The Truth About The Gospel

(1) A Proper Understanding of God and What He Desires of Us
If you take a look at the events and teachings in the Bible as a whole, you will realize that God cares for the poor and needy while he rejects the rich and haughty. When he chose Israel to be his chosen people, it was not because they were the biggest and noblest people in the world; they were the least and were actually a nation of slaves. God set up the Exodus so he could demonstrate to the world that he is a God that cares for the oppressed and delivers them from their troubles; “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap” (1 Samuel 2:8) (NKJV). And God expects his people to do the same. Who do you suppose the following passage refers to?

“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister ***: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49) (ESV)

Was it Israel or Samaria? No, it was Sodom. If God holds even non-believers to this level of accountability, how much more does he require of those who profess to follow him, those who declare that Yahweh is their God!

He gives justice to the poor and food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free 8 and heals blind eyes. He gives a helping hand to everyone who falls. The LORD loves good people 9 and looks after strangers. He defends the rights of orphans and widows, but destroys the wicked. (Psalm 146:7-9) (CEV)

When God declared judgment upon Israel during Old Testament times, it was not only because of idolatry but also a lack of care and justice for the poor and the oppressed. God will bring judgment upon any people that lives in indulgence and does not share with those who are in need. This goes double when it comes to sharing with those who are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

God does not promise us a large mansion on earth or even a large home; he promises the basic necessities such as food and shelter and expects us to share our surplus with others:

14 He says, ‘I will build a large house for myself with big upper rooms.’ He cuts out windows in it, panels the rooms with cedar, and paints them red. 15 Do you think you’re a better king than others because you use more cedar? Your father ate and drank and did what is fair and right. Everything went well for him. 16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy. Everything went well for him. Isn’t this what it means to know me?” asks the LORD. (Jeremiah 22:14-17) (GW)

There are many books out today on knowing God, but the answer is found in the above passage. To know God is to do what is close to his heart, which is helping the poor and oppressed. Instead, Christians today are building themselves larger and larger homes and live in luxury while their relatives live in poverty; both literal and spiritual relatives:

“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ . . .”(Amos 4:1) (ESV)

Rich people often gain their wealth by paying their employees low wages, which is an abomination to God. It is even worse in countries that have very low legal wages, such as Mexico. God would consider their minimum wage law to be very unjust.

The LORD Almighty says, “I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practice magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages . . .” (Malachi 3:5) (GNB)

“ . . . for the laborer deserves his wages.” (Luke 10:7) (ESV)

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. . . . Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (James 5:1, 4) (ESV)

But the Bible passages against the rich are not just talking about directly oppressing the poor. If you have a high income and do not help those who you can help, then you are guilty of oppressing the poor, because you are keeping them in poverty. God expects us to share our wealth individually, and he expects us to provide social justice for the less fortunate on a national level:

They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. (Amos 2:7) (NIV)

12 . . . You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. . . . 14 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. 15 Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. . . . (Amos 5:12, 14-15) (NIV)

In the book of Isaiah God says he hates the Israelite’s religion and then says they should do what is right; which is followed by a verse that is a prophetic picture of the Gospel message. There is a definite connection between these verses and the Gospel:

14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. . . . 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; . . . 16 . . . “Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:14-18) (NIV)

What this means is, it is not enough to be religious, it is not enough to keep all of the commandments, we must also care for orphans and widows, the poor and oppressed. The only sins mentioned in this passage are those related to not helping people in need. Officially, God required the Israelites to hold feasts and offer sacrifices, but he would not accept those sacrifices and would not accept their prayers because they were not caring for the less fortunate. Even though they offered sacrifices, to be cleansed of sin, the people needed to actually do what God required. This passage shows that the commands to help the poor and oppressed is carried over into the New Covenant, it is part of the Gospel.

Many people like to point to the prosperity that is in America today and glory in it as if it had all come from God. Women like to wear fancy clothes and fine jewelry. They have numerous pairs of shoes, coats, and dresses. They especially like to flaunt their diamond wedding rings. All these things they believe God has given them because of their righteousness or because they pay tithes! But I declare that the reason they have all those things is because they are not giving their fair share to help the poor naked children in Africa and Asia and even here in America. The dirt-poor farmers who sleep on the ground loose their children to malnutrition and contaminated water. In other words, the people in America live in luxury because they are robbing the poor of what is due them in the eyes of God. A similar thing happened in ancient Israel:

14 The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: “It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty. 16 The Lord says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. . . . 18 … the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. 24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.” (Isaiah 3:14-24) (NIV)

But you say, “we are not plundering the poor.” If you know about the needs of the poor but are not helping them, then you are spending on yourself what God requires that you give to the poor; therefore you are robbing the poor! What does this have to do with the Forgotten Gospel, you ask? Everything!

