Good News for All Nations

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? Often in church history, the Gospel has been perverted into Good News for some nations, and bad news for others, or at least for the latter group, a less appealing message. This twist occurs whenever representatives of the church of the same Jesus who gave his life for the entire world, including his “ enemies ,” associate and even identify his name and ONE message for the world with specific nations, races, cultures, and even political ideologies.

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul describes in detail the message of salvation that he proclaims among the nations. He declares that it is the “ power of God for salvation ” to all men who accept it. Due to humanity’s sin, two forces are at work in the world - Righteousness and Wrath . In Jesus of Nazareth, God has provided the solution to humanity’s desperate plight and made it available to all men through the “ faith OF Jesus Christ .”

Central to the apostolic doctrine of salvation is the promise of REDEMPTION . God will not abandon what He has created. Both the term and the concept of “redemption” mean the recovery of that which was lost, in this case, the creation itself that has been enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death, especially humanity. In God’s redemptive plan, the end state of redeemed things and persons will be vastly superior even to their original created state, and this is epitomized in the promise of bodily resurrection.

Jesus experienced growing conflict as he began his journey to the city of Jerusalem. In Galilee, he displayed his lordship over nature, demons, disease, and even death, and the crowds welcomed him, at first, enthusiastically. However, among his own people, he was met with unbelief and rejection, and in the Gospel of Mark , this serves as the prelude to the execution of John the Baptist. More importantly, it becomes the pattern for what disciples of Jesus may expect when they preach the Gospel.

According to the Apostle John, “ Life ” is found in the “ Word ,” and that life is the “ Light of men .” It is “ shining in the darkness ,” and the darkness “ cannot seize ” or suppress it. This same “ Word ” or Logos has become “ flesh ,” the Living Word of God manifested in the man, Jesus of Nazareth. In him, the Glory and the Life of the God who created all things are manifested for all humanity to see.