the fifth gospel of paul

7/28/2019 The Fifth Gospel of Paul

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THE FIFTH?*-1 T , i i% s ',. s ^

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The Gospel According to Paul

REVISED VERSION

BY CHARLES ROADS, D. D.AUTHOR OF " CHRIST ENTHRONED IN THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD "AND " I,ITTLE CHILDREN IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST "

CINCINNATI: CURTS & JENNINGSNEW YORK: EATON & MAINS1897


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COPYRIGHTBY CURTS & JENNINGS

1897.


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CONTENTS.CHAPTER I. PAGE.PAUL'S PREFACE TO His GOSPEL, 23

%CHAPTER II.THE GLORY OP THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 28

CHAPTER III.GENEALOGY OF THE CHRIST, 31

CHAPTER IV.PAUL'S CONVERSION AND CALL, 37

CHAPTER V.THE APOSTLES OF CHRIST, . . .- 43

CHAPTER VI.PAULINE ECHOES OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, 50

CHAPTER VII.CHRIST JESUS IN WORD AND DEED, 56

CHAPTER VIII.CHRIST, THROUGH AMBASSADOR PAUL, SPEAKING ToALL LIKE NICODEMUS, 64

CHAPTER IX.REDEMPTION THROUGH CHRIST, . 68

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INTRODUCTION.

THE mass of facts concerning Christ's lifewhich Paul has contributed to the gen-eral gospel will surprise every Bible studentwho sees it compiled for the first time. Inhistorical comprehensiveness and value itcompares well with any of the four others, andfully justifies his claim to have a fifth Gospel.Chronologically, indeed, much of it \vas writ-ten first, and all of it completed long beforeJohn's.We have here simply set it all in order afterthe example of Luke, dealing with the sub-stance of apostolic preaching and belief as heknew it. Or, in his words by the Revised Ver-sion, we "have taken in hand to draw up anarrative concerning those matters" whichwere the basis of Paul's preaching and teach-ing. Paul's claim that he had received hisgospel independently and directly from Godis not to be lightly set aside; that it came to

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6 INTRODUCTION.him not from man, neither was he taught it,neither did he go up to Jerusalem to consultwith the other apostles, but the gospel hepreached was intrusted to him through revela-tion of Jesus Christ; to him, because he alsowas an apostle.

What, then, is Paul's distinctive gospel?The Church, even to our day, certainly hasfailed fully to understand this repeated andpathetically persistent claim of Paul thatChrist had committed to him a fresh gospel.Probably because its extent and unique valueis not appreciated. It is scattered in preciousfragments through many letters and dis-courses after the manner of the material Lukewas inspired to rewrite, or, like the petals of ararely beautiful rose, torn apart. Only Paulhimself could gather them, and construct thatmagnificent flower, his Rose of Sharon. Ourattempt will necessarily appear artificial, butthere is no other way now to exhibit its com-pleteness.We have therefore collated all data that arereally historical, from the epistles and Paul's


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INTRODUCTION. 7discourses reported in the Acts of the Apostles,into chronological order, and we confidentlypresent it as truly the fifth Gospel. It must beso regarded by all who give consideration toPaul's words concerning it, and to his place inapostolic history. How astonishing that welabor to prove that there are four Gospels, andonly four, in the face of this claim of Paul!Are his utterances to be ignored wholly? Wehave lost a valuable part of the general gospelby so doing, and now should let harmonies ofChrist's life add the fifth column, and thenPaul and John will be seen to go back beyondthe others into the eternity past, and Paulalone forward into the farthest future, afterthe ascension of Christ. Harmonies must bewider and longer to present the complete mis-sion of the Christ until his redemptive work isfinished.

Paul's memorabilia of Christ are, in singleitems, glorious to his responsive soul and tohis masterful intellect, and sublime in suggest-iveness. Just as all profoundly spiritual Chris-tians to-day, and especially preachers, find it


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8 INTRODUCTION.difficult to study any book of the Bible as awhole, or even a complete paragraph, but arethrown off into meditations and homilies by asingle inspiring verse, so Paul could notcalmly proceed in orderly biographical treadthrough that wonderful Life. He halts at eachitem, is thrilled by its sweetness, and starts offin comment and application exceedingly richand helpful. We follow him and lose the par-ticular fact about Christ, which forms his text,or rather have never made the effort to thinkof all his texts together. For, while thus med-itating, Paul sees another gospel truth, andagain takes to inspired rambling throughChrist's green pastures and by his still waters.

