The word “gospel” originated in North Africa among the
Greek-speaking residents of Alexandria. It was first used to announce
the good news of the arrival of the grain ships from Phoenicia
(present-day Lebanon). The wheat these ships brought was an essential
commodity for the survival of the inhabitants of Egypt in those days, so
the arrival of these ships was indeed good news.
Since the fall of Adam, the father of the human race, God has
promised through the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament to
redeem sinful humanity. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ is the fulfillment of that promise. Therefore, in the New
Testament the word “gospel” is used to announce the unconditional good
news of salvation for all mankind realized in the holy history of our Lord
Jesus Christ (Mk. 16:15,16; Rom. 1:1-4; 10:13-15). In a nutshell, the
gospel may be described as the truth as it is in Christ.
The apostle Paul defines this gospel as “the righteousness of God”
(Rom. 1:16, 17; 3:21). By this he meant that the gospel is a
righteousness initiated and planned by God before the foundation of the
world (Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8), promised by God since the fall (Gen. 3:15),
and fulfilled by God in Christ’s holy history (Jn. 3:16, 17; Gal. 4:4, 5). In
other words, it is a righteousness entirely of God’s doing and without
any human contribution whatsoever (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16). In this
gospel, God has obtained salvation full and complete for all humanity, so
that in Christ mankind stands perfect and complete before God and His
holy law (Col. 2:10; Rom. 10:4). This salvation delivers from three
predicaments that sinful humanity faces. They are:
Salvation from the guilt and punishment of sin.
Salvation from the power and slavery of sin.
Salvation from the nature and presence of sin.
The first salvation is the means of our justification; the second is
the means of our sanctification; and the third is the means of our
glorification. It is important that every believer realize that while
Christians can claim justification as an already established fact (Rom.
5:1), sanctification is an ongoing, present continuous, experience (1
Thes. 4:2-7; 5:23); and glorification is a future hope to be realized
at the second coming of Christ (Rom. 8:24, 25; Phil.3:20,21).
All three aspects of salvation have already been accomplished or
fulfilled in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Hence all three aspects of salvation are offered to mankind in
Christ and they cannot be separated. Whom God has justified He will
glorify, provided we do not turn our backs on Him through unbelief
(Rom. 8:30; Heb. 10:38, 39). In view of this, all three aspects of salvation
constitute the Good News of salvation, and since they all come to us in
one parcel, Jesus Christ, they are inseparable and we cannot choose to
receive one without the other.
Further, everything we experience in terms of our salvation in this
world and the world to come is based on the finished work of our Lord.
This means that the ground of all Christian experience is the holy
history of Christ. For this reason, it becomes vital that we should be
grounded in the truth as it is in Him. If our knowledge concerning
Christ’s earthly mission is wrong then naturally our experience will be
wrong. Likewise, if our knowledge of the truth in Christ is partial or
incomplete, so will be our experience. It is for this reason Jesus taught,
“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (Jn. 8:32,
36).
When for example some of the Corinthian Christians denied the
resurrection of believers, Paul did not defend the truth of the
resurrection by the proof-text method, but proved the resurrection of the
believers on the basis of Christ’s resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12-23).
Similarly, Peter comforts suffering believers with this admonition: “But
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when
His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1
Pet. 4:13).
Through faith a believer identifies himself with Christ and Him
crucified. This means that at conversion the one who believes
subjectively receives and becomes one with Christ and Him crucified;
and faith is being sure of things hoped for (God’s salvation in Christ),
the substance of which we as yet have not fully experienced (Heb. 11:1).
The Two Phases of Salvation
In view of the above, we may divide salvation into two related but
distinct phases. First, salvation is what God has already accomplished
for all mankind in the earthly mission of Christ (the three aspects of
salvation from sin as mentioned above). It is this salvation that Christ
identified with the good news of the gospel, and which He commissioned
His disciples to proclaim to all the world (Mk. 16:15). This salvation is
often described by the apostle Paul by the idea of you in Christ
(1 Cor. 1:30, 31; Eph. 1:3-6; 2:13; Phil. 3:9). We may describe this
salvation as an objective truth realized in the earthly history of Christ
and therefore referred to theologically as the objective gospel.
