One
of the reasons many assume that Mark 16 is our "Great
Commission" today is because they believe these were Jesus' last
words. While these may have been some of the last words Jesus spoke
while here on earth, they were not the last words He ever spoke to
men. Jesus' ministry was not limited to the time He spent here on
earth.
With
Israel's rejection of the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the
twelve apostles during the Acts period, the Lord Jesus spoke again,
this time from heaven, this time to Saul of Tarsus (Acts
9:1-16 Saul, who became known as Paul,
was called to be "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God"
(Eph. 1:1 but
his commission was distinct from that of the Twelve. Paul was chosen
to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom.
11:13 and entrusted with a different
gospel, "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts
20:24 Though Paul often referred to it
as "my gospel" (2 Tim. 2:8 it
consisted of "the words of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Tim. 6:3 for he received it by direct
revelation from Him (Gal. 1:12
Christ
also revealed to Paul a new plan and purpose of God for this present
age, the dispensation of the grace of God (Eph.
3:2 This truth was a mystery kept secret
from men of other ages until made known to Paul. Today, God is no
longer dealing with a nation (Israel) but with individuals without
distinction as to nationality, race, religion, or social status. All
men who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are added to a new
body of believers, the Church, the Body of Christ. As members of the
Church, we have a new commission from God, distinct from the
commission Jesus gave to the Twelve.
Our
commission as believers in the dispensation of grace is found in the
writings of the apostle Paul whom God established as the steward of
this present age. As we examine the letters he wrote under
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we find that our commission consists
of two different ministries, ministries that are brought into focus
by the fact that God, according to 1
Timothy 2:4 desires two things for all
men: (1) that they be saved and (2) that they come to the knowledge
of the truth. Our commission is to reach out to "all men"
in the area of these two needs. The first part of our commission is
to
Preach the Gospel
Grace
believers (those who recognize the distinct ministry of Paul for this
present age) are often accused of focusing too much on doctrine
(teaching) and not enough on evangelism (preaching the gospel). Some
of these detractors seem to think that "preaching Jesus Christ"
should be our only concern. What they don't seem to realize is that
doctrine and evangelism cannot be separated. Doctrine is, in fact,
vital, especially in the area of evangelism. It answers critical
questions such as: "What are we to preach about Jesus Christ?"
and "What is required for a person to be saved?"
The
twelve apostles preached Jesus Christ, but in accordance with the
gospel of the kingdom. He was proclaimed as the Son of God, but the
emphasis was on the fact that He was Israel's Messiah (Christ), the
One anointed by God to be their King. If you carefully examine
Peter's preaching in Acts, chapters 2 and 3, you find that he never
mentions that "Christ died for our sins." When the Jews
asked Peter what they must do, he responded:
"Repent,
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." (Acts 2:38
In
Acts 3:19-21 Peter
further proclaimed the good news that if Israel, as a nation, would
repent, then "times of refreshing" would come from "the
presence of the Lord," and He would "send Jesus Christ"
back to earth to establish His kingdom and bring about the
"restoration of all things" spoken by God's holy prophets.
This
is not the gospel we are to preach today! This is not the message by
which a person can be saved today. During this present age of grace,
we are to preach Jesus Christ, but in accordance with the revelation
of the mystery, the truth entrusted to us through the Apostle Paul
(Rom. 16:25
What
are we to preach or proclaim about Jesus Christ? What do people need
to hear and believe about Him in order to be saved? Paul describes
our gospel commission in 2 Corinthians 5, verses 14-21, a passage
which focuses on reconciliation. The basic meaning of
"reconciliation" is the idea of change or exchange. The
word was used to describe the business of money changers who
exchanged coins for others of equivalent value. Reconciliation also
speaks of the adjustment of a difference. Reconciliation is the means
by which sinful men are brought into a relationship with a holy God.
For this to occur, a change has to take place. God does not need to
change, but we do. In order to be reconciled to God, we must be made
new creations in Christ (vs. 17). In this passage, Paul addresses
three aspects of reconciliation.
The Work of Reconciliation
The
work of reconciliation is accomplished by God Himself, "who
reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ." Paul declares
that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to them." The essence of this work is
seen in verse 21:
"For
He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Here
we find what some call "the great exchange." Christ took
our sins upon Himself, paying the penalty for us, so that we might
have His righteousness imparted to us. This makes it possible for us
to have peace with God (Rom. 5:1
What
does it mean that Christ reconciled "the world" to Himself?
It does not imply universal reconciliation-that everyone will
eventually be saved. It simply means that Christ has paid the penalty
for the sins of the whole world (1 John
2:2 While everyone's sins have been
judged at Calvary, not everyone will be saved. This is evident when
Paul speaks of the need to implore people "to be reconciled to
God." The reconciliation Christ accomplished for us on the cross
is a gift of God's grace, a gift that each person must receive (Rom.
5:11 by faith (Eph.
2:8-9 As servants of the Lord, we are
commissioned to have a part in the process of reconciliation, for God
has given us:
The Ministry of Reconciliation
"Now
then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading
through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
(2 Cor. 5:20
Our
commission is to be ambassadors for Christ, His representatives here
on this earth. As the Body of Christ, we are the instruments God uses
to reach out to all men with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God uses us
to plead with lost sinners and implore them, on Christ's behalf, to
be reconciled to God by faith.
The
love of Christ compels us to fulfill this commission (vs. 14)-love
for the Lord who has given us such a wonderful salvation and love for
those outside of Christ, knowing that God loves them (1
John 4:7-11
The
key to fulfilling this ministry is the message God has entrusted to
us:
The
Word Of Reconciliation
We
are to implore people to receive, by faith, the reconciliation Christ
provided. For this to happen, they must hear the Word of God, since
"faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God"
(Rom. 10:17 But,
what part of the Word should we preach? What is the gospel we are to
proclaim today? We are to preach the gospel entrusted to Paul, God's
steward for this present dispensation. Paul declares what this gospel
is quite clearly in 1 Corinthians 15,
verses 3 and 4,
"For
I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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."
This
gospel that Paul preached is the same gospel we are to proclaim
today-that Christ died as a substitute for our sins, was buried, and
rose again that we might have eternal life. This is the gospel that
people must believe to be saved from their sins. It is the only
gospel by which a person can stand before God "holy, blameless,
and above reproach" (Col. 1:22
What
a great commission has been entrusted to us today! May we be faithful
to carry out this charge that precious souls may be brought to
Christ.
Next
Issue: We will look at the second part of our commission which
relates to God's desire that all men "come to the knowledge of
the truth."
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