Knowing merely that the gospel is the glad tidings saying that man has to repent and believe in Jesus to be saved from perdition – this is inadequate according to the standard set in the New Testament.
The gospel as revealed in the New Testament is not a low or diluted gospel but it is the power of God causing man to repent, believe in Jesus, and become children of God. However, today in general Christianity there’s a low gospel being preached, and many times the gospel is equated with the four Gospels.
We need to be up-to-date with the Lord according to the revelation in His word and realize that the complete gospel includes everything from the forgiveness of sins to sanctification, transformation, the constitution of the Body of Christ, and the living of the church life in the local churches.
Paul spoke concerning the gospel quite extensively in his writings, and not even once did he implore those he spoke of to repent and believe in Jesus so that they would escape eternal perdition.
Rather, the gospel he preached was complete and perfect, and in the book of Romans he expounds on the gospel from many angles, with many aspects, and in many ways, showing us clearly that God wants to make sinners sons of God to constitute the Body of Christ and live the practical church life in the many local churches.
May the Lord save us from speaking a low gospel to others, and may He really bring us up-to-date with Him in the gospel of His Son so that we may serve Him in His gospel by first being separated unto the gospel, serving God in spirit, and having a complete and perfect gospel so that those who hear us would be convinced of their sins, repent, believe into Christ, be regenerated by God, be in the process of being sanctified and transformed, and live the practical church life in the local churches for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Paul went so far to say concerning the gospel that God will judge the secrets of all men according to his gospel (Rom. 2:16); he was so assured that the gospel he received through revelation of Jesus Christ was the complete gospel that he had the full conviction that God will judge others according to his gospel.
The Complete Gospel of Paul: from Forgiveness of Sins to Living in the Body of Christ
The complete gospel of Paul includes the entire book of Romans (which he also called, the gospel of God). Romans reveals the complete gospel, beginning with forgiveness of sins, passing through sanctification, transformation, and the constitution of the Body of Christ, and eventually arriving at the living of the church life in the local churches (as the local expressions of the universal Body of Christ).
The book of Romans speaks of the gospel of God, which is to make sinners sons of God in order to constitute the Body of Christ, which is expressed as the local churches.
Paul starts by exposing our real situation: we are sinners, far away from God, falling short of the glory of God, and nothing good dwells in us; but God, being rich in mercy, sent His Son Jesus Christ to come and die on our behalf, so that we may be redeemed through His precious blood.
Through Christ’s death on the cross we are justified, reconciled to God, and regenerated by God to be children of God, having the Spirit witnessing with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16).
Furthermore, the gospel includes the fact that we are now being much more saved in God’s life having been reconciled: we are now being renewed in our mind (the divine Spirit mingled with our spirit spreads into our mind), we are being transformed in our soul (setting our mind on our spirit causes our mind and soul to be filled with life), we are being conformed to the image of Christ (we’re inwardly transformed until we’re outwardly conformed to Christ’s image), and we are being glorified through the redemption of our body (He will give life to our mortal body through His Spirit who indwells us). This is all in the gospel.
The gospel also includes the Body of Christ, the organism of the Triune God of which we as believers are all members; this Body of Christ is universal all over the earth, but it is expressed locally as the many local churches where the saints live the church life in the reality of the Body of Christ.
All this can be seen in the book of Romans: from ch. 1 to ch. 5 we see the judicial redemption, from ch. 5 to ch. 8 we see God’s organic salvation, from ch. 9 to ch. 12 we see the Body of Christ, and from ch. 13 to ch. 16 we see the local churches. Paul’s gospel is the complete gospel, from redemption and salvation to being built up in the Body of Christ.
The gospel Paul preached includes the whole book of Romans; this book reveals the complete gospel of God, beginning with forgiveness of sins, passing through sanctification, transformation, and the constitution of the Body of Christ, and eventually arriving at the living of the church life in the local churches. What a complete gospel!
Lord Jesus, may we see and be filled with the complete gospel as revealed in the book of Romans, including forgiveness of sins, sanctification, transformation, the Body of Christ, and the local churches. Hallelujah, the full gospel clearly speaks of God’s complete salvation with His judicial redemption and His organic salvation so that we may build up the Body of Christ who is expressed in the many local churches! Lord, we give ourselves to You to be up-to-date with You concerning Your full gospel as revealed in the New Testament!
