In the article “What is the Gospel?” on the 9Marks (Reformed) website, author Greg Gilbert quotes 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 and then writes:
“The gospel Paul preached to them and which they received was that ‘Christ died for our sins . . . was buried . . . [and] was raised.’ The continuing references to the appearances shouldn’t be taken as part of ‘the gospel,’ as if we have to tell someone that Jesus appeared to Peter, the twelve. . . .”1
I think it’s important to point out at the outset that there are a number of Reformed theologians that wouldn’t even agree with Gilbert’s statement when he says that the resurrection appearances of Christ are not part of the gospel. For example, S. Lewis Johnson would not agree with Gilbert on this issue, but let’s skip that whole discussion for the moment. I just want to quote one statement from The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, in response to Gilbert’s statement. Commenting on Paul’s gospel in 1 Corinthians, W. Harold Mare writes: “Part of the gospel message Paul passed on to the Corinthians was eyewitness reports of the resurrection of Christ.”2 So Mare’s statement at least has reference to 1 Corinthians 15:5, which Gilbert argues is not part of Paul’s gospel to the Corinthians. But clearly the resurrection appearances of Christ are part of Paul’s gospel if we take the apostle’s words at face value.
What Do the Scriptures Say?
Let’s consider the Scriptures. Paul’s gospel “was promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Rom. 1:1-2, cf. 10:15-17). Is this part of the gospel (the resurrection appearances of Christ) ever prophesied in the Old Testament? Consider Psalm 22, a Messianic Psalm. In The Scofield Reference Bible, Dr. C. I. Scofield writes:
“Psalm 22. is a graphic picture of death by crucifixion. The bones (of the hands, arms, shoulders, and pelvis) out of joint (v. 14); the profuse perspiration caused by intense suffering (v. 14); the action of the heart affected (v. 14); strength exhausted, and extreme thirst (v. 15); the hands and feet pierced (v. 16); partial nudity with the hurt to modesty (v. 17), are all incidental to that mode of death. The accompanying circumstances are precisely those fulfilled in the crucifixion of Christ. The desolate cry of verse 1 (Mt. 27. 46); the periods of light and darkness of verse 2 (Mt. 27. 45); the contumely [insults] of verses 6-8, 12, 13 (Mt. 27. 39-43); the casting lots of verse 18 (Mt. 27. 35), all were literally fulfilled. When it is remembered that crucifixion was a Roman, not Jewish, form of execution, the proof of inspiration is irresistible....At verse 22 the Psalm breaks from crucifixion to resurrection; fulfilled in the ‘Go to my brethren,’ etc., of John 20. 17. The risen Christ declares to His brethren the name, ‘Father.’”3
Similarly, in Isaiah chapter 53, a chapter which Scofield affirms is one of “the evangelistic messages of Isaiah (Isa. 53),”4 Isaiah prophesied that after the Messiah’s resurrection “He shall see His followers” (Isa. 53:10, Berkeley Version; cf. Jn. 12:23-24, 14:18-19, 16:16-22, 20:19-21:14). Are we now supposed to remove the resurrection appearances of Christ from the gospel message because they are a fulfillment of the gospel according to the prophet Isaiah?5 That would be a gospel according to scissors, not a gospel according to the Scriptures!
ENDNOTES:
1 Greg Gilbert, “What Is the Gospel?,” 9Marks website, 6/14/2014, brackets and first two ellipsis his. https://www.9marks.org/article/what-is-the-gospel/
2 W. Harold Mare, Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 12 Vols., Vol. 10 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p. 282.
3 C. I. Scofield, The Scofield Reference Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1917), pp. 608-609. Note: See footnote 3 on p. 608 and footnote 1 on p. 609.
4 C. I. Scofield, What Do the Prophets Say? (Philadelphia: The Sunday School Times Company, 1918), pp. 57-58.
5 For more information see my blog posts titled “The Romans Road Leads to Isaiah 53” (FGFS, July 20, 2010), and “Are Christ’s Resurrection Appearances Prophesied in the Old Testament?” (FGFS, August 13, 2018).
4 comments:
Good post! are you gonna do the post debunking KJV onlyism? Don't mean to rush you, but i'm quite anxious to see it!
Thanks! Yes, I'm doing some research on KJV-onlyism right now. I haven't decided exactly what to title it but I'm thinking something along the lines of "Is the KJV really the most accurate translation of the Bible?" or something to that effect. I don't know if I will succeed in debunking KJV-onlyism, but I will raise the question and get people thinking. I plan to cite some examples of how the KJV mistranslates the Greek. It may take a few more weeks to complete. I need to gather some quotes.
Thanks. also could you take some quotes from the translators? if you read their writings, you can clearly tell they didn't think their translation was divinely inspired like KJV onlyists say.
Yes, very good point. I was thinking the same thing. I need to find the preface to the 1611 KJV or where the translators say that. I looked in one of my KJV Bibles and it didn't have it.
Also, I wanted to ask you if you want to guest post on my blog. I left a comment asking you in another thread but you may not have seen it. It was in regards to your comment about the straw man arguments of Lordship Salvation. The comment where you cite how LS uses a number of straw man arguments against Free Grace theology. I think you gave four examples. I thought it would be great if you could elaborate a little more on it and I could post it on my blog.
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