The Hebrew Bible is not the Gospel of Jesus. Also known as the Old Testament, it provides historical narrative and spiritual direction for the Hebrew People. The New Testament provides historical narrative and spiritual direction for Christians as presented by Jesus of Nazareth.
St. Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 4 and verse 23 reveals, “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” The gospel preached by Jesus establishes the foundation framework for the apostolic envoys.
This model and example establishes New Testament preaching content. However, a chorus of ‘buts’ from apologist practitioners, who invest significant amounts of their preaching time from the Hebrew Bible Old Testament texts exists and can be heard.
Christians follow the life, example, and direction of the teachings of Jesus and the writings of the apostolic envoys. Paul, the apostolic envoy to people not born in the lineages of Hebrew bloodlines wrote 13 books and 30 per cent of New Testament.
His work includes the texts of Galatians 3:13, 22 – 25. They report, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: But the scripture hath concluded all under sin; that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. However, before faith came, we were under the law, shut up unto the faith later revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. However, after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”
2nd Corinthian 5 shares all in Christ are new creations. Old things are dead. All is new. The chapter concludes in agreement with the Galatians proposition that Jesus took on the curse so his followers would not find it necessary. Verse 21 of 2nd Corinthians 5underwrites the “No Buts Gospel,” when it says, “God made him (Jesus) to be sin for us (followers of the gospel Jesus preached) who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The Hebrew Bible is not the gospel. Therefore, the Old Testament is not available preaching content for preaching among the people. The law it contains is cursed. Galatians 3 makes the report.
To take on the mission of preaching a curse is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus. Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The preaching mission of contemporary ministers of the gospel and so should the minsters of the gospel to the church. The Hebrew Bible Old Testament is not the gospel of Jesus.
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