How did Paul Preach the Gospel, and to Whom and Where did He Preach the Gospel
Paul was indebted to preach the gospel to all, first to the Jews and then to all the Gentiles, with no regards of person. We need to see not only what kind of gospel Paul preached but also how he preached the gospel, to whom did he preach the gospel, and where did he preach the gospel.
Paul was commissioned by God with the gospel for all the nations, to bring the gentiles to the obedience of faith.
Where did Paul preach the gospel? He preached the gospel everywhere: from Jerusalem to Asia Minor to the Mediterranean area, until there was no other place to preach.
Where should we preach the gospel? We should preach the gospel everywhere: in our neighborhood, on our campus, at work, on the street, in our city, and to the places around us, until there’s nowhere else to preach the gospel.
How did Paul preach the gospel? He preached the gospel in spirit. He didn’t use gimmicks but he exercised his spirit to serve God in the gospel in spirit. Then, he prayed and went and spoke.
How should we preach the gospel? First, we need to exercise our spirit and pray: we need to be in our spirit, and pray for the people, the gospel, and those who we are about to meet. Then, when we preach we should preach zealously and earnestly, without any gimmick or trick: simply be in spirit, pray earnestly, and preach earnestly.
We need to let the gospel impress us first, and then it will impress others through our speaking. We need to know the truth, and the truth will bring in the divine life, which will produce the church, whose responsibility is to preach the gospel.
To whom and how to preach the gospel? The best way us to open our home for the gospel; we need to encourage one another to open our home and invite people to hear the gospel and have some refreshment or a simple meal. When people eat, they are open to the gospel.
Also, we need to go to the campus, the fishing pond, and preach the gospel. We need to consider and invite the children from our neighborhood for a gospel meeting and preach the gospel to their parents. Finally, we need to preach the gospel to people of all levels, professions, ages, and backgrounds.
If we all rise up to pursue the truth, seek the growth in life, and practice the normal church life, it will not be difficult for us to preach the gospel, and there will be an increase in the church. May we follow Paul’s pattern to preach the gospel, the complete gospel, until the Lord returns!
Lord Jesus, make us those who preach the gospel everywhere: at home, in our neighborhood, on the bus, on the train, at work, at school, in our city where we live, and in all the places we go. May we be those who exercise their spirit, are in spirit, pray in spirit, and go to earnestly preach the gospel to others. We want to rise up to pursue the truth, seek the growth in life, and practice the normal church life so that we would spontaneously preach the gospel and the church would have an increase!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message for this week, and Truth, Life, the Church, and the Gospel—the Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery, pp. 121-122 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Gospel (2016 International Chinese-speaking Conference), week 4 / msg. 4, Paul’s Gospel — the Gospel of Completion.
- All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
- Hymns on this topic:
# An uplifted gospel have we, / One we’re not ashamed to proclaim. / Our gospel’s the highest of all, / For it is God’s goal and God’s aim. / No longer so lowly and poor, / We’ve found that we’re God’s holy sons. / No more will we preach as before; / Now each man on earth can be won. (Hymns #1292)
# The harvest’s ripe! We are preaching the full gospel now! / The fields are white! We are preaching the full gospel now! / For this men search— / Christ and the church! / Let us reap the harvest, preaching the full gospel now! (Hymns #1294)
# We must ever preach the gospel, / Thus our friends and neighbors gain; / House to house with vital partners, / That our new ones will remain. / We must ever preach the gospel, / Cherishing and nourishing; / Loving them as our dear children, / As our priestly offering. (Song on preaching the gospel)
We must see that if what we preach is merely about escaping perdition and going to “heaven,” then we are preaching the poorest gospel. We must preach the gospel in a way that allows people to clearly see that once they believe in the Lord, their sins will be forgiven, and they will be redeemed and justified by God, reconciled to God, and accepted by God. They should also see that at the same time they will be regenerated in their spirit, have God’s life and nature, and have God dwelling in their spirit to renew them day by day and transform them moment by moment. This is so that they may be conformed to the image of His Son and eventually reach the maturity in life and be fully glorified as the sons of God. Furthermore, they should see that although they are sinners, they will become sons of God. At the same time, they are members of Christ, coordinating together to constitute the Body of Christ, which is the testimony, the riches, and the expression of Christ expressed practically on the earth as the local churches. (Witness Lee, Truth, Life, the Church, and the Gospel—the Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery, pp. 121-122)