Gospelism.org

No one else had an understanding of the gospel as cogent as Paul.  In fact, Paul issued a harsh warning to all who would dare to preach a gospel other than that which honors the purity of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul says in Romans Chapter 1, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For in the gospel righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” 

And definitively, in 1 Corinthians Chapter 15, Paul says, “Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it.  It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.  I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.  He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.  He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.  After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.  Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.  Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.” 

In Galatians Chapter 1, Paul says, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.  I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.” 

A sober warning to say the least!  This warning is one of the reasons for exclusivity.  Unlike Economics, the Gospel is not a theory that is up for debate or discussion.  It is the gospel truth.  (Yet many treat current economic theories that way).  Understanding the basis of the Gospel in its clarity can help us as believers firmly develop a biblical way of thinking that honors Christ and is faithful the Word of God. 

I believe Paul through his ministry offers us some interesting insights into his understanding of the gospel and his application of the Word in practical, economic ways.  We can learn a lesson from Paul’s lifestyle and how he behaved based on his understanding of the Gospel and his knowledge of Jesus Christ.

• Paul was committed to supporting the poor believers in Jerusalem.  He states in Galatians 2:10 in referencing his encouragement to continue his ministry to the Gentiles from the other Apostles, “Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.”  In fact, a major component of Paul’s missionary journeys was he was willing to risk his life to help the Christians in need in Jerusalem. [Rom 15:25-31]
• Paul practiced self-denial, not as a religious rite but rather as a demonstration of the purity of his message and his commitment to the ministry and the people under his care.  1 Corinthians Chapter 9 Paul responds to questions of his authority as an apostle by referencing his abdication of his rights to demand material support. “If you support others who preach to you, shouldn’t we have an even greater right to be supported? But we have never used this right. We would rather put up with anything than be an obstacle to the Good News about Christ.  Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings.  In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it.  Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge.  Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News! If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.  What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.”
• Paul’s economic choices were directly reflective of his commitment to the gospel and the ministry.  In his final words to the Ephesian elders he says in closing, “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes.  You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me.  And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 
• Paul understood and appreciated the value of his faith in Christ.  So much so, he counted all other things in this life as garbage.  He remarked to the Philippians church, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” 
• Paul’s ultimate goal and objective was based on the incentive of the prize that awaits all believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In his final words to Timothy he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” [2 Tim 4:7-8]

Paul’s example inspires us to take a serious look at our economic values and no longer copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds. [Rom 12:1-2]

We can learn a lesson from John the Baptist.  Everyone knows full well that John the Baptist was the premiere Gospel preacher.  He message was “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”  Scripture goes on to say and even Jesus testified that the prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” [Matt 3:1-3; Matt 11:10]

More on John to come in future posts…

But now to the application of his message.  In Luke 3:10-14, the people who were convicted by the Gospel preaching of John, asked him, “What should we do?”  John addresses 3 groups of people in his reply with social-economic applications.

To the CITIZENS, he encouraged them to be generous. Specifically, he said to them, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” 

To the CIVIL SERVANTS (the corrupt tax collectors), he encouraged them to be ethical.  Specifically, he said to them, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”

To the STATE REPRESENTATIVES (the soldiers), he encouraged them to be just and be content.  Specifically, he said to them, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.” 

So we see from John example, the Gospel is relevant, broad, and effective towards guiding the individual, on a personal level, in making moral, economic decisions.

Years ago, the United States and much of the world for that matter, operated the valuation of our currency on the basis of the Gold standard.  President Richard Nixon and his treasury secretary, John Connally, through a policy of benign neglect, would put an end to that.

The valuation of the dollar was left to be established by fiat, which binds us to perpetual taxes.  It is also a tangential reason for the fall in value of the dollar, as various countries such as Russia, Iran, and Venezuela refuse to purchase oil any longer in dollars (more on this in another post).

