What is the Gospel?

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Who is the Gospel Preached to ?


Who is the Gospel Preached to ? Truly the Gospel is preached to everyone that God sees fit to hear it, but His purpose for them hearing it is different, for different classes of people. For some He wants it to be life unto life, and for some He wants to hear it for death unto death per 2 Cor 2:14-16

14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.


15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

16To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

But I want to zero in on those for whom it was designed by God to be a good news for, life unto life !

Lets see how scripture Illustrates and gives meaning to the gospel. We shall compare Isa 61 1 with Lk 4 18

isa 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

Lk 4:18

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Now we can see what the prophet called good tidings, Jesus calls the gospel, and both Our Lord and the Prophet tell us who these gospel tidings are specifically preached to. The Prophet says that the good tidings are to the meek, and Jesus says to the poor !

I believe the meek and the poor are the same. Lets look for a moment at what Jesus says about the poor, which I believe is what is in view here Matt 5:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Notice poor in Spirit, this is not speaking about financially poor, though financially poor people can be poor in Spirit.

The promise to these poor is the Kingdom of Heaven ! James says of them James 2:5

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?


This poor is a chosen people, and they are chosen to Faith. They have been alloted precious Faith to them by God and their Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet 1:1

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

The poor in Spirit are those whom God makes them feel their moral and spiritual bankruptcy.

Many are poor, but don't know it as in Rev 3:17

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

But, that's why Jesus says blessed are them who are [feelingly so] poor in spirit.

Thats why they are blessed, because they are not like those who are poor and think themselves rich, but they are knowingly and experientially poor in Spirit, and to them belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.

And it is God who maketh poor ! 1 Sam 2:6

6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

7 The LORD maketh poor,

Only God the Holy Spirit can make one feel poor in Spirit, for He convinces the heirs of salvation of their sin !

In line with this, Jesus says He was sent to heal the brokenhearted ! The word here is the greek word:

break, to break in pieces, shiver

2) to tread down

a) to put Satan under foot and (as a conqueror) trample on him

b) to break down, crush

1) to tear one's body and shatter one's strength

To heal those who have been made to feel that they are without strength as per

Rom 5:6

6 For when we [Gods chosen] were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

The mighty freewillers never feel themselves in this condition, for after all, they have freewill like God does, after all they were made in His Image and likeness, and hence, surely God never feels like He is without strength, without ability.

The word without strength means to be impotent as in Acts 4:9

9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

One of our english dictionaries define impotent as :

[Adjective] Weak; feeble; wanting strength or power; unable by nature, or disabled by disease or accident to perform any act.

But Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, for by His stripes we are healed Isa 53:5

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Yes His stripes effect for all that he died for, a spiritual healing, it is then, when the healing is applied by the Holy Ghost, that we can perform or act, we can repent or we can believe, but only after the healing virtues of the blood is applied to us by regenerating us , giving us new spiritual life.

The gospel is good news to such ! God sends His Gospel as good news to the poor in spirit, the brokenhearted, those who feel weak, and without strength, impotent..

That would leave out those who have their mighty freewill ! 4

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Who is the Gospel Preached to ?

We are looking at scripture and its Illustration as to who the Gospel is preached to, this is the testimony of Jesus Christ himself, who should know better than he ?

Lk 4:17-18

17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,


18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Now we have looked a little at the fact, that the gospel is preached by the Anointed Christ, to everyone ? No sir, but to the poor !

Not offer them the gospel, not make it available to them, but He preached it to them, it was good news to them, for they came to know that the kingdom of heaven was theirs Matt 5:3

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Oh, did not one of the dying thieves alongside Jesus become poor in Spirit, and did he not hear the blessed good news, that he would inherit the kingdom of heaven !

Lk 23:40-43


40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Now was not that good news to this poor sinner ? He had done nothing to earn it, just rebuking his thief friend, and asking Jesus to remember him, did not earn him a right to the kingdom of heaven. For the kingdom was prepared for him before the foundation Matt 25:34

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

No, the thief was just blessed of the Father ! Those in the above scripture, who were blessed of the Father, the word blessed in the greek is in the perfect tense, they were once and for all blessed in the past, with results into the present and future. What was the past ? The past would be from the foundation, when the kingdom was prepared for them.

