There is Only One Gospel: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
I have written most of these thoughts and presented these Scripture verses in other posts, but don’t remember putting them altogether in one place. I have written this, based on Scripture, to suggest that the gospel of salvation, which I think most of us have been taught, is not the gospel that Jesus taught and demonstrated. If this is correct, it has implications for our walk to become more like Him.
If you have been keeping up with my posts you know by now that I believe that the main message of Jesus is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He taught and demonstrated many things: healing, deliverance; love for God, your enemies, and everyone in between; seeking and saving lost people, forgiveness of sins, asking, power and authority, and much more. But as I see it, all of these important aspects of Jesus’ ministry can best be understood within the context of the Gospel — the good news that the Kingdom of God is here and because of the atoning death of Jesus we have the right to enter the Kingdom and live restored lives in intimacy with the Triune God — now, not just when we die.
I believe that early in His ministry Jesus demonstrated His Kingdom mission, not only in word, but in deed also. He began by reading Isaiah 61 in the Nazareth synagogue– “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news (euaggelizo – to announce, declare, proclaim the gospel) to the poor. He has sent (aposetllo – – to send on a mission) me to proclaim freedom for the prisoner and recover of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4: 18, 19 NIV). NT Wright calls this the ‘Nazareth Manifesto’. He was ‘sent’ to rescue, restore, free, liberate those who were enslaved by the ‘powers of darkness’, i.e. satan. “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves. In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1: 13, 14 NIV).
After reading the Isaiah 61 passage, proclaiming His mission to preach the gospel (as we shall see — the gospel of the Kingdom of God) Jesus traveled to Capernaum, where He taught the people on the Sabbath. In that synagogue Jesus commanded a demon to come out of a man. This was His first deliverance of a demon, indicating to everyone the Kingdom of God is a place of spiritual and emotional wholeness. The people were amazed. “What is this teaching? With authority and power He gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!” (Luke 4: 36 NIV). Jesus demonstrates, before their eyes, Kingdom power and authority.
Then Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s mother-in-law’s house where He healed Simon’s mother-in-law from a high fever by bending over her and rebuking the fever. “He rebuked the fever, and it left her” (Luke 4: 39 NIV).
In these two actions Jesus demonstrates that there is physical healing in the Kingdom of God as well as spiritual and emotional healing.
That night, in what are known as the sunset miracles, many who had various kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus “and laying His hands on each one, He healed them” (Luke 4: 13 NIV).
How do we know that Jesus is demonstrating the gospel of the Kingdom of God, the good news that the Kingdom of God is here now, although not in its fullness, and that in the Kingdom there is a life of freedom from demons, disease, and sickness? Because at the end of Luke 4 He tells us. After the sunset miracles – – a time of healing long into the night and into early morning, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The disciples came after Him and said basically, “there are more people to heal. They are looking for you”. In response to this request Jesus told them:
“I must preach the good news (eugaggelizo – proclaim the gospel) of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4: 43 NIV). He said “I must proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom of God because that is the mission my Father gave to Me.
Jesus was anointed, He received the Holy Spirit, his first words were about freeing captives from darkness, a task for which He was ‘sent’, and then He demonstrates with power and authority just that — He sets people free spiritually, emotionally, and physically from demons, sickness, and disease. Lest we should have any doubt of His mission and ministry, about why the Father ‘sent’ Him, He ties it all together with a statement about the gospel. I have been sent (apostello — to send out on a mission. From Strong’s concordance) to preach, proclaim in word and deed, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. There is only one gospel — it is the Gospel of the Kingdom.
This message is proclaimed by Jesus in other Gospels as well. In Mark 1: 15 Jesus says “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” In Matthew 4:23, Matthew writes “And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease among the people” (NKJV).
The Gospels, especially the synoptic Gospels, and the Book of Acts make at least 20 direct references to the preaching of ‘the gospel of the Kingdom of God’. Near the end of his life in house arrest, Paul preached (kerusso — proclaiming divine truth, especially the gospel) the Kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus (Acts 28: 31). Jesus predicted that this gospel will be preached to the nations — “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24: 14 NKJV).
In two different accounts, Jesus authorized the disciples to ‘go out’ on ‘their own’ to do the things He was doing. In Matthew 10 the Bible says “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease . . . These twelve Jesus sent (apostello) out and commanded them, saying . . . “And as you go, preach, saying ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matthew 10: 5-8 NKJV). Jesus is making it clear that in this gospel of the Kingdom, healing and deliverance are important. That is part of the good news.
