Gospel of God- Word of Trinity- - TamilBibleStudy

Romans 1:1

Gospel of God- Work of Trinity

Romans 1:1, Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

The phrase is "the gospel of God." The theme of the entire epistle, the good news from God. Apostle Paul never visited Rome, so in his introduction he gives these 3 statements. 1. Paul a bond slave of Jesus Christ. 2. Called to be an Apostle.

3. Set apart for the Gospel of God. He writes these statements in order so that the readers will know who Paul is and what authority he must write a theological letter to them. Paul was also insisting that he was commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself.

Acts 26:16-18, But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Paul told King Agrippa his testimony and in that he mentioned about how Jesus Christ commissioned him to be an Apostle. Jesus not only appeared to Paul but also told him what he needs to do. Why must Paul take such a length to state about himself? Because there are too many false Apostles came into existence. Revelations 2:2, “I know your works, your labour, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; Apostle Paul wants to stress that he was equal with other Apostles and has the same credentials as they were.

Even in this 21st Century we have many people call themselves as apostles, but they are not.

Ephesians 2:20, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

The foundation is been already built so if anyone claims that they are apostles they are not putting foundation but building over it. Gospel of God in the view of God. Last lesson we looked at in our human context. Paul had been the teacher of the law, namely Pharisee.

Law was never meant to be good news!

Galatians 3:19, What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

The law was never was means of a method or a way of salvation. Even though the law had an element of grace but never meant to be good news. Few people think that God gave the Israelites the law so that they can save themselves through it.

Hence, they think it was an after thought by God to give the gospel. God gave the law since people failed then God gave them the gospel. This is a great error on both part of law and grace. In the gospel we should not think that this is mere an opportunity for forgiveness of sins only. Since there was some means in for the forgiveness of sin in the Old Testament itself.

There are others who think that Gospel is not for us to do anything but to live a good moral and ethical life. Gospel is simply for good conduct and behaviour. Christianity is not the behavior modification. Paul goes on to explain to us this Gospel.

Gospel is concerning His Son. Indeed, it is God Himself that He has done.

Romans 1:16-17, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

There is a no commandment for man to save themselves rather it is the power of God to Salvation.

Forgiveness is there in the Old Testament but there is something new, that is righteousness from God revealed.

Good news from God

It is about what God has done for man. As I have mentioned in the previous lesson there are few other descriptions of good news in the New Testament. ✓ Gospel of Peace, ✓ Gospel of the Kingdom, ✓ Gospel of Salvation, ✓ Everlasting Gospel.

But there is one title Paul uses predominantly is Gospel of God. Paul does not just share it as Gospel of God, and he continues with that saying it is concerning His Son and praying that the Holy Spirit will enable us all to see.

Romans 1:3-4, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, ⁴ and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes these wonderful words about the Gospel. When we ask the Christians to define the Gospel the following ways they define.

Father

There are some people who define the Gospel solely on God alone. Times they do not even utter the word Lord Jesus Christ at all. They talk about God only. ➢ Forgiveness of God, ➢ Praying to God, ➢ Guided by God. It is like a mystic; they just only believe in God for their salvation.

They believe that they can connect with God without Christ! They assume that they have the whole knowledge of God. Remember I am not talking about non-Christians but Christians. How can anyone connect with God and have experience without Jesus Christ?

John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus Christ

There are others those who put the entire thing only on Jesus, Son alone! They project God as a reluctant Father who is refusing to forgive the sins, so Jesus is always going to the Father and begging Him to forgive. There are songs written like that too.

As Jesus is been saying that I have died for them, I have bought them and pleading their case for salvation.

Holy Spirit

There are few others put only on the Holy Spirit. Always calling the fire from heaven! Speaking only tongues and glorify the Spirit alone and saying it is all because of the Holy spirit. The most of this group put the entirety of the regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Being born-again, rebirth etc., This group completely bypass the Calvary.

Without the atonement of Jesus Christ there is no redemption work. So, we have three sets of people each portraying the prominence of the one person of Trinity.

Each one of them is wrong but each one of them has some truth, which is great danger? Salvation is work of the three persons in the blessed Trinity.

It is Father plan

The Father is first! It is His plan and purpose. Father God is the one who initiated this, and He gave the first promise.

Genesis 3:15, And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

It is God the Father gave this promise to Adam and Eve after their fall.

John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It is God! Jesus always made this point very clear while He was on the earth.

John 12:49-50, For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

We concluded the Gospel of John in our study on Sundays.