Thus it has come to pass that in Paul'sletters all these texts and discourses, personalmeditations, homilies, and applications, factsand comments, are printed heterogeneouslytogether as regarded from an historical stand-point. It is like inserting an inspired homi-letic commentary on Mark or Luke into thebody of these Gospels without distinction of


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INTRODUCTION. 9style or type, and without systematic arrange-ment, either doctrinal or logical.

Our present little book on "The Gospel ofPaul" is an attempt to isolate Paul's texts,which are historical data about Christ, so asto present a parallel to the four Gospels, withno thought of even suggesting that Paul'sdiscourses upon these facts are of any lower orless really divine inspiration, or that our com-pilation is anything more than a help to richerBible study. Our material is from the thirteenPauline epistles generally so accepted, andhere the sweep of facts given is very compre-hensive, though so interwoven with doctrinalstatement and argument that facts could notbe taken out whole in every case without alittle of comment hanging on. We preferredto take a little more than a bare recital of afact, in order that we might be true to the realmeaning of Paul. Otherwise the statementwould have been obscure, the dovetailing intothe rest difficult, or, worse still, a change ofwords from Paul's utterance would have been


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INTRODUCTION. II

spirit, though probably written by Luke,Apollos, or Barnabas, it is an integral part ofthe fifth Gospel. If actually written by Paul,and there are great names in Biblical scholar-ship for this view, who see in the really widedivergence of style only what occurs in chang-ing from familiar letter to set essay or orationby the same author, it is, of course, properto use it. And if written from the substanceof Pauline preaching by a friend, it is no lesshis Gospel.

Compare now with the other Gospels. LikeJohn, Paul begins with Christ in the eternalpast. The first chapter of Hebrews may wellstand beside the first chapter of John. -Bothhave a style of lofty sublimity, and both pre-sent the glory of the only begotten Son ofGod, which he had with the Father before theworld was. In both he is God and Creator,though sent into the world to speak for Godto men. With the fifth Gospel set in order, weconstruct for the first time a column parallel-ing in gospel harmony the Logos chapter ofJohn. Going now to the other end of the


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12 INTRODUCTION.Divine-human life, we find Paul's Gospel -farexcelling all the others in the revelation of theresurrected Christ. He gives us a few newfacts of the earthly post-resurrection appear-ances of Jesus. He has a large account of theRedeemer's ascension and triumphant en-trance into heaven.

But it is of Christ's intercession that Paultreats most fully. The Gospel of the Priest-hood of Jesus, or of his intercessory office, isthe Book of Hebrews. Just as wonderfullyas John presents the Messiah as the Word ofGod, in the higher mystery of his propheticoffice, and as Matthew shows him to us as thelong-expected King, so Paul completes hisTrinity of saving relations in that remarkablestory of Jesus, the Priestly Intercessor runningthrough the stately chapters of Hebrews. Thehistory is complete without using Hebrews,but there it is dwelt upon in great detail andpicturesqueness. Take also the Second Com-ing of Christ for comparison of Paul with thefour. This wonderful event in the history ofthe Savior is predicted in a few scattered


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INTRODUCTION. 13verses in the first three Gospels, more fully inthe last discourses in John, and by the angelicpromise in Luke's first chapter in Acts. Butin Paul's Gospel it is a rich and glorious chap-ter. As we have here compiled it, what acomfort it is to those who love his appearing!what an inspiring hope for the saints of God!Who will not again, and more fully than ever,study this next coming?

There is also a notable chapter on the LastJudgment, and its awards unto eternal things.But on ail these topics it is impossible, withoutmuch repeating of passages which treat ofseveral subjects together, to exhibit all thatPaul said. It might have been wiser to haverepeated under each topic, but upon maturereflection we have decided to use each verseonly once.

Of the life and ministry of Jesus, which1 forms the main body of the other Gospels, Pauldoes not furnish detailed account. He givesus only a few sayings of Christ by direct quo-tation, but speaks always in Christ's name, andvery closely echoes a large part of Christ's


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14 INTRODUCTION.

discourses as found in the other Gospels. Ourreaders will find the chapter on Christ's wordsand deeds very rich and satisfactory.

