The Realm of the Gospel


	The Realm of the Gospel Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, Always in my every petition on behalf of you all, making my petition with joy, For your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now, Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus What is the Gospel? Paul was thankful for one thing in particular: "For your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now" (v. 5). [Note that the words "the furtherance of" (in the Recovery Version) are in italics, which means that these words are not in the original text.] Paul would say, "Every time I pray for you I am filled with joy. Why am I so happy? Because from the first day until now you have had fellowship unto the gospel." This brings us to the question, what is the gospel? The Greek word for "gospel" is a very interesting word. It is actually a royal term. It is an ancient word used as a royal declaration, the announcing of a new king's inauguration. When a new king came in to reign, it also meant that there was a new age, a new era. It meant the entire setting had become new. It included items of forgiveness - the pardoning of debts, the removal of taxes, exemptions from penalties - and also causes for celebration. This is the true meaning of the gospel. Very few of us realize that the Lord Jesus is the true King of kings. He is reigning. He has brought in a new age, the age of the gospel. This gospel proclaims both forgiveness and celebration. We who have heard the gospel have actually been brought into the realm of the gospel. We are no longer in the old creation, but the new creation. We are no longer under Satan, but under Christ. We are no longer abused by Satan; we are protected, guarded, and blessed by our new King, the Lord Jesus. This is the wonderful gospel. This is why Paul was so joyful for the Philippians, because from the first day until the present they were unto this very gospel. Brothers, do we realize that we usually treat the gospel in a low way? We think the gospel means, "You need to be saved. Jesus is the Savior." This is not the full gospel; it is only the initial gospel. The full gospel of God is God's person, God's working, God's operation, God's purpose, God's intention, and the totality of God's economy. The Gospel Is a New Realm in Which Christ Himself Is Our King We were once outside the realm of the gospel. We were in the kingdom of darkness, under the slavery of Satan, living according to the ruler of this world. One day, by the Lord's mercy, we heard the gospel and came to salvation. We could say, "Praise the Lord, now we are saved!" But for some reason we may have stopped there. It is possible to stop at our initial salvation, and therefore stop being "unto the gospel." So many Christians stop at their initial salvation. They may become rich in that one aspect of the gospel, such as the Lord's death and the forgiveness of their sins. But that's as far as they go. A person can be a Christian all his life and only think, "One day I will go to heaven." How is it that people don't understand Christ, and don't understand the gospel? In the center of the gospel there is a King, the Lord Jesus Christ. With the ruling of this King there is a new age, a new realm, a new sphere. Within the Lord's kingdom there is so much feasting, rejoicing, and celebrating. In this sphere we should live, we should labor, and should invest our whole person. We should proclaim, "I live unto the King!" Once we are saved we become "unto the gospel." That means we are going to the center of this new kingdom. In this new kingdom there are life, grace, and so many heavenly provisions. There are all sorts of spiritual riches to help us advance towards the goal. In the book of Romans we learn that the gospel of God is not only the forgiveness of sins for our justification. The gospel includes so many items, such as sanctification, renewing, transformation, conformation, and glorification. What is glorification? That is when we become totally one with the king. Now that we are saved, our life and our existence have become "unto the gospel." That includes the final result, being one with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we must live and labor in the sphere of this marvelous gospel. Everything related to the gospel is new. We receive a new life and a new position. We are brought into a new creation and a new kingdom. We were transferred from the kingdom of darkness, where we were ruled by Satan and enslaved by sin. We were transferred into another kingdom, the kingdom of the gospel, where we are ruled by a new King. We once belonged to the ruler of this world, but now we belong to Jesus Christ, the King of kings. We have been brought under His ruling. In His kingdom we walk, we live, and we labor. The Result of the Gospel is that We Become One with Christ The end result of the gospel is that we become the same as He is. "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is" (1 John 3:2). The gospel is not something for us to do; it is a life for us to live. The gospel is not merely for us to preach, but it is a sphere for us to walk in, enjoy, develop, and attain to. Our life unto the gospel is for us to be more one with the King of kings. From the first day we were saved, we were put into Christ. Now we abide in Christ, live in Christ, enjoy Christ, and have the outflow of Christ. The gospel is the divine and mystical realm, in which Christ Himself is the totality of all the divine work. We have been brought into this realm, and now we are growing in this new kingdom. We are being renewed and transformed by the new life we received at our salvation. Eventually we will be glorified. We will be entirely one with our Lord Jesus and will then enjoy His kingdom for eternity. Paul Was Confident That the Lord Would Complete the Good Work He Began in the Philippians Paul continued by saying, "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus" (v. 6). The problem in human life is that people are always short of trust, especially when they are not pure. But Paul was pure, and the Philippians were pure. Paul would say, "I require nothing of you. I love you, and that's all." The Philippians would say the same to Paul. Because of the purity in their