One Message for All

Jesus calls us to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every nation and inhabited part of the Earth.

The Message proclaimed by Jesus Christ is not about reforming civil society or governments. He summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and a very different political reality, namely, the Kingdom of God. His message is contrary to the political ideologies of this world. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing order will disappear forever.

Jesus sent his disciples to spread his teachings and proclaim his lordship to all nations. As he declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.” This life-changing message affects all men without exception, in one way or another.

[Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash]

Before his Ascension, he commanded his followers to wait in Jerusalem until they “received power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” The men and women of his Spirit-baptized Church would become “his witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the Earth” - (Acts 1:7-9).

The last clause of this passage from the Book of Acts cites the vision of the Second Psalm portraying the Anointed Son of Yahweh governing the Nations. His reign began following his Death, Resurrection, and Ascension to his Father’s Throne:

• “I will tell of the decree: Yahweh said to me: You are my son. This day, have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession” – (Psalm 2:7-8).

• “Yahweh says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool” – (Psalm 110:1).

• “This same Jesus God raised of which we are all witnesses. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this, which you see and hear” – (Acts 2:33).

As the Messiah of Israel and Heir of Abraham, Jesus inherited all things, including the possession of the Nations. Therefore, he now sends us as his heralds to announce Salvation and his Sovereignty to the furthest regions of the planet. Every man or woman must hear this “Good News” while the opportunity remains. The Crucified Messiah is the Shepherd of the Nations:

• “And she was delivered of a Son, a male who is to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne” - (Revelation 12:5, 19:5).

• “They will hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither will the sun strike upon them, nor any heat, for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and he will lead them to fountains of waters of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” - (Revelation 7:17).

The Apostle Paul wrote a lengthy letter to the churches of Rome, identifying himself as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” The former persecutor of the “Way” had become the chief ambassador to the Nations of the Roman Empire for the Kingdom of God - (Romans 1:14-17).

We as followers of Jesus receive the “righteousness of God” through faith in him regardless of our nationality, ethnicity, or location on the Earth. “There is no distinction” or “respect of person” before God. Every man and woman stands or falls before God on the same basis.

FROM THE FAITH OF JESUS

Everyone who responds to the message with faith is put in right standing with God and acquitted of the well-deserved penalties of sin. This is accomplished “from the faith of Jesus Christ.” There is no basis for boasting or self-confidence “since all have sinned and lack the glory of God.” Jesus died for all men when they were “yet enemies of God.” Paul appealed to his monotheistic faith to support this proposition:

• “But now, apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all those who believe, for there is no distinction <…> Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one and will justify the circumcised from faith and the uncircumcised through faith”- (Romans 3:21-30).

• “We being Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, yet knowing that a man is not justified from the works of the law but through the faith of Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified from the faith of Christ, and not from the works of the law, because from the works of the law will no flesh be justified” – (Galatians 2:15-16).

No man is advantaged or disadvantaged before the God of Abraham because of nationality, economic status, or gender. As Paul wrote to the church of Colossae, “There cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” – (Colossians 3:9-11).

For that matter, salvation for any man is only available through Jesus. “There is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we may be saved!” There is no knowledge of God or access to Him apart from Christ – (Acts 4:12):

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From henceforth, you know him and have seen him <…>He who has seen me has seen the Father ” – (John 14:6-9).

Through Jesus, God is creating a new humanity and a political reality that differs radically from the nations and governments of this world, a covenant community, singular, composed of men and women of every country redeemed by the sacrificial death of Jesus who “gave his life as a ransom for many.”

Every human and societal relationship is redefined by our allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth. The “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” is shaping redeemed men and women collectively and individually into the image of His Son. The traditional distinctions of race and social or economic status are inappropriate in his Holy Community. What we have in common is the “faith of Jesus.” This salvation is One Message for all men.

The mission Jesus gave us is to proclaim this Good News in every inhabited corner of the Planet. The completion of the mission is necessary before the return of Jesus. National borders, cultural imperatives, and ethnic barriers will not prevent the “Kingdom of God” from reaching its consummation:

• “This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole habitable world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” - Matthew 24:14).

The day is coming when the Devil and his works will vanish from the Earth, and sin, disease, and death will be eliminated forever. This grand victory will coincide with the “arrival” of Jesus in power when he resurrects the righteous dead, vanquishes “Death,” rewards his faithful followers, judges the wicked, and ushers in the reign of God in all its fullness - (1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).

In the meantime, we are called to proclaim his Good News “to the ends of the Earth.” Everyone who hears and responds with faith will receive the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and everlasting life in the “age to come.”

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SEE ALSO:

• Salvation for the Nations - (The Gospel of the Kingdom announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)

• The Mission - (The mission of the church between now and Christ’s return is to announce the Good News of his Kingdom to all nations – Matthew 24:14)

• The Final Sign - (According to Jesus. the End will not come until this Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations on the Earth – Matthew 24:14)

• The Salvation of Yahweh - ('Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In the man from Nazareth, the salvation promised by the God of Israel arrived in all its glory)