The most prominent characteristic of thefifth Gospel is the personal factor. This is notwholly absent from the Synoptists, but appearsonly in obscure allusions, and even in John itis a very modest reference to "the disciplewhom Jesus loved." In Paul, it is repeatedlywhat he himself calls boasting, but by compul-sion, because his real apostleship was not ac-knowledged nor his Gospel recognized. Is ita proof of the uselessness of such pushing ofpersonal claims, even if done in Paul's spirit,that his Gospel is yet unappreciated, and fouronly are persistently talked about? Or is itnot rather another of many demonstrationsthat "much light is yet to break forth from theblessed Book?" rLet us examine, however, the real spirit inall Paul's mention of himself, and it will be-seen to be sincerely humble and Christlike.There is not a trace of his old Pharisaism, norany tinge of self-righteousness. As compared


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INTRODUCTION. 15with all other apostles, he claims for the honorof Christ's cause that he has equal authorityfrom Christ with any of them. He was doubt-less Christ's choice; though he never says so,for the vacant apostleship which Peter was insuch a hurry to fill. And Christ alone had theright to fill it, not by the roundabout way ofthe lot, but by direct call. Or, possibly, Paul'swas the thirteenth, the extra apostleship be-yond the Twelve to Israel, overflowing to theGentiles. His personal insistence is almostwholly to establish his appointment by theLord to the salvation of the Gentile world.

Yet while his Gospel is more specifically tothe Gentiles, it is not really more so than theothers. Many well-known passages in Mat-thew, besides the final commission, extend theSavior's mission to all the world; Mark, ac-cording to an ancient tradition, wrote for theRomans, and wrote what Peter preached; and.John's Gospel came after the destruction of/Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jewishnation, so that it bears no trace of specialapplication to the Jews. Indeed, the much-


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16 INTRODUCTION.discussed division into Judaistic and Gentilnotions of the gospel never existed in the circle of the apostles after Peter opened tbworld-wide door to Cornelius, except possibl;as a weak prejudice recognized by those wh. vii, 21 ; Heb.vii, 24; Heb. vii, 26-28; Heb. viii, 1-13; Heb. ix, 11-28;Heb. x, 19-23 ; Heb. iv, 14-15 ; Heb. x, 12 ; Rom. viii, 34.


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CHAPTER XV.CHRIST COMING AGAIN.

TV T OW we beseech you, brethren, touching* ^ the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,and our gathering together unto him; to theend that ye be not quickly shaken from yourmind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, orby word, or by epistle as from us, as that theday of the Lord is now present; let no man be-guile you in any wise; for it will not be, ex-cept the falling away come first; and the manof sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he thatopposeth and exalteth himself against all thatis called God or that is worshiped; so that hesitteth in the temple of God, setting himselfforth as God.

If we believe that Jesus died and rose again,even so them also that are fallen asleep inJesus will God bring with him. For this wesay unto you by the word of the Lord, thatwe that are alive, that are left unto the com-ing of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them

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CH&IST COMING AGAIN. 95that are fallen asleep. For the Lord himselfshall descend from heaven with a shout, withthe voice of the archangel, and with the trumpof God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:then we that are alive, that are left, shall to-gether with them be caught up in the clouds,to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we"ever be with the Lord.

Yourselves know perfectly that the day ofthe Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.When they are saying, Peace and safety; thensudden destruction cometh upon them, as tra-vail upon a woman with child; and they shallin no wise escape.

Our citizenship is in heaven; from whencealso we wait for a Savior, the Lord JesusChrist; who shall fashion anew the body of ourhumiliation, that it may be conformed to thebody of his glory, according to the workingwhereby he is able to subject all things untohimself.When Christ, who is our life, shall be mani-

fested, then shall ye also with him be mani-fested in glory.


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96 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL.

What is our hope, or joy, or crown ofglorying? Are not even ye, before our LordJesus at his coming? The coming of our LordJesus with all his saints.

To wait for his Son from heaven, whomhe raised from the dead, even Jesus, whichdelivereth us from the wrath to come.

Then shall be revealed the lawless one,whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with thebreath of his mouth, and bring to nought bythe manifestation of his coming; even he,whose coming is according to the working' ofSatan with all power and signs and lying won-ders, and with all deceit of unrighteousnessfor them that are perishing.

At the revelation of the Lord Jesus fromheaven with the angels of his power in flamingfire, rendering vengeance to them that knownot God, and to them that obey not the gos-pel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punish-ment, even eternal destruction from the faceof the Lord and from the glory of his might,when he shall come to be glorified in hissaints, and to be marveled at in all them that


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CHRIST COMING AGAIN. 97believed (because our testimony unto you wasbelieved) in that day.

Looking for the blessed hope and appear-ing of the glory of our great God and SaviorJesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that hemight redeem us from all iniquity, and purifyunto himself a people for his own possession,zealous of good works.He which began a good work in you willperfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.

So Christ also, having been once offered tobear the sins of many, shall appear a secondtime, apart from sin, to them that wait forhim, unto salvation.

