Kingdom of God.
Jesus did not speak His own words, but the words that
the Father gave Him (
John 8:38-42;
12:49-50;
14:24). His message was
not primarily about Himself, but rather the good news that the Father ordained to be announced on earth. While Jesus Christ was categorically
the most important individual ever to walk this earth, the Bible shows clearly that
the gospel that Jesus brought was
not simply about Himself. Read His statements, and prove this for yourself:
» And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23)
» And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. (Matthew 9:35)
» Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)
» [Jesus] said to them, "I must preach the
kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent." (Luke 4:43)
» Now it came to pass, afterward, that [Jesus] went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings [gospel] of the
kingdom of God. (Luke 8:1)
» The law and the
prophets were until John. Since that time the
kingdom of God has been preached, and
everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. (Luke 16:16-17)
» And this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all
the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
The inspired Word of God makes it abundantly plain: The "good news" that Jesus Christ brought was about the Kingdom of God! The "gospel of Jesus Christ" is simply the message of good news
that Jesus preached—not a message about Jesus. It is not primarily a message about the events in His life and of His becoming the Savior of the world—although it most certainly does include all that. But if the events of His life are not seen in the context of what He
said, the resulting "
faith" will be full of error and ultimately disastrous!
The announcement of "good news"—the very best news that could be heard today—which the Father gave through Jesus Christ, was about
His Kingdom being established on earth.