Good News for All Nations

We are acquitted before God through the faith of Jesus Christ, and not from the works of the Law – Romans 3:21-26. Having demonstrated that all men violate God’s revealed will, the Apostle Paul concludes that no man or woman is acquitted from the penalty of sin from the works and rituals required by the Law of Moses. Instead, we are declared innocent through the faith or faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

The Gift of the Spirit is for every man who repents and follows Jesus, even to those afar off, and in fulfillment of the promise of the Father . After completing his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter summoned his audience to repent and be baptized “ in the name of Jesus Christ .” But something more than a call to accept the Gospel was transpiring. The Apostle concluded his sermon on a note of fulfillment and with a foretaste of things to come, for the “ promise is to you, your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will call .”

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.

Christ’s very human Death and bodily Resurrection are foundational and indispensable to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles . The Apostle Paul discussed the future resurrection of believers in  2 Timothy in response to denials of this “ healthy teaching ” by false teachers. Faith in the promised resurrection is central to the hope of salvation taught by Jesus and his Apostles. This teaching is unquestionably reliable because it is based on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus .

The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and true life to men and women of every nation and people . Jesus proclaimed that “ all authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations! ” He sent his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth .” The Era of Salvation had commenced with his Death and Resurrection; therefore, his life-giving message must be announced to all men. The Son of God has achieved salvation for his people!

The Apostle Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “ Good News of God ” in his letter to the churches of Rome. He dealt with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish believers and prepared the ground for taking the Gospel to the western regions of the Roman Empire. He addressed related topics, including redemption, the Law, wrath, resurrection, death, sin, and the New Creation.

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth . The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or political systems. Christ’s message calls all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, namely, the  Kingdom of God . This message is contrary to the political ideologies of the present world order. It subverts mankind’s philosophies and popular beliefs.

Having demonstrated that all men violate God’s revealed will, Paul concludes that no one is acquitted before Him “ from the works of the Law .” Instead, men and women are justified “ through the faith ” or faithfulness OF Jesus - They are reconciled with their Creator because of the gracious act of Jesus on their behalf. Since all men deserve condemnation and death, all they can do is respond with repentance and faith to what God has done for them.

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 .”

Jesus is the only true Light of the World, and his light shines all the brighter amidst the darkness that tyrannizes the present age. All competing claims are false . “ Life ” is found in the “ Word ” or ‘ Logos ’ (λογος), and this life is the “ Light of men .” The Light is “ shining in the darkness ,” and the darkness “ cannot seize ” or suppress it. This same “ Word ” has become the Living Word of God in Jesus of Nazareth, in whom the glory, salvation, and life of God are manifested for all men to see - (John 1:1).

In the  Book of Genesis , God implemented His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His covenant with Abraham, beginning with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland and journey to the “ land I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from him, and the covenant would bless all the “ Tribes of the Earth .” From the start, the promise of territory was central to the Abrahamic Covenant.

Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to bless all nations through His Covenant with Abraham. He is the Light and source of Salvation for the nations . 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?

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 .”

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 .”

Men are not put in right standing before God from the works of the Mosaic Law, but instead, from the faith of Jesus Christ .  In his letter to the assemblies in Rome, Paul demonstrated that all men have sinned. Jews and Gentiles both have violated 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 can anyone be reconciled with Him?

Paul wrote his  Letter to the Romans  with at least two purposes in mind. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Second, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers in the assemblies of Rome. In the Letter’s first half, he explains his Gospel. In the second, he addresses the status of the Jewish people and the specific conflicts in the congregation.

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.