As a sequel to the previous post by Pastor Anton Bosch on “Two Kingdoms,” readers are reminded of a past post that was published on February 9, 2008 titled “The Gospel of the Kingdom.”
The “Two Kingdoms” each have their own gospel message. One is true and biblical. One is a false gospel. One seeks to change men internally via repentance upon hearing the Gospel of Salvation, the message of the Cross, regeneration and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The other seeks to change men externally via institutional changes, moral codes, economic structures, mysticism, etc. These two gospels do not mix, even though the men who promote the false gospel often fool people by giving lip service to the true Gospel.
Read the February 9, 2008 post here: https://herescope.net/2008/02/gospel-of-kingdom.html
Also, for background information, read the February 7, 2008 post “The new ‘do good’ gospel” here: https://herescope.net/2008/02/new-do-good-gospel.html
The Truth:
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” ( 2 Corinthians 3:6)
Matthew Poole, writing in his 1600s Commentary on the New Testament on 2 Corinthians 3:6, explains:
“The law, in opposition to the Gospel, is called the letter, sometimes a dead letter; because it was no revelation of God’s grace, either in pardoning men their omissions of duty, and doing acts contrary to duty, or assisting men in the performance of their duty.
As the Gospel is also called the Spirit, both in opposition to the carnal ordinances of the law, and because Christ is the matter, subject, and argument of it; and chiefly because that the preaching of it is so far attended by the Spirit of grace, that where men do not turn their ears from the hearing of it, nor shut their eyes against the light of it, nor harden their hearts against the precepts and rule of it, it becomes (through the free grace of God) effectual to change their hearts, and to turn them from the power of Satan unto God, and to make them truly spiritual and holy.
For the letter (that is, the law) killeth; the law showeth men their duty, accuseth, condemneth, and denounceth the wrath of God against men for not doing their duty, but gives no strength for the doing of it. But the spirit (that is, the Gospel) giveth life; the Gospel, in the letter of it, showeth the way to life; and the Gospel, in the hand of the Spirit, or with the Spirit working together with it, (the Holy Spirit using it as its instrument,) giveth life; both that life which is spiritual and that which is eternal, as it prepareth the soul for life and immortality.”[1]
Endnote:
1. Matthew Poole’s Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. 3: Matthew-Revelation, (Hendrickson), p. 611. Minor formatting changes for blog usage.