Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate/Volume 1/Number 5/The Gospel. No. V.
THE GOSPEL. No. V.
There is one thing necessary to know in order to have a correct knowledge of the gospel; it is, that it was, is, and ever will be the same; that it is as immutible [immutable] as God himself, or Jesus the Savior, and that the gospel is the scheme of life and salvation; and there was not nor will not be any other, it is that scheme of things by which all that are saved, will be saved, and all who are now saved were saved by it. The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Ephesians, 1 chapter from the 3 to the 11 verse, gives us the following account of the scheme of life and salvation, which he promulg[at]ed in his day to the generation among whom he lived, and to whom the Lord sent him.—"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.—In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he has purposed in himself; that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:"
In the foregoing quotation the apostle gives us an outline of the order of things, which he proclaimed to the people of his day, which he said he had not received of man, nor by man; but by revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11,12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man: for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."
The account then which the apostle gives of the proclamation which he proclaimed to the world is, that the same thing which he received by immediate revelation from Jesus Christ, was a scheme of things which had originated in eternity, before the world was "Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world."—Ephesians 1:3, 4. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, to himself. 5 verse. That is, before the foundation of the world. No language need be plainer than this, that is, that God before he framed the world, had laid the scheme of life and salvation, and before he formed Adam's dust into man, he had predestinated that the human family should be made children to himself, through Jesus Christ, and all this was fixed before the foundation of the world; and this is what Paul had revealed unto him to proclaim to the uncircumcision, as well as Peter to the circumcision. But it was in Jesus Christ that men were to be made children to God, or that God made children to himself out of the apostate race of man. "He hath chosen us in him, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins wherein he hath abounded toward us, or in him he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence." In all these instances it is in him, not out of him, that men are to receive blessings, and to become sons of God.
This is in perfect accordance with what this same apostle says in the epistle to the Galatians, when speaking of Abraham, and the gospel proclaimed to him 3 chapter and 8 verse: "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed." The promise to which the apostle alludes is found in the book of Geneses [Genesis] 12:1, 2, 3. "Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, get the [thee] out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I shall shew thee of: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. In the 22 chapter 15,16,17 and 18 verses: the promise reads thus: "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, by myself I have sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast done this thing."
In the former of these quotations it is said, that in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. And in the latter that in thy seed shall all nations be blessed.
In the 28 chapter we have an account of the same promise being confirmed unto Jacob; for according to the declarations of the Psalmist David this promise was made unto Abraham, and by oath unto Isaac, and confirmed unto Jacob. See 105 Psalm, 8, 9 & 10 verses: "He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded unto a thousand generations, [or the generations of the thousand years.] Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac, and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant. The account of this confermation [confirmation] we have in the 28 of Genesis, and the 10,11,12,13 and 14 verses. "And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillow, and lay down in that place to sleep.—And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold the Lord stood above it, and said I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed.—And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Here it is said to Jacob that in him and in his seed all families of the earth should be blessed, and putting both the former quotations together and it would read the same way to Abraham; for one says in thee, and the other says in thy seed, so that the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was, that in them, and in their seed, should all the families; or nations of the earth be blessed, and this is what is called the gospel, which Paul says was preached before to Abraham: Galatians 3:8. It is necessary that the reader should notice particularly that it is in Abraham, and in his seed that all the families of the earth should be blessed, and not out of them; for here lays the mistake with many; they do not notice that little preposition in, and they fancy to themselves that they will be blessed, whether they are in Abraham and his seed, or out of them; not thinking that there is a difference between in and out.
Concerning this promise made to Abraham the new testament writers have said many things. In the 3 chapter of the epistle to the Galatians, the apostle Paul settles the question, who the seed was, concerning whom it was said, that in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. He says thus, in the 16 verse: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promi-ses made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ." According to this explanation, the promise to Abraham and his seed stands thus. That in thee, and in Christ thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed. We can see by this that it was not enough that a person should be a regular descendant from Abraham to entitle them to the blessings of heaven, but they must be in his seed also, which is Christ, so that to obtain eternal life, a person must be both in Abraham and in Christ.
