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Gospel and the New Covenant

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The gospel is the good news[1], and more specifically, it is the new covenant. The saints and apostles of the early Church kept and preached the truth of the new covenant such as the Passover and the Sabbath just as Jesus taught them.

The gospel of the kingdom can be called the new covenant.

The Gospel Is the New Covenant

  • This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.(Colossians 1:23)
  • He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant.(2 Corinthians 3:6)

Apostle Paul referred to himself as a servant of the gospel and a minister of the new covenant as well. This shows that the gospel is the new covenant.

The Passover, the Core of the New Covenant

 
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci: It depicts the scene of the Passover Supper of the new covenant.

The core truth of the new covenant is the Passover. The night before Jesus was crucified, He celebrated the Passover with His disciples. Instead of slaughtering a lamb according to the old covenant, He gave them bread, saying, “This is My body,” and He gave them wine, saying, “This is My blood.” He proclaimed the Passover, which is celebrated with bread and wine, as the new covenant in His blood.

And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” . . . And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Luke 22:15–20


Therefore, the Passover is the core of the gospel of the new covenant. The Passover is the truth through which we can have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life by eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Jesus.[2][3] The proclamation of the Passover of the new covenant was the most blessed news delivered to human beings who were destined to die as sinners.[4][5][6]

For details, refer to: Passover

The Early Church Kept and Preached the Gospel of the New Covenant

Jesus came as the Savior and preached the gospel of the kingdom for three years after being baptized, until he died on the cross.[7] The gospel, or the new covenant, is the truth that Jesus taught while He was on this earth. Jesus not only taught the truths of the new covenant but also set the example of keeping them, which includes the Passover baptism, the Sabbath, and the seven feasts in three times. The apostles kept and preached all the truths of the new covenant, following Jesus’ command, “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.”[8]

  • Baptism
Jesus set an example of getting baptized and conducting baptism.[9][10] He asked His disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and baptize them first.[11] The saints of the early Church such as Philip, Paul, and Peter immediately baptized people who heard the gospel and realized it.[12][13][14][15]
  • Sabbath
Jesus set an example of keeping the Sabbath by worshiping in spirit and in truth,[16] and taught that we must remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy until the end of the age.[17] The saints of the early Church kept the Sabbath even after Jesus died on the cross.[18] They continued keeping it even after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.

As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, . . . “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said.

Acts17:1–3

Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Acts 18:4

  • Passover
The Passover, which contains the promise of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life,[2][3] is the core truth of the gospel of the new covenant. Not only did Jesus instruct His disciples to prepare the Passover,[19][20] but He also emphasized its importance, saying, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you,” and “Do this in remembrance of Me.”[21] Apostle Paul, who called himself a worker of the gospel and of the new covenant, emphasized that the teachings about the Passover were from Jesus, the Savior.[22] Following the example of Jesus, the saints of the early Church kept the Passover of the new covenant with bread and wine, which represent the flesh and blood of Christ, on the evening of the 14th day of the first month by the sacred calendar.

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival,

1 Corinthians 5:7–8

  • The Seven Feasts in Three Times
 
The saints of the early Church celebrating the Day of Pentecost
The annual feasts of God are the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Resurrection (Day of Firstfruits), Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. These seven feasts are grouped in three times. Collectively, they are called the “seven feasts in three times.”[23] Jesus came as the reality of all the sacrifices offered at every feast of the old covenant,[24] and He changed the feasts of the old covenant in which atonement was made through the blood of animals, into the feasts of the new covenant in which we are forgiven of our sins through the precious blood of Christ.[25][26]
Following Jesus’ teachings and examples, the apostles kept the feasts, remembering the sacrifice of Jesus who shed His blood on the cross. On the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they participated in Christ’s suffering by fasting;[27] and on the Day of Resurrection, they broke bread so that their spiritual eyes could be opened.[28][29] On the Day of Pentecost, they received the blessing of the Holy Spirit and achieved a remarkable growth of the gospel;[30] afterwards, they continued to keep the Pentecost every year.[31] Jesus kept the Feast of Tabernacles, including the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement[32][33], which was also the truth of the new covenant kept by the early Church.


The faith of the early Church, which held on to the gospel of the new covenant, following the example of Christ, gives us a living lesson: “Churches that preaches the gospel must have the truths of the new covenant such as the Passover.”

See also

Related videos

  • Sermon: Those Who Keep the New Covenant

References

  1. ↑ "Gospel". Britannica.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "John 6:53–54".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Matthew 26:17–28".
  4. ↑ "Matthew 9:13".
  5. ↑ "Romans 6:23".
  6. ↑ "Hebrews 9:27".
  7. ↑ "Matthew 3:13-4:23".
  8. ↑ "Matthew 28:20".
  9. ↑ "Luke 3:21".
  10. ↑ "John 3:22–23".
  11. ↑ "Matthew 28:18–20".
  12. ↑ "Acts 8:34–39".
  13. ↑ "Acts 16:13–15".
  14. ↑ "Acts 16:27–33".
  15. ↑ "Acts 10:37–48".
  16. ↑ "Luke 4:16".
  17. ↑ "Matthew 24:20–22".
  18. ↑ "Luke 23:54–56".
  19. ↑ "Matthew 26:17–19".
  20. ↑ "Luke 22:7–13".
  21. ↑ "Luke 22:15–20".
  22. ↑ "1 Corinthians 11:23–25".
  23. ↑ "Leviticus 23:1–44".
  24. ↑ Chapter 32 The Passover and the Last Supper, THE MYSTERY OF GOD AND THE SPRING OF THE WATER OF LIFE, Ahnsahnghong, pg. 202, Melchizedek Pub. Co., Ltd
  25. ↑ "Hebrews 9:12".
  26. ↑ "Hebrews 10:1–18".
  27. ↑ "Mark 2:19–20".
  28. ↑ "Luke 24:13–35".
  29. ↑ "Acts 20:6–7".
  30. ↑ "Acts 2:1–47".
  31. ↑ "1 Corinthians 16:8".
  32. ↑ John 7:2, 37
  33. ↑ "Deuteronomy 16:16".
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