Apostolic Mode of Preaching.
By R. F. Cottrell
The gospel is the good news of salvation to sinful man. It was preached to man soon after he became a sinner. The family of Adam had it announced to them before Abel offered an acceptable offering to God. An apostle expressly says it was preached to Abraham. Gal. 3:8. It was preached to the Israelites whom Moses led out of Egypt; for it is said that "unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them." It is the gospel, the same definite gospel, that has been preached in both dispensations. But as the great plan of salvation is being carried out, new messages of the same gospel become due. These are based upon God's promises given in prophecy, and their fulfillment. When the promised Messiah had come in the flesh, the announcement of this fact was the special message of the gospel. But when he had made the great offering for sin, foreshadowed in the law of Moses and foretold by the ancient prophets—when it had become facts that Christ had died, been buried, and risen again, "according to the Scriptures" a new message of the gospel was to be announced; and this was the message which the first apostles were sent to preach, after these events had taken place. John the Baptist, Jesus, nor his disciples before the crucifixion, though they might and did proclaim the advent, could not preach this message of the gospel because that part of the plan and promises of God had not then been fulfilled. It will be noticed then that the gospel of the New Testament is based upon the prophecies of the Old. And so we read, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written IN THE PROPHETS." Mark 1:1, 2. Before the baptism of Jesus, John preached the gospel of the Christ about to be manifested to the people; after that event the message could be announced, "Behold the Lamb of God, that beareth away the sin of the world;" but the gospel which Paul preached, as well as the rest of the apostles, after the resurrection of Christ, could not be preached till the resurrection had taken place. Says Paul, "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you." What is that gospel? "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." See 1 Cor. 15:1-4. It will be seen that the message of the gospel which the apostles preached in all the world was based upon the prophecies—it was all "according to the Scriptures." They had no message to the Gentiles even, but what was based upon the Jewish Scriptures. Therefore the Gentile converts were not ignorant of these "Holy Scriptures," as some seem to think. Many years before the coming of Christ they had been translated into the Greek, the most extensively known language in the world; and if any had not thus become acquainted with them, they could not have remained ignorant of them after hearing the apostles preach; for they preached "the word," "the Holy Scriptures," as being able to make men "wise unto salvation," through faith in Christ. See 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 4:2. After the resurrection of Jesus, and preparatory to his sending out the apostles to preach the glad tidings, he said to them, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things." Luke 24:44-48. From this it is clear that he did not send them out without "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God." They were to preach the things that were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Christ, and show their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth, of which they were eye witnesses. Let us hear Paul's testimony as to how well he fulfilled this mission. He says, "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people [of Israel], and to the Gentiles." Acts 26:22, 23. The gospel that Paul preached, as an "apostle to the Gentiles," was prophecy and its fulfillment. And he appeals to the Gentile king to whom he was speaking: "King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest." The Gentiles to whom Paul preached were not left in such profound ignorance of what had been written in the ancient Scriptures as our law-abolishing, no-Sabbath preachers would have us believe. He preached the same gospel to Jews and Gentiles. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles testifies thus of him: "And when they [Jews at Rome] had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening." Acts 28:23. Would it not be well to have some such faithful preachers and expounders of the word of God at the present day? Where are the preachers that are thus expounding prophecy, showing its fulfillment, and thus making truth and duty plain to the people? Is there now no occasion for such preaching? Is it because the people do not need such instruction that they hear instead "enticing words of man's wisdom," finely composed speeches consisting of flowers of rhetoric, eulogies of men, and man's wisdom and progress, prefaced perhaps by a fragment of Scripture? Was it not in view of just this state of things that Paul charged Timothy, and through him all succeeding ministers, to "preach the word," adding, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." See 2 Tim. 4:1-4. But time and space will not allow me to trace out all those passages that bear upon the manner of the apostles' preaching. Suffice it to say that all are in harmony with those I have cited. And now in closing I will cite the reader to a model discourse preached by Paul in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, to Jews and Gentiles. Please turn and read it in Acts 13:16-41. It will be seen to contain, 1. A brief historical sketch of God's dealings with the people of Israel, from the time they were in Egypt to the days of David. 2. A reference to the promise to David of the Saviour and King of Israel descended from him, with the announcement that God had fulfilled the promise in Jesus. 3. The testimony of John the Baptist is referred to in proof of this fact. 4. Salvation is offered to all through this Saviour. 5. The Jews at Jerusalem, not knowing the "voices of the prophets," had fulfilled them in condemning Jesus to death. 6. "But God raised him from the dead," of which there were many witnesses. 7. He appeals to the Scriptures to show that his resurrection had been promised in prophecy. 8. He proclaims forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. 9. And then he concludes with a cautionary exhortation which has in it something of the "terror of the Lord," clearly teaching that unbelievers will perish.