Posted in Gospel • Riddles

Gospel riddle answer

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Answer to the riddle asked a few days ago, “Why is the Law called ‘the gospel’ in Hebrews 4:2?”

The ‘good news’ at Sinai was that God was going to live with His people, and the Law was part of it. In other words, the church at Sinai had the good news of ‘God with us’ preached to them just as we have.

The Law was to facilitate ‘God with us,’ a.k.a. the gospel. God, in His grace, was taking up residence, and following the Law was (and is) a loving response (faith) to His presence. Jesus is the good news or gospel because He is ‘God with us.’ The Law, His Word, facilitates His dwelling amongst us. His sacrifice makes it possible for God to dwell within us forever, and the Law helps us learn to live accordingly. So the living oracles are part and parcel of the gospel – God with us.

Posted in Bible Verse • Gospel • Whole Bible Christianity book

The Gospel at Sinai

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From the book manuscript presently titled ‘Whole Bible Christianity.’

Like the New Covenant, most ‘New Testament’ or part-Bible Christians cannot tell you what the gospel is either. We tend to think of it as a feel-good message about Jesus being our buddy and saving us from bad stuff. Then He allows us to do whatever we want.

The gospel, which means ‘good news,’ however, might really make us feel good, and it should, but the message is not about feelings. It is about ‘God with us,’ which is the meaning of one of the names of Jesus (Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23).

Did you know that the gospel was preached to Israel at Mount Sinai by God through Moses? So says the writer of Hebrews.

2For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. (Hebrews 4:2 NASB95)

Stephen calls the group at Sinai the “congregation in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38) and that they received “living oracles” to pass on to their kids. These living oracles were none other than the Law. So this is another way of saying the gospel was preached to the church at Mount Sinai.

Here’s a riddle for you. Why is the Law called ‘the gospel’ in Hebrews 4:2?