In Luke 9 we read that “Then He called His twelve disciple together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent (apostello) them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick . . . So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” (Luke 9: 1-3, 6 NKJV) — the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Near the end of His life, Jesus gave His disciples what we call the Great Commission — the marching orders for the Church. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18, 19). “All things that Jesus commanded them” certainly includes the command to “preach that the Kingdom of God is at hand, then heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead”. In other words, “preach the gospel”.
As Jesus was sent, so He sent His disciples with the same power and authority Jesus had to preach (kerusso and euaggelizo) the Kingdom of God. We are called to be Kingdom men and women — we are called to release the Kingdom of God in the same way Jesus did. We are called to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, to proclaim “the Kingdom of God is here”; we are called to live in obedience to Jesus’ Kingdom teaching, we are called to heal and cast out demons, we are called to holy lives of surrender and submission to our King, we are called to lives of power and authority over darkness, and we are called to repentant lives.
None of this is possible to live perfectly or completely. That is why we live repentantly. But for sure, this life is not even close to possible without the indwelling Holy Spirit, a ‘gift’ that God gives His Kingdom people.
One final word before I wrap this up. Jesus, His disciples, and apostles healed a lot of people. Some today say these gifts were for then, but not now. Others say Jesus only did these things to demonstrate who He was. Some question healing saying “what’s the point. We are all going to die anyway”. Many Christians discount healing as somehow not part of our apostolic calling today — I have heard and read many arguments rejecting healing and deliverance ministry. Jesus healed, He commanded the disciples to heal, He commanded His disciples to teach us to heal, His apostles healed, Peter and Paul healed, and healing in the name of Jesus is happening around the world today. Jesus made it clear — healing and deliverance are an essential part of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. We must obey. By faith we believe that Jesus has given Kingdom men and women power and authority to heal and deliver. “If you have faith and do not doubt . . . you can say to this mountain, ‘Go’, throw yourself into the sea and it will be done. If you believe , you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21: 21, 22 NIV).
Jesus made it clear what the Kingdom of God represented: a life healed spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and made whole; the lost found, the prisoners set free, life in light instead of darkness. Throughout His ministry He taught about the Kingdom life in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Upper Room discourses, and in many parables, usually relating the parable to the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Ultimately, His atoning death on the cross and His blood opened the way for each of us to enter and live in the Kingdom of God — which I believe Jesus described as salvation, beginning now but lasting for eternity. We can never be good enough to earn salvation, nor can we be bad enough to be denied salvation. It is a gift, but we must choose and receive the gift. Jesus says “repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1: 15).
There is only one gospel. “Jesus preached it, transmitted it to His disciples, and has committed it to His Church. Paul warned against ever receiving any other gospel. ‘Any other’ may be either a message of outright error or an argument for a diluted message, devoid of power though nominally Christian . . . Hold to the full ‘gospel of the Kingdom’ and expect the Lord to confirm that ‘word’ with signs He promised” (Notes, the ‘Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, Jack Hayford, Exec. Editor).
Are you surprised? This can’t be the gospel, you might say. What about going to heaven when I die because Jesus died for my sins? Isn’t that the gospel? It is part of the gospel, but not what Jesus focused on with His ministry. And if that is the gospel — accept Jesus as Savior and your sins are forgiven; you will go to heaven when you die– there is no real need to teach the Kingdom of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, healing, deliverance, spiritual gifts, power and authority, intercessory prayer, demons and spiritual warfare, or even the need to choose the Kingdom of God and repent of the kingdom of self. I own a book called ‘Systemic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine’. Not counting the appendices or index, the book is 1167 pages long. According to the index of topics, the Kingdom of God is discussed on the bottom half of page 863 and the top half of page 864. One full page of text on the gospel in a book on biblical doctrine!
The Kingdom of God is here. Repent and enter into His rest. But still the Kingdom of God is a bit mysterious. It is here, but not in its fullness. It is now, but not yet. It is imperative that we live in this tension. Jesus told us repeatedly “the Kingdom of God is like . . . . “, but never really defined it. I believe that the Kingdom and salvation can come into sharper view by contrasting the stories of two men in Mark 10: the rich young ruler and Bartimaeus (yes, him again — but from a different angle, sort of). That is my next post.