What is here said about Abraham and his seed, so directly corresponds with what the apostle has said in the epistle to the Ephesians, as before quoted, concerning the scheme of things which he proclaimed to the world, or the plan of life and salvation, which is called the gospel, that even a careless reader cannot avoid seeing how completely they harmonize. Mark reader that the apostle said that God had chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:4. Again in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins wherein [or in whom] he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence. So then we are chosen to be sons of God in Christ and it is in him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and it is in him that God abounds unto us in all wisdom and prudence. And the promise to Abraham was, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed, or that in Christ all the nations of the earth should be blessed, and that says the apostle, is what God purposed in himself before the foundation of the world, and agreeably to that plan, men should be blessed: in Christ Jesus they should get the remission of sins: in Christ Jesus they should get redemption: in Christ Jesus God would abound towards them in all wisdom and prudence; and says the promise to Abraham, (or the gospel as before preached to Abraham) in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed; whether they are descendants of Shem, Ham, or Japheth, in Christ they should be blessed; for God will abound to all who are in Christ Jesus, in wisdom and prudence: they will have redemption, the fargiveness [forgiveness] of sins.
It is in view of this promise made to Abraham and his seed, that the apostle says, Rom. 9:6,7. "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel: neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called." And in Rom. 4:11,12,13, the apostle says, "And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also; and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had, being yet uncircumcised." For the promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
The careful reader of the new testament will find that the allusions to the promise made to Abraham and his seed are very numerous, but would not be to our purpose to quote at present.
It is necessary to remark here, that the apostle has pronounced a curse on any person, or even on an angel from heaven, if they preach any other gospel, than the one which he had proclaimed. See Gal. 1:8,9. And he says as quoted above, that, the gospel which he proclaimed, had been before preached to Abraham, telling him, that in his seed, that is, in Christ Jesus, all the families of the earth should be blessed, and from what he said to the Romans it is evident that the apostle excludes the fleshly seed of Abraham from being the children of Abraham according to this promise, only such as had faith like faithful Abraham, and that all others who had this faith, were equally entitled to the blessings of Abraham, whether they were his fleshly seed or not; it mattered not from whom they descended; for if through faith they were enabled to get into Christ Jesus, they would be considered Abraham's children and heirs according to the promise.
In the third chapter to the Galatians the mystery is solved, how it is that we are put into Christ, and become Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Verses 26, 27, 28. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.—And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. This carries the promise made to Abraham to its legitimate issue, and shows what it was that was preached to Abraham: that it was not only in his seed that all the families of the earth were to be blessed, but that they were to be put in his seed, that is, Christ, by baptism; for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. We could hardly admit the thought that the Lord had told Abraham that in him and in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed, and yet not tell him how it was that they were to become his children, or in other words, how they were to be put into Christ, Abraham's seed. No doubt therefore, can exist, but that Abraham knew all about it; for if he did not, could it be said that he had the gospel preached unto him? It could not, unless he had that thing preached unto him which Paul afterwards preached, and concerning which he said that any man, or an angel from heaven should be accursed if he preached any other. Neither can we with safety admit it, having the testimony which we have on this subject before us, that God had at any period of the world any other way of making sons and daughters but the one; for Paul says that the gospel was before the world was, and the thing which he received by revelation, was the same which had existed from eternity.
But to have the whole subject fairly before us, we will attend to the proclamation of him in whom God had wrought effectually to the apostleship of the circumcision, we mean Peter.—We have his proclamation, to the circumcision in the 2 chapter of the Acts of the apostles, 37, 38, and 39 verses, it reads thus. "Now when the Jews heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
The reader may see very easily, that all these men understood the subject alike; for the specimens which we have of their preaching are alike. Paul says as quoted above, that in Christ we have the forgiveness of sins, and redemption through his blood, and that in him, we are made partakers of the blessings of Abraham, and he also says, that it is by baptism that we are put into Christ. Peter says, repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Why be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins? because, that by baptism Paul says that you put on Christ, "as many of you as are baptized into Christ have put on Christ;" and being in Christ you have remission of sins, and redemption through his blood; and in him God will abound to you in all wisdom and prudence. Therefore, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, or in other words God will abound towards you in all wisdom and prudence, through the gift of the Holy Spirit. These two apostles then surely had the same views on the subject of the gospel; and let it not be forgotten, that Paul says, that this gospel was preached to Abraham, and not only to Abraham, but that it originated in eternity, before the world was, and that it was not some new thing which had sprang into existence with him and his co[n]temporaries, and was not known till then. But more on this point hereafter.