Christ's Radical Message

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News to every nation, and to give complete allegiance to him and his kingdom. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or taking over governments. The man from Nazareth summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, the Kingdom of God. His message is contrary to the beliefs and practices of the present world order, and it subverts all human philosophies and political ideologies.

Responding to this message with repentance and faith is vital. The end of the age is approaching when the existing order will vanish. Jesus has commissioned his followers to proclaim the Good News of his Father’s Kingdom to all men and every nation. This is a life-changing message that affects all men without exception - one way or another.

[Message in a bottle - Photo by Scott Van Hoy on Unsplash]

Jesus commanded his followers to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Gift of the Spirit, then they would become his witnesses to the nations:

• “And he said to them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has set in His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth” - (Acts 1:7-9).

• “I will tell of the decree: Yahweh told me: You are my son. This day, I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession” – (Psalm 2:7-8).

As the Messiah of Israel and “the seed of Abraham,” Jesus inherited all things, including the nations. He now possesses “all authority in Heaven and on Earth”; therefore, he is sending his disciples as heralds of his redemptive act to the furthest inhabited regions of the planet – (Matthew 28:18, Galatians 3:16).

According to the Apostle Paul, believers are acquitted of their sins “through the faith of Jesus Christ.” With God, “there is no distinction” or “respect of persons.” It is not ethnicity or social position that justifies us before God. Every man stands or falls before Him on the same basis – (Romans 3:21-31, Galatians 2:15-21).

Men and women who respond to the message with faith are justified before God and acquitted of the penalties of sins. They pass from death to life.

FOR ALL MEN AND WOMEN

There is no basis for self-confidence “since all have sinned and lack the glory of God.” Jesus died for all men when they were “yet enemies of God.” This is the Word of the Cross that is completely alien to the philosophies and customs of this world, namely, that God’s power and wisdom are found in the proclamation of a crucified messiah - (Romans 3:22-30, 1 Corinthians 1:18-24).

Paul appealed to his monotheistic faith to support the proposition that everyone stands or falls before God on the same basis:

• “Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one and will justify the circumcised from faith and the uncircumcised through faith” – (Romans 3:29).

No man is privileged or disadvantaged before God because of nationality, economic status, or gender. As Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia and Colossae:

• “There cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all” – (Colossians 3:9-11).

• “There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female, for all of you are one man in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise” – (Galatians 3:28-29).

Through His Son, God is creating a new humanity and a political reality that differs radically from the nations and governments of this world, one holy covenant community composed of men and women from every country who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and submitted to him as their absolute Lord.

This same Jesus gave his life “a ransom for many.” He came not to be served, but to serve, and he summons his followers to do likewise. The men who presume to rule the nations of this world “dominate and tyrannize them,” but it must not be so among the disciples of Jesus - (Mark 10:42-45).

To follow Jesus, we must “deny ourselves, take up the cross,” and follow in his footsteps. We, as his followers, are recognizable by our love, including our love for enemies. When persecuted, rather than respond to hostility with hostility, we are to rejoice since we have been found worthy to suffer for his sake.

To become “perfect” like our Heavenly Father, we must pray for our enemies and do good to those who abuse us. The God we serve delights in mercy, not sacrifice, and rejecting the teachings of Jesus will have disastrous results on the day when Jesus judges us.

ABSOLUTE ALLEGIANCE

But to deny ourselves and carry the same cross as Jesus requires our total commitment to him and to his cause. Compromise is not an option, and disobedience will result in our destruction. The true disciple will give his or her total allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom:

• “Every man who hears these words of mine and does them not will be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew and struck that house. And it fell, and great was its downfall” – (Matthew 7:26-27).

• “He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that does not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me” – (Matthew 10:37-38).

• “Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard, that we should never, at any time, drift off-course. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How will we escape, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” – (Hebrews 2:1-3).

Our allegiance to Jesus redefines and reorients every human relationship and aspect of our lives. His God and Father is shaping men and women who have been redeemed by Christ, collectively and individually, so they will conform to the image of His Son.

The traditional distinctions of race, social, and economic status are inappropriate in His new community. What we each have in common is “the faith of Jesus Christ” that saves us. This is one message for all men. It is unique and infinitely superior to all competing religions, philosophies, and political ideologies, and radically different from them all.

We are called to proclaim this “Good News” to every nation, and the completion of this mission is necessary before the return of Jesus. National borders, cultural imperatives, and ethnic barriers will not prevent the Kingdom of God from reaching its intended conclusion and fullness:

• “Tell us, when will these things be, and what is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age? <…> This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole habitable earth, for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” - (Matthew 24:14).

• “Now, to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known to all the nations for the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever. Amen” - (Romans 16:25-27).

The day is coming when the destructive works of the Devil will vanish, and sin, disease, and death will be eliminated from the Earth, indeed, from the Cosmos. This grand victory will coincide with “the arrival” or ‘Parousia’ (παρουσια) of Jesus at the end of the age:

• “Then comes the end, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death” - (1 Corinthians 15:24-26, Hebrews 2:14).

• “But according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” - (2 Peter 3:13).

In the meantime, the followers of Jesus must proclaim his Good News about the Kingdom of God “to the ends of the Earth.” Everyone who hears and responds with faith will receive the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and everlasting life in the coming New Creation.

We will participate in all the glories of His Kingdom, and for us, death will never have the last word. Through his sacrificial death, Jesus voided Satan’s legal claim over humanity and released us from the fear of death that previously kept us in bondage – (Hebrews 2:14-15).

• “But whenever this mortal will clothe itself with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass, Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?” - (Hebrews 15:54).

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SEE ALSO:

• Allegiance to whom? - (In the Book of Revelation, every man and woman must choose between loyalty to the Beast from the Sea or the Sacrificial Lamb)

• The Power of God - (The power of God is revealed in the proclamation of a Messiah, one who was crucified by the World Empire on a Roman Cross)

• The Choice - (Humanity is divided into two, and only two, groups, the followers of the Lamb and the devotees of the Beast)

• Le Message Unique du Christ - (Jésus a appelé ses disciples à proclamer la Bonne Nouvelle à chaque nation et à lui prêter une allégeance totale à lui et à son royaume)