What was the gospel proclaimed beforehand?

Explanation:

To understand what it means that the gospel was promised beforehand, we need to know what Paul means by the term gospel. For Paul, the gospel has distinctively Christian content, referring specifically to God’s saving action through the person and work of Jesus Christ.⁴ We can deduce that this is how Paul uses the term gospel because he characterizes the gospel in a number of ways that signal the work of Christ. For example, he uses the phrase the gospel of his [God’s] Son (Romans 1:9), the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:19), the glorious gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4), and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:8).⁵ Thus, for Paul, the gospel is distinctively Christian because the gospel has to do with the saving work of Jesus Christ. So, when Paul says that the gospel was promised beforehand in the Scriptures, he is saying that Jesus' salvific work was promised beforehand in the Old Testament.⁶

Counterargument:

It might be that Paul sometimes characterizes the gospel in a particular way by associating it with Jesus Christ. Still, we can make two important observations to suggest that he has a broader view in mind in Romans 1:2. First, the Greek term behind gospel was used by secular thinkers in the first century to denote extraordinarily happy news, normally having to do with politics. For example, the term was used to denote the good news of glad tidings and peace that the emperor Augustus brought to the Roman world.⁷ Paul and his readers would have known of this usage. Second, Paul says not that the gospel of Christ was promised beforehand, but that the gospel of God was. By characterizing the gospel as the gospel of God, Paul invites a broad interpretation of εὐαγγελιον (gospel). Putting these together and likely Paul is saying God’s extraordinary happy news was promised beforehand. The content of this news can be determined by whatever happy promises God makes in the Old Testament.

Response to counterargument:

There are two problems with this argument, and pointing out the first will resolve the second. First, the plural form of the term gospel was used by secular thinkers in the first century, but the singular form as we find in Romans 1:2 would have been unfamiliar to Greco-Roman audiences.⁸ Most likely, the term gospel is associated with Jesus’ ministry and Christianity because Jesus himself likely refers to his ministry with the singular term gospel.⁹ Further, the term is found in several passages of Isaiah, and the early church associated these with Jesus Christ (especially Isaiah 61:1, which is quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:16–21).¹⁰ Thus, the church quickly associated gospel with the saving work of Jesus Christ. Of course, since Paul is an apostle of Christ, and therefore member of the early church, when he uses the term gospel, he uses it to denote the saving work of Christ. So when he says the gospel of God was promised beforehand, that the gospel is of God does not mean that the gospel is used in some generic sense of happy news. Rather, it means that the saving work of Jesus Christ finds its initiative in God.

Explanation:

We can see what Paul means when he says that the gospel was proclaimed beforehand in the Old Testament by noticing that the early church understood continuity between the Old Testament and the work of Jesus Christ.¹¹ For example, in Acts 3:1–26, Peter explains that the suffering of Christ was foretold by the prophets (Acts 3:18), and that the prophets said that Jesus was to be held in heaven until the time of restoring (Acts 3:21). He also points out that Moses specifically told the people that God would raise up a prophet from among the people, to whom the people should listen, and that prophet is Jesus (Acts 3:22). So we see that the apostle Peter explicitly taught that Jesus’ ministry was predicted and promised by the Old Testament prophets. Relatedly, we find another sermon from Peter in Acts 2:1–47, where he explains that when God promised to King David that a descendant would sit on David’s throne forever, David foresaw that God spoke about the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:30–31).¹² So, it was understood by the apostles that the ministry of Christ was promised beforehand in the Old Testament, and prophets such as Moses and David recognized this.

Counterargument:

This argument has it that Peter believed the saving work of Jesus Christ was grasped by both Moses and David, and therefore, when Paul says the gospel was promised beforehand, he means the saving work of Jesus Christ was promised. Yet Peter never says that Moses or David grasped the saving work of Jesus Christ. Rather, when it comes to Moses, Peter says that Moses saw that the Lord would raise up a prophet and they should listen to him. Still, Moses says nothing about Christ. Further, David saw that God would maintain his descendants on the throne, and so in a sense, David foresaw the work of Christ. But David himself never says that he foresaw the work of Christ, only that he believed God’s promise. So, Moses and David believe God’s promises, and in that sense, foresaw Christ. But Peter does not say that they explicitly foresaw Christ, nor that God promised the saving work of Christ to them.