relationship, genuine confidence could develop. The Greek word for "be confident," peitho, means to be persuaded, "to be convinced, to be sure, to be certain" (Rienecker). Therefore, it results in a reliance and trust placed in someone. It is not a confidence of intuition. Rather, it is a confidence with commitment. To have confidence in someone takes time. Paul had the confidence that the Philippians would be perfected, and that the work the Lord began in them would one day be complete. He was confident that they would love the Lord and never change. Confidence comes from spiritual riches, not indoctrination. It requires the solid experience of the Lord. For example, are you able to say, "I know my Lord in both good and bad situations. I know my Lord in sweet times and difficult times. I always know that my Lord is still the Lord, whatever I go through." Until you have such experiences you can never have confidence. Confidence is based on the mutual experiences of Christ. When you touch the Lord in a sober and solid way, when you are clear that you are not a meeting-goer and you are not playing church games, then you have confidence in yourself, and other saints can have confidence in you. Paul could say to the Philippians, "I have confidence that the way you began in the gospel will be protected until the Lord comes back. I know that you will grow and develop properly. I know the church there has not played religious games, but has really touched Christ." Time is a very cruel servant of the Lord. Time will eventually show you where you truly are. Has the Lord in your life begun a good work? Can you honestly say, "The Lord has begun a good work in me that is so solid and so subjective. I know the Lord is alive. My life is committed to no one but the Lord Himself." Until this begins in you, then no one can have any confidence in you. The work of the Lord Jesus is never in the realm of religion. Paul knew that the Philippians had experienced Christ in a real and solid way. Paul could say, "He who has begun in you a good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." You should know so clearly that the Lord has begun a good work in you. You should be able to say, "I know the Lord. He's real to me. Christ is so living! He is so trustworthy!" Then confidence can be developed. Religion will never work. When you consider your future, there is only one thing that matters. You only need to ask, what is it that you feel from the Lord? Is the Lord leading you? You don't need to be in a religion or a program. You need a living Christ. This generates a trust and a confidence that the Lord has truly begun a good work in you. Once He has begun a good work in you, He will accomplish it, and He will finish it. In this you can have confidence. Praise the Lord! Word Studies Philippians 15 Gospel, euaggelion The Greek word, euaggelion (gospel), is composed of eu (good, well) and aggelion (message), which is related to ago (to lead, to function). Therefore, the gospel is not only a good message, but also one that can lead and operate. Such leading and operation causes us to respond to the gospel properly, to follow the gospel closely and to live in the gospel. In ancient times, euaggelion was a very important word. It referred to the birth, the enthronement and the reign of a king. Thus, it referred to a new age. In that new age, there was healing, protection and a bright future, and there were harvests, sacrifices and feasts. In the New Testament age, all the types in euaggelion, the gospel, including a king, a new age, healing, protection, a bright future, harvests, sacrifices and feasts, are realized in Christ. He is our King who reigns in us. He is the reality of the whole New Testament age and He becomes our riches, healing, protection and hope of glory in that reality. Moreover, in the new age of hope, He is the unique Sacrifice enabling us to fellowship with God, and He is the reality of the feasts for us to enjoy God joyfully, that we may receive the divine dispensing for the building up of His kingdom. The whole process is the gospel. Therefore, what is the gospel? The gospel is God's economy, the totality of His desire, His purpose, His being, His accomplishment, and His work. Philippians 1:6 Be Confident, peitho The Greek word, peitho, is to be persuaded, "to be convinced, to be sure, to be certain" (Rienecker). Therefore, it results in a reliance and trust placed in someone. It is not an intuitional confidence. Rather, it is a confidence with commitment. To Begin, enarchomai The Greek word, enarchomai, is composed of "en" (continuing ) and "archomai" (to begin). The "en" gives a particular emphasis on undergoing a beginning. "Archomai" is related to "arche" (beginning). The Cambridge Bible uses a paragraph to explain "arche." In Gen. 1:1 (LXX), "en arche" refers to God's works and His move in the beginning of time, while in John 1:1, "en arche" refers to the existence of a Being, who is Logos. For every Christian who loves and serves the Lord, all the positive items in their Christian life were generated, originated, produced and realized by God Himself. This word, enarchomai, emphasizes a continuing and remaining state and therefore shows the faithfulness of God not only as the One who originates, but also as the One who executes from the very beginning. Work, ergon The Greek word, ergon, according to the thought outlined in Kittle's Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words, implies God's plan for the whole life of man. Good, agathos The Greek word for good, agathos, means profit, and does not mean merely good deeds, such as preaching the gospel, visiting believers, reading the Bible or attending meetings. Here, the operational work God has begun is according to His heavenly plan for the regenerated, sanctified, renewed, transformed, conformed, and eventually glorified man that is completed "until the day of Christ Jesus." To Complete, epiteleo The Greek word, epiteleo, is composed of epi, which adds emphasis and teleo (to end or to finish). This word is directive and is pointing toward a goal. It shows that the One who has begun the work will "carry it on towards completion and finally complete it" (Rienecker). This completion is not only a matter of quantity, but also of quality.