So, the poor in Spirit have been decreed to be the poor in Spirit to whom the Kingdom of heaven belongs.

For God knew who He prepared the Kingdom for, and their names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

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Biblical meaning of Gospel !

The word Gospel has its root in "Christ before the foundation of the world", being in the Promise that God made before the world began per Titus 1:2

2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

The word gospel is the greek word:

euaggelion:


a reward for good tidings

2) good tidings

a) the glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God

b) the glad tidings of salvation through Christ

c) the proclamation of the grace of God manifest and pledged in Christ

Notice, the proclamation of the Grace of God Pledged in Christ !

The Good News[Gospel] is the announcement of the promised Mercy !

Christ is the promise mercy performed ! Lk 1:68-72

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

The Holy Covenant is the Everlasting Covenant, being revealed to Gods elect, Adam and Eve and Abraham and ect..

The Gospel is premised on that Eternal Covenant with The Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son, and Promised Eternal Life to Him and to His Seed in Him.

1 Jn 2:25

And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

1 Jn 5:11

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 4

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As I have been demonstrating recently in this thread in Isa 61:1-3 is the proclamation of the Gospel and its Promises being fulfilled by The Promised Mercy, Jesus Christ Himself and His recipients of the Gospel Isa 61:1-3

1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Notice, no conditions for those being blessed , to be fulfilled by them, but only the proclamation and the fulfillment of Promises unto them !

All these promises being fulfilled and applied to the children of Zion [ the elect] intimate the accomplishments of the finished redemption in Christ !

For it is by His stripes they are healed Isa 53:5 & 1 Pet 2:24.

And in the proclamation of this Gospel, this Good News, there is no indication at all of this being a mere offer of salvation or grace, but is a proclaiming of and application of the promised mercies !

When Jesus proclaimed such statements as " If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink" [ Jn 7:37] He was no more inviting, than He invited the Light when He said, Let there be Light.

No one can in and of themselves thirst for the Living waters which Christ giveth !

Jn 4:13-14

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

This thirsting is a Kingdom and spiritual blessing Matt 5:6

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Only those who are quickened into new spiritual life have such a thirst, as Jesus meant in Jn 7:37 !

His words come unto me are spirit and life unto whomsoever He wills !

Jn 6:63

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Jn 5:21

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

Jesus words are spirit and they are life, and only His Sheep are given to hear them, they know His voice and follow or come to Him, they have no desire nor power to resist their loving shepherd.

The calling of the saints is never intimated in scripture to be a offer , but a demonstration of the effectual working of Gods grace and power, calling His own out of darkness into His marvelous light.

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The Bible Doctrine of Election, a Gospel Truth

The Bible Doctrine of Election, a Gospel Truth Rom 11:5,7

5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

7What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Rom 9:11

11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth

This Gospel doctrine centers around the Truth that all the Heirs of God or Salvation were chosen by Him in Christ Jesus, before the foundation of the world, And as the Elect of God, they were all known, loved, and chosen in Christ, before they where born either of flesh and blood Heb 2:14, or of the Spirit Jn 3

Notice in Heb 2 14

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;

This intimates they were children before partaking of flesh and blood.

Just as God called Jacob and Easu Children before they came in flesh and blood Rom 9:11

11(For the children being not yet born,)

You see, they were children, though not yet born !

So the Church, Christ Body, as chosen in Him, were in a eternal vital union with their Glorious Head before Adam was ever fashioned out of the dust, for the Churches life was hid with Christ in God. Col 3:3

Col 1:17

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning

In the beginning, before all things created, even Adam, He was the Head of the Body, the Church !

Also Col 3:3

3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

This comes from being chosen in and adopted[as Sons or children] in Christ before the world began !

This is Gospel Truth ! 4

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The Bible Doctrine of Election, a Gospel Truth

So the Church, Christ Body,as chosen in Him, were in a eternal vital union with their Glorious Head before Adam was ever fashioned out of the dust, for the Churches life was his with Christ in God.