But what if we were able to concept value in this life from God’s perspective?   John 3:16 Jesus says, “God so loved (valued) the world (mankind) that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  In another place, Jesus says “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?  Is there anything more valuable than the soul?” (Matt 16)

What is our value system was based off of the Soul Standard rather than the Gold or Oil Standard?   How would we operate differently?  What policies would we promote then?  Would we care for the poor, the unborn, the elderly, the sick, and the imprisoned then?  Something to think about as we discussion the biblical principles of Gospelism…

If we read God’s Word and actually attempt to put it into practice, we find the heart of Adam Smith theory of Capitalism and our modern exntension of neo-liberalism are not on flawed, but also corrupt.  The bitter fruit of Savings and Loans crises, the dot-com/real estate/finance/credit bubbles, corporate scandals, and failures of globalization are proof alone that down at the root, we have a bad tree and desparately need a new theory.

The problem is, we are a capitalist society.  It saturates everything we do.  I belief/value systems, our incarceration policies, our education systems, our families, and even our churches.  Many megachurches and televangelists, instead of preaching the gospel, have focused on a message of pure capitalism: Self-Interest.  This is biblical heresy and demonic lie promoted from the mouths of wolves intending to fleece the sheep.  Yet people love to hear it and so they flock with their itching ears to hear the se messages in droves.  These lies are even finding their way overseas where the prosperity gospel is preached to provide hope to the poor.  The enemy is attempting the rob even the poor who are rich in faith of the wealth of Christ that they have in their hearts.  Tragic!

Jesus preached a gospel of Self-Denial.  He said in Luke 9:23, “If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me.”   The concept of self-denial is key to discovering and appreciating the true wealth found only in Christ.

“What is an ‘-ism?’  And why do you feel the need to add it to the gospel?” you might ask.  An ‘-ism” is a suffix added to a word to denote a distinctive system of beliefs or theory codified and adhered to by a individual or group. 

For more, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-ism

In the case, I use it as an extension of a new economic theory based on the value of the human soul established by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the economic principles of the bible.

- 1^st Peter 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

- 1^st Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 11 But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.

- 2^nd Timothy 4:6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

- 1^st Corinthians 9:23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

- Luke 12:13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” 16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”  ’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

- Nehemiah 5:14 For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes* —neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces* of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.

16 I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. 17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! 18 The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden. 19 Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.

- Proverbs 3:13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. 14  For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. 15  Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16  She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. 17  She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. 18  Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

- Proverbs 16:8 Better to have little, with godliness, than to be rich and dishonest.

- Proverbs 19:1 Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool.

- Proverbs 15:16  Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.

- James 2:5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?

- Psalms 37:16 It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.

- Hebrews 10:34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

- Acts 20:24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

- 2^nd Corinthians 4:7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

- 2^nd Corinthians 6:4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. 7 We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. 8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

d.  Release others from the slavery of debt.

- Leviticus 25:39 “If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to you, do not treat them as slaves. 40 Treat them instead as hired servants or as resident foreigners who live with you, and they will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. 41 At that time they and their children will no longer be obligated to you, and they will return to their clan and ancestral property. 42 The people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must never be sold as slaves. 43 Show your fear of God by treating them well; never exercise your power over them in a ruthless way.

- Nehemiah 5:1 About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. 2 They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more money just so we can buy the food we need to survive.” 3 Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.” 4 And others said, “We have already borrowed to the limit on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. 5 We belong to the same family, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.” 6 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. 7 After thinking about the situation, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are oppressing your own relatives by charging them interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. 8 At the meeting I said to them, “The rest of us are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. 9 Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? 10 I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of loans. 11 You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. Repay the interest you charged on their money, grain, wine, and olive oil.” 12 Then they replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials formally vow to do what they had promised. 13 I shook out the fold of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you from your homes and from your property!” The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised. 14 I would like to mention that for the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth until the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes*—neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 This was quite a contrast to the former governors who had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides a pound* of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because of my fear of God, I did not act that way. 16 I devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my officials to spend time working on the wall. 17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! 18 The provisions required at my expense for each day were one ox, six fat sheep, and a large number of domestic fowl. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people were already having a difficult time. 19 Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.

– Deuteronomy 15:7 “But if there are any poor people in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. 9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year of release is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. 10 Give freely without begrudging it, and the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11 There will always be some among you who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share your resources freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.

- Leviticus 25:35 “If any of your Israelite relatives fall into poverty and cannot support themselves, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you. 36 Do not demand an advance or charge interest on the money you lend them. Instead, show your fear of God by letting them live with you as your relatives. 37 Remember, do not charge your relatives interest on anything you lend them, whether money or food. 38 I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.