Gospel of God- Holy Scriptures

Romans 1:2

Gospel in His Holy Scriptures

Romans 1:2, which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,

This lesson is on the subject concerning the Scriptures. Paul tells us here that the God who had now sent His Son to do the things necessary for our salvation which He had promised before.

Why did God act in this way?

Why the delay? Why such a long interval between the fall of man in the garden of Eden and the coming of the Son of God for redemption and for salvation? Why all this Old Testament history, in its many parts and portions, since we know full well that God could have done these things at once and immediately?

What is it that governs and controls this process?

We cannot attempt to answer such a question fully since we do not know. But we may find few answers from the teaching of the scriptures. People struggle to come in terms that the knowledge of God was restricted to only Jewish people for many centuries.

Whereas rest of the world was in darkness without light from God. People need to understand that the depth of sin. God's way of revealing the depth of sin, God's way of showing mankind, and teaching us, what a terrible thing is sin. Not just simple act of disobedience or some failure, but that it really is a profound disease of the soul of man which leads to terrible and awful consequences.

Terrible thing about sin is that it blinds us to the truth of God. Jesus argued with the experts of the law and the Old Testament in the Gospel of John Chapter 5. They were the teachers, the authorities on the books of Moses.

Lord Jesus says to them, go back and read them. You take pride in Moses. You say that it is your knowledge of him and his writings that gives you salvation. Go and read him because Moses wrote about Me. But the tragedy was that they could not see that.

John 5:39-40, You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁴⁰ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. Jesus ends the argument with Moses.

John 5:45-47, Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Apostle Paul express that very well to the letter written to the church in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 3:14-15, But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

The tragedy of the Jews is that though Moses is read to them every Sabbath day, they do not see the truth. Their eyes are blinded. There is a veil over their hearts.

Now that is what sin is, and with all this record of God's revelation of Himself to them. They were God's own chosen people. They had the oracles of God and they were reading them Sabbath by Sabbath and yet they could not see the truth because of the blindness which is always the result of sin.

Part of God's purpose therefore is to reveal the nature of sin. As we study the Romans chapter 1:18-32 we will understand this point very well. 1. Man saving himself is futile. God is finally proving to mankind that any attempt on man's own part to save himself is futile. God gave man a full opportunity of saving himself if he could.

Look at the great civilizations that rose, some of them are mentioned in the Bible itself. Man has made these efforts and attempts to solve his problems. Man believes he can do it. Man’s pride of intellect makes him say that.

God stood back all these long running centuries and said, Now give Me the proof do the thing you say you can do. These great civilizations - Babylon, Egypt, Greek, and Rome.

Greece, and Rome came up one after another, yet they all failed. Mankind is face to face with this evidence. Of course, mankind does not recognize or accept it. They are proved by this long history of the Old Testament that in spite of all man's concentration of effort, and all his ability, he is as far away from God at the end as he was at the beginning.

1 Corinthians 1:21, For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Not only the world did it not know God and it could not teach itself how to live. Now the passing of all these years establishes that.

God has proved by what He did through these long centuries, that even to give His own law to mankind could not enable them to save themselves.

Romans 8:3-4, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Here is the essence of the argument

'What the law could not do'. It was never meant to do it, but people believed it could. People said, 'Give us a law, tell us how to live, and we will live it and put ourselves right', and they are still saying that. God gave them the law, and yet they could not keep it.

Reason: The weakness of the flesh rendered them incapable! The children of Israel, a special nation created by God, blessed by God, given the records by God and the full revelation, all this shows us that still they could not keep the law, but wandered away from God. Now condemnation is established.

The inability of man is absolutely true! 2. God’s Lordship over everything. To show His absolute control, to show His final authority. In other words, you take the Old Testament history, and you will find that it really comes to this it can all be divided into two

sections

➢ God's actions, and ➢ God's permissions.

There are accounts here of the tremendous activity of God when He exploded on to the human scene and did things.

• The Flood,
• The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,
• The crossing by Israel of the Red Sea,
• Israel's entering into Canaan,
• The waters of the Jordan divided, and
• The mighty acts of God.

