In the New Testament we first have the four Gospels. Matthew deals with the kingdom of the heavens, showing that the fallen human race is rebellious to the heavenly rule. How can man, having a rebellious life and nature, be subject to the heavenly rule and reign of the kingdom? It is not possible for us to experience Matthew 5 through 7. We cannot truly love our enemies because we do not have such a life (5:44). Our life is a hating life, not a loving life. It is a rebellious life, not a subjecting life.
It is not easy to say what the Gospel of Mark deals with, but if we carefully and thoroughly read this short book of sixteen chapters, we will see the example of a man on the earth who always forgets about Himself and His needs to always take care of God’s interests. He is concerned for God’s interests and lives for God’s interests, not for His own things. For the sake of God’s interests He even gave up His own eating (3:20).
According to the order of the books of the New Testament, Matthew comes first and Mark follows. In Matthew there is the subjection needed for the kingdom of the heavens, and in Mark there is the absolute obedience. Obedience is more than subjection. Someone may be subject to a certain person, yet he may not be willing to be obedient to him. Many children, for example, are forced to subject themselves to their parents, but they are not very willing to be obedient. Daniel’s three friends were subject to the government of Nebuchadnezzar, but they were not obedient to his decree (Dan. 3:12). The brothers in a brothers’ house may also be subject without being obedient. To God, therefore, subjection is one thing, while obedience is another. How can we humans be obedient? Again it is impossible because we do not have such a life. Our life and nature are completely disobedient.
It is also hard to know the subject of Luke unless we touch the spirit of this book. Some may check with expository books and say that Luke tells us that the Lord Jesus is a perfect and complete man, but this may be a mere doctrine. The real matter dealt with in the Gospel of Luke is man’s harmony with God. In each of the twenty-four chapters of this book there is a man who is one hundred percent in harmony with God. This harmony is more than perfection and completeness. We may have subjection and even obedience to God, but it is possible that we do not have harmony with God. Harmony with God is deeper and finer. A person cannot be fully subject and obedient until he is harmonious with God. Harmony comes from full obedience, and full obedience comes from full subjection. In the book of Luke, the man by the name of Jesus was harmonious with God in everything. There was not one thing with Him that was contradictory to God. Because He was so harmonious with God, He was a perfect and complete man.
To be a person with such subjection, obedience, and harmony with God is possible only when we come to the fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, which deals with life. Now we have subjection, obedience, harmony, and life. Until life is ministered to us by the Gospel of John, we can never be subject to the heavenly rule, obedient to God, and in harmony with God. All these items require life. To be subject, obedient, and harmonious requires us to receive Jesus Christ as our life. This life is the subjecting life, the obedient life, and the life in harmony with God. This shows us that life is the central item of the gospel.
Following the four Gospels, from the Acts to the end of the New Testament, there is the preaching of life, the teaching of life, and the ministering of life. It is all a matter of life. Since the Gospel of John is a Gospel of life, it is easy to find verses there that speak of life, such as verses 16 and 36 of chapter three. However, the Acts also shows us that the preaching in the early days of the apostles was a preaching of and for life. Acts 13:46 and 48 say, “And Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly and said, It was necessary for the word of God to be spoken to you first. Since you thrust it away and do not judge yourselves worthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles....And the Gentiles, hearing this, rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” By this we can see that the apostles preached the eternal life to people. Acts 11:18 is even clearer. After Peter related his account of the house of Cornelius, the disciples “became silent and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also God has given repentance unto life.”