Disciples Digital Library

Paul’s references to justification from works have a specific category of works in view, the works required by the Mosaic Law . Sin is the Great Leveler that places everyone in the same predicament: Bondage to sin now, and death and divine wrath later. No one is exempt from the penalty of sin, but God has graciously provided a way to avoid the everlasting effects of our sinful acts.

Jesus has come in these last days to provide salvation for men, women, and children of all nations, and everlasting life in the age to come . After his resurrection, Jesus declared, “ All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me! Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations .” Christ sent his disciples to announce the salvation accomplished by his death “ to the ends of the Earth .” The promise of the Abrahamic Covenant to bless all nations is now being fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News to every nation, and to give complete allegiance to him and his kingdom . The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or taking over governments. The man from Nazareth summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, the Kingdom of God. His message is contrary to the beliefs and practices of the present world order, and it subverts all human philosophies and political ideologies.

‘Jesus’ means ‘Yahweh saves,’ and in him, the salvation promised by the God of Israel for all men and every nation has arrived . The child carried by Mary was “ begotten of the Holy Spirit ,” according to the  Gospel of Matthew , and the angel told Joseph to name the child ‘Jesus’: “ Call his name Jesus,  for he will save his people from their sins .” Christ's name pointed to the saving act of God that was about to unfold. Men and women would behold the long-promised  Salvation of Yahweh  in Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Saviour of the World,  and there is no other!

Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to bless all nations through His Covenant with Abraham. There is salvation in No Other Name . Foundational to the biblical doctrine of redemption is the Covenant that God made with Abraham, and with his “ seed ” after him, including the promises to bless all nations and to grant the Patriarch innumerable descendants. But how and when are the nations blessed? And who is Abaham’s “ seed ” destined to inherit the promises?

Returning to the jurisdiction of the Torah means the restoration of the old social and religious barriers between Jews and Gentiles . The third chapter of Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia is pivotal to his plea for unity among Jewish and Gentile believers. The divisions between Jews and Gentiles imposed by the Mosaic Legislation are inappropriate in the Church. With the arrival of the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ, “ no longer can there be Jew or Greek ! ” – (Galatians 3:28).

Redemption and God's Kingdom arrived in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, starting with his baptism by John – Mark 1:1-3. The Gospel of Mark opens with a declaration that combines passages from the Old Testament to provide the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist , and to set the stage for Christ’s mission . Mark begins with a note of fulfillment.

In the Book of Genesis , God implemented His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His covenant with Abraham, beginning with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland and journey to the “ land I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from him, and the covenant would bless all the “ Tribes of the Earth .” From the start, the promise of territory was central to the Abrahamic Covenant.

Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to bless all nations through His Covenant with Abraham. There is salvation in No Other Name . Foundational to the biblical doctrine of redemption is the Covenant that God made with Abraham, and with his “ seed ” after him, including the promises to bless all nations and to grant the Patriarch innumerable descendants. But how and when are the nations blessed? And who is Abaham’s “ seed ” destined to inherit the promises?

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations until the moment Jesus arrives  – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his true followers to announce the same message that he preached, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this message  to all nations without exception  and in unexpected and paradoxical ways. Christ’s sovereignty over humanity must be established! Until his return, we are commanded to proclaim his Gospel to the “ ends of the Earth .”

Paul began his Letter to the Romans with a lengthy introduction in which he identified himself and his mission. In doing so, he makes several declarations about the identity and victory of Jesus, more specifically, that he was “ marked out as God’s Son ” by the “ spirit of holiness ” that characterized his life, and by his resurrection “ from among the dead .” By raising him, God validated all that the Nazarene had said and done.

According to Jesus, the End will not come until the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations  – Matthew 24:14. When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, the question of what sign will precede it is asked. Invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are offered as harbingers of that final day. Yet Jesus gave the definitive answer to this question - the completion of the Church’s mission to proclaim his salvation and lordship to all nations.

Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his people, empowering them to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to the Nations of the Earth . The Messiah is identified in the  Second Psalm  as the Son and King destined to reign over the nations. In the New Testament, he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, equipping him to proclaim the “ Kingdom of God ” to Israel. He gave his disciples the Gift of the Spirit to enable them to announce his message and sovereignty to all the nations and peoples of the Earth.

The epistle to the  Galatians  opens with a stern warning. What some believers contemplated doing would replace the true Gospel with something quite alien to the Apostolic message. To turn from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” to the “ works of the law ” for justification meant abandoning the grace of God and rejecting the message preached by Paul, which is why he summoned God to “ curse ” any man, even “ an angel from Heaven ,” who preached “ another gospel .”

Is the Gospel of the Kingdom a message for only some nations, or is it Good News for all nations and peoples of the Earth? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is often perverted into  Good News  for some nations, but  bad news  for others. This twist occurs whenever representatives of the church of the same Jesus who gave his life for all men associate and even identify his name and   message with specific nations, races, cultures, and political ideologies.

Jesus charged his followers to announce his message to all nations, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” Through him and his Assembly, the rule of God would be established but in unexpected ways. He will establish his sovereignty over the Earth and subdue the “ last enemy, death ,” by the time of his appearance “ on the clouds of Heaven .” His disciples must proclaim his Gospel to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth ” until that day.

Paul begins his  Letter to the Romans  with a lengthy introduction in which he identifies himself and his mission. The calling and “grace” of God have equipped him to preach the “ obedience of faith ” to the “ Gentiles .” In his introduction, he includes a brief description of the Messianic qualifications of Jesus of Nazareth, and links what God did in him to His promises recorded in the “ Holy Scriptures .”

The promise to bless all nations in Abraham is brought to fulfillment by Jesus of Nazareth, the true Seed of Abraham .  Basic to the biblical perspective of the redemption of humanity is the Covenant with Abraham and his “ Seed .” This Covenant includes the promise that “ all the nations of the Earth will be blessed in him ,” and that he will have innumerable descendants. But how and when will the nations be blessed by the Patriarch? Who are his descendants, and most importantly, who is the true “Seed of Abraham” destined to inherit the promises?

In  Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “ Good News of God ,” a message centered on His Son, Jesus Christ. He was dealing with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish believers in the Assembly of Rome and preparing the ground for taking the Gospel to the western regions of the Roman Empire. In the process of doing so, he addressed several related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and the New Creation.

Jesus calls us to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every nation and inhabited part of the Earth . The Message proclaimed by Jesus Christ is not about reforming civil society or governments. He summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and a very different political reality, namely, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of this world. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing order will disappear forever.