Disciples Global Network

The faith of uncircumcised Abraham provides an example for Jewish and Gentile believers who live from the faith of Jesus – Romans 4:11-17. God began to implement His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His Covenant with Abraham, starting with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland for the “ land I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from the Patriarch, and the Covenant would bless all the “ Tribes of the Earth .” The promise of territory was central to the Covenant.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ liberates men and women of every nation from the stain of sin and the fear of death . The Epistle to the Hebrews begins by presenting Jesus as the ultimate expression of the Word of God. God has provided his ultimate answer to sin and death in His Son. By his one-time sacrificial death , Jesus cleansed God’s people of the stain of sin and freed them from Satan’s tyranny; therefore, the Father exalted Jesus and made him our “ High Priest forever ” who mediates life and salvation to his “ brethren ” – (Hebrews 1:1-4).

Is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God a message of hope for only some nations, or is it Good News for all countries and peoples ? The Gospel has often been perverted into Good News for some nations but bad news for others — or, at least, a less appealing message for the latter. This occurs whenever representatives of the Church of the same Jesus who gave his life for the world associate and even identify his name and message with certain nations, races, cultures, and political ideologies.

The equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They stand or fall before Him on the same basis . Paul wrote his  Letter to the Romans  with two purposes. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Secondly, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the Letter, Pual explained his Gospel, and he then discussed the status of the Jewish people and the conflicts troubling the Roman Church.

Peter summoned his audience in Jerusalem to repent and be baptized “ in the name of Jesus Christ .” He concluded his sermon on a note of fulfillment and with a foretaste of things to come . Peter began with a citation from the Book of Joel , and he finished his message with a clause from the same passage, thus neatly bracketing his sermon.

The Book of Revelation concludes with an image of the immense and glorious city of “ New Jerusalem ” populated by the “ innumerable multitude ” of men and women redeemed from every nation. It represents the fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham of “ land ” and “ blessings to all the nations .” All this has been accomplished by the shed “ blood of the Lamb .” The City of God will be populated!

The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people . After his resurrection, Jesus declared: “ All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations !” He then dispatched his disciples to announce his Lordship and salvation to the “ ends of the Earth .” The Gospel commenced with his Death and Resurrection; therefore, his life-giving message must be announced to all men. The Son of God has achieved salvation for his people!

After his resurrection, Jesus declared: “ All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations! ” As the Sovereign over all things, he dispatched his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth .” The Era of Salvation commenced following his death and resurrection; therefore, the message of reconciliation must be announced to all mankind. The man named ‘ Jesus ’ had achieved salvation for his people.

The righteousness of God refers to His faithfulness. He fulfills His promises, and this is demonstrated by the salvation He has provided in Jesus . Paul stresses the “ righteousness of God ” in his Letter to the Romans, the righteousness that is revealed whenever the Gospel is proclaimed. This message is the “ power of God for salvation to everyone who believes ,” including “ Jews and Greeks ” alike. Salvation is available to all men through the “ faith of Jesus Christ ,” God’s “ Righteous One ” (“ From faith for faith… My Righteous One will live from faith ”).

Jesus performed miracles, exorcised demons, and taught with great authority, often attracting large crowds. Nevertheless, his contemporaries failed to recognize who he was despite displays of supernatural power. In the end, only the Roman centurion on duty at Golgotha perceived him to be the “ Son of God ” when the Nazarene breathed his last.

In the  Book of Genesis , God implemented His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His covenant with Abraham, beginning with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland and journey to the “ land I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from him, and the covenant would bless all the “ Tribes of the Earth .” From the start, the promise of territory was central to the Abrahamic Covenant.

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth . The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or governments. His message summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of the present world order. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing system will disappear from the planet.

Men are not put in right standing before God from the works of the Mosaic Law, but instead, from the faith of Jesus Christ .  In his letter to the assemblies in Rome, Paul demonstrated that all men have sinned. Jews and Gentiles both have violated God’s revealed will, therefore, no one is justified before Him “ from the works of the Law .” Jews have the Mosaic Law but fall short of its requirements. Gentiles have the witness of their conscience yet live and even revel in their sins. If no one is set right before God “ from the works of the Law ,” how can anyone be reconciled with Him?

In  Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “ Good News of God ,” a message centered on His Son, Jesus Christ. He was dealing with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish believers in the Assembly of Rome and preparing the ground for taking the Gospel to the western regions of the Roman Empire. In the process of doing so, he addressed several related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and the New Creation.

Paul begins his  Letter to the Romans  with a lengthy introduction in which he identifies himself and his mission. The calling and “grace” of God have equipped him to preach the “ obedience of faith ” to the “ Gentiles .” In his introduction, he includes a brief description of the Messianic qualifications of Jesus of Nazareth, and links what God did in him to His promises recorded in the “ Holy Scriptures .”

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations without exception until Jesus returns – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his followers to announce the same message he preached. He summarized it as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this Kingdom on Earth in unexpected and paradoxical ways. His sovereignty over all nations would be established and his “ enemies ” would be subdued by the day of his return. Until then, his disciples were summoned to proclaim his message to the “ ends of the Earth .”

After a curt introduction, Paul began his  Letter to the Galatians  with a stern warning and a sharp rebuke. What some members of the congregation were contemplating would replace Jesus with a false messiah and a counterfeit gospel. Abandoning the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” by engaging in circumcision and other “ works of the law ” for justification before God would lead inevitably to being severed from Christ. Thus, the seriousness of his language.

As the Gospel of Matthew declares, Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. He brings the covenant promises to fulfillment. He is the covenant heir, and our receipt of the inheritance is based on our faith in him.

In his  Letter to the Romans , the Apostle Paul argues from plight to solution. The Gospel that he proclaims is the “ power of God for salvation .” Due to sin, two forces are at work in the world –  Righteousness  and  Wrath . In his Son, God has provided the solution to the desperate plight of all men that is now available to all on the same basis - “ from the faith of Jesus Christ .” Moreover, this “ Good News ” was promised beforehand in the Hebrew scriptures and is now being fulfilled as the Gospel is preached.