Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 5 Study # 1
December 4, 2018
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: The issues of "the Gospel" concern whether there is more than one (such as the gospel of the grace of God vs. the gospel of the kingdom of God vs. the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, etc.).
Introduction: As we move further into Mark's record, we note at once that Jesus' baptism led immediately to the necessity of His trial in the wilderness, and that, in turn, leads to a kind of "summary statement" of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. The logical connections are not difficult. At the end of Jesus' baptism, a voice came from heaven saying that Jesus is God's Son, both "beloved" and "found to be pleasing to God". However, for Mark's readers, there needed to be some kind of "validation" of the content of this utterance. Therefore, He was demonstrated to be both "beloved Son" and "well pleasing to heaven's God" by being victorious over heaven's adversary's opposition in very difficult circumstances. Then, being so identified and validated, Jesus is presented in terms of His "preaching" ministry in Galilee.
Our study for this evening is going to focus upon an issue that is raised by a textual difference in the Greek texts behind the Textus Receptus and the NASB. That issue is the confusion regarding "the gospel" that has been created by men who do not understand "the gospel". I have heard it said very recently that there is a "gospel of the grace of God" and "another gospel of the kingdom of God" and that the two are not the same.
- I. The Textual Issue That Initially Raises This Question.
- A. The Greek text behind the Authorized Version (known as the Textus Receptus) says in 1:14 that Jesus came into Galilee "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of The God".
- B. The Greek text behind the NASB (known as the Nestle/Aland 26) says in 1:14 that Jesus came into Galilee "preaching the gospel of The God".
- C. The significance of this difference is not large.
- 1. The "gospel of the kingdom of The God" is actually summarized in terms of content in the very next verse: "the Kingdom of The God is at hand".
- 2. The "gospel of The God" is summarized in terms of content of the previous narrative: The God sent His 'Beloved Son', Jesus Christ, to make a 'mighty' provision for the forgiveness of sins.
- 3. Thus, there is some difference in the significance of the textual variations because of how words impact thinking, but that significance is not large because the content of both texts is established in the same context.
- II. The Actual Question.
- A. Is there a sufficient distinction between the descriptors so as to constitute the conclusion that the Bible presents more than one legitimate "gospel"?
- B. That there is a distinction between the descriptors is a given, but the conclusion we draw rests upon the true impact of that distinction.
- III. The Realities of the Text in the Larger Text of the Scriptures.
- A. Let's begin with the word "gospel".
- 1. It's fundamental meaning is "good news" or, more precisely, "an announcement of a good reality".
- 2. This fundamental meaning exists in all of its uses in the Scriptures.
- B. Then let's move to the various concepts that are attached to this word in this part of Mark's record.
- 1. Mark's first use is in his "title" to his record as given in 1:1.
- a. That first use indicates "various aspects" of this "gospel" in that it is declared to have a "beginning", or more accurately "differing issues of relative importance".
- b. That first use also makes this "gospel" about Jesus Christ.
- c. We are pressed, then, to a conclusion that the "announcement of a good reality" has more than one part and that whatever those "parts" are, they are directly related to Jesus Christ.
- 2. Mark's next reference to this "announcement of a good reality" is indirect.
- a. Mark does not use the word "gospel" when he presents the extraordinary "good reality" that God is willing to forgive sins on the basis of repentance (alone).
- b. Thus, though the word "gospel" is not found in the text at the point of the promise of the availability of forgiveness, it is certainly there "in spirit".
- 3. Then we come to the next actual use of the word in our current text: Jesus came into Galilee preaching "The Gospel".
- a. If Mark wrote "the gospel of the kingdom of the God", he meant something directly akin to the very next verse: that kingdom is "at hand".
- 1) For a particular group of people, this would be "an announcement of a very good reality".
- a) The particular meaning of "the kingdom is at hand" is yet to be unfolded, but, for those who have believed the "gospel" of "forgiveness through repentance", this "announcement of a good reality" would be seen as a very good thing.
- b) But what of those who did not believe the "announcement of a good reality" in the form of a promise of forgiveness: would not this "good reality" be to them a horror and a terror and not "gospel" at all?
- 2) Thus, the proclamation that God's Kingdom was, in some highly significant way, "at hand" is an element of "the gospel".
- b. If, on the other hand, Mark wrote "the gospel of The God", he meant that The Ultimate Executor of Power was making "announcement of a good reality" that consisted in the promise that He was going to use His power to bring the "good reality" into play.
- 1) From what we can see in 1:15 that "good reality" is The Kingdom of The God" and that it is, in some way, "at hand".
- 2) But, just as in the above material, it makes a great deal of difference to those who hear whether it is, in fact, "an announcement of a good reality".
- 4. The next use of the word is in Mark's summary of Jesus' "preaching": repent and believe in the Gospel.
- a. This points to two major issues of the "announcement of a good reality".
- 1) The issue of "methodology" in which the "announcement of a good reality" is that the "method" of being enthused about the "good news" is "repentance".
- 2) The issue of "setting" in which the "announcement of a good reality" is that the fulfillment of what it means to be "forgiven" is to be found in the "kingdom of God".
- 5. Conclusions we need to draw.
- a. The "good news" is about Jesus Christ.
- b. The "good news" is that "forgiveness of sins" can be obtained by "repentance alone".
- c. The "good news" is that a "kingdom" from the God of power is in the plans.
- d. The "good news" is only "good news" for those who "believe" it.
- C. Now let's move out of Mark's limited context into the broader context of the Scriptures.
- 1. There are some who say that "the kingdom of heaven" and "the kingdom of God" are not the same, but this is easily disproved.
- a. In Matthew's record, there are 5 references to "the kingdom of God" and 32 references to "the kingdom of heaven".
- b. No other New Testament book refers to "the kingdom of heaven" in those precise words.
- c. It seems clear from Matthew 19:23-24 that the "kingdom" to which Jesus referred with the "qualifying phrase" "of heaven" in v. 23 is the same "kingdom" to which Jesus referred with the "qualifying phrase" "of God" in v. 24.
- d. That He switched "qualifying phrases" is significant, but the significance is not that there are two "kingdoms" in view, only that there are two "foci of attention" being introduced.
- 2. There have been some who have said that the "methods" of salvation between the testaments are different, but this is also easily disproved.
- a. Paul's argument that there is only one gospel for all ages is rooted in two particular texts.
- 1) Galatians 1:6-8.
- 2) Galatians 2:16.
- b. The flawed reasoning of men is that different descriptors must indicate different gospels, but different descriptors can indicate different aspects of the same gospel.
- 1) At issue is what words actually do (direct our thoughts down certain paths).
- 2) Also at issue is what being careful about the significance of the words actually is.
- a) We have already seen in Mark's uses alone that sometimes "gospel" has to do with "promises" given.
- b) Sometimes "gospel" has to do with "impacts made".
- c) Sometimes "gospel" has to do with "settings provided".
- d) Sometimes "gospel" has to do with "the ease of the methodology".
- e) And sometimes "gospel" has to do with "explanations of how it all comes together" because it is "the gospel about Jesus Christ".
