What is the term "gospel"? GOOD NEWS. God has been giving good news since the fall of Adam. THAT is what the Bible is all about: God's GOOD NEWS to man.
So, what is "the mystery of the gospel;" WHAT was SECRET of the good news? How could a holy and righteous God proclaim good news to sinners? How could He JUSTLY offer them good things to come when, as sinners, they DESERVED His wrath? The answer is found in the epistles of PAUL.
If anything is made clear in the Pauline epistles it is the act that the secret of all GOd's good news to man is centered in CALVARY. It was because Christ was to die for sin that God could proclaim good news to sinners, whether it concerned the bringing in of the millennial kingdom, the blessing of the nations THROUGH Abraham's seed (Israel) or the final defeat of Satan.
It was not until some time after the crucifixion, however, that the SECRET of the gospel was revealed TO AND THROUGH THE APOSTLE PAUL, and with IT the best news of all: "THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD."
The proclamation of "the gospel of the grace of God" was the natural accompaniment to the revelation of the cross as the SECRET of God's good news. THAT'S why Paul calls his DISTINCTIVE MESSAGE both "the gospel of the grace of God"(Acts 20:24) AND "the preaching of the cross" (1 Cor. 1:18), for the "gospel of the grace of God" IS "the preaching of the cross", as GOOD NEWS. IT is the proclamation of the OVER-ABOUNDING GRACE OF GOD TO MAN THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST, and in Paul's epistles EVERYTHING CENTERS IN THE CROSS.
According to Paul, through the Holy Spirit, "we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD"(Eph. 1:7), we are "JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD" (ROm. 5:9), "RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON"(ROm.5:10), "MADE NIGH BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST"(Eph. 2:13) and "MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM" because "GOD HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US" (2 Cor. 5:21).
BUT, we MUST be careful NOT TO ASSUME that PREDICTIONS concerning the crucifixion are the SAME AS "the preaching of the cross" or that "the preaching of the cross" has nothing to do with the mystery simply because the crucifixion itself was prophesied.
PREDICTIONS concerning the DEATH OF CHRIST are to be found in NUMEROUS OT passages AS WELL AS in the FOUR RECORDS of CHRIST'S EARTHLY MINISTRY. But NEVER, repeat,NEVER WERE THE MERITS OF CHRIST'S DEATH PROCLAIMED AS THE GROUND OF SALVATION UNTIL PAUL.The difficulty is that SO much has been READ INTO Scripture which is NOT THERE. SEE PETER'S PENTECOST SERMON FOR A GREAT ILLUSTRATION OF THIS.
John the Baptist NEVER proclaimed the merits of Christ as the Lamb of God, bearing away the sin of the world as the ground of salvation. If he knew that, why was his call "repent and be baptized for the remission of sin"? Nor did the 12. Even AFTER the crucifixion, the apostles did NOT immediately see the death of Christ as the SECRET OF THE GOSPEL. Peter REFERRED to the crucifixion, but he DID NOT OFFER IT FOR SALVATION. He BLAMED his hearers for the death of Christ and DEMANDED REPENTANCE AND WATER BAPTISM FOR THE REMISSION OF THEIR SINS (Acts 2:3638).
Philip did NOT preach the cross to the eunuch as the SECRET OF THE GOSPEL. The eunuch had been reading Isa. 53. Philip then PREACHED Christ from that passage, proving from it that the crucified Jesus was indeed the Messiah, whose coming Isaiah had predicted. Read it carefully. NOWHERE does it say that Philip instructed the eunuch that CHRIST HAD DIED FOR HIM, or that the eunuch should TRUST IN HIS DEATH FOR SALVATION. Philip simply identified Jesus as Messiah from that passage, and baptized the eunuch when he confessed: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God" (Acts8:37).
And while you're reading, go back an read ONCE AGAIN Peter's Pentecost message. And find where HE PREACHED the cross as the means of remission of sin and salvation.
Whereas Peter at Pentecost had ACCUSED his hearers of crucifying Christ and had DEMANDED repentance and baptism FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS (Acts2:23,36,38), Paul proclaimed the crucifixion of Christ AS GOOD NEWS (1 Cor. 1:18) and revealed that His death was our remission of our sins. WIth Peter at Pentecost it was a matter of SHAME; Paul GLORIED in it (Gal. 6:14).
Paul, the chief of sinners, saved by grace, OFFERS the cross as the SOLE GROUND OF REMISSION OF SINS(ROm.3:24).
The simple fact is that it was not UNTIL PAUL that Christ's death for sin was proclaimed as GOOD NEWS and seen as the SECRET of ALL the GOOD NEWS that had gone before.
The FACT of Christ's death for the sins of others was "testified beforehand"(1 Pet. 1:11), but Paul, by REVELATION, makes it VERY CLEAR that the ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GOD IN THAT DEATH and the OFFER OF SALVATION TO ALL THROUGH ITS MERITS WAS TO BE:"...TESTIFIED IN DUE TIME, whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle..."(1 Tim. 2:6,7).
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NASB
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
"Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed."
Please read Isaiah 53. All of it. I posted it fully. Here is the heart of the Gospel according to Isaiah:
Isaiah 53:5-7 NASB
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the L ord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
If Philip did not point out the shed Blood of Christ as the mercy for us, then I am at a loss for words. What scriptures did Paul use to convince the Bereans? What did they search diligently? An epistle from Paul?
I am a very patient man. However it is clear you have not read fully any of my posts. If you would like further discussions on this topic then please read more than the posts you agree with. I have answered the Pentecost sermon several times. Peter preaches the same Gospel as evidenced in 1 Corinthians 15 and Paul says right there that they all...all of them do to.
If you now want to refute Paul’s own words please proceed.
That is exactly as I understand it...