Below is from the Scofield Reference Bible,
gospel
Gospel. This great theme may be summarized as follows:
I. In itself the word Gospel means good news.
II. Four forms of the Gospel are to be distinguished"
(1) The Gospel of the kingdom. This is the good news that God purposes to set up on the earth, in fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant 2 Samuel 7:16 a kingdom, political, spiritual, Israelitish, universal, over which God's Son, David's heir, shall be King, and which shall be, for one thousand years, the manifestation of the righteousness of God in human affairs. (See Scofield "Matthew 3:2") .
Two preachings of this Gospel are mentioned, one past, beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist, continued by our Lord and His disciples, and ending with the Jewis rejection of the King. The other is yet future Matthew 24:14 during the great tribulation, and immediately preceding the coming of the King in glory.
(2) The Gospel of the grace of God. This is the good news that Jesus Christ, the rejected King, has died on the cross for the sins of the world, that He was raised from the dead for our justification, and that by Him all that believe are justified from all things. This form of the Gospel is described in many ways. It is the Gospel "of God" Romans 1:1 because it originates in His love; "of Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:14 because it flows from His sacrifice, and because He is the alone Object of Gospel faith; of the "grace of God" Acts 20:24 because it saves those whom the law curses; of "the glory" ; 1 Timothy 1:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4 because it concerns Him who is in the glory, and who is bringing the many sons to glory Hebrews 2:10 of "our salvation" Ephesians 1:13 because it is the "power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" Romans 1:16 of "the uncircumcision" Galatians 2:7 because it saves wholly apart from forms and ordinances of "peace" Ephesians 6:15 because through Christ it makes peace between the sinner and God, and imparts inward peace.
(3) The everlasting Gospel Revelation 14:6. This is to be preached to the earth-dwellers at the very end of the great tribulation and immediately preceding the judgment of the nations Matthew 15:31. It is neither the Gospel of the kingdom, nor of grace. Though its burden is judgment, not salvation, it is good news to Israel and to those who, during the tribulation, have been saved ; Revelation 7:9-14; Luke 21:28; Psalms 96:11-13; Isaiah 35:4-10.
(4) That which Paul calls, "my Gospel" Romans 2:16. This is the Gospel of the grace of God in its fullest development, but includes the revelation of the result of that Gospel in the outcalling of the church, her relationships, position, privileges, and responsibility. It is the distinctive truth of Ephesians and Colossians, but interpenetrates all of Paul's writings.
III. There is "another Gospel" Galatians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 11:4 "which is not another," but a perversion of the Gospel of the grace of God, against which we are warned. It has many seductive forms, but the test is one--it invariably denies the sufficiency of grace alone to save, keep, and perfect, and mingles with grace some kind of human merit. In Galatia it was law, in Colosse fanaticism Colossians 2:18, etc. In any form its teachers lie under the awful anathema of God.
I hope that you are not depending on anything (including water baptism) but the shed blood of Christ for your salvation.
Quoting Scofield on this forum is the equivalent of saying that you liked "A Purpose Driven Life" and thought it was a fabulous devotional.
Watch for falling brimstones.
Re: your #43. Good post!
***Actually, there are four Gospels and that is where one must 'rightly divide'....***
Yeah, just because your so called "Reference Bible" mentions the warning against 'another gospel' doesn't mean that Scofield was right. The Bible plainly and explicitly says if "we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
Does the Scofield Reference Bible says if "we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel other than the 4 square gospels to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
***It has many seductive forms, but the test is one--it invariably denies the sufficiency of grace alone to save, keep, and perfect, and mingles with grace some kind of human merit.***
You might ought to warn some of your Arminian friends of this. In the last few days, they were trying to preach to us on the merits of man becoming worthy of salvation.
In the service of the Lord,
Christian.
You make a good point. Is it not true, though, that Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change? Is the "new" Christian not declaring or confessing Christ as savior before men?
While one is saved when confessing their sins directly to God in prayer, one cannot deny the importance of 1. the individual's need to declare Christ publicly, and 2. The charge of the church to present to Jesus a church without spot or wrinkle?
Eph 5:25-27: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. NKJV
Consider these as well:
Matt 10:32-33 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. NKJV
Luke 12:8-9 "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. NKJV
Matt 16:24-27 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. NKJV