(2) The Complete Gospel
The prophet Isaiah associates the coming of Christ with rejoicing by poor people:

In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see…. the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 29:18-19) (NIV)

When Christ came out of the desert after 40 days of fasting, he announced the start of his ministry by giving his mission statement, which is a summary of the true and complete Gospel of the Kingdom. Quoting from Isaiah 61, Jesus said:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19) (ESV)

Christianity has tended to spiritualize these verses to make them apply to spiritual things, rather than literal things. For example, releasing the oppressed becomes casting out demons rather than literally releasing those who are mistreated or in bonded labor. Concerning Christ’s mission statement, Ronald J. Sider in Rich Christians In an Age of Hunger: A Biblical Study, writes:

The poor are the only group specifically singled out as recipient of Jesus’ gospel. . . . The words about releasing captives and liberating the oppressed are from Isaiah. In their original Old Testament setting, they unquestionably referred to physical oppression and captivity. (p. 66)

The ministry of Jesus was not merely doing good works while preparing the apostles to preach the Gospel after his death. Everything Jesus taught and did is part of the Gospel. By only preaching “you must be born again,” the church today is not preaching the complete Gospel.

Jesus never publicly preached that you must be born-again, because the ability to become born-again came as a result of his death, which paid the penalty for our sins. The commission to preach the Gospel came after the resurrection, but Jesus still did not say, “go and preach that you must be born again.” The book of Mark puts it this way, “Go into all the world and preach the good news” (Mark 16:15) (NIV).

So Jesus was preaching the true Gospel long before his sacrifice on the cross. What was the good news Jesus gave to the poor? Was it that when they starved to death they would go to heaven? Never! Was it that Jesus came to make them rich? Never! The poor were looked down upon by the rest of society, but Jesus had good news for them: God loves them, cares about their needs, and desires to meet their needs, as demonstrated by Christ’s teachings and actions. But he was not going to meet their needs by them planting seed-faith gifts and then reaping a harvest of money, it was through the physical body of believers actually giving to them. Jesus never took an offering from the poor as a means for them to leave poverty, but he did give money and food directly to them!

The rich Jews of the first century Israel believed they became wealthy because they were somehow more righteous than the poor. And so, those stricken with poverty somehow deserved their plight because they had sinned, or were just less righteous. This attitude was also held regarding being healthy or sick, and is shown when the disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) (NIV). Meaning, sick people must have sinned to deserve their illnesses. But Jesus had good news for the poor:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.” (John 9:3-4) (NIV)

This clearly tells us that the sick and the poor did nothing to deserve their sickness or poverty, but the most important point to notice is that it is “the work of God” to help them. The Work of God is the work of helping the poor and sick. This passage also commands us to do this work, “we must do the work of him who sent me.” When we do the Work of God, God’s message of love is displayed for all the world to see. All Christians everywhere are here commanded to help the poor and the needy because by doing so we demonstrate God’s love to the world.

Those who do not see good works as required will point out that Jesus said in another place that the Work of God is believing in him:

Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God: to believe in the one whom he has sent.” (John 6:28-29) (ISV)

The reason Jesus said that is two-fold: One is because the people were looking for some thing they could do to earn God’s approval; the other is that believing in Jesus is the first and greatest work, all other works follow upon believing and are based on it.

Doing good works is not earning your salvation. Ministers and missionaries are called of God and spend their lives working for the Kingdom. No one would accuse them of trying to earn their salvation. They are doing what God commands them to do. Likewise, you are commanded to do good works, which is not earning your salvation, but if you do not do good works, you commit sin which can send you to hell. James said, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (4:17) (NKJ). John the Baptist gives us another shorter summary of the Gospel in John 3:36 (ESV):

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

About half the translations say “not believe” but others say “not obey.” Vincent’s Word Studies says:

More correctly, as Rev., obeyeth not. Disbelief is regarded in its active manifestation, disobedience. The verb pe?´?? means to persuade, to cause belief, to induce one to do something by persuading, and so runs into the meaning of to obey, properly as the result of persuasion. (Vincent’s Word Studies)

Robert’s Word Pictures agrees that it says, “He that is disobedient to the Son.” Green’s Interlinear Greek-English New Testament translates it:

The one believing into the Son has everlasting life; but the one disobeying the Son will not see life . . .

