LOOKING UNTO JESUS (FINAL PART)
"... I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: ... " (Rom 1:16)
Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of everything about the Gospel. Without Jesus, there couldn't be the Gospel. Why am I making this emphatic assertion? I have my reasons.
The Greek word "euaggelion" which is translated "Gospel" is a very uncommon word, radical in term, superlative in nature and very scarcely used before Jesus came. Indeed, the word "Gospel" began to be used in relation to Jesus' coming and what He came to do. (Lk 1:19,8:1; Acts 13:32; Rom 10:15)
The superlative character of the word "Gospel" stems from the fact that it actually means more than just "good news". Actually, it means "too-good-to-be-true" news or "glad tidings." Among the Greeks, the word Gospel was hardly used because they saw nothing too-good-to-be-true in existence.
With Jesus coming on the scene, the word "Gospel" began to be used to refer to what He was preaching and doing. Jesus came to reveal God to humanity. I've often preached saying that God's nature and character were replicated in the lives of the various prophets that came before Jesus. In as much as none of the prophets of old was a perfect representation of God, Jesus is said to be the "express Image of His Person" (Heb 1:3); "the Image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15); "the Image of God" (2 Cor 4:4) I say without mincing words that Jesus was the best Picture that God ever took. That's why when He came standing before men, He could say: "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (Jn 14:9).
In a nutshell, the Gospel of Jesus emphasizes salvation by grace through faith in Christ. It's through the Gospel that we've been fully reconciled to God. It was equally through Jesus' Gospel that we came to know that God isn't judging people. He's not even angry anymore with us. The story of the harlot taken in the act of adultery demonstrates this. (John 8:3-11) The simplicity of Christ's message (2Cor 11:3), coupled with the way He loved and cared about people unconditionally were both too- good- to- be- true! The raising of the dead back to life by Jesus and the Apostles was equally too-good-to-be-true! Time will fail me to talk of the cleansing of lepers and other extraordinary healings that came through the Gospel. The fact that circumcision was no longer necessary for salvation became so contentious that it took the council of the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem to settle it (Acts 15:1-35). Besides, the Gospel brought forgiveness of sin(s). Jesus forgave sins. The Jews retorted saying that only God could forgive sins (Mk 2:7) and by a miracle of healing He demonstrated that He had authority on earth to forgive sins (Mk 2:10). Again, this is glad tidings, a too-good-to-be-true phenomenon!
Before the coming of Jesus, the Jews had lived under a works-oriented, performance-based, legalistic, judgmental religious system. Therefore, they persecuted anyone who preached the Gospel; because it portrayed situations too-good-to-be-true. Does this not explain the reason for the persecution of Jesus and the Apostles?
The fact that God confirmed the Gospel with signs and wonders served to perplex and confound its detractors.
"And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it." (Acts 4:14)
If you knew what the Gospel is, you couldn't be ashamed of it. How could Apostle Paul be ashamed of something too-good-to-be-true? (Rom 1:16-17). Didn't it in truth minister salvation, healing, deliverance and blessings to them that believed it?
Although the preaching of the Gospel brought him persecution, trials, temptations and shame, Apostle Paul, like Jesus chose to esteem the Gospel, by looking unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of it, and disesteeming the ordeals that followed its preaching. Hallelujah!
PRAYER:
I choose to believe the Gospel and to disdain the sufferings and shame attendant to it by looking unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher of it. Amen.