Col 1:17-18


17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning

In the beginning, before all things created, even Adam, He was the Head of the Body, the Church !

Also Col 3:3

3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

This comes from being chosen in and adopted[as Sons or children] in Christ before the world began !

Lets compare scripture on this Truth 1 Jn 5:7,11

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

It should not be doubted by those taught of God, to believe that God the Father hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings [in time] in heavenly places in Christ [Eph 2:6] according [ in agreement with] as He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world Eph 1:3-4. Being appointed, predestined, and ordained, that all those thusly chosen, should in fulness of the dispensation of times, be personally developed as Children of the Flesh [ Adam] by a natural generation; and then afterword's by a spiritual generation or birth to be manifested as the children of God or seed of Christ !

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The Gospel is not a Offer !

What the Gospel is !

The basic premise of the gospel is not a Offer , but the Good News, that Jesus, the God Man has come to save His People from their sins Matt 1:21


21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The heart of this Gospel is the cross of Christ, His Taking on the seed of Abraham [Heb 2:16] with their salvation in view, which are Gods elect out of Mankind, a people not mainly in National Israel but out of all Nations. Gen 17:5

5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

To teach that the gospel is an offer to all for its acceptance or rejection, is saying that the cross of Christ had no definite end in view with definite effects and accomplishments. That it [The cross] did not ensure or procure the salvation of anyone, but only made it [salvation ] possible for all without exception, which concept is false, it is based upon a faulty understanding of what the atonement is and accomplished ! They teach that the cross of Christ had no definite achievement, beyond only making salvation possible !

To preach the Gospel in a way that deprives the cross of its achievement for Gods elect, through Christ, is a False Gospel.

Mk 16:15


15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Lets for a moment look at the word preach ! It is here in Mk 16:15 the greek word kerysso:

to be a herald, to officiate as a herald

a) to proclaim after the manner of a herald

b) always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed

2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done

3) used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles and other
Christian teachers

This is important, because as we see its definition, not once is it implied or said that Preaching is an offer.

It is the announcement of what Has been done ! Its either believed or not.

Now to preach the gospel to every creature does not even suggest by a long shot that salvation is being made possible for all, but rather means the saving effects of the cross extends beyond the people of the jews unto the gentiles, and that the elect cannot be outwardly distinguished from the non elect, especially when the elect are still unregenerated. The intention however of the True Gospel Preacher is to be used of God in the calling forth of the elect of God to conversion and fellowship into the Gospel..Phil 1:5

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

This end Paul had in mind and understood by what he stated here 2 Tim 2:10


10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they [The elect] may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

What can be more plainer than this, that Paul understood the salvation of Christ Jesus to be for the elect !!

This verse definitely proves that Paul believed salvation was for Gods elect, and Preached it that way..

[tabibito]

The Gospel is not a Offer !

What the Gospel is !

The basic premise of the gospel is not a Offer , but the Good News, that Jesus, the God Man has come to save His People from their sins Matt 1:21


21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

The heart of this Gospel is the cross of Christ, His Taking on the seed of Abraham [Heb 2:16] with their salvation in view, which are Gods elect out of Mankind, a people not mainly in National Israel but out of all Nations. Gen 17:5

5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

To teach that the gospel is an offer to all for its acceptance or rejection, is saying that the cross of Christ had no definite end in view with definite effects and accomplishments. That it [The cross] did not ensure or procure the salvation of anyone, but only made it [salvation ] possible for all without exception, which concept is false, it is based upon a faulty understanding of what the atonement is and accomplished ! They teach that the cross of Christ had no definite achievement, beyond only making salvation possible !

To preach the Gospel in a way that deprives the cross of its achievement for Gods elect, through Christ, is a False Gospel.

Mk 16:15


15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Lets for a moment look at the word preach ! It is here in Mk 16:15 the greek word kerysso:

to be a herald, to officiate as a herald

a) to proclaim after the manner of a herald

b) always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed

2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done

3) used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles and other
Christian teachers

This is important, because as we see its definition, not once is it implied or said that Preaching is an offer.

It is the announcement of what Has been done ! Its either believed or not.

