What is the Gospel?

Many professing Christians cannot fully tell you what the Gospel is. It seems the only answer they can give is to quote 1 Cor. 15:1-4.

"Now I make known to you brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . . "

They say THAT is the whole Gospel. Well, not really. Notice what Paul says, “For I delivered to you AS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE...” Now why would Paul start off like that? Because there is much more to the story than Christ dying and raised from the dead, but since this chapter has to do with the resurrection, this is his main focus for the rest of the chapter. If the dead are not raised, then our preaching is useless and so is our faith. If Christ is not raised, our faith is simply foolish.

I’ll tell you why.

Because the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is about God’s immortality plan for human beings in the Kingdom to come which all will "inherit the earth." (Psa_37:9; Psa_37:11; Psa_37:22; Mat_5:5)  

The one major element of the Gospel that most people leave out is the Kingdom of God. Jesus came preaching the Gospel (Good News) about this kingdom and was the main purpose for which he was sent.

"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." Luke 4:43

Jesus sent his disciples (seventy others - Luke 10:1-12) to preach this gospel before any of them knew about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (which of course, later became part of the gospel...good news!). The disciples preached this gospel. (See Matt. 4:17; 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:11, and also read how Jesus always spoke about the Kingdom of God before and after the cross (Acts 1:3).

Heb. 2:3, along with many other verses, attest that Jesus is the first preacher of immortality. Even Paul tells us that Jesus,

“brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” (2 Tim. 1:10)

Jesus is our preacher who showed us by his example and told us how we can eventually live forever. People must repent and believe this gospel about the kingdom of God.

Paul spent two years in his own hired house and,

“welcomed all who came in to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God, and teaching those things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, with all freedom, and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:30-31)

So to sum it up, the mission statement of Jesus reveals his whole purpose, i.e., to preach the GOOD NEWS about the Kingdom of God and how to gain immortality in that Kingdom.

The devil wants to blind the eyes and promote lies that being disobedient to God will not lead to death (Gen. 3:4) But for those who believe the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and do as Jesus instructs us, though they die physically, will one day be resurrected to a life of immortality, just as Christ was.

The Kingdom of God will be inaugurated by the return of Jesus to resurrect the faithful of all ages (who are still dead in their graves) to a life of immortality.

Jesus said,

“Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29). 

Jesus Making Himself Equal with God? (John 5:17,18)

Trinitarians claim Jesus is God and quote:

John 5:17,18 - 

"'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.'"

It is unfortunate that Trinitarians would side with the unbelieving Jewish leaders because they misunderstood him. Did Jesus ever think he was equal with God? Read John 10.29 and 14.28 where Jesus claims the Father is greater than him.

It would be best if one did not align themselves on the side of Jesus’ critics.

Furthermore, read the very next verse. He started off by saying “the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing” (John 5.19).

Jesus calling God his Father is not claiming equality with God, thus making himself God. 

Do you call God your Father? Does that make you equal with God and therefore God?

Simple Logic, Simple Arithmetic

Trinitarians like to take verses such as “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:10), to prove the trinity doctrine. They explain that the Father and Jesus are one in the same being, of the same substance (whatever that really means). They say they are united in one body - God became flesh in the person of Jesus and lived among men. In John 14:20 Jesus also said, “I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.”

Verses like those above suggest no other meaning than their “unity in purpose.” The verses have nothing to do with substance or the trinity (three beings or persons composed of one God). Furthermore, in the same manner that the verses are interpreted (each one infused into one body), they should not limit the trinity to 3 beings (persons). We now have to add the 12 disciples (John 14:20) in this one body, which produces fifteen (15) beings united in one body! Their trinity doctrine now becomes more problematic because they fail to understand how flawed is their logic, and their math not so simple anymore by the way they interpret the scriptures through the trinity lenses.

The Creed (not the Bible) states that the 'Three Persons' are united in one body, making one God, and cannot be separated. My question is, how can any member be considered fully God when in reality each of them constitutes 1/3 of the 'Godhead'? Also, while Jesus was on earth, he wasn't completely God. (Trinitarians say he “emptied himself, meaning, he emptied himself of his deity to become human.) This would leave the Father in heaven not a whole God (separated). One third of Him ceased to be God.

When Jesus was on the cross he cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) This is a cry from a person in distress. If Jesus is God, by whom is he deserted? Was he deserted by himself? Did God forsake God? Did God raise himself from the dead? Since God is immortal (1 Tim. 6:16), how can 1/3 of God die? In the Trinitarian world God forsakes himself (God forsakes God), commits himself to God (God commits himself to himself), and raises himself from the dead (God raises a dead God)? Does anyone not see the absurdity?

God Almighty is one single being, not three. Over 11,000 times the singular pronouns tell us God is a single person. Whenever the Bible speaks of God in the third person it reads “He,” “Him,” or “His.” Not one time are plural personal pronouns used (we, us, our, ours, they, them, their, and theirs). Example. If God is three, John 3:16 should read like this:

“For God so loved the world that THEY gave THEIR only begotten Son.”

Or when Jesus said how from the beginning God created them male and female.

“Have you not read that HE who created them from the beginning made them male and female?”

If Jesus is God, it should read,

“Have you not read, that WE who created them from the beginning...”

I can give so many other examples, but as you can see, to claim Jesus is God Almighty negates the rules of language, leaving it absolutely useless as a tool of communication. 

John 8:58 and Trinitarian Belief

Trinitarians claim that the Jews picked up stones to try and stone Jesus because he was claiming to be God in John 8. The fact is, they were not stoning him for that reason, but because he claimed to be the Messiah.

The Jews had an awful short memory if they were trying to say Jesus was claiming to be God here in John 8:58, but were not bright enough to bring this up at the trial where they had the perfect opportunity to recall this to everyone’s attention that he was claiming to be God and set the record straight. What did they ask Jesus at the trial? If he were God? No. They knew exactly what Jesus was claiming. The High Priest said to Jesus,

“I put you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD!”

And THAT is why the Jews wanted to kill him, not because he claimed to be the Supreme God, but the Son of God, the Messiah.

“The Jews therefore came round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly.” (John 10: 24)

Not if you are a third part of the Trinity and therefore one of the three gods.