The source of the doctrine of the Bible.
Where did the writers of the Bible get their teachings? The writers
of the New Testament seem to distinguish between their teachings
and the Gospel. This distinction is not always explicitly stated
by these writers, but it is always presupposed by them and implicit
in their writings. Sometimes this distinction is explicitly stated.
For example, in Acts 28:31, Paul is represented as "preaching
the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ." Preaching and teaching are here represented
as two distinct activities. The word translated "preaching"
properly means "to proclaim." The picture presented
by this word is that of a town crier or a herald proclaiming or
announcing something of public importance. The Greek word for
this activity is kerusso and the Greek word for that which
is proclaimed or announced, that is, the message, is kerygma.
This word is often mistranslated (8 times) "preaching,"
signifying the action of a preacher. Although the word might
occasionally have this meaning (see I Cor. 2:4), it far oftener
means that which is proclaimed, that is, a message (see Rom. 16:25;
I Cor. 1:21; I Cor. 15:14). This word is nearly synonymous with
the word which is in the English New Testament translated "gospel,"
euangelion (see Rom. 16:25). Thus to preach is to proclaim
the gospel (see Mark 1:14; Gal. 2:2; Col. 1:23; I Thess. 2:9).
Much preaching today would not have been recognized by the early
Christians as preaching; that is, as a public proclamation of
the gospel to non-Christians. They would have called it teaching,
a more or less informal discussion of various aspects of the Christian
life and thought, addressed to a congregation already established
in the faith. The teaching in many cases is just instruction
for those who have already accepted the gospel, the kerygma.
Occasionally the teaching might include what we would call apologetics;
that is, a reasoned commendation of the gospel to those persons
interested but not yet convinced of the truth of the gospel.
Often, like in Paul's letter to the Romans, it included an explanation
of the gospel. Thus teaching intends to expound and to defend
the implications of the gospel rather than to proclaim it. Most
of books of the New Testament, except the Gospels, are teaching.
All the letters or epistles of Paul, Peter, James and John are
of the nature of teaching. They all are addressed to readers
already Christians, and they deal with theological and ethical
problems arising out the attempt to follow the Christian way of
life and thought in a non-Christian world.
All the teaching in the New Testament presuppose the preaching
or proclamation of the gospel and its acceptance. Some, like
Paul, not only presuppose the gospel but clearly refer to that
part of the gospel upon which their teachings are based.
In I Corinthians 15, for example, which deals with the
resurrection, Paul states in verses 3 thru 7 the gospel which
he says he also received (verse 3) and preached to the Corinthians
(verse 1), giving with it the appearances of the risen Christ
to which he adds the appearance of Christ to Paul himself.
In the rest of that chapter, Paul gives his own teaching concerning
the resurrection based on the previously stated gospel.
This passage in I Corinthians 15 clearly indicates that Paul himself
is fully aware of a distinction between the fundamental content
of the gospel which he had receiveed and his own teaching based
on it. In fact, in another passage in the same letter, I Cor.
3:10-15, Paul makes a clear distinction between the foundation
that has been laid and the superstructure which he and others
build upon it. While the reference here is no doubt to the foundation
of the church and the building up of the life of the church in
all of its aspects, from the context (I Cor. 1-4) it appears that
Paul had particularly in mind the distinction between the basic
gospel and the teachings based upon it. For the Corinthian church
was full of divisions over the teachings of various Christian
leaders (see I Cor. 1:11-12) and it is this problem that Paul
is dealing with here in chapter 3. In dealing with this problem
Paul points out that there is only one foundation, Jesus Christ
(I Cor. 3:11), or, as we may say, the gospel which is about Jesus
Christ. Paul himself, Appolos, and others build upon this foundation
in various ways, that is, develop this foundational gospel in
different ways. The various letters or epistles of the New Testament
are a part of this development and they present the doctrinal
superstructure which they raised on the gospel.
The source of the doctrines (teachings) of the Bible is in the gospel.
The teachings of the writers of the New Testament have their
source in and are based upon the gospel. Thus before we begin
to examine the doctrines of the Bible concerning God, man, and
the world, let us find out what the gospel is and what is its content.
The Gospel of God.
Although the writers of the letters of the New Testament based
their teachings contained in their letters upon the gospel, there
are difficulties in attempting to discover the content of the
gospel from them. The letters, being mainly teaching; that is,
the exposition and defense of the implications of the gospel,
are not concerned with directly with contents of the gospel.
They are not a proclamation of the gospel. In order to find out
the content of the gospel, let us rather examine the speeches
of the early Christian leaders recorded in the book of the Acts
of the Apostles where there is recorded actual instances of the
proclamation of the gospel. Of the speeches recorded in Acts,
the four of Peter recorded in Acts 2:14-40; 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 10:34-43
and the one of Paul recorded in Acts 13:16-41 are especially important.
An examination and comparsion of these speeches will show that
they contain at least three points (not always in this order).
- God has begun to fulfill his promises made to the prophets.
(Acts 2:16-21; 3:18,24; 10:43; 13:32-33)
- This fulfillment is made in the life, death, resurrection and
exaltation of Jesus of Nazareth.
(Acts 2:22-36; 3:13-15,26; 4:10-12; 10:36-42; 13:23-31)
- An appeal to repent and accept the forgiveness of sins in Jesus
(Acts 2:38-34; 3:19; 10:43; 13:38-39).