The testimony of Christ was confirmed inyou: so that ye come behind in no gift; wait-ing for the revelation of our Lord JesusChrist; who shall also confirm you unto theend, that ye may be unreprovable in the dayof our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful,through whom ye were called into the fellow-ship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yet a very little while,7


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8 TJ? GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL.

He that cometh shall come, and shall nottarry.

There is laid up for me the crown of right-eousness, which the Lord, the righteousJudge, shall give me at that day; and not onlyto me, but also to all them that have loved hisappearing.

Keep the commandment, without spot,without reproach, until the appearing of ourLord Jesus Christ: which in its own time heshall show, who is the blessed and only Poten-tate, the King of kings and Lord of lords;who only hath immortality, dwelling in lightunapproachable ; whom no man hath seen, norcan see; to whom be honor and power eternal.Amen.

Passages quoted 2 Thess. ii, 1-4 ; I Thess. iv, 14-17 ;i Thess. v, 2, 3; Phil, iii, 21; Col. iii, 4; i Thess. ii, 19;i Thess. i, 10 ; 2 Thess. ii, 8-10 ; 2 Thess, i, 7-10 ; Titusii, 13, 14; Phil, i, 6; Heb. ix, 28; i Cor. i, 7-9; Heb. x,37; 2 Tim. iv, 8; i Tim. vi, 14-16.


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CHAPTER XVI.JUDGMENT AND THE END.

GOD hath appointed a day in the whichhe will judge the world in righteousnessby the man whom he hath ordained.We must all be made manifest before thejudgment-seat of Christ; that each one mayreceive the things done in the body, accord-ing to what he hath done, whether it be goodor bad.

It is appointed unto men once to die, andafter this cometh judgment. The righteousjudgment of God, who will render to everyman according to his works: to them that bypatience in well-doing seek for glory andhonor and incorruption, eternal life: but untothem that are factious, and obey not the truth,but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath andindignation, tribulation and anguish, uponevery soul of man that worketh evil, of theJew first, and also of the Greek; but glory andhonor and peace to every man that worketh

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100 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL.good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek:for there is no respect of persons with God.For as many as have sinned without law shallalso perish without law: and as many as havesinned under law shall be judged by law; fornot the hearers of a law are just before God,but the doers of a law shall be justified: forwhen Gentiles which have no law do by naturethe things of the law, these, having no law,are a law unto themselves; in that they shewthe work of the law written in their hearts,their conscience bearing witness therewith,and their thoughts one with another accusingor else excusing them; in the day when Godshall judge the secrets of men, according tomy gospel, by Jesus Christ.Ye see the day drawing nigh. For if wesin willfully after that we have received theknowledge of the truth, there remaineth nomore a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearfulexpectation of judgment, and a fierceness offire which shall devour the adversaries. Aman that hath set at nought Moses* law diedwithout compassion on the word of two or


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JUDGMENT AND THE END.three witnesses: of how much sorer punish-ment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy,who hath trodden under foot the Son of God,and hath counted the blood of the covenant,wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing,and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace?For we know him that saith, Vengeance be-longeth unto me, I will recompence. Andagain, The Lord shall judge his people. It isa fearful thing to fall into the hands of the liv-ing God.We are not of them that draw back untoperdition.

Alexander the coppersmith did me muchevil: the Lord will render to him accordingto his works.

The Lord will deliver me from every evilwork, and wilt save me unto his heavenlykingdom: to whom be the glory for ever andever. Amen.

I charge thee in the sight of God, and ofChrist Jesus, who shall judge the quick andthe dead, and by his appearing and his king-dom; preach the word,


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102 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL.Christ loved the church and gave himself

up for it; that he might sanctify it, havingcleansed it by the washing of water with theword, that he might present the church tohimself a glorious church, not having spot orwrinkle, or any such thing, but that it shouldbe holy, and without blemish.

Then cometh the end, when he shall de-liver up the kingdom to God, even the Father;when he shall have abolished all rule and allauthority and power. For he must reign tillhe hath put all his enemies under his feet.The last enemy that shall be abolished isdeath.

Passages quoted Acts xvii, 31 ; 2 Cor. v, 10 ; Heb.ix, 27 ; Rom. ii, 6-16 ; Heb. x, 25-31 ; Heb. x, 39 ; 2 Tim.iv, 14 ; 2 Tim. iv, 18 ; 2 Tim. iv, i, 2 ; Epb.. v, 25-27 ;i Cor. xv, 24-26.


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the fifth gospel of paul

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