There were long periods when God seemed to be doing nothing and permitted all kinds of things to happen. People said, 'Where is your God?' Then God would act, and finally sending of His Son. So, the very delay we should not use the term, (but from our human standpoint there is not a better one) - this tremendous length of time between the fall of man and the coming of the Son, has demonstrated and established all these things.

3. Put an end to Satan

The ultimate purpose of this long wait, this great interval, was that the mouth of the devil might be silenced. The devil, God's great antagonist, who is always ready to suggest that God is dealing unfairly with mankind.

➢ God has given mankind full opportunity to save itself.

➢ God has blessed men in spite of their sin. ➢ God chose a people, He gave them a law, but they could not keep it. ➢ God allowed all these efforts to be made, and the end came to nothing. The devil is silenced, and God is just, and there is not a word that can be said against Him.

Holy Scriptures

Why Paul implied this in this statement? In the introduction itself Paul is concerned to rush on to his big statement, which is 'the gospel of God concerning his Son.' Even before Paul says that the gospel is concerning His son, he must say, 'which he had promised before time by his servants the prophets in the holy scriptures'.

Why did he constantly feel he must do that? Paul does the same thing in chapter 3. Paul is expounding his great argument on justification by faith.

Romans 3:20-22, Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. ²¹ But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even

the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; How Paul uses the phrase again? He does it everywhere. But the most interesting and remarkable of all the occasions where he does this is in the last verse one in the whole Epistle.

Romans 16:25-27, Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began ²⁶ but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— ²⁷ to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Can you see how Paul starts with it? How Paul ends with the same theme? How anxious he seems to have been that the members of the church at Rome should see the vital importance of the position of Scripture in these matters. Why doesn't Paul get on with what he wanted to tell them? Why doesn't he forget about the Old Testament?

Why will he keep, on bringing in these law and prophets? What has all this got to do with it? This is how apostle Paul does it, always.

Acts 17:1-2, Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

• Paul did not tell them stories.
• Paul did not tell jokes.
• Paul did not speak about positive thinking.
• Paul did not speak about earthly life.
• Paul did not talk about himself.
• Paul did not sing.

He reasoned with them out of the Scriptures!

Acts 17:3, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” Paul used the Scriptures, the Old Testament, Moses, the Law, and the Prophets. He took them and he reasoned with these people out of them, proving, and demonstrating his point. Similarly, he writes that way only.

Corinthians, there had been trouble caused by different teachers in that church since the Apostle had been there.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, ² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 'According to the Scriptures' Why does Paul keep saying that? Why does he not forget about the Scriptures? Why not get on with the positive preaching? Why not tell us about Jesus Christ? Why keep on dragging in 'according to the Scriptures'? Paul always did it.

Various reasons

1. To Prove this is in continuation. Paul wants to prove it to them that this gospel which he and others were preaching was not something new and strange and a possible departure from the past.

That is the charge which was being brought against him. There were Jews said what is this new teaching. What is this new idea? What is this Jesus they are talking about? He was not just a Pharisee, or a member of the Sanhedrin.

Apostle Paul was anxious to show that this gospel was not a departure from the past, nor a complete break with the Old Testament Scriptures. His whole point was to show that it was nothing, but a continuation of what God had already been doing. It was the same grand purpose of God which had started away back there in the garden of Eden. He had been working right through the Old Testament times.

It was just another act in the same drama not something entirely different, a continuation, and a fulfilment. Paul’s great argument in chapter 4 is that God is still using the same method that He had always used by faith. God had never justified anybody on account of their works but always by faith.

✓ Abraham was justified by faith. ✓ David was justified by faith. ✓ God is still doing that.

➢ The same God, ➢ The same purpose, ➢ The same salvation, and ➢ The same method of salvation. So, how important it is that we should know our Old Testament Scriptures. 2. Christ must suffer. Paul used two main themes in his preaching.

• a. Christ must suffer.
• b. Jesus is the Christ.

Acts 17:3, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

The Jews had got an idea of the Messiah that He was going to be a great military and political person, who would come along and set up His kingdom. He will find an army and attack the Roman conquerors and destroy them. He will become a great world ruler immediately. Their ideas were materialistic they thought purely in those terms, in a nationalistic manner.

