation – Christ – is found.

In Ephesians 3:8-9, Paul expands on this truth: “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.”

What was committed to Paul? To preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, to unveil the mystery that had been hidden in God from the beginning of the world.

And what was this mystery? The very prophecies that God originated and revealed through the prophets – the prophecies that became the foundation upon which the apostles built.

The Prophetic Source

This truth is further reinforced when we examine the sources from which Paul drew his profound statements in 1 Corinthians 15.

In verse 54, he quotes directly from Isaiah 25:8: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” This verse formed the basis for Paul’s declaration that “this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (v. 53).

And in verse 55, where Paul exclaims, “O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory?” he is quoting from Hosea 13:14: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!”

Paul did not fabricate these teachings; he drew them directly from the writings of the prophets, just as Jesus did when He expounded “the things concerning Himself” from “Moses and all the Prophets” (Luke 24:27).

This is the method we must follow – approaching the Bible as the apostles did. 

The Consistent Message

Throughout his ministry, Paul remained steadfast in preaching the same gospel he had received, the message rooted in the Scriptures. This consistency is evident in his words to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:1: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand.”

The gospel Paul preached initially was the same gospel he continued to preach, the only difference being the depth of understanding and familiarity the believers gained over time.

As ministers of the gospel, we too are called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8). But how can we do so effectively? By following the example of the apostles and becoming diligent students of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms.

It is in their writings that the foundation of Christ is laid, and it is from their prophecies that the gospel springs forth. When we immerse ourselves in these sacred texts, allowing the apostles’ insights to illuminate our understanding, we position ourselves to be trusted ministers of the gospel, faithfully proclaiming the riches of Christ to a world in desperate need of His redemption.

The Prophetic Roots of Spiritual Gifts

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul addresses the topic of speaking in tongues. He quotes the law, saying, “In the law it is written, ‘With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 14:21)

Paul derived this teaching from the prophet Isaiah, as you can see in Isaiah 28:11-12: “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

The apostle’s understanding of spiritual gifts was deeply rooted in the prophetic writings of old.

But Paul’s reliance on the prophets extended far beyond the topic of tongues. Consider the events of Acts 2, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues. Peter stood up and declared, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” (Acts 2:16)

Just as Peter used the words of Joel to explain the outpouring of the Spirit, Paul drew from Isaiah to expound on the gift of tongues. Their teachings were in harmony, revealing that the prophets Isaiah and Joel both foretold the realities that would accompany the resurrection of Jesus – the outpouring of the Spirit, the gift of tongues, and the proclamation of the gospel to all nations.

The writings of the prophets did not pass away with the coming of Christ. On the contrary, they remain an enduring source of truth, illuminating the very heart of the Christian message – the resurrection of Jesus and its far-reaching implications.

To ignore the writings of the prophets would be to do yourself a grave disservice. They are the foundation upon which the apostles built their teachings, the wellspring from which they drew their understanding of the mysteries of God.

As you seek to deepen your faith and comprehend the fullness of God’s plan, immerse yourself in the words of the prophets. Allow their voices to resonate within you, guiding you into a richer, more profound understanding of the gospel and its transformative power.

As you delve deeper into the writings of the apostles, you will discover that they are saturated with references to the prophets of old. In the book of Romans alone, Paul cites over 50 verses from what we now call the Old Testament.

From the very first chapter, where he quotes Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17 (“The just shall live by faith”), to his numerous references to the Psalms (such as Psalm 62:12 in Romans 2:6), the apostle’s teachings are firmly rooted in the prophetic writings.

This profound reliance on the prophets underscores their enduring relevance and the grave disservice we would do ourselves by ignoring their words. For the apostles, the prophets were not a separate entity, distinct from their teachings on Christ. Instead, they were the very foundation upon which their understanding of the gospel was built.

This pattern extends far beyond the book of Romans. In 1 Corinthians, it is estimated that there are over 30 references from the Old Testament. In 2 Corinthians, Galatians Ephesians Philippians we see over 10 in each. Colossians around 3-4, and 1 Thessalonians around 2. Even in the brief epistle of 2 Thessalonians, Paul draws from the prophets.

These numbers paint a vivid picture: for Paul, the writings of the prophets were not mere footnotes or supplementary materials. They were the very lens through which he understood and expounded the gospel, the grace of God, the resurrection of Christ, and the profound truths of the Christian faith.

As Paul himself declared, “I am saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come” (Acts 26:22). To truly grasp the depths of Paul’s teachings, one must be intimately familiar with and appreciative of the writings of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms.

Indeed, it could be said that when you encounter difficulties in understanding the apostles’ writings, turning to the prophets and the Psalms can provide invaluable insights and clarity. These ancient voices serve as a wellspring of wisdom, illuminating the very foundations upon which the apostolic teachings are built.

To preach the gospel, to understand grace, to comprehend the resurrection and the centrality of Christ – these endeavors are inextricably linked to a deep appreciation for the writings of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. To ignore these prophetic foundations would be to deprive oneself of a rich tapestry of truth, woven through the ages by the very hand of God.

As you embark on this journey of embracing the prophetic foundations, remember that it is a lifelong pursuit, a privilege bestowed upon us to delve into the depths of God’s word. Each time you open the pages of Scripture, you are engaging in a sacred act, following in the footsteps of the apostles who drew their understanding from these very same wellsprings of truth.

Continuing the Conversation

Remember, this isn’t just ancient history; it’s a living, breathing reality that influences everything we are and all we do. Let’s continue this conversation, diving deeper into the truths of God’s word, and embracing our role in this divine narrative.