I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Gal 1:12 BSB
According to Paul, his revelation of the finished work of Jesus came not from man, but from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:12). He called it, “my gospel.” (See Rom 2:16: Rom 16:25; 2Ti 2:8). Unfortunately, it is not the same gospel that we hear each Sunday in the Western Evangelicalism. However, according to scholars, this gospel of Paul represents two-thirds of the New Testament! Why is there such a discrepancy between the two? And if it fills up this much of the New Testament, don’t you think we should seriously consider it?
What was the gospel of Paul that he received directly from Jesus and taught?
First, we must notice that not once did Paul mention in his gospel a place called “hell” where there would be everlasting torment for those who reject Christ. If Jesus talked about a so-called place named, “hell,” in the gospels, why didn’t He reveal it and why did Paul warn us about it? Wouldn’t you think he’d shout it from the rooftops if it was true?! I would give you some Scripture references from Paul regarding “hell,” but I can’t seem to find any! Interesting…
Second, according to Paul’s gospel, we are to look at no one after the flesh.
So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 2Co 5:16 BSB
Why? Because everyone is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). Also, everyone was always “in Christ” before the foundations of the world (Eph 1:3-10).
There is no separation between us and God, nor there ever has been. We all have heard terms like, “Children of God vs. Children of the Devil,” “in the club vs. not in the club,” etc. This separation according to Paul’s gospel was only in our minds.
Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds, but now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence— if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Col 1:21-23 BSB
Third, according to Paul’s gospel, everyone is consigned to disobedience.
For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone. Rom 11:32 BSB
God declared everyone (Jew and Gentile, alike) to disobedience so He could have mercy on them all if they didn’t confess Jesus as Lord in this life. This is why His mercy endures forever in all realms.1 His mercy doesn’t cease when you die. According to Paul’s gospel in Phil 2:10-11, all will confess Jesus as Lord:
that at the name of Jesus, [every knee] should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and [every tongue] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phi 2:10-11 BSB [Emphasis mine]
According to Paul’s gospel, everyone in all realms will confess Jesus as Lord. This confession is your entrance into the kingdom of God (Rom 10:8-13). No one enters without this confession If you didn’t confess Jesus as Lord in this life, you will in the next and be saved2! It seems as though the process might look like this:
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. [He himself will be saved], but only as if through the flames. 1Co 3:10-15 BSB
In the next verse in Rom 11, upon this revelation, Paul breaks out in praise declaring:
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?” For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. Rom 11:33-36 BSB
That leads us to our final point. In verse 36 is the law of circularity. Everything is for God, comes from God, and returns back to God.3 This is what’s called the “apokatastasis.” (See Act 3:21) It is the “restoration of all things.” It is what Jesus did when He conquered death by rising from the dead, restoring all things back to the Father. He knew at the time when He died on the cross that His earthly ministry was fulfilled. Now He was on His way to fulfilling His final mission: the Harrowing of Hades.4 He knew at that point nothing could stop Him. That is why He declared just before he gave up the ghost, “It is finished!” After three days, He rose from the dead victorious (1Co 15:54-57)! This was Paul’s revelation that Jesus showed and he declared according to his gospel:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2Co 5:17-21 BSB
In greater detail of this event, Paul declares:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all. 1Co 15:20-28 BSB
In conclusion, we can see that Paul’s gospel is quite different than what we hear from most pulpits each Sunday. Paul’s revelation directly from Jesus Himself, is not about you going to heaven or hell when you die, it is much more than that. It is that God in Christ reconciling the world back to Himself all that Adam lost in the garden. In reality, no one is “in Adam” any longer. All have been place “in Christ.” (1Cor 15:22)
The choice is do we want to experience the benefits of the kingdom in our lives today or wait until we reach the other side of life. The choice is yours. As Paul said in his gospel, “Be reconciled to God.”
- In the NKJV, “His mercy endures forever” is quoted 41 times. I think The writers were trying to get this point across. Don’t you think? ↩︎
- The word “saved” does not mean that you are going to heaven when you die. That meaning was applied to the word in the 1500s. The Greek word is, “sozo.” It means to “heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.” It means all the benefits of being in the kingdom of God. You can experience them now without waiting until you pass on. ↩︎
- https://www.tentmaker.org/…/savior-of…/circularity.htm ↩︎
- https://swordofthespirit.net/the-harrowing-of-hell/ ↩︎