Introduction
The greatest story ever told
is about the fall and redemption of mankind. It is about the
love of an eternal
God for His creatures that He made in His own image. It is about the provision
He made to bring man back to Him in intimate fellowship. It is all that and
more. It is the Gospel.
Unfortunately many do not
have a clear understanding of what the Gospel really is. This is often because
of unscrupulous pastors, ministers, teachers, etc. who are only interested in
“feathering their own nest.” Let me give a few examples of what the Gospel is
not. The Gospel is not believing in Jesus and:
· Gaining wealth,
· Being cured of an illness,
· Having all your wishes come true,
· Never again having any problems,
· Living like hell, while waiting to go to Heaven,
· I’ll just name it and claim it Christianity,
· I have my name on a roll at some church,
· I walked the aisle,
· There is good in all people,
· There are many ways to God,
· Etc.
The Gospel is seen throughout
the New Testament books, but is it mentioned only in the New Testament of the
Bible and not in the Old Testament?
Jesus made the Gospel clear
to Nicodemus in John 3:16-21.
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds
may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
The Apostle Paul and Barnabas
made it so clear in Acts 16:31 when speaking to the Philippian jailor. “And
they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house.”
Paul clearly defined the
Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye
stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all
that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the
twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom
the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”
Were people of the Old
Testament saved by a different method than we are today? They brought
sacrifices. We do not. Were they saved by works while we are saved by grace?
Allow me first to provide the
answer to the above questions. Those in the Old Testament and we in the Church
Age are saved exactly the same way, by God’s grace.
“For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Works will never save anyone,
whether we’re speaking of one who lived under the Law of Moses or one who now lives
in the Church Age, or any other age for that matter. We often call the Church
Age the Age of Grace, but in reality, all ages are the Age of Grace. God has
always saved those who believe in His Son by His own grace and never by our
works.
What about those who lived
prior to The Law, such as Adam and Eve or Noah and others? Again, regardless of
the age, it is always by the grace of God and not of works. The Gospel is about
the works of God and man’s trust in God’s work.
Prior to the cross every eye
looked forward to that day when the Messiah would come and provide the
sacrifice for their sins.
Since the cross, we look back
to that day when the Messiah came and provided the sacrifice for our sins.
The first hint of the Gospel
was uttered by God to Satan in Genesis 3:15.
“And I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Those words were not written
down until many years later by a man named Moses. In the meantime, what was
said by God was passed down orally from generation to generation. By the way,
when Moses penned the words to the first five books of the Bible, the
Pentateuch, he did so by the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I point
this out to emphasize that there are no human errors in the original writings
of the Bible, because the writers were inspired and lead by the Holy Spirit.
“All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
“God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the worlds;” (Hebrews 1:1-2)
“We have also a more sure
word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:19-21)
The Old Testament does depict
the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we know it today. One area that is often overlooked
by the Church is the Tabernacle. Why? I’m not sure, unless it is thought to be irrelevant
with the Gospel of the Church. I’m happy to announce that the Gospel of the
Tabernacle is the same Gospel that the Apostle Paul and the other Apostles
preached. It is the same New Testament Gospel of the Church. It doesn’t just
show, “What must I do to be saved,” but goes beyond that.
Many good articles,
slideshows, pictures, and books are available concerning the Tabernacle, so it
is not my aim to expound every detail. I’m not sure that could be done anyway,
by anyone.
We the Church are missing a
great blessing by avoiding this area. Granted, some of it may sound boring at
first, that is, until you really listen. “He, who has an ear, let him hear.”
So as we proceed through this
marvelous study, I will attempt to present an overview of how the Tabernacle has
blessed me and can bless you too.
Grant Phillips
