The Gospel.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 6, June 1901.
"Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10,11.
The angel of the Lord came to the shepherds, who were watching over their flocks by night, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them. They were filled with fear at the unexpected appearance of a messenger from heaven and the visible glory that enveloped them. Their fears were suddenly quelled, however, by the sweetest news that ever sounded in mortal ears. How greatly favored they were! The learned, rich, and noble of earth had been passed by, and these poor unpretentious rustics were chosen, as auditors to super-human eloquence, to receive intelligence directly from heaven of the birth of the greatest personage that ever stepped upon the stage of time. In the announcement made to them the glorious gospel was proclaimed. We shall now attempt to consider this gospel, treating of what it is, how it is proclaimed, and what it is designed to accomplish.What the gospel is. The angel called it "good tidings of great joy." No better definition of the gospel can be given. The tidings was news of the coming of a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. It is good tidings, for if a ransom had not been prepared the condition of all the human family would have been endlessly miserable. The gospel presents Christ as a Saviour. To be the Saviour of sinners it was necessary for him to be inherently sinless. He was that in his conception and birth, and continued to be that throughout the period of his incarnation. "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens." Hebrews 7:26. He "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15. His righteousness was perfect, just such a righteousness as the law demanded. In him all its rigid requirements were met, all its claims were fully satisfied. This spotless robe of righteousness was wrought out for those he came to save. Virtue, it is true, belongs inherently to him only who possesses it, yet the virtue of Christ's obedience is made over to his people by imputation. What he did is placed to their account, is credited to them. More than this was necessary, however. It was not only necessary for them to have a spotless righteousness imputed to them, but it was also needful for their pollution to be removed. This could only be done by imputing their sins to Christ who atoned for them by his death. He who knew no sin was thus made to be sin for all whom he represented, that they might be made in him, in him only, the righteousness that God approves. II. Corinthians 3:21. God imputes righteousness without works to all those whose sins are thus covered by the death of Christ, forgiving their iniquities. He will not impute sin to them, because to do so would be to charge that to them which had already been paid by Christ, thus exacting double payment for the debt. See Romans 4: 6-8. Moreover, Christ arose from the dead, ascended into the holy place, and ever lives to intercede for all those for whom he died. This is the gospel that Paul preached, for he says, "I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." I. Corinthians 15: 3,4. He preached that Christ died for sins, that all for whose sins he died were, by this means, reconciled to God, and that all who are thus reconciled shall be saved by his life. See Romans 5:10. This is the gospel. Any deviation from this is a perversion of the gospel. A curse is pronounced by the apostle upon any one, even an angel from heaven, who preaches any other gospel.
This is good tidings of great joy to God's people wherever it is preached, while it is a stumbling block to unbelieving Jews and foolishness to unregenerated Gentiles. We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. We look not to our preaching, but to him that we preach, to save sinners.
Christ and his cross are all our theme:
The mysteries that we speak
Are scandal in the Jews' esteem,
And folly to the Greek.
But souls enlightened from above,
With joy receive the word;
They see what wisdom, power, and love
Shine in their dying Lord.
How this gospel should be preached. (1) It should be preached in love. He whose heart does not glow with love is wholly disqualified to proclaim the gospel. He may be learned, he may be eloquent, but he cannot sound a single note of that heavenly music the sweet harmony of which fills the hearts of God's children with joy. (2) It should be preached with patience. An impatient minister, one who frets and draws back if his wishes are not fully carried out is like a balky horse. All teamsters know that such a horse is very unreliable. A minister should possess his soul in patience. He should "reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." (3) It should be preached in "demonstration of the Spirit and of power, and not with "enticing words of man's wisdom." Let us pray for a greater measures of the Spirit, that we may forget ourselves, that we may be liberated from an ambitious spirit which craves modesty and gentleness which become the sacred station we are trying to fill. Oh, for grace to serve him acceptably!
J. R. D.
(to be continued.)
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