Are there two gospels?

[Bestil_Andno]

I have recently heard from a friend that there are two gospel messages in the Bible.

One, referred to as the Gospel of the Kingdom, is meant for the Jews. This is said to be primarily taught by the O.T. and the four gospels. It basically deals with the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham.

The other one, referred to as the Gospel of Grace, is for everyone (including Jews). This is said to be primarily taught by Paul through his epistles.

I’ve always believed there to be one Gospel message that basically includes both the Jews and the Gentiles, even though the Jews do have those special promises made to them which will be fulfilled.

Is anyone familiar with this? Could you please share some information with me if you are?

Thank you.

 

[Garyjohn2]

Gospel means “good news”. The good news is the death and resurrection of Jesus for the salvation of mankind. In that light there is one gospel. One message of good news.

Jesus did primarily speak to the Jews. He is/was their long awaited messiah. Paul was the primary apostle to the gentiles. I wouldn’t go as far as to say there were two gospels, but the focused audiences of the two people were different. It’s the same message though.

 

[Padres1969]

Gospel means “good news”. The good news is the death and resurrection of Jesus for the salvation of mankind. In that light there is one gospel. One message of good news.

Jesus did primarily speak to the Jews. He is/was their long awaited messiah. Paul was the primary apostle to the gentiles. I wouldn’t go as far as to say there were two gospels, but the focused audiences of the two people were different. It’s the same message though.

Indeed I’ve always agreed with this position. There is only one Gospel. Which is why before every reading we hear, “the Holy Gospel according to XXX.” The four canonical books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are all telling the same overall Gospel of Christ and each book contains that particular telling of it.

 

[Erich]

Did Jesus and the Apostles teach different doctrines to different people?

The answer, of course, is “No.” They all taught the same doctrines…ALL the same doctrines. After all, Jesus told them that the Holy Spirit was to guide them into all truth. If they were guided into all truth, then they couldn’t help but teach identical doctrines, the same truths, to all the different peoples they came across.

 

[CeelosDeznos]

There is only one Gospel, for Jews and non-Jews.

I am a Hebrew Catholic, of Sephardic Jewish lineage. As such I take the words of the Apostle Paul as my own to declare: “We, who are Jews by nature and not [so-called] sinners from among the Gentiles, yet who know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”–Galatians 2:15-16.

Now, it is true that the way the Gospel is preached and practiced differs between Gentile and Jew. (Galatians 2:7-9) As a recent document released from the Vatican on this subject points out, the covenant between the Jews and God is irrevocable and still in effect. The Apostles knew this, and when Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles announced that Gentiles were not obliged to follow the Mosaic Law, both parties agreed that Paul’s arguments were with the exception of Jewish Christians who were Torah-observant. (Acts 21:17-26) The call to faith in Christ does not include a demand for anyone to disown their culture and traditions, merely to live them in the light of Christ. This stands not only for Gentiles whose customs are inherited from the heathens and pagans, but for Jews whose customs and traditions come from the Law of Moses. Except for that which conflicts with the Gospel, God has come to preserve all peoples and their rich diversity.

The Mosaic Law does not promise a way to make the one who obeys it justified for eternal life. Only the grace of God by means of faith in Jesus can do that. But, as the Apostles noted as mentioned above in Acts chapter 21, Christians of Jewish ancestry have only one culture to live based on the Mosaic Law. As long as a Christian Jew does not make the claim that their obedience to the Law or any custom that is based from it is a requisite to gaining salvation, the Jew who accepts Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah is no more obligated to abandon their way of life anymore than a Gentile is obligated to leave their secular and pagan-based cultures to embrace that of the Jews.

This was the only the reason for a ministry to the Jews under St. Peter and the ministry to the Gentiles given to St. Paul. The Gospel message being universal requires adjustment to show how it applies to each and every culture and peoples that it comes to.(1 Corinthians 9:19-23) But the Gospel message and the way to salvation is but one, Jesus.–John 14:6.

 

[mattp0625]

I have recently heard from a friend that there are two gospel messages in the Bible.

One, referred to as the Gospel of the Kingdom, is meant for the Jews. This is said to be primarily taught by the O.T. and the four gospels. It basically deals with the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham.

The other one, referred to as the Gospel of Grace, is for everyone (including Jews). This is said to be primarily taught by Paul through his epistles.

I’ve always believed there to be one Gospel message that basically includes both the Jews and the Gentiles, even though the Jews do have those special promises made to them which will be fulfilled.

Is anyone familiar with this? Could you please share some information with me if you are?

Thank you.

Certain non Catholics seem to have a concept of dividing up the audiences for various sections of the bible. This often seems to be based on the greetings and salutations at the beginning or end of the various books.

I agree with the comments on the Good News. God draws all to Himself.

 

[SalamKhan]

The dual covenant theory is just that; a theory and not dogma.

In reality, as St. Paul said:

“And if you be Christ’s, then are you the seed of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.”- Galatians 3:29

 

[mackbrislawn]

I have recently heard from a friend that there are two gospel messages in the Bible.

One, referred to as the Gospel of the Kingdom, is meant for the Jews. This is said to be primarily taught by the O.T. and the four gospels. It basically deals with the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham.

The other one, referred to as the Gospel of Grace, is for everyone (including Jews). This is said to be primarily taught by Paul through his epistles.

I’ve always believed there to be one Gospel message that basically includes both the Jews and the Gentiles, even though the Jews do have those special promises made to them which will be fulfilled.

Is anyone familiar with this? Could you please share some information with me if you are?

Thank you.

Paul said to the Galatians, “If we or an angel from heaven should deliver to you a gospel other than the one preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Hmm, notice that this gold standard gospel was preached, not written.)

