Do You Really Know the Gospel?
Good Evening. A Puritan’s Mind brings you the old time radio program The Wild Boar News Podcast from Sunny South Florida. Welcome, I’m Dr. Matthew McMahon.
From before time began, God reveals to us in His Word that He is a covenantal God. A covenant is a pact or agreement between two or more parties, and in this case, it is the intra-Trinitarian pact that comes to light. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit work covenantally together and as a result, through God’s ordination, He gives us the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But how well do you know the Gospel? Do you believe God’s Gospel? Or do you believe someone else’s? Do you believe the Gospel of Joel Osteen? His is different than the one Billy Graham purported. Do you believe the Gospel of TD Jakes? His is different than Rick Warren. Do you believe John Calvin’s Gospel? His is different than Warren, Osteen Jakes and Graham. Which Gospel do you adhere to? You might, as a keen listener, say you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But really, how well do you know God’s Gospel?
God undoubtedly works covenantally. There are over 400 direct references to God working as a covenantally faithful God. God made a covenant with Adam, and that covenant had as one of its signs, the tree of life: "And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die,’" (Gen. 2:16-17). God made a covenant with Noah, and this covenant had the sign of the rainbow, (Gen. 9:9-17). With Abraham, God also made a covenant. When you, listener, think of God dealing with people like Adam, Noah and Abraham, do you think of the Gospel? Or, like most misinformed Christians, do you think the Gospel of Jesus Christ came much later?
The Old Testament makes up more than 2/3rds of the Bible. Most Christians neglect it. They believe, for some strange reason, that the Gospel began in Matthew 1:1 or thereabouts. They do not consider that the Gospel began in Genesis 3:15. The Abrahamic Covenant is called the gospel in Galatians 3:8, "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you.” The Apostle Paul, no doubt, believed the Abrahamic Covenant is still in effect. The Gospel is that all nations will be blessed by God, and that God will be a God to His people and their children. This is called “the gospel” by Paul, and demonstrates very clearly that the Abrahamic covenant is, in reality, this New Covenant made with Jesus Christ. To say the Abrahamic covenant is “Old Testament” stuff, and that it is not currently in effect, is to blatantly contradict what the Apostle Paul teaches when he calls it “The Gospel.”
Christians cannot be confused on the Gospel. If they are confused on the Gospel, then they must, in turn, be confused about the manner in which God works. If they are confused in the manner in which God works, then what God have they fabricated? What God do they really serve if not “their own imaginations?”
Currently this author is working on a book that will be released in the first quarter of 2008 called, “Believing God’s Gospel.” The Gospel is not something that the church can afford to be confused on. It may be through ignorance, or through poor teaching, but regardless of the cause, God never gives us the right to be wrong about His Gospel.
This is Dr. Matthew McMahon signing off.
Keep checking back at A Puritan’s Mind – currently in the works is an MP3 series on the Covenant of Grace, and another MP3 series on Election and Predestination. Puritan Publications has already released its latest book, “A Heart for Reformation” which covers how every Christian should desire true biblical reformation. For more on Reformed and Puritan Theology, visit www.apuritansmind.com.
From before time began, God reveals to us in His Word that He is a covenantal God. A covenant is a pact or agreement between two or more parties, and in this case, it is the intra-Trinitarian pact that comes to light. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit work covenantally together and as a result, through God’s ordination, He gives us the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But how well do you know the Gospel? Do you believe God’s Gospel? Or do you believe someone else’s? Do you believe the Gospel of Joel Osteen? His is different than the one Billy Graham purported. Do you believe the Gospel of TD Jakes? His is different than Rick Warren. Do you believe John Calvin’s Gospel? His is different than Warren, Osteen Jakes and Graham. Which Gospel do you adhere to? You might, as a keen listener, say you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But really, how well do you know God’s Gospel?
God undoubtedly works covenantally. There are over 400 direct references to God working as a covenantally faithful God. God made a covenant with Adam, and that covenant had as one of its signs, the tree of life: "And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die,’" (Gen. 2:16-17). God made a covenant with Noah, and this covenant had the sign of the rainbow, (Gen. 9:9-17). With Abraham, God also made a covenant. When you, listener, think of God dealing with people like Adam, Noah and Abraham, do you think of the Gospel? Or, like most misinformed Christians, do you think the Gospel of Jesus Christ came much later?
The Old Testament makes up more than 2/3rds of the Bible. Most Christians neglect it. They believe, for some strange reason, that the Gospel began in Matthew 1:1 or thereabouts. They do not consider that the Gospel began in Genesis 3:15. The Abrahamic Covenant is called the gospel in Galatians 3:8, "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you.” The Apostle Paul, no doubt, believed the Abrahamic Covenant is still in effect. The Gospel is that all nations will be blessed by God, and that God will be a God to His people and their children. This is called “the gospel” by Paul, and demonstrates very clearly that the Abrahamic covenant is, in reality, this New Covenant made with Jesus Christ. To say the Abrahamic covenant is “Old Testament” stuff, and that it is not currently in effect, is to blatantly contradict what the Apostle Paul teaches when he calls it “The Gospel.”
Christians cannot be confused on the Gospel. If they are confused on the Gospel, then they must, in turn, be confused about the manner in which God works. If they are confused in the manner in which God works, then what God have they fabricated? What God do they really serve if not “their own imaginations?”
Currently this author is working on a book that will be released in the first quarter of 2008 called, “Believing God’s Gospel.” The Gospel is not something that the church can afford to be confused on. It may be through ignorance, or through poor teaching, but regardless of the cause, God never gives us the right to be wrong about His Gospel.
This is Dr. Matthew McMahon signing off.
Keep checking back at A Puritan’s Mind – currently in the works is an MP3 series on the Covenant of Grace, and another MP3 series on Election and Predestination. Puritan Publications has already released its latest book, “A Heart for Reformation” which covers how every Christian should desire true biblical reformation. For more on Reformed and Puritan Theology, visit www.apuritansmind.com.