Response to counterargument:

When we dig deeper into the context of both Acts 3:1–26 and Acts 2:1–47, we see that according to Peter, both Moses and David recognized the promise of the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. That is because God promised the gospel, the saving action of Jesus Christ, to the Old Testament prophets including Moses and David. Of course, these prophets might not have grasped the full nature of Christ’s ministry, but God did promise the saving work of Christ, and they grasped something of this promise. For example, as was already pointed out, Paul says in Acts 3:18 that God foretold through the mouth of the prophets that Jesus was to suffer. Further, Moses says more than just that God would raise a prophet. Rather, he says God would raise a prophet and if they do not listen to him, they will be destroyed (Acts 3:23). He goes on to say that all the prophets from Samuel and those who came after him spoke of these days, that is, the days of Christ (Acts 3:24), and that God sent him to the Jews first to bless them by turning from wickedness. Clearly, God promised the gospel of Christ to Moses, and Moses grasped something of the work of Christ. Likewise, in Acts 2:1–47, Peter says that David says of Jesus Christ that his soul will not be abandoned to the grave, for God would not let his Holy One see decay. That is, David specifically saw that God would send the Messiah who would rescue David from death through the resurrection. So although David and Moses do not have the same insights into Christ’s work as the apostles, the gospel of Christ was promised to them beforehand.

Explanation:

Paul says that the gospel of God was promised beforehand in Scripture. What he means is that God’s promise to save humanity through the work of Christ was promised in the Old Testament. We can deduce that this is his meaning because he often uses Old Testament themes and references in his presentation of the gospel in this letter. Specifically, in Romans 4:1–24, Paul explains justification through faith by using Abraham as his example.¹³ That is, he explains that the promises came before circumcision and were thus based on faith. Likewise, in Romans 5:1–21 Paul explains the nature of sin and justification based on the sin of Adam. Thus, God’s saving work in Christ is how God restores humanity after the sin of Adam. Clearly, by using the examples of Adam and Abraham to explain the consequences of Christ’s redeeming work, Paul is showing that the gospel of God has always been the saving work of Christ.

Counterargument:

There is a difference between interpreting characters such as Abraham and Adam in light of Christ’s saving work, and Christ’s saving work being promised beforehand in the gospel. In other words, just because Paul explains God’s interactions with Abraham and the sin of Adam in a new light, that does not show that the saving work of Christ was promised in the Old Testament. It simply shows that Paul interprets the Old Testament in light of the saving work of Christ. In fact, in Galatians 3:8 we read that the gospel was preached beforehand to Abraham when God said to Abraham, In you shall all the nations be blessed, implying that the gospel has to do with the fact that the nations would be blessed through Abraham.

Response to counterargument:

It is true that Romans 4:1–25 has to do with Paul using the example of Abraham to show that justification is through faith, not the law. Thus, if we take it that the gospel refers to Jesus’ saving work, it is not clear that Romans 4:1–25 explicitly has to do with the gospel, but rather with justification through faith. Likewise, Romans 5:1–21 has to do with explaining how Jesus’ work brings restoration and life whereas Adam’s sin brought condemnation. Thus, Romans 5:1–21 does not explicitly mention the promise of the gospel beforehand to anyone. On the other hand, when we continue reading Galatians 3:1–29, we do find that the saving work of Christ was promised to Abraham. For Paul, explains that when God promised an inheritance to Abraham’s offspring, that offspring was Christ (Galatians 3:16). Thus, the good news that Jesus would receive an inheritance was promised beforehand to Abraham. And of course, Jesus receives that inheritance through his saving work on the cross, which implies that the gospel was promised beforehand to Abraham.