The various points of the gospel may be found imbedded in the
various letters of the New Testament. For example, in the letters
of Paul the following passages seem to be direct references to
the Gospel: Rom. 1:2-5; 4:24-25; 8:31-34; 10:8-9; I Cor. 15:3-7;
Gal. 1:3-4; I Thess. 1:9-10.
The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, especially Mark
(see Mark 1:1), are expanded form of the Gospel. The Gospels
are not biographies in the modern sense of the word. Details
about the early years and education, personal appearance and characterstics,
specific notes of time and place, a psychological attempt to unravel
motives of actions and to trace out His developing consciousness
of His life-work which gives Him a place in history are almost
entirely missing from the Gospels. The Gospel writers are not
concerned with writing biographies of Jesus. They were only giving
an expanded form of the proclamation of the Gospel.
The Gospel is the good news of what God has done for man through
Jesus Christ, His Son. The English word "gospel" (from
the Anglo-Saxon, god-spell, "God-story") is used
in the English New Testament to translate the Greek word euangelion,
"good news, good tidings." The Gospel is good news.
But in the New Testament, the Gospel is not just any item of good
news but is always the good news of what God had done for
man through Jesus Christ, His Son (Mark 1:14; Rom. 1:1). It is
the Gospel of God.
These acts of God are historical events and the Gospel is a recital
of these historical events. The Gospel is not an abstract and
general theological argument, nor is it a practical system of
morals. It is history; that is, a record of certain historical
events in which God has acted. Of course, it involves and requires
theology to understand and to state its meaning; it also makes
a radical moral demand and implies a system of morals. But the
Gospel of God is first of all the story of God's acts in history.
Now the Gospel of God is concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, our
Lord (Rom. 1:3). The historical events in which God has acted
are those in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the content
of the Gospel and it is about Him. Let us review the main events
in the life of Jesus that are included in the message of the Gospel
as recorded in the book Acts and the Gospels.
- Jesus was born of the line of David (Acts 2:29-31; 13:22-23;
Rom. 1:3; II Tim. 2:8). He therefore was qualified as the son
of David to be the Messiah, the Christ, expected by a great many of
the Jews. The earliest preaching recorded in Acts contain no reference
to the virgin birth nor to the infancy and childhood of Jesus. This
does not mean the virgin birth did not happen but only shows where
the emphasis was laid in the early preaching. Only in the later
expanded form of the Gospel recorded in the Gospels according
to Matthew and Luke do we do we have any reference to and record
of the unusual and miraculous birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke
1:26-38).
- John the Baptist set the stage for the appearance of Jesus
(Acts 10:37; 13:24-25). John prepared the way for the coming Jesus.
- After His anointing by the Holy Spirit at His baptism, Jesus
ministered unto men (Acts 2:22; 10:38-39). The references to
the public ministry of Jesus in early Christian preaching are
meager and general in character. This again shows where the emphasis
was placed in their preaching.
- Jesus died on the cross (the tree) and was buried (Acts 2:23;
3:15; 4:10; 10:39; 13:27-29; Rom. 4:24-25; 8:31-34; I Cor. 1:18,
23; 2:2; 15:3; Gal. 1:3-4; Phil. 2:8; I Pet. 1:18-19). The death
of Jesus was an unfailing item in all early Christian preaching.
It gives the background for the central event in the life of
Jesus, the resurrection. He had to die and be buried before He
could be raised from the dead.
- Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared unto many (Acts
2:24; 3:15; 4:10; 10:40; 13:30; Rom. 4:24-25; 8:34; 10:9-10; I
Cor. 15:4-7; I Thess. 1:10; I Pet. 1:3,21). The bodily resurrection
of Jesus formed the climax and center of the message of the Gospel.
It was the key event in Jesus' life. Without the resurrection,
the crucifixion of Jesus would seem to prove that God had disowned
Jesus, that Jesus was a fraud, that his claims and teachings were
false, and that His followers had been deluded. The resurrection
of Jesus reversed this apparent meaning of the cross and shows
instead that the cross was a necessary step in God's plan. The
early Christian leaders recognized this and thought of themselves
first of all as witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:21-22;
2:32; 3:15; 10:41). The resurrection is a historical fact; of
this they are eye-witnesses.
- The risen Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God (Acts
2:33,36; 3:13; 4:11; 10:36; Rom. 8:34; Phil. 2:9-11; I Pet. 3:22).
The right hand of God is figurative language for the unique place
of honor and authority next to God. The ascension is the visible
representation of this exaltation of Jesus (Acts 1:9-11; 2:33-34;
3:21; Luke 24:51).
- The risen and exalted Jesus has sent the Spirit to continue
His work (Acts 2:33). This was a fulfillment of the promise of
the gift of and the baptism with Spirit by the greater one who
was to follow John the Baptist (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16;
John 1:33; 7:39; Acts 1:11).
- The risen and exalted Jesus will return physically and bodily
to earth to reign (Acts 3:20; 10:42; I Thess. 1:10). At the time
of the ascension of Jesus, the eartly Christian leaders were given
the promise of the return of Jesus (Acts 1:11).
The Gospel is therefore first all a recital of the events in the
life of Jesus of Nazareth. And the most important events in his
life are His death (with his burial) and His resurrection (with
his appearances). In these events God has acted. And the Gospel
of God about what God has done in these events. These are the
most important elements of the Gospel (I Cor. 15:3-7).