PAULINE GOSPEL
Miles
J. Stanford
NEWELL KNEW!
-- Dr. Wm. R. Newell well knew the scriptural difference
between Jesus' Kingdom Gospel to Israel, and His heavenly Grace Gospel to
the Church.
Saul already stood in clearer light regarding the ascended Lord Jesus
than did the other Apostles; for they had known Him primarily in His
humiliation, and they were messengers to Israel, of whom is Christ "as
concerning the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more" (2 Cor.
5:16).
But Saul's first vision of Christ was as the glorified One, the Eternal
Son of God, in blinding ascension glory. Paul, we may say, never saw aught
after his conversion "but the glory of that light" that burst into
his life from the glorified Lord. See Acts 22:11; Phil. 3:7-10).
We do not mean that the other Apostles did not recognize Jesus as Son of
God. They had, long since (Matt. 16:16; John 1-14; 2:11; 20:28, etc.). But
their first testimony at Jerusalem and to Israel had been of the Messiahship
and Lordship of Jesus as Israel's King.
But Paul received his teaching from heaven, from the Lord Jesus
Christ, rather than from Jesus on earth in His Jewish connections. Paul had
been so completely taken out of Judaism [it may have taken awhile to get the
Judaism out of him] and all connections with "old things" that the Jews
would never acknowledge him again.
And the Jewish Christians constantly misunderstood Paul [even as they do
now]. Today the "Messianic Jews" naturally gravitate to Jesus' Kingdom
Gospel in the Synoptics--as do many others! Such liberty as Paul had come
into was totally unknown before [and has been all too little known since!]."
(Paul vs. Peter, pp. 11,12).
Paul had no connection whatever with the Apostles before him, whether in
his conversion or in the revelation of the heavenly Gospel to him.
"I went up [to Jerusalem] by revelation, and communicated unto them
that Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles" (Gal. 2:2). The
Lord Jesus, according to His [Kingdom] Gospel, said, "I am not sent but
unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24).
"But of these who seemed to be somewhat (whatever they were, it maketh
no matter to me; God accepteth no man's person)--for they who seemed to be
somewhat in conference added nothing to me. But, on the contrary,
when they saw that the Gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me,
as the Gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter ...they gave to me ...the
right hands of fellowship" (Gal. 2:6,7,9).
The heart of the Pauline Gospel is that the old Adam life is condemned in
death (not forgiven), and another Adam--even the glorified Lord Jesus--is
given to us as our Christian life, by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Father
identified us with Christ on the Cross, making us positionally dead unto
sin, and alive unto God in Christ. "I have been crucified with
Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal.
2:20).
"But God forbid that I should glory, except in the Cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creation." "If any man be in Christ, he is a new
creation" (Gal. 6:14,15; 2 Cor. 5:17).
"All is to us a new creation. It is not a new creature.
A butterfly is a new creature; it is not a new creation. But the new man is
not the old man changed or renovated [reformed] ; he is a new creation of
the Father (2 Cor. 5:17)."
Dr. Newell continues:
In His earthly ministry to Israel the Lord Jesus gave none of
the great heavenly truths for the present Church dispensation. He but
mentioned the Church, giving no explanation. Nor were these vital truths
related to the Twelve Apostles. Just as God chose Moses to be the
revelator to Israel of the Ten Commandments, and all connected with the
Law dispensation, so He chose Saul of Tarsus to be the revelator of the
exclusive truths connected with our Lord's death, burial, resurrection,
and His ascended, glorified Person.
The word "cross" does not appear in the epistles of James, Peter, or
John. These men are not at variance with Paul--not in the least!
Their words are included in the statement that "all Scripture is
profitable ... " (2 Tim. 3:16).
Nevertheless, Paul is the declarer of the heavenly Gospel to us. Take
Romans to Philemon out of the Bible and you are bereft of
Christian Church doctrine. For instance, if you were to take Paul's
Epistles out of the Bible, you could not find anything about the Church,
for no other Apostle even mentions that Body.
You could not find the exact meaning of any of the great doctrines
such as Propitiation, Reconciliation, Justification, Identification,
Redemption, or Sanctification. Nor could you find what is perhaps the
most tremendous fact of every Christian life, that of personal union
with the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father in glory!
Paul is the divinely appointed opener to us of truth for this
dispensation of Grace.
You can evaluate a man's ministry by this rule--is he Pauline? [Note
well, all ye Pulpit Committees!] Does his doctrine start and
finish according to those statements of Church truth proclaimed by
the Apostle Paul? (pp. 6,7).