the grace gospel

By Edwin & Sophia Christiaan |9/1/2022 | www.instituteoflove.net/thegracegospel

We want to welcome you to your introduction to the Gospel of Grace, the Good News revealed to the Apostle Paul for believers under the New Covenant - also called The Pauline Gospel. Once when speaking to the elders of the Ephesian church, Paul said:

“And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD.”

Acts 20:22-24 NKJV

What did he mean by “the Gospel of the grace of God?” Well, the Gospel of Grace is the Good News of Jesus Christ rescuing sinners from death.

“Jesus gave His life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.” 

Galatians 1:4 NLT 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same as the Gospel of Grace, both pointing to the finished work of Christ on the Cross. The distinction lies in the timeline: the message of Christ before the Cross looked forward to His sacrifice, while Paul’s message after the Cross revealed its full meaning and power. 

Whoever receives Christ receives grace, for Jesus Christ is grace personified. He is God’s gift of grace to humanity, so therefore, there is salvation through the Name of Jesus Christ alone. 

Everything Christ is and everything He accomplished reveals God’s grace, and salvation can only be received through that grace. 

Grace is the undeserved gift of salvation, life with God on Earth, and eternal life after death. It is an astounding love and forgiveness extended by Christ that no one can earn by their efforts or be good enough to achieve. 

“God saved you by His GRACE when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT 

Grace is foolishness to the proud because they can't boast about having or getting it due to something they have done right, so they reject it. But to the humble, grace is a free gift too wonderful to express. 

Let us talk about the two different roles of Jesus and Paul.

JESUS WAS SENT TO SAVE THE JEWS

When Jesus began his earthly ministry, He specifically declared that His mission was to the Jewish people, “the lost sheep of Israel”:

“But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Matthew 15:24 KJV 

He also sent His disciples out with that same command:

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel - God’s lost sheep.” 

Matthew 10:5-6 NLT

THE MYSTERIOUS GRACE PLAN 

After Jesus’ ascension, God chose the Apostle Paul to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. 

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”

Acts of the Apostles 9:15 NLT

At first, salvation was offered only to the Jews, but in His mercy, God revealed His hidden plan to extend salvation to the Gentiles also. This divine inclusion of all nations into God’s plan of redemption is what Paul called “the mystery of grace.” 

And even though this salvation was extended to the rest of the world after the Jews had received it, it was always God’s sovereign plan from the beginning to give it, however a secret one.

“I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.” 

Ephesians 3:9 NLT

“This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.” 

Romans 16:25-26 NLT

The Apostle Paul explained to the churches what this revelation of the mystery of grace, that God planned from the beginning of time, meant in the broader scope of God’s salvation plan. If Jesus Christ had come to save the Jewish people, that meant that the Gentiles were not included in salvation. But Paul could now gladly proclaim that God foresaw all this and had a plan to include all peoples of the Earth into that same salvation the Jews were given. 

“When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles... assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his GRACE to you Gentiles. 

As I briefly wrote earlier, God Himself revealed His mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by His Spirit He has revealed it to His holy apostles and prophets. 

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 

By God’s GRACE and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, He GRACIOUSLY gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.” 

Ephesians 3:1-8 NLT 

It is interesting to see how much the Apostle Paul explained about God’s plan of grace, which is the key to understanding the Grace Doctrine. Here are a few more scripture verses on this:

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time - to show us His GRACE through Christ Jesus.” 

2. Timothy 1:9 NLT 

“This was His eternal plan, which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Ephesians 3:11 NLT 

“God has now revealed to us His mysterious will regarding Christ - which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth.”

Ephesians 1:9-10 NLT 

Paul’s entire mission was to explain this mysterious plan, the Gospel of Grace, that unites all believers in Christ.

“Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ.” 

Colossians 4:3 NLT

“I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ Himself.” 

Colossians 2:2 NLT

The Gospel of Grace is simply what brings us into the undeserved grace that saves us: 

“Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious GRACE He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and GRACE that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

Ephesians 1:4-8 NLT 

RIGHTLY DIVIDING

According to 2. Timothy 2:15, anyone who teaches the Word of God must know the Scripture well enough to make a right explanation of it to others. 

The Apostle Paul taught Pastor Timothy:

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 

II Timothy 2:15 NKJV

Rightly dividing the word of truth means to make a distinction between what pertains to the Old Covenant and what applies to us under the New Covenant of Grace. 

Jesus’ death on the Cross ended the system of the Law of Moses and established the New Covenant of Grace:

“He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations.” 

Ephesians 2:15 NLT

THE NEW COVENANT

Now, we know that the New Covenant began right after the death of Christ:

“The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.” 

Hebrews 9:17 NLT

Therefore, when we read the Bible, we look at it through the lens of where the dividing line is between the Old and the New Testament. With the death of Christ being the dividing line, we see that the Old Testament was in effect from Genesis through the Gospel of John, thus including the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 

During Jesus’ ministry years, He spoke to His twelve disciples, the Pharisees, and the Jewish people from the viewpoint of what the Law of Moses taught them to do. He was not speaking or giving instructions on church matters to the New Covenant church, because the New Covenant church did not exist before His death. 