Now to preach the gospel to every creature does not even suggest by a long shot that salvation is being made possible for all, but rather means the saving effects of the cross extends beyond the people of the jews unto the gentiles, and that the elect cannot be outwardly distinguished from the non elect, especially when the elect are still unregenerated. The intention however of the True Gospel Preacher is to be used of God in the calling forth of the elect of God to conversion and fellowship into the Gospel..Phil 1:5

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

This end Paul had in mind and understood by what he stated here 2 Tim 2:10


10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they [The elect] may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

What can be more plainer than this, that Paul understood the salvation of Christ Jesus to be for the elect !!

This verse definitely proves that Paul believed salvation was for Gods elect, and Preached it that way..

Great. Now all you need to do is sort out who the scriptures define as "the called" and of what kind of people the scriptures designate as "the elect."

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The Myth of the Gospel being a Offer !

The Myth of the Gospel being a Offer to all for its acceptance or rejection is a denial of the doctrine of mans total inability spiritually !

The practice of offering the Gospel to the unsaved is implying they have the ability to exercise a Faith that saves, before being saved by regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Ghost as per Titus 3:5


5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Hence, there must be a saving work of mercy performed on us by the Holy Ghost, before we can perform any spiritual activity or movement, to deny this is a denial of our native spiritual inability and to place mans effort over Spiritual God given Faith by the renewal of the Holy Ghost.. For Faith is a Fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

The gospel being a offer to one and all in order to get saved, is a repudiation of the need of God's regenerating Grace of the Spirit. If men could believe without this, then what need is it to believe through [by means of] Grace as per Acts 18:27


27And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

The whole of Salvation by Grace through Faith is the gracious Gift of God...

The Gospel message in its God Honoring Doctrines can only be received favorably by those who have been born spiritually, and can spiritually discern its Truth and its not offered to them, but proclaimed to them.

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Great. Now all you need to do is sort out who the scriptures define as "the called" and of what kind of people the scriptures designate as "the elect."

I dont have to do anything, thats Gods business and He does it quite well.

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A General Proclamation of the Gospel !

Matt 22:1-3


1And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

2The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

What we have here is Jesus in parable form describing the general preaching of the Gospel, and of course we know that it was first preached to the nation of Israel, but to later be proclaimed throughout the world..

The King represents God the Father, The Kings Son is Jesus Christ, and the marriage announcement is the external preaching of the Gospel, and the bride is the church, the elect of God, those who were given to the Son [ Jn 6:37-39,44] before the world began by the Father.

So the Gospel message proclaims or sets forth the Marriage Union between Christ the Son and His Church, the Chosen Bride, it proclaims the great Truths of the Everlasting Covenant.

Now it is in this way the Gospel is freely proclaimed to all who come within its proclamation, and all should believe its Truths and facts and fear God for the same. Not to do so is treating the heavenly message and its Author with contempt and making His record of His Son to be a Lie.

1 Jn 5:10

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

You see John the Baptist knew that it was not all in national Israel Jesus came to save from sin, but the remnant of them that belonged to His Bride, lets look at Jn 3:29


29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. cp Matt 9:

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.



Jesus was the Bridegroom, and He knew His Bride !

Now If John in Jn 3:29 is referring to Jesus Christ as the bridegroom, then Eph 5 is applicable vs :


25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

also Rev 19:7-8


7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

So, the general preaching of the Gospel is to set forth the marriage of the Son, and who His Bride is. His Bride is a very particular Bride, not all of humanity, but a select Bride, by the Father.

Thats why Jesus told the multitudes, Jn 6:37,44,65

37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

They have to be of the Chosen Bride, Chosen in Him , as Eve was in Adam, before the foundation of the world.4

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The Gospel of the Grace of God !

Acts 20:24


24But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Men really hate this Gospel, the Gospel of the Grace of God, because it is opposed to our pride and ego by nature, and our natural way of thinking about salvation !

The Apostle Paul places a strong emphasis on the Grace of God and its superior role in the salvation of certain sinners, elect sinners as pointed out in Rom 11:5

5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

And it does not matter if Paul here is referring to elect jews in israel, because the same grace saves jew or gentile as stated here Acts 15:11


11But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. That would be the same election of grace.