John 17:4, I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. Jesus was sent by the Father. Jesus was given the work to do by the Father. Jesus was sustained and enabled by then Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:19, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Galatians 4:4, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, Father God is the center not Christ. Peter gives wonderful explanation.

1 Peter 3:18, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

The whole purpose of the work of the Son is to bring us to God.

John 17:3, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Always this is the order. Jesus knew that everything, starts from the Father, comes from the Father, and glorifies the Father.

When we think of Salvation, we must think in terms of glorifying God. Yes, God saved us our sins are forgiven we are thankful and joyful, we should, and we must not stop at that. We should think in terms of glorying God.

Our conduct and behaviour is the result of this salvation. The object of our salvation is to glorify God.

What is sin? Sin is that we do not glorify God.

Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

When people share about their experience of Salvation, they do mention that they have changed. They have stopped drinking alcohol, Getting angry, Stopped doing certain things. etc. But it must not stop there! Main essence of salvation is to glorify God.

Catechism says that “Man chief end was made to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Catechism is a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for religious instruction. When we define sin as the failure to glorify God then even the morally good person will come to know what wretched person they are!

If not glorifying God is a sin, then salvations means that we are brought to place in which we live to glorify God. It is the Father sent His Son to do it. Salvation has been worked out through the Son and by the Son.

Father God sent His son to do it, but its is the Gospel of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus did everything because of the Holy Spirit. Right from Baptism we could see the work of the Holy Spirit.

John 3:34, For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. Jesus was Holy Spirit, that enabled Him to do His work. So, all the three persons are involved. Thus, Salvation is the mighty work of the ✓ God the Father, ✓ God the Son, and ✓ God the Holy Spirit. Father God initiated it by sending His Son. Son came did the atoning work by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit enabled the Son.

The doctrine of Trinity is never stated directly in the Scripture, always indirectly. There is no explicit statement to the fact that God is three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is no such definition. Bible states this very clearly like this.

“The Gospel of God concerning His son” and then ‘according to the Spirit of holiness.’

Illustration

Baptism of Jesus. Son Jesus Christ standing in river Jordan. Holy Spirit descend upon Him like dove. Father speaks from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We can see all three manifestation of God at one time.

John 14 Jesus makes this statement.

John 14:18, I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:20-21, At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ²¹ He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and [f]manifest Myself to him.” Same truth of three Persons as Father God, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Our Lord when He gave the great commission to the church, He gave the order in the trinity.

Matthew 28:19, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Apostle Paul when he concludes his second letter to Corinth.

2 Corinthians 13:14, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. Here again we see the Trinity working together.

Hebrews 9:14, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? So, we can see there is no surprise Apostle Paul writes to Romans the same order. Please have this clear in your mind that Trinity is the core of our theology. All three Persons in Godhead are co-equal and co-eternal and yet they have divided the work of man’s salvation in this way! Let me show you the other side of the Trinity: Jesus ministry was controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said this to those who accused Him of being of the devil. They accused Him of being of Satan. They accused Him of being representative of Beelzebub, which was a pagan term for Satan.

Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

What was Jesus saying? He was saying you might say something against My humanness, and that would be forgivable. But when you blaspheme the Spirit of God who is doing the work through Me, that is unforgivable. When they denied the works of Christ, He says you are not blaspheming the Son of Man but the Holy Spirit.

Why? Because He had surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit, and when they blasphemed His works, they were blaspheming the Spirit, because it was the Spirit working through Him. Paul in this introduction not only an understanding of the humanity of Christ and the deity of Christ but His relationship to

the Holy Spirit, one of the most marvelous of all theological categories.

Conclusion

When we study the Old Testament and look at the prophecies of the coming of this Gospel it is like a song.

Isaiah 35:1-10, The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; ² It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. ⁴ Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” ⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. ⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. ⁷ The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. ¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Take time to read Isaiah 55 In the Gospel of Luke when the angel appears to the shepherds in the fields.

Luke 2:10, Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

The shepherds saw the baby and they were rejoicing.

Luke 2:20, Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising

God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. The angels sang.

Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Has Gospel brought such a joy into your hearts? Can you say honestly that Gospel is the greatest joyful good news you have ever received?

This is the greatest good news you have ever heard in your life or it not!

If you are NOT rejoicing, then it may be that anyone of this reason.

• If you have an inadequate sense of sin.
• If you have inadequate realization of your sinfulness.
• You may be thinking that you are leading a good life.
• If you are lacking joy, ask God to show you in your heart and repent of it today and receive the good news joyfully.

Other reason is that you may not realize the consequences of sin. Modern philosophy talks about love of God and no hell punishment. Let the Gospel of God captivate your heart and mind and you will live for the glory of God!