The Finished Word

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 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.

Jesus is the true Light of the World, the expression of God, and the only source of truth, life, and salvation . “ Life ” is found in the “ Word ” or ‘ Logos ’ of God, and this life is the “ Light of men .” It “ shines in the darkness ,” and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. This ‘ Logos ’ became the Living Word of God manifested in the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The glory and life of God radiate through Christ for all men to behold - (John 1:1).

The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to the men and women of every nation . After his resurrection, Jesus declared that “ all authority in heaven and on earth is given to me; therefore, go and make disciples of all nations !” Thus, he sent his disciples to announce his lordship and salvation to “ the ends of the Earth .” Christ’s  life-giving  message must be announced to all men and in every nation under heaven.

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?

A redenção e o Reino de Deus chegaram na vida e ministério de Jesus Cristo, e começou com seu batismo por João - Marcos 1:1-3. O Evangelho de Marcos começa com uma declaração que combina passagens do Antigo Testamento para fornecer a base bíblica para o ministério de João Batista e para preparar o terreno para a missão de Cristo. Marcos começa com uma nota de cumprimento.

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.

Paul presents his Gospel to the assemblies of Rome, a message about God’s righteousness or wrath for all men, Jews and Gentiles alike . Paul described the Gospel message in his Letter to the Romans . It was the “ power of God for salvation ” to all men who accepted it. Due to our sin, two forces are at work in the world, righteousness and  wrath . God provides the solution to our plight through Jesus and the announcement of his Good News. His salvation is available to all men and women through the “ faithfulness of Jesus Christ .”

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 equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They stand or fall before Him on the same basis . Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans with two purposes. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Secondly, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the Letter, Pual explained his Gospel, and he then discussed the status of the Jewish people and the conflicts troubling the Roman Church.

Men are not justified before God from the works of the Mosaic Law, but rather from the faith of Jesus Christ . Paul demonstrates that all men have sinned in his letter to the Romans . Jews and Gentiles alike violate God’s revealed will, therefore, no one is justified before Him “ from the works of the Law .” Jews have the Mosaic Law but fall short of its requirements. Gentiles have the witness of their conscience yet live and even revel in their sins. If no one is set right before God “ from the works of the Law ,” how are we reconciled with Him?

Jesus is the Seed of Abraham, the heir of the covenant promises, and receipt of the inheritance is based on faith in Him . As the  Gospel of Matthew  declares, Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. He brings the covenant promises to fulfillment. He is  the covenant heir, and our receipt of the inheritance is based on his faithful “ obedience unto death ” and our faith in him. Neither  ethnicity nor nationality  has anything to do with it.

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 .”

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 his  Letter to the Romans , the Apostle Paul argues from plight to solution. The Gospel that he proclaims is the “ power of God for salvation .” Due to sin, two forces are at work in the world –  Righteousness  and  Wrath . In his Son, God has provided the solution to the desperate plight of all men that is now available to all on the same basis - “ from the faith of Jesus Christ .” Moreover, this “ Good News ” was promised beforehand in the Hebrew scriptures and is now being fulfilled as the Gospel is preached.