Paul's Gospel in the Old Testament

The apostle Paul says that his gospel was promised beforehand in the Old Testament: "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures" (Romans 1:1-2).

WHAT IS "THE GOSPEL" 

ACCORDING TO PAUL?

"I declare unto you the gospel...that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried; and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he appeared...." 

—The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:1 ff.)

Paul's Gospel in the Old Testament:                             

1.) Christ died for our sins...        

"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning" (Psalm 22:1).   

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1). 

"Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Daniel 9:26).

2.) He was buried...        

"And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance" (Deuteronomy 21:22-23).

"His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth" (Isaiah 53:9).

"He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm" (Psalm 40:2). 

"I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, but Thou hast brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God" (Jonah 2:6).

3.) He was raised...     

 

"For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever" (Psalm 16:10-11).

"He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him" (Hosea 6:2).

"for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40).

4.) He was seen...                                

"I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise Thee" (Psalm 22:22, cf. John 20:17, Heb. 2:12). 

"And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear, and will trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:3).

"When His soul shall constitute an offering for sin, He shall see His followers, He shall prolong His days, by His hand shall the LORD's will advance" (Isaiah 53:10, Berkeley Version).

"Therefore, wait upon me, saith the Lord, until the day when I rise up for a witness" (Zephaniah 3:8, Brenton Septuagint Translation).^[1]

ENDNOTES:

^[1] There are different interpretations of this verse. Some church fathers such as Augustine (City of God, Book 18, Chapter 33) and Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 14, 1 Cor. xv. 1-4) understood Zephaniah 3:8 as referring to the resurrection of Christ and His appearing to His disciples after His resurrection. The eminent theologian Dr. John Gill also took this view.