 

[SalamKhan]

Paul said to the Galatians, “If we or an angel from heaven should deliver to you a gospel other than the one preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Hmm, notice that this gold standard gospel was preached, not written.)

Wow, I was actually thinking of that verse when this thread appeared in my email inbox; because I forgot what the thread was about and merely saw the title.

 

[JOE_OBERR]

I have recently heard from a friend that there are two gospel messages in the Bible.

One, referred to as the Gospel of the Kingdom, is meant for the Jews. This is said to be primarily taught by the O.T. and the four gospels. It basically deals with the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham.

The other one, referred to as the Gospel of Grace, is for everyone (including Jews). This is said to be primarily taught by Paul through his epistles. …
Thank you.

I am not aware of any Church teaching of a “Gospel of the Jews”. The Gospel, as defined by the Church, is the Catholic Faith, the whole Catholic Faith, i.e., all teachings and practices. Jesus teaches us in the CCC (#74 - #87) that the Gospel was handed down in two ways: 1) through the oral Word of God by the Apostles who preached it by word, lived it in fraternal sharing and celebrated it liturgically, known as [Holy] Tradition, and 2) through the written word of God in the Scriptures.
Basically it can be called the good news of Jesus Christ but there is much more to it than that (obviously) as people need to be catechized first before make a choice of conversion (or not). Catechesis is the organic and systematic presentation of the whole Faith.
Holy Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which the Apostles learned directly from Jesus and who have been entrusted with the responsibility of its transmission, interpretation and guarding of. This Tradition is simply the Catholic Faith which first manifested itself on Pentecost Sunday and which is still practiced today, 2,000 years later.

 

[Bestil_Andno]

Thank you to all who have responded.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Peace.

 

[Hatikvah]

Sounds like Dual Covenant theology. This is that there are two unfulfilled covenants (Old and New), and Jews can be saved by following their Covenant given in the Hebrew Bible, while everyone else will either have to become a Christian and receive the New Covenant or become a Jew.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-covenant_theology

This is incompatible with most of Christianity, perhaps including the vast body of Catholic thought… there’s a section on what some Catholic clergy thought and on the opinion of a Pope.

 

[PNEUMA]

I have recently heard from a friend that there are two gospel messages in the Bible.

One, referred to as the Gospel of the Kingdom, is meant for the Jews. This is said to be primarily taught by the O.T. and the four gospels. It basically deals with the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham.

The other one, referred to as the Gospel of Grace, is for everyone (including Jews). This is said to be primarily taught by Paul through his epistles.

I’ve always believed there to be one Gospel message that basically includes both the Jews and the Gentiles, even though the Jews do have those special promises made to them which will be fulfilled.

Is anyone familiar with this? Could you please share some information with me if you are?

Thank you.

The kingdom of heaven was first only open to the Jews. When most of them rejected to enter, the kingdom was open to any nation.

Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.”

Matthew 21:43 “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”

 

[CeelosDeznos]

Sounds like Dual Covenant theology. This is that there are two unfulfilled covenants (Old and New), and Jews can be saved by following their Covenant given in the Hebrew Bible, while everyone else will either have to become a Christian and receive the New Covenant or become a Jew.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-covenant_theology

This is incompatible with most of Christianity, perhaps including the vast body of Catholic thought… there’s a section on what some Catholic clergy thought and on the opinion of a Pope.

The current view of the Catholic Church on this was released just this past December 2015:

From the Christian confession that there can be only one path to salvation, however, it does not in any way follow that the Jews are excluded from God’s salvation because they do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God…That the Jews are participants in God’s salvation is theologically unquestionable, but how that can be possible without confessing Christ explicitly, is and remains an unfathomable divine mystery. It is therefore no accident that Paul’s soteriological reflections in Romans 9-11 on the irrevocable redemption of Israel against the background of the Christ-mystery culminate in a magnificent doxology: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways” (Rom 11:33).–"The Gifts and Calling of God are Irrevocable."

This view from the Church is definitely quite new on the Christian scene and unique. Developed through dialogue with Judaism over half a century, the dialogue and the above document inspired Orthodox Jewish rabbis from around the world to produce a new and unique statement regarding a new view of Jesus and Christianity.

 

[Mintaka]

There’s also an extremist Protestant view out there that Christians should ignore the Gospels and the OT, because they are talking about things that happened in the past and which don’t matter to Christians. In these people’s view, Christians should only read Paul and Revelation.

Of course, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word will not pass away.”

So yeah, that extremist view is extremely wrong.

 

[zz912]

There’s also an extremist Protestant view out there that Christians should ignore the Gospels and the OT, because they are talking about things that happened in the past and which don’t matter to Christians. In these people’s view, Christians should only read Paul and Revelation.

Of course, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word will not pass away.”

So yeah, that extremist view is extremely wrong.

This is most likely the version the OP heard. It’s a way for certain protestant sects to ignore the blatant teachings of Jesus, Peter, James, Jude, and John and just focus on the Pauline letters. That way they can ignore those pesky “works” or the requirements of Jesus not to sin, and that if you don’t “REMAIN” in Him, you would be damned to hell.

It’s a way for them to justify their Once-Saved-Always-Saved (OSAS) theology that is completely contrary to the actual Christian religion and the Bible.

 

[Bestil_Andno]

This is most likely the version the OP heard. It’s a way for certain protestant sects to ignore the blatant teachings of Jesus, Peter, James, Jude, and John and just focus on the Pauline letters. That way they can ignore those pesky “works” or the requirements of Jesus not to sin, and that if you don’t “REMAIN” in Him, you would be damned to hell.

It’s a way for them to justify their Once-Saved-Always-Saved (OSAS) theology that is completely contrary to the actual Christian religion and the Bible.

Yup. You are right.

Thanks to all who have responded.

I appreciate it.