So, everything Jesus taught must be understood in the proper context of who He was speaking to at the time. 

Understanding how to correctly place the Bible’s text into the proper context helps to distinguish what was spoken to Israel under the Law from what applies to us under grace. 

This makes a world of difference, and it has a radical impact on how we see the Word of God. 

For example, in many Christian churches, people are taught that whenever they read the word “Israel” in the Old Testament, they should insert their own name and reread the verses as if they are meant directly and personally for them. This is a wrong way to interpret Scripture because it takes things out of context and applies words directed at a specific individual to people it was never meant for. Others use characters like David, Joseph, and Daniel to give themselves a spiritual identity, like having a “Joseph anointing” or doing a “Daniel Fast” or receiving “Elijah’s mantle.”  

That is a good example of how the church makes itself drift from sound doctrine into nonsensical and delusional beliefs that have no Scriptural basis. 

Having received the mandate to bring the Gospel of Grace to the Gentiles, Paul laid the doctrinal foundation for life under the New Covenant in his letters to the Church, providing pastoral instruction to believers under grace. Paul’s revelation of grace fully encompassed the Gospel of Christ and finished the cycle of the Gospel going from the Law to the Prophets, to the Messiah, to life under grace by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Formerly a devout and perfectionistic Pharisee devoted to the Law, Paul was transformed after encountering the risen Christ in a blinding vision. 

After this life-altering experience, he completely abandoned his zealous Jewish lifestyle and became a new person, shaped by the Spirit of God Himself. He recounts: 

“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin - a real Hebrew if there ever was one! 

I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” 

Philippians 3:5-7 NLT

 JESUS CHRIST’S DISCIPLES ALL PREACHED GRACE

We have established the Apostle Paul’s calling and mandate to preach the Grace Gospel to the Gentiles. While Jesus’ twelve disciples preached the Gospel with emphasis on repentance and baptism, Paul brought the revelation of salvation by grace through faith alone. Later, the apostles followed Paul’s grace message and gradually abandoned their previous adherence to Jewish Law, after they were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 2:14). 

They too began to preach the Gospel with the emphasis on grace. We read in the book of Acts that the Apostles were,

“…preaching boldly about the GRACE of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.”

Acts 14:3 NLT

The Apostle John also wrote about the Grace Gospel: 

“The law was given through Moses, but GRACE and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

John 1:17 NKJV

“GRACE, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ – the Son of the Father – will continue to be with us who live in the truth and love.”

2. John 1:3 NLT

The Apostle Peter wrote: 

“May God give you more and more GRACE and peace.” 

1. Peter 1:2b NLT

“May God give you more and more GRACE and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.”

2. Peter 1:2 NLT

“Rather, you must grow in the GRACE and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2. Peter 3:18 NLT

“And the God of all GRACE, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

1. Peter 5:10 NIV

“My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s GRACE for you. Stand firm in this GRACE.” 

1. Peter 5:12 NLT 

“Rather, you must grow in the GRACE and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.” 

2. Peter 3:18 NLT

“In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives GRACE to the humble.”” 

1. Peter 5:5 NLT

The Apostle James wrote:

“And he gives GRACE generously. As the Scriptures say, God opposes the proud but gives GRACE to the humble.”

James 4:6 NLT

Even Stephen was described as “a man full of God’s grace”:

“Stephen, a man full of God’s GRACE and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.” 

Acts of the Apostles 6:8 NLT

I also want to emphasize that although the Gospel of Grace was given to the Apostle Paul for the Gentiles, and although Jesus Christ was sent to the Jews, we can see throughout the Bible that Jesus continually demonstrated His heart for all people, welcoming Samaritans, Gentiles, and outcasts.  

He had many encounters with people who didn’t “deserve” salvation because they weren’t Jews, but He still welcomed them into the Kingdom. The Gospel of Grace that was given to the Apostle Paul was something that had been predestined by the Father long ago, but He introduced it at the time of His choosing. 

All this to say that Christ did indeed die for every human being, and that His plan of salvation was intended not only for one select group of people, but for all!

“For the GRACE of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.”

Titus 2:11 NLT

To sum up, through Scripture, we now understand what grace is, the message Jesus and Paul came to preach, what the mysterious plan was, the concept of how to “rightly divide” the Word of God, and the importance of distinguishing between the New and the Old covenants. 

The Gospel of Grace was not a new idea, but the unfolding of a divine plan predestined before the foundation of the world. The Gospel of Grace is the heart of God’s plan for humanity - that through faith in Jesus Christ alone both Jew and Gentile may receive the same gift of eternal life, freely given and never earned. 

The gift of grace unites all people in Christ, not excluding or favoring anyone above others. Together, God’s children form the Body of Christ, living in perfect harmony through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us all.