To them the idea that this carpenter of Nazareth, who was crucified in weakness, could conceivably be the Messiah was nonsense. It was the stumbling block. The first thing the Apostle had to do, therefore, when he preached to the Jews, was to prove to them out of their own Scriptures that the Messiah must needs suffer and to show that the Old Testament Scriptures had always taught that the Messiah would be a suffering Servant, one who was going to be rejected and put to death. He must needs suffer, be put to death, and rise again from the dead.

If Paul could not establish that, how could he possibly convince them? So, he began with that and he took them through these Scriptures, showing how they had prophesied that the Messiah would suffer in that way, suffering even death itself.

Of course, once he had established that this was the teaching of the Scriptures, the second step followed logically and inevitably. This Jesus whom we preach to you is the Messiah, Anointed! Paul showed how 'this Jesus'fulfilled all these detailed prophecies concerning Him. Paul said to them here is your evidence out of your own Scriptures. But he could not have

done without the Scriptures. That is why he uses them as he does.

2 Corinthians 1:20, For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Either it looks like small one or huge one everything is yes and Amen in Christ!

The fulfilment of all the promises is once and for ever fulfilled in this one Person. Jesus is the fulfilment of the entire Old Testament. Paul had deal with another aspect of the Jewish problem, which gave him great concern. The tremendous argument which we will find in chapters 9 to 11, of Romans.

In chapter 8 Paul has been telling the Roman Christians about the marvelous promises of God. They need not worry since all these great promises of God behind and around them. Someone who read the Old Testament Scriptures and see these wonderful promises that God gave to the Jews. But the Jews do not seem to be much in evidence in the church. The Jews seems to be outside, and the Gentiles are crowding in.

What about the promises of God to the Jews?

Now that is a problem that must be faced, and if the gospel cannot answer that, it collapses. But the gospel can answer that problem. In chapters 9 to 11, Paul shows that the doctrine of the Old Testament Scriptures is ultimately the doctrine of the remnant.

Romans 9:6, But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,

There is an Israel of the flesh, and an Israel after the Spirit. He proves it from the Scriptures. Paul expounds to them stating that the scriptures are being fulfilled not denied. Apostle Paul could do that by knowing the Old Testament scriptures otherwise he would not been able to do this.

It is still an essential part of the preaching of the Scriptures even today, and that is why it is so very important that we should familiarize ourselves with these great arguments and should be able to use them. Paul in his preaching would take the people right through all this teaching so that they could work it out and give answers when they went back to their homes and were tackled by their

relatives for having become Christians. They could prove that they were in a scriptural position.

Application

• A) The Bible is complete.

By taking verses (1&2 in English) 1 and 4 together, we can prove them this way. The Old Testament is the inspired Word of God, that it was written by men who were moved by the Holy Spirit. His prophets, God's prophets - not mere words of men, but revelation given to men who were then inspired to record it.

That is the Old Testament. In dealing with the term 'Apostle', we saw that the same applies to the New Testament writings, for they are either written by Apostles or else can be traced directly to Apostolic authority. Then the Old Testament and New Testament we have the complete revelation that God has given to man concerning His truth.

This leads me to say that we must never add to this revelation. Since the end of this Canon of Scripture, there is no more written word of God. Other cults says that God has continued to speak through those who are the successors of the apostles. There is no such thing as a successor to the apostles.

It is impossible, because an apostle is one who must have, ➢ seen the risen Lord, ➢ commissioned by the Lord, and ➢ to write scriptures. We are built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets as we have seen in Ephesians 2:20.

There is no addition to the foundation, and it is laid once and for ever. You build upon it and you never add to it. There is no fresh revelation. So, therefore, we do not worship the Virgin Mary. We do not believe in the immaculate conception.

The Roman Catholics agree about that it is not in the Bible but then they go on to say that this has been revealed since. Our reply that there is no subsequent revelation.

The Bible is complete - Old and New Testament given by God. That is all. There is nothing further. Everything that claims to be revelation must be tested by this. There can be no addition to it. The Lord Himself promised the apostles that He would reveal further truth to them through the Holy Spirit. He did so, and that is what we have in the New Testament.