Election of Grace is mentioned again by Paul here in Eph 2:5,8

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: The Faith is part of the grace for we believe or have Faith through grace Acts 18:27

27And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

Not believed by freewill or mans choice, but by means of Grace.

Paul teaches that we are Justified by Grace Titus 3:7

7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

And this is that Justifying grace which brings salvation to all elect men. Titus 2:11

11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Titus 1:1

1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Most people forget that Titus 2:11 applies to those in Titus 1:1

Now we make these points about Grace because Paul also teaches that Chronologically the Grace of God that does these things antedates all of God's dealings with man in grace in time and is the basis of His dealings with us in time in mercy !

2 Tim 1:9

9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Ps 103:17

17But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

Notice that the stedfast Love [Mercy] of Jehovah is from everlasting not to all, but unto them that are fearing Him in time ! So this Mercy or steadfast love was upon them before time, and before they actually and experientially feared God, for none of us are born with the fear of God already in our hearts, but are as others, by nature children of wrath. We all by nature have no fear of God before our eyes as stated here Rom 3:18

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

But we all walk as stated here Eph 2:2

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

But God had mercy upon us from everlasting, and according to that mercy He saves us in time by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost and are given a new Heart by this, a Heart that fears God.

Titus 3:5

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Ezk 36:24-27

24For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jer 32:39-40

39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

All this was done according to Divine Purpose and Grace given us in Christ before the world began.

So Paul wrote of salvation and calling as past facts in His and other believers experience, but He owned that ground of the saving, was of Gods Grace given before times eternal. 5

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The Gospel of the Grace of God !

There must be in any teaching of the Gospel of the Grace of God, that it is the special favor which God has had for His elect from eternity past, and that is what motivates Him to do all that He has done for the everlasting good of those whom He has given to Jesus Christ in the covenant of grace.

This Grace works for us before our actual realization as the text 2 Tim 1:9 indicates. It is antecedent to human existence, for it dates from everlasting and reaches to eternity and will be displayed in the ages to come Eph 2:7

7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

That is grace has reigned in eternity past in His contriving the plan, and also in time in executing it upon its favored subjects and will continue to rein to its consummation in Glory, and then to be marveled and adored. It is from everlasting to everlasting, so it reigned in our election, redemption, regeneration, Call and Justification, and sanctification, and will reign in our preservation, resurrection or rapture and final glorification..5

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The Gospel of the Grace of God !


That God delt with specific individuals before time began in a way of Grace is seen by the fact that some had their names written in the book of life from the foundation of the world per Rev 17:8


8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

This statement certainly implies the opposite truth, that there were some names [ Individuals] recorded before time ! Here are a few more references to this Eternal inscribing:

Lk 10:20

20Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Phil 4:3

3And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Heb 12:23

23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Note, many of the church of the firstborn had not even been born yet when the writer wrote this epistle, but nevertheless, they are still written in heaven..

The word written here is in the perfect tense too, meaning, even those who were yet to be born in the future whose names are written in heaven, had them so in the past once and for all time..

Rev 3:5

5He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Far from this verse indicating that its possible for one whose written in the book of life being erased out, but to the contrary, it confirms all the more that because of their interest in Christ and His death and righteousness imputed to them, they have no danger of ever being lost.

They are the very ones God the Father gave unto Him to save Jn 6:39

39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And those very ones He will yet confess their names before the Father, that He lost not one of them

These things are to be proclaimed in the Gospel of God's Grace.

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The Gospel of the Grace of God !

The antecedent Grace of God before our existence is seen in God choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world as per Eph 1:4

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

This was before and includes this statement here in Deut 7:6-7

6 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth

7The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:

Note: God was not speaking to all the ethnic jews there, but to the remnant that was chosen in Christ [Eph 1:4] for God has no Love for a people outside of Christ Jesus..

Some of the jews had been chosen in Christ, but many were just called to be in the physical nation , so many were called but few were chosen before time began. Also this choosing and grace that is active before time to certain individuals is not based upon any foreseen actions or merit of the ones Chosen, verified by Rom 9:11

11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.

They did not exist and they had did no activity.