Gospel Sunday: The One True Gospel for Today
Every Sunday we refocus on the gospel—the good news that God the Son, Jesus Christ, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). This Sunday, we take a look at the clear distinctions between the “good news” that Peter proclaimed and the “good news” that Paul proclaimed.
Prayers and blessings to you all, in the precious name of Jesus. 🙏
📍 First, there is only one gospel for salvation today—Paul’s gospel.
Paul preached the good news according to the mystery—a divine secret hidden in the mind of God until it was revealed to him by the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ, years after the cross.
“In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”
Romans 2:16
It absolutely matters to make the distinction between Peter’s message and Paul’s message.
Why? Because only one has the power unto salvation!
And blending the two (which 95 percent of Christendom does today) perverts Paul’s gospel, nullifying the grace of God.
The distinctions are undeniable if we simply read the text and stop relying on tradition. At the end of his ministry, Peter told his readers—his fellow Jews—that for salvation they needed to turn to Paul’s letters. He didn’t point them back to the Sermon on the Mount or to his preaching at Pentecost. He pointed them to Paul.
Peter recognized that the wisdom given to Paul by the Lord Jesus was now the only message for salvation—the gospel of the grace of God.
Paul Did Not Join Peter and the other Apostles
Paul didn’t continue what Peter started—he was entrusted with a brand-new revelation: the formation of a new body of believers made up of both Jews and Gentiles—the Church, the Body of Christ (Colossians 1:24–27). This “mystery” had been hidden in the mind of God since before time began, but was now revealed through Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
Through him, the floodgates of grace opened—offering salvation to all humanity, apart from Israel’s covenants, the Mosaic Law, and temple worship. For two thousand years—from Abraham to Stephen—Gentiles were considered unclean outsiders. God had set Israel apart from the nations because of their idolatry and corruption. But now, through Paul’s gospel, God was reconciling both Jew and Gentile to Himself by grace through faith alone in Christ’s finished work: that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day.
This message was revolutionary. Israel’s religious leaders viewed Paul as a heretic, and believing Jews from the Jerusalem church undermined his ministry—insisting Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Law to be saved. Paul stood firm, proclaiming that salvation is by faith alone, not by any work—then or now. His gospel was so radical that the Lord took three years to personally teach and transform Paul, the zealous Pharisee, into the apostle of grace.
For Israel, the thought that their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—was now offering salvation to pagan Gentiles apart from the Law, apart from the temple, and apart from Judaism was unthinkable. Yet this was God’s eternal purpose now revealed: the glorious mystery of Christ and His Body, the Church.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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.”
1 Corinthians 15:1–4
This one-page guide outlines the key distinctions in Scripture that help us rightly divide (2 Timothy 2:15) between God’s prophetic plan for Israel and the mystery program revealed to Paul for the Church, the Body of Christ.
1. Two Programs in God’s Plan
| Topic | Prophecy Program (Israel) | Mystery Program (Church) |
|---|---|---|
| Main Figure | 🕎 Peter and the 12 apostles | ✝️ Paul, apostle to the Gentiles |
| Audience | 🇮🇱 Nation of Israel (Jews) | 🌍 All nations, Jew and Gentile |
| Gospel | 📜 Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt. 10:5-7) | 💡 Gospel of Grace (1 Cor. 15:1-4) |
| Purpose | 👑 Earthly Kingdom promised to Israel | 🕊️ Heavenly inheritance for the Body of Christ |
| Key Revelation | 🔔 Prophesied “since the world began” (Acts 3:21) | 🔑 Hidden “since the world began” (Rom. 16:25) |
| Law & Ordinances | 📖 Kept and taught (Matt. 5:17-19) | ⚖️ Not under law (Rom. 6:14; Col. 2:14) |
| Baptism | 💧 Water baptism prominent (Acts 2:38) | 🔥 One spiritual baptism (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5) |
| Holy Spirit | 🔥 Given at Pentecost (Acts 2) | 🙌 Indwells every believer (1 Cor. 6:19) |
| Focus | 🕍 Nation of Israel, temple worship, prophecy fulfilled | ⛪ The Body of Christ, heavenly position, mystery |
| Timeline | ⏳ Genesis → Acts 7 and Rev. 6–19 | 🕰️ Romans → Philemon (Church Age) |
| Return of Christ | 🌅 Second Coming to Earth to reign as King (Rev. 19) | 👆Rapture of the Church to Heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-18) |
🟦 Blue Column: Represents Israel’s prophetic program.
🟨 Gold Column: Represents the Church’s mystery program.
Together, they reveal the fullness of God’s plan across dispensations.
Summary of the Mystery Revealed to Paul
- Salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works (Ephesians 2:8–9)
- Jew and Gentile made one new man (Ephesians 3:6)
- The Body of Christ, not Israel (Colossians 1:24–27)
- The Rapture, not the Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)
- The temporary blinding of Israel (Romans 11:25)
- Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)
These truths were never known until God revealed them to Paul (Galatians 1:11–12).
Key Scriptures to Study
Romans 11:13, 16:25
1 Corinthians 15:1–4, 15:51–52
Galatians 1:11–12
Ephesians 2:8–9, 3:1–9
Colossians 1:24–27
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
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