This is a very important passage because it states that we must first believe, and then we must also obey what God commands. Those who believe but do not obey what God commands will not see the Kingdom. The number one subject in both the Old and New Testament in regards to obeying God refers to doing what is just and right, such as helping the poor and down-trodden.

In Acts 20, some elders from Ephesus had come to visit Paul. Knowing that Paul would never see them again he reminded them of all the most important things which he had taught them. The writer of Acts records Paul’s final words to them:

“Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:34-35) (NKJ)

So Paul not only worked to supply his own needs but also the needs of others. He was doing the Work of God, and he was doing it as an example of what we should all do. That is, use some of our earnings and our effort to help the less fortunate. But the truth is, that most of our income goes to buy luxury items like a big-screen TV, a luxury car, or a diamond ring. Notice also that Paul puts the words of Jesus into the context of giving to people in need of assistance, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Most preachers use it to increase the size of their offerings, but it is talking about giving to the poor!

You may wonder why the Gospel is called Good News to the poor and not to the rich as well. Jesus taught that the poor will be better off in the Kingdom than those who are rich:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God…. But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.” (Luke 6:20, 24)

It is not a blessing in itself to be poor. The poor are blessed because through them we can demonstrate God’s love for all mankind. How can God’s people relieve your hunger if you are rich? Relief from want is part of the coming of God’s Kingdom, and is part of the Gospel. Jesus spent most of his time ministering to people with the greatest needs. Jesus did more than heal the sick and teach large crowds, he also feed the hungry as a regular part of his ministry (this will be explained in detail shortly).

So the Gospel includes having your poverty relieved through direct hands-on assistance from the persons proclaiming the Gospel. When you have your material needs met by a child of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to the outward, material area of your life. Therefore, helping the poor should be an important part of the ministry of every single church and evangelistic outreach.

When justice is achieved for the fatherless, the oppressed, the widow, and the poor in the name of Christ, God’s kingdom is present, and God Himself is honored and glorified. (Dangerous Faith, 148)

Continuing now with the analysis of Christ’s mission statement, the Gospel also includes “recovery of sight to the blind.” When John the Baptist inquired if Jesus was the Messiah or not, Jesus said:

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matt. 11:4-5) (ESV)

John was expecting Jesus to establish a political Kingdom, but Jesus said that healing the sick and helping the poor were signs that God’s Kingdom had come. So when you experience physical healing, then the Kingdom of God has come into your body. This also includes healing through medicine when it comes in the name of Jesus. Those proclaiming the Gospel should either have a ministry that includes divine healing or offer medical treatment. It is part of the true Gospel of the Kingdom. The Gospel includes the whole person, not just the soul, which is why it is good news to the poor as clearly stated in the above verse.

Jesus also came “to release the oppressed,” but not through political or military means. The Bible does not promote Liberation Theology, which believes in physical violence to achieve its goals. If we apply the complete Gospel message to our lives as individuals and to our society, then political changes will occur without having to force change. The Gospel does not include picking up weapons to overthrow an oppressive government. The early Christians prayed for their pagan leaders and considered themselves blessed if they were not hunted down and thrown to the lions. They certainly did not advocate revolting against the Roman Empire in order to outlaw the gross sins of their day which were far worse than those of most nations today, even when you include abortion.

(3) The Kingdom Age
The age we live in is called “the year of the Lord’s favor,” because it is the Age of Grace, the Gospel Age. Paul said, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2) (NIV). Now is the time when “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21) (NIV). During this age, God is withholding the major portion of his wrath. When the time of God’s favor ends, the wrath of God will come upon all those who rejected the Gospel and they will be killed, just as in Noah’s flood.

The complete Gospel of the Kingdom includes the material, spiritual, body, soul, and the proclamation of the Gospel to others in this Gospel Age. That is also the general order in which it should normally be delivered. First demonstrate God’s love for others by helping the poor and downtrodden. You can also provide medical treatment at this time. Then you can get them born-again and discipled, then send them out to do the same.

Jesus ended his quote of Isaiah in the middle of a sentence because there was no need to preach about the last part until the end of the Gospel Age; “. . . Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who morn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes” (NIV). The day of vengeance is the same as the “Day of Judgment” referred to many times in the Old and New Testaments. After the time of judgment, Christ will return to complete the establishment of his Kingdom on Earth. The survivors of God’s wrath will be grieving for their dead family members, the destruction of their homes, and their own injuries. Resurrected Christians will provide for the needs of the millions of homeless, wounded, confused, distressed, and anguished survivors, “comfort all who morn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion.”

When God’s Kingdom is fully established on Earth, every need will be met and every person who turns to God will be saved, in every sense of the word. This is the final and ultimate fulfillment of the complete Gospel