Explanation:

Paul says that the gospel was promised by God beforehand in Scripture. To understand what Paul means by this, we need to understand the meaning of the term εὐαγγέλιον (gospel). The term is a Greco-Roman term that was used to refer to happy news, often of the political sort. For instance, there is an inscription from 9 BC where εὐαγγέλιον is used to denote the happy news that has gone out because of the god (Augustus).¹⁸ Paul not only understood how the term was used in Greco-Roman culture but he also knew how it was used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). There, εὐαγγέλιον is used to denote victory in battle, glad tidings, and the announcement of the joyful news that God has arrived to rescue Israel. Thus, for Paul, the εὐαγγέλιον has to do with the happy news that God has come to rescue his people.¹⁹

Now we know what the term εὐαγγέλιον means for Paul, so what does it mean that the εὐαγγέλιον was announced beforehand in Scripture? There are several passages where Paul refers to God making promises to Abraham (Romans 4:13–14; Galatians 3:16–19). He also refers to God’s promises to pour out his Holy Spirit on the people (Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13). When we put these together, we can say that most likely, when Paul says the εὐαγγέλιον was promised beforehand, he has in mind the promises to Abraham and the promise to pour out the Holy Spirit.²⁰

Counterargument:

There are problems with this argument. First, it is not clear that for Paul, the term gospel should be used in the general sense of God’s rescuing his people. For he, along with the early church, often reserves the term to refer specifically to the saving action of Jesus Christ (see interpretation 1, argument a). Still, there is another, more glaring problem. This view seems to confuse the notions of gospel and promise in Romans 1:2. That is, this view says that the gospel refers to the good news that God will rescue his people. And with regard to Paul’s word that the gospel was promised beforehand, it points to verses where God makes promises to Abraham and that say that the Holy Spirit would be poured out. Yet it is not enough to simply look for verses where Paul mentions the promises of God, for Paul is not saying God made promises beforehand. Rather, he specifically refers to the promise of the gospel. In other words, God makes various promises to various parties throughout the Old Testament. He promised Abraham abundant descendants, and to Jeremiah that he would establish a new covenant. According to Paul, he also makes promises about the gospel, which this view contends is God’s promise to rescue his people. That Paul mentions promises to Abraham and the pouring out of the Spirit is not relevant to the fact that in Romans 1:2, Paul is referring not to those promises but the promise of the gospel. What this view fails to do is show that the promises to Abraham and the promise to pour out the Holy Spirit are the promise of the gospel.

Explanation:

Paul says that the εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) was promised beforehand in Scripture. Interestingly, we can pinpoint precisely where the gospel is promised because it is promised repeatedly in the book of Isaiah.²¹ For example, in Isaiah 40:9, Zion, the herald of good news, is told to go on top of the mountain and say to the city of Judah, Behold your God! And in Isaiah 52:7 we read that the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful. Also, in Isaiah 60:6 we read that those of Sheba will bring good news. And in Isaiah 61:1 we read that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him, to bring good news to the poor. Clearly, Isaiah prophesies the good news that God will establish peace and blessing for his people, which is why Paul writes that the gospel was promised beforehand. That is, it was promised to Isaiah the prophet that God would establish peace and blessing.

Counterargument:

We have to understand Paul’s remarks in context. When we look at the context, we notice that Paul says the gospel of God promised beforehand concerns his Son. That is, the gospel is not God’s generic promise to restore peace and blessings to Israel, but is concerned with God’s Son, who is Jesus Christ. That Paul points out the gospel is concerned with God’s Son implies that the gospel promised beforehand is the fact that Christ would come to save humanity from their sins. Thus, when Paul says that the gospel was promised beforehand, he means not that God promised before to restore peace but that he promised beforehand to restore humanity through his Son, Jesus Christ.

The weakness of this view is that it fails to see that for New Testament writers, such as Paul, the term εὐαγγέλιον (gospel) is specifically associated with the saving work of Jesus Christ.