Gospel of God’s Grace and His Kingdom

In a farewell address to the Ephesian elders on his way to Jerusalem, Paul refers to the gospel he received from Jesus as “the gospel of God’s grace”, “preaching the kingdom” and “proclaiming the whole will of God.”

Ac 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

Ac 20:25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.

Ac 20:26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.

Ac 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

Let’s look at each of these three aspects of the gospel and unwrap their rich meaning. How is the gospel that Paul received from Jesus “the gospel of God’s grace”, “preaching the kingdom” and “proclaiming the whole will of God”?

What Is Grace?

The word is used more than 100 times in the New Testament. Here are some things we can learn about grace:

Grace is something unearned or undeserved – a gift.

Eph 2:8-9 — For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

2Ti 1:9 [God] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

Grace relates to God’s love and mercy.

Eph 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. …

Eph 2:7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

God’s grace is exceedingly abundant and can be lavished on us if we are open to it.

Ro 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

2Co 9:14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

Eph 1:4-8 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons [become true children of God] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves [Jesus]. In him we have redemption …, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Eph 2:7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

1Ti 1:14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (Also 1 Pe 1:2)

How Is Grace Connected to the Kingdom?

Paul equates the gospel of grace to preaching the kingdom. There are 150 references to the kingdom in the New Testament and the majority are either Kingdom of God (65 times throughout the gospels and epistles) and Kingdom of heaven (31 times, in the gospel of Matthew only).

There is no difference between these two expressions — they both refer to the realm of the saved. Jesus came to bring the gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God/Heaven and taught how one could enter this Kingdom – become a saved and redeemed child of God. Jesus brought immortality and salvation to light:

2Tim 1:9-10 [God] has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

So salvation – entering/seeing the Kingdom is by grace. It is not dependent on anything that we have done and is not earned or deserved by us.

Jesus also told Nicodemus that the condition for seeing the Kingdom was to be born again (John 3:3). He also spoke of the Holy Spirit, which Paul in Romans 5:5 tells us brings God’s Love into our hearts.

Jesus was the first to possess God’s Divine Love and commanded his disciples to love one another as he loved them (John 13:34, 15:12), i.e., with the Divine Love, which transcends our natural human love that we are born with.

Jesus is the firstborn of many siblings (Rom. 8:29), and the first to have entered the Kingdom of God/heaven where he is the head or master (Col. 1:18). The church can be seen as “the Kingdom of God in embryo” — those still on earth who are following in Jesus’ footsteps as his younger brothers and sisters.

The new birth/salvation means to have one’s soul transformed by the Divine Love from the image of God into the substance of God and to become at one with God through fully acquiring His divine nature. (2 Pet. 1:4). Those so transformed become God’s true and redeemed children who can enter the Kingdom of God.

All this happens by grace – everything for our salvation can be given to us freely by God and is available for the asking through sincere heartfelt prayer. All we need to do is graciously accept these gifts and work on increasing them in our lives – grow in the divine nature and in God’s Love so that we will reach the point of full soul transformation into sinless divine beings – a totally new creation (2 Cor 5:17).

How Is the Gospel of the Kingdom and of God’s Grace the Full Will of God?

The gospel is an all-encompassing plan of God to fulfill his purpose for humanity – His highest created beings on earth that at the beginning made a very wrong choice and since then have largely been going astray and becoming “dead in sins” (Eph. 2:1-5). God’s plan is to save people from their sins, bring them back from death to spiritual life and help them to become transformed through His Love and divine nature.

Eph 2:1-5 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world … gratifying the cravings of [your] sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. … But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Other than the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24) and the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 24:14), the message of salvation that Jesus brought is referred to as gospel about Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1); gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19 and seven other references); gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor 4:4); gospel of God’s son (Rom 1:9); gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thess. 1:8); gospel of God (Rom. 15:16 and five other references); gospel of the blessed God (1 Tim 1:11); gospel of your salvation (Eph. 1:13); gospel of peace (Eph. 1:13). Each of these could be elaborated on further.

In a nutshell, Jesus, who from birth was spiritually inclined, was commissioned by God to preach the good news of salvation – the rebestowal of God’s Love that was withheld after the first humans rejected it. Jesus recognized the presence of this Love in himself and correctly perceived that this was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the new heart (Eze 36:26; Jer. 24:7). His experience, teaching and example of God’s Love in his life is the key to the fulfillment of God’s purpose and His ultimate will for humanity.

How Can We Avail Ourselves of God’s Offer of Abundant Grace that Will Place Us on the Path to Salvation and an Incredible Future in God’s Celestial Kingdom for All Eternity?

As mentioned, God’s gifts of grace are free for the asking. God wants us to have a relationship with Him, not just as His created children (which we all already are), but as His true redeemed children who are becoming at one with Him and share more and more in His Divine Love and nature. To start on the journey to this special relationship, simply express your love and desire to get to know God as your loving heavenly Father and to have Him in your life. Ask Him to open your soul to the inflowing of His Love imparted by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5) to transform you. Build a daily prayer habit and maintain an ongoing relationship with God, asking for guidance, mercy and His Love as often as you can.

As time goes on, you’ll notice a self-transformation. Your desires will change and become more spiritually oriented. Things and values of the world will become of less and less interest and importance. You’ll become more kind and loving. More peace will be yours. You may also feel sensations in your heart region which is connected with or a doorway to the soul. You may become aware of spiritual gifts to serve others. All this and other positive changes are evidence of you becoming a new creature/creation (2 Cor 5:17), of having a heart change (spiritual heart transplant if you will), of moving toward the new birth that Jesus talked to Nicodemus about (John 3:3). It is a process that in due time will culminate in a full transformation into a divine being and a place in the Kingdom of God with never-ending opportunities for further growth in love, joy and closeness to your heavenly Father.

The God of Grace
Salvation — Alternative View (PDF)
God’s Grace in Small Things
Amazing Grace
True and False Grace
Our Awesome God

To learn more, readers can download a book by the same title.

Header: Nerry Burg