Secondly, salvation in the Scriptures is also referred to as what
God accomplishes in the believers through the Holy Spirit. This phase
of salvation is not an addition to the objective facts of the gospel, but
is making real in experience what God has already obtained for mankind
in Christ. Therefore it may be described as the fruits of the
objective gospel. It is often expressed by the idea of Christ in
you (Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17; Col. 1:27). It includes peace
with God that comes through justification by faith (Rom. 5:1; Acts 10:36;
Col. 1:20); victory over sin and holiness of living through the process
of sanctification by faith (Rom. 6:22; 2 Pet. 1:5-7); and the changing of
our sinful nature to a sinless nature through glorification to be realized
at Christ’s second advent (Rom. 8:24,25; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Phil. 3:20, 21).
Since this second phase of salvation has to do with the believer’s experience,
it is often referred to as the subjective gospel.
Today, there is much confusion in the minds of many Christians
concerning these two phases of salvation. The reason is that many have
failed to see the distinction between what God has already accomplished
in Christ some two thousand years ago and what God is presently doing
in the lives of the believers through the indwelling Spirit.
This, in turn, has led to much controversy over the doctrine of
righteousness by faith. While Christ is our righteousness in both of
these phases of salvation, and both are made effective by faith alone,
there are certain important distinctions between the two.
The first phase of salvation is often described as the imputed
righteousness of Christ, and is what qualifies the believers for heaven
now and in the judgment. The second phase of salvation is described as
the imparted righteousness of Christ and is what witnesses or gives
evidence to the imputed righteousness of Christ. It does not contribute
one iota toward our qualification for heaven, but witnesses or
demonstrates what is already true of us in Christ. But a lack of
imparted righteousness demonstrates that the sinner has either not
clearly understood the gospel or has rejected the gift of imputed
righteousness, i.e., he refuses to be clothed with the righteousness of
Christ, which indicates he does not have genuine faith and therefore
unfits himself for heaven (Ja. 2:20-23; Mat. 22:11-13).
Following are the four main distinctions between the objective
facts of the gospel (you in Christ) and the subjective
experience of the believer who by faith has identified himself with
Christ and Him crucified (Christ in you).
“You in Christ”—The Objective Gospel
Complete—“In Christ” we stand
perfect in all righteousness (1 Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10).
Universal—“In Christ” all humanity was redeemed
or legally justified i.e., reconciled to God (Rom. 5:18; 2 Cor. 5:18,
19; 1 Tim. 4:10; Tit. 2:11; 1 Jn. 2:2).
Outside of Us—“In Christ” the righteousness
accomplished was without any help or contribution from us (Rom. 3:21,
28; Phil. 3:9).
Meritorious—This righteousness “in Christ” is the
only means of our salvation, and unless we resist and reject it, it
fully qualifies us for heaven now and in the judgment (Acts 13:39;
Rom. 3:28; 10:4; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8, 9; Tit. 3:5).
“Christ in You”—the Subjective Gospel
Incomplete—“Christ in you” is an
ongoing, growing process of sanctification to be fully realized before
the second advent; and the glorification of our bodies or nature, to be
experienced only at the second advent (Rom. 5:3-5; 8:18-23; 1 Cor.
15:51-57; Phil. 3:12-14, 20, 21; Col. 1:27; 2:6; 1 Thess. 5:23, 24;
2 Pet. 1:3-8).
Particular—“Christ in you” applies only to believers
who have by faith experienced the new birth (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 8:9, 10; 1 Cor.
6:17-20; 2 Cor. 3:17, 18; 6:14-16; 1 Tim. 4:10).
Allied—“Christ in you” involves the cooperation of
the believers who by faith are walking in the Spirit (Jn.15:1-5; 17:23;
Rom. 8:9-14; 13:12-14; Gal. 2:20; 1 Jn. 3:23, 24).
Demonstrative—“Christ in you” witnesses or gives
evidence of our salvation in Christ, but is not meritorious (Mat. 5:14-16;
Jn. 13:34, 35; 14:12; Eph. 2:10; Tit. 3:8).
According to the objective truth of the gospel, all that is necessary
for sinful man to be declared righteous and to be a candidate for heaven
has already been accomplished in Christ. Hence those who have by
faith welcomed their position in Him are reckoned or considered by God
as already being righteous or just, holy or sanctified, and glorified “in
Christ” (Eph. 1:3-6; 2:5, 6; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). “The just by faith shall live”
(Rom. 1:17) was the greatest rediscovery Luther made since the falling
away of the gospel in the Dark Ages.
Studies
Pr Jack Sequeira
