We have seen that first God gave promises. Next He decreed the law for the preservation of His chosen people, and then He sent prophets to utter prophecies to confirm the promises. Eventually, the promised One, the seed of woman and the seed of Abraham, came. Not only did He come, but He was also initiated.
Here we use the word “initiated” not in the sense of originating something, but in the sense of ushering someone into a new sphere. Hence, in our particular usage initiation equals inauguration. We may use the inauguration of a president as an illustration. After the election, the president is known as the president-elect. Later, on inauguration day, he is inaugurated into the office of the presidency. This inauguration is his initiation into the presidency. This illustrates the Lord’s being initiated into His ministry.
The Lord Jesus was born as the seed of woman and the seed of Abraham to be our Slave-Savior to destroy the serpent and bring in the Triune God as the blessing of eternal life. However, at the age of thirty it was necessary for Him to be initiated into His ministry. The priests in the Old Testament were initiated at the age of thirty into the priesthood, and in a similar way the Lord, also at the age of thirty, was initiated into His ministry. Therefore, as the fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies in the Old Testament, the Lord Jesus was born as the seed of woman and as the seed of Abraham and was later initiated into His ministry.
Having covered these matters, now we can say that the gospel is the fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies and also the removal of the custody of the law. This means that the gospel is the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies concerning the unique seed, the seed of woman and the seed of Abraham. Furthermore, the gospel cancels, annuls, and removes the custody of the law. Now we are no longer dependent on the Old Testament promises, the law, and the prophecies, for Christ, the unique seed, has come. This seed is the fulfillment of all the precious promises. Because we have Him, all the promises are fulfilled. As the fulfillment of the promises, He is also the fulfillment of the prophecies, which were given to confirm the promises. Furthermore, with Him is the removal of the custody of the law. Therefore, the unique seed is the fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies and the removal of the custody of the law.
The coming of Christ was the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies and the cancellation of the law. The law has been removed, and God’s chosen people no longer are under its custody. We have pointed out that the law may be compared to a sheepfold, a place where sheep are kept at night. When day dawns, the sheep may come out of the fold. Likewise, because Christ has come as the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies, it is no longer necessary for God’s chosen people to be under the custody of the law. In a positive sense the law was a custodian, but in a negative sense the law was a bondage, a slavery. But now the law, along with the promises and the prophecies, is over. The seed of woman has destroyed the serpent, and the seed of Abraham has brought in the blessing of the Triune God. Furthermore, this One has removed the law. Now we are no longer in the dispensation of the law, the promises, or the prophecies, for we have Christ.
If we see this, we can understand the significance of what took place on the mount of transfiguration when Peter proposed that three tabernacles be made—one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for the Lord Jesus. This suggestion was offensive to the heavens. Therefore, Matthew 17:5 says, “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I delight; hear Him!” Then Matthew 17:8 goes on to say, “And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.” Moses represented the law, and Elijah represented the prophets. Christ, the unique One, is everything. He is the fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies and also the removal of the law. This means that He is the full replacement of the entire Old Testament. This is the gospel, the good news, the glad tidings. Praise the Lord for the gospel! Praise Him that Christ is the fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies and also the removal of the law!
If we understand what the gospel is, we shall realize that James made a great blunder in Acts 21 and in his Epistle in bringing the believers back to the law. On the one hand, James preached Christ; on the other hand, he still kept the believers under the law, in the old fold, which God had given up. The very thing that the Lord removed was brought back by James. We need to be impressed with the fact that in the gospel we no longer have the dispensation of the law, the promises, and the prophecies. Instead, in the gospel we have the fulfillment of the promises and the prophecies and also the removal of the law.
Today many Christians have only a superficial understanding of the Scriptures. They may know the terms in the Bible, but not touch the depths of the riches of these terms. Let us use the word “gospel” as an example. Instead of understanding this matter in a superficial way, we need to see that the gospel is the fulfillment of all the promises and prophecies and also the removal of the law. For this reason, eventually the three disciples on the mount of transfiguration saw no one except Jesus only. No longer did they have the promises, the prophecies or the law; they had the Lord Jesus as the seed of woman and as the seed of Abraham. He is our Slave-Savior, and actually He Himself is the gospel.
The gospel is also the fulfillment of something else— the fulfillment of the types in the Old Testament. Therefore, in the gospel we have the fulfillment of the promises, the prophecies, and types.
With the Lord’s word concerning the seed of woman in Genesis 3:15 we have a promise. But in the Lord’s action of making coats of skins and clothing Adam and his wife we have a type (Gen. 3:21). Abel’s sacrifice, a sacrifice which was accepted by God, is another type. The lamb offered by Abraham in place of his son is also a type. Other types in the Old Testament are the Passover lamb, the manna in the wilderness, the cleft rock with the flowing river, and the tabernacle. Furthermore, people like David and Solomon are also types. The gospel is the fulfillment of these types. John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord Jesus, pointed to Him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Hence, Christ is the fulfillment of the type of the lamb. In John 1:14 we have this word: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.” This indicates that Christ is the fulfillment of the tabernacle. The gospel, then, is the fulfillment not only of the promises and prophecies, but also of the types. Furthermore, the gospel is also the removal of the law. This is a full definition of the gospel.