• B) Bible is authoritative:

The Bible, therefore, is authoritative. It is the only authority. IL is our only rule and standard, and we must abide by its teaching in every respect. Our message must always come from the Bible, and from nowhere else. Further, our methods must also come from this book. Our whole activity in the things of God must be determined by the Bible message and method.

We must not believe anything unless it is either plainly stated in the Scriptures or else can be ultimately deduced from the Scriptures. If neither of these applies, we must reject it as not being part of the truth of God.

We have no authority except the Scripture!

We must never add to it and never take from it. This is the whole revelation of God to man, and it is the only authority.

• C) Bible is one book.

Though it consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is only one book. It is not even two books. The Old Testament and the New Testament are one. It is the same fundamental truth about the saving God and His great purpose. Old and New are parts of the same.

• D) Old Testament is Essential.

Obviously therefore the Old Testament is essential. We cannot dispense with the Old Testament because we are Christians, and because we are living in what we call the New Testament dispensation. There were certain heretics in the early church who thought they could. We don't need the Old Testament since that was the Jews'religion.'That is a complete misunderstanding of it.

It is false according to this teaching. We as Christians need the Old Testament today as much as ever, because of this unity, and because of the things that are going to follow. Do you read your Old Testament every year regularly, as you do your New Testament?

Do you go through your Old Testament at least once a year? You should.

How do you read your Old Testament? Certain Christian people who only use their Old Testament as they say 'devotionally.' They read the Psalms, and perhaps the occasional prayer of a godly man, or a bit of history. We have no right to confine it to devotional use. God's truth is revealed there, and we need that revelation. We must read it in the same way that we read the New Testament.

• E) Old and New Testament never contradict.

Our interpretation of the New Testament must never contradict the teaching of the Old Testament. Now that is really serious. This attempt to put a wedge between the two has often led to error.

We must never interpret the New Testament in such a way or manner as to bring it into contradiction with the Old Testament.

• F) The New Testament fulfils the Old

A very important practical point. There are people today who seem to teach and to believe that you can take Christ as your Saviour without taking Him as your Lord. They say you can take justification without taking sanctification.

They say you can get forgiveness of sins without holiness. It is a lie.

Romans 3:31, Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. If your view of salvation is that you are no longer under the law, and that you need not worry about it any longer, that you can live as you like as long as you believe in Christ, and that salvation is merely forgiveness, well then, you have never understood it. Salvation is something that fulfils the law, and it does not make it void.

Romans 8:3-4, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in

the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Colossians 2:6, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

We cannot receive Him except as the Lord. We cannot take Him as our Saviour and say later we will perhaps take Him as our Lord. He is always the Lord and you receive Him as Lord. The New is the fulfilment of the Old. The whole question of the new birth or born again. There are people who seem to think that the Old Testament saints were not born again. But it is thoroughly unscriptural to say that they were not.

We as Christians are children of Abraham, and children of faith, and the kingdom into which we have entered is the old kingdom in which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have been for so long. You see the importance of realizing that the New Testament is the fulfilment of the Old.

• G) Salvation for the World.

The Old Testament there is a world purpose in salvation. Salvation is personal, thank God, but it is much more. God has a purpose for the whole world, and we will see it in Romans chapter 11.

Romans 11:25-26, For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will

be saved, as it is written

Never lose sight of that. The Old Testament emphasizes that, by giving a picture, in the first eleven chapters of Genesis of the world at large before God had separated this one nation. The world view - the Old Testament, always emphasizes it.

Conclusion

So, let us never forget that there is nothing more comforting or encouraging to the Christian than to be familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures.

Romans 15:4, For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Is anybody depressed and discouraged? Go back to your Old Testament Scriptures, read them, study them, learn them by heart. See God's method. Nothing so encourages us and so teaches us to exercise patience as the Old Testament does. The whole of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is used in that way!

Put your case into His hands.

Is it a personal problem in your life? Leave it there. Are you worrying about the conversion of some loved one? You have been praying for years and nothing seems to happen, and you are on the point of giving up, and you say, what is the use?

If you feel like that, go back to the Old Testament, and realize that after God gave the promise about the seed of the woman in the garden of Eden, four thousand long years passed before the seed of the woman came and was born as a babe in Bethlehem.

Do not give up! That is God's method. These are God's ways.