Were the disciples saved under a different gospel?
This is a pretty popular belief amongst those who adhere to a dispensational salvation.
And the claim is that the Bible teaches that there are four different gospels, not one.
Now mind you, they're not referring to four different gospels as in Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, but rather four different messages of salvation that were addressed to different
people groups.
The first being the gospel of the kingdom of God.
This began with John the Baptist and ended at the rejection of Jesus Christ.
And according to them, we'll find a resurgence in what they would refer to as the seven year
tribulation.
The second and third gospel is the gospel of the grace of God and the glorious gospel.
This is the message that's currently being preached by Christians today in what they
would refer to as the church age.
And then you have the last one being the everlasting gospel from Revelation chapter 16 in verse
number four.
And this message isn't one necessarily of salvation nor of the kingdom, but rather of
judgment.
And you can see how such a teaching can leave a lot of wiggle room for interpretation of
isolated statements made by the disciples or by the apostle Paul himself.
One of the doctrines that's built upon this underlying false premise is that the disciples
did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They'll often deliver this teaching by first defining what the gospel is, according to
the first Corinthians chapter 15, that is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, which is true.
But then they'll quote Jesus Christ's predictions in the gospels where he talked about his death,
his burial, and the fact that he will rise again the third day.
And they'll hone in on the response of the disciples in Luke chapter 18 and verse 34,
where it states that they understood none of these things.
For this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were being spoken.
And by sleight of hand, they interpret that as saying they didn't believe in the resurrection.
Hence they were saved under a different gospel because our gospel requires the belief in
the resurrection, whereas their gospel did not.
Now this of course is a false teaching.
I'm going to give you three points in this video why that is.
Number one is that the Bible teaches that there is only one gospel.
And in fact, Galatians chapter number one and verse number five, excuse me, verse number
six says, I marveled the year so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would
pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
So according to the Bible, if the disciples, if the apostle Paul, if anybody for that matter,
preached a different gospel than the one true gospel found in the Bible, according to the
Bible, they're reprobate, they're a curse.
According to Galatians chapter one.
Now people will often say, well, you know, pastor Mahiam, he's referring to his gospel,
you know, the gospel of the grace of God.
And to that, I say his gospel was the same gospel that the disciples preached that Jesus
preached.
In fact, it's the same gospel that Moses and the prophets preached in the Old Testament.
The Bible says in Acts chapter 10 that to him, give all the prophets witness that through
his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
And if that's not enough for you, Acts chapter 26 and verse 22 says this, having therefore
obtained help of God, I continue into this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying
none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.
So according to this passage of scripture, the apostle Paul saying that he is simply
recycling the message that Moses and the prophets preached.
And then he defines what that is.
It says in verse 23 that Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should
rise from the dead and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles.
Well, it looks like according to this, Moses and the prophets preached the suffering of
Christ as well as his resurrection, which is exactly what the disciples preach, which
is exactly what the apostles preach, which is exactly what we preach today.
And in fact, the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter number four, verse number two, for
unto us was the gospel preach as well as unto them.
But the word preach did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it.
So there you go.
Salvation has always been by faith without works.
It's only required for us to believe on the Lord.
And that is the one true gospel.
Now, point number two is this, is that every Old Testament believed in the resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
For a more extensive video on that, you can watch my sermon about the resurrection in
the Old Testament.
I give a lot of examples in that video, but just the name of you.
Job spoke of the resurrection.
David in his famous passage in Psalm 16 spoke of the resurrection.
He said, that will not leave my soul in hell.
Neither would I suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
Acts chapter two expands upon that and states he's seen this before spake of the resurrection
of Christ.
You have Jonah speaking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at a more recent example of this.
Let's look at one of the disciples talking about the resurrection.
It says in John chapter 11, verse 21, Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst
been here, my brother had not died.
But I know that even now whatsoever that will ask of God, God will give it thee.
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection of the last
day.
Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection and the life.
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?
You see, even Mary and Martha knew of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He said, well, that says that they believe in the resurrection of the last day.
Well, folks, in order for you to believe in the resurrection of the last day, you have
to believe that the one resurrecting you has resurrected himself.
It's common sense.
Every Old Testament saint believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Every disciple believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
They understood what the Old Testament prophecy said of his death and his resurrection.
So point number one is that there is only one gospel according to the Bible.
Point number two is that every Old Testament saint believed in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
And point number three is this.
It's not that they didn't believe in the resurrection.
It's that they didn't understand the order of events and when these things would take
place.
And you see, over and over again in the gospels, you constantly have the disciples asking Jesus
this, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming?
Mind you, this is during the time when they were preaching the kingdom of God, yet they
were completely ignorant of when all of these events would take place on the timetable of
human history.
And to prove that, after the resurrection, Jesus Christ once again commissions his disciples
to go out and preach the gospel to every creature.
And look what the disciples say in Acts chapter one and verse number six, when they therefore
were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again
the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father
has put in his own power.
You see, they thought that after the resurrection, Jesus Christ was going to set up the kingdom
right then and there.
This is proof, not of their faithlessness in the resurrection, but rather of their ignorance
of when these events would take place on the timetable of human history.
Folks, people use sleight of hand to interpret isolated statements made by the disciples
all the time.
And dispensational salvation is capitalized on that one hundred and ten percent.
There's only one gospel.
It's the same message that Moses, the prophets, the disciples and us today are preaching.
Amen.
God bless and have a great one.