http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203,%20Mark%201,%20Luke%203&version=ESV
Mark 1:14-15 "14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;AH)"> repent and believe in the gospel."
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels. They have similarities, and yet are different as well. Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. Mark was written to more of a Roman audience, and Luke was written to more of a Gentile audience.
But that being said, they were also intended and written for us as well. In both Matthew and Luke there are genealogies of Jesus's birth. In Mark there is not.
The Gospel of Mark is a Gospel of action. Beginning in chapter 1, we read that the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.
Friends, this is how we are to continue to live. We need to keep on repenting and keep on believing in the Gospel. We repent of our sins and place our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the beginning of our new life in Christ.
Yet, even though we are new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) we still sin. And when we sin, we need to repent of the sin and continue to believe in Jesus. No sin is to big to be covered by the Gospel.
Does this mean we should sin big, because we have a big Gospel that will cover those sins?
I think Jesus says it best:
"You are my friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:14)
Believe in Jesus and what He did for you on the cross. Don't ever take your eyes off the cross. Live a life of continual repentance and faith. This is the life of the Christian.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Why the 4 gospels?
ReplyDeleteThe 4 living creatures before the throne of God represent the 4 portraits of Jesus in the 4 gospels. Rev 4:7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The Lion - Matthew – Jesus is King of the Jews
Just as today, Prince Charles is heir to the throne of England, so is Jesus the rightful heir to the throne of David. This is why the lineage goes through David’s kingship lineage to show His birthright to the throne of David. If Rome wasn’t in control of Israel, Jesus would have been the rightful King of Israel. Everyone knew this. This is why they cried out, Son of David have mercy upon me. They knew who He was.
Mark –Jesus the servant of God. This is why there is no lineage. Servants have no past, He has come to serve the one who sent them. This gospel is showing Jesus as the Servant of God. Jesus does nothing of Himself but only what the Father who sent Him tells Him to do.
Luke – Jesus the Son of Man - Face of a man Notice the variance in the lineage as compared to Matthew. It is going all the way back to Adam and through the son of David, Nathan. Not the Kingly lineage but rather the human lineage He received from Mary. Yes, Jesus is the Son of Man. Completely human. Even though Jesus is God, He lays aside this right and becomes a man like us yet without sin! What a difference.
John – Jesus the Son of God – Flying eagle. Jesus, the one who is the eternal God in Heaven becomes a man. He leaves heaven's throne to come to earth. The gospel of John shows this aspect of Jesus right off. He is God who became flesh and dwelt among us made flesh and the Word that dwells among us.
The 4 gospels paint a portrait of our Lord from these 4 perceptive. This is why one gospel might omit some facts or paint a different light on the same experience. Just as witnesses see the exact same event yet tell the story based on their perceptive, So the 4 gospels paint a portrait of our Lord: The King of Kings, The servant of God, The Son of Man and God made flesh.
As we walk with God, these same attributes will start to manifest in our life. We will learn to reign in this life, we will learn to serve, we will learn the trails of being human and we will understand our destiny to be conformed into His image