Sunday, April 29, 2018 - Ephesians 6:15
The Armor of God, Pt. 12,
Shod your feet
with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, Pt. 4,
The Gospel
Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher,
Jim Rickard
Stand in Warfare –
Eph 6:10-20.
3. The Equipment, vs. 13-17.
Vs.
15, “And having shod YOUR FEET
WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.”
The Christian soldier is to stand firm against the attacks
of Satan, his demonic forces, and world system. To do so, we must see to it
that our feet are properly protected and equipped.
That leads us into our final phrase “the gospel of peace,” which is the Genitive of HO
EUAGGELION HO EIRENE.
The first noun euaGgelion,
εὐαγγέλιον means, “good news or the gospel,” which
is from EU, “good, well,” and AGGELLO, “to proclaim, tell.” The double G in the
Greek renders the NG sound like “ing,” in English. Therefore, sometimes people
translate the first G as N, as in EUANGELION. We have seen this word in Eph 1:13; 3:6, and will see it again in
vs. 19.
Eph 1:13, “In Him,
you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation
- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of
promise.”
Eph 3:6, “To be
specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body,
and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
Eph 6:19, “And pray
on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to
make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”
This word represents the salvation message of Christ
crucified, risen, and seated at the right hand of God, who provides forgiveness
of sins and eternal life to all who believe in Him.
In ancient Greek, the original definition of the noun was a
“reward for bringing a good message.” It also stood for the message itself. It
became a general term for the triumphant message from the battlefield, and it
was used for joyous political proclamations, or for personal messages of good
news. Therefore, according to its Greek heritage, as well as its acquired
Hebrew background via the Septuagint, it describes a good report from the
battlefield, a message of victory.
In addition, the Greeks and Romans used this word in
association with the emperor cult, where in one occasion, it is said the
birthday of the Emperor Augustus, as he was praised as a divinity, was the
beginning of the good news. “The birthday
of the god was for the world the beginning of joyful messages which have gone
forth because of him,” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testamen). To the
early church, the emperor was a false god who claimed divine rule. Therefore,
the euangelion of the emperor
cult was a false gospel, which opposed the gospel of Christ.
When Christians used the term, they were speaking the
familiar language of the day, yet in proclamation of the saving work of Jesus
Christ. When Paul spoke of “another gospel,” a very literal sense can be
understood, because he lived in an age of “gospel preaching.” He used the term
60 times. In about half of these, he used it in an absolute sense, i.e.,
without any qualifying definition. For the apostle, as well as for his readers,
there was only one gospel.
Generally, the gospel is God’s plan of salvation, its
doctrines, declarations, precepts, and promises. The gospel is the message of
God’s action in Christ, executed within the framework of human history; what
God has done to make our salvation possible. euangelion
summarizes the Christ event: His incarnation, His earthly life, His death on
the cross, His resurrection, and His ascension. The gospel is the message of
Christ’s victory over the enemy; the strong one has been conquered by the One
who is stronger, Mat 12:29. Paul
summarized the essential message of the Christian proclamation, i.e., the gospel,
twice, Rom 1 and 1 Cor 15. Read Rom 1:1-17; 1
Cor 15:1-19
In Rom 1:17, it states “for in it the righteousness of God is
revealed from faith to faith.” Here Paul explained that faith and not
obedience to the Law brings righteousness. This righteousness is “from faith to faith;” that is, faith in
Christ alone produces righteousness, but it is the preaching (hearing) of the
gospel that creates faith, cf. Rom 10:17.
Where the gospel is permitted to produce faith and where it is received in
faith, “it is the power of God for
salvation,” Rom 1:16. Only then
does the gospel bring peace, Eph 2:17;
5:16, hope, Col 1:23, and
eternal life, Titus 1:1-3.
The Biblical pattern for
witnessing is found in great detail in 1
Thes 2, and according to Rom
2:16, judgment is also a part of the EUGGALION; the content of the Gospel.
Rom 2:16, “On the day
when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ
Jesus.”
The preaching of the eschatological Day of Judgment is a
message of salvation since Christ, the Savior of the world, is the Judge. The
proclamation of judgment and the message of joy belong together like repentance
and joy.
The Gospel is no new teaching. What is new is the name
associated with it, that of Jesus Christ. If we were to sum up the content of
the Gospel in a single phrase, it would be Jesus the Christ, Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 2:12; 9:13;
10:14; Gal 1:7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thes 3:2.
1 Cor 9:12, “If
others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use
this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the
gospel of Christ.”
Phil 1:27, “Only
conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether
I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing
firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the
gospel.”
1 Thes 3:2, “And we
sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to
strengthen and encourage you as to your faith.”
The Gospel changes darkness into light and death into life.
It has many qualifying descriptions:
1. It is
referred to as the gospel of God and Jesus Christ, e.g., Mark 1:14; Rom 1:1; 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 1 Thes 1:8, showing its
sovereignty and Divine plan.
2. The gospel
of God’s grace, Acts 20:24, showing
its mercy and love.
3. The gospel
of the kingdom of God, Mat 4:23; 9:35; Luke 8:1; Acts 8:12, showing its eternal inheritance and
promise.
4. The gospel
of the Son of God, Rom 1:1-3,
showing its humility.
5. The gospel
of God’s Son, Mark 1:1; Rom 1:9,
showing its planned procedure fulfilled.
6. The gospel
of Jesus Christ, Mark 1:1, showing
its fulfillment of prophecy in the God / Man in hypostatic union.
7. The gospel
of Christ, Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor
2:12; 9:13; 10:14; Gal 1:7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thes 3:2, showing its deliverance
through the anointed one: The Messiah.
8. The gospel
of our Lord Jesus, 1 Thes 1:8,
showing its authority to save.
9. The gospel
of Jesus, Acts 8:35, showing its
reconciliation in His humanity, the Savior.
10. The
gospel of the glory of Christ, 2 Cor 4:4,
showing its eternal eminence.
11. The
gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ, Eph 3:8, showing its accompanied blessings.
12. The
gospel of “your” salvation, Eph 1:13,
showing that it is real, personal, and eternal. As an eternal gospel, Rev 14:6, of peace Eph 6:15, it is “ours” 1
Thes 1:5; Cf. 2 Cor 4:3-6.
1 Thes 1:5, “For our gospel did not
come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with
full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you
for your sake.”
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