By Jerry Shugart

Those who deny that two separate and distinct gospels were preached during ther Acts period point to the following verse in their efforts to prove their point:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Ro.1:16).

The Greek word translated "gospel" means "good news." The "good news" of Christ was indeed preached to the Jews first and then later "good news" of Christ was preached to the Gentiles. But the "good news" of Christ preached to the Jews was not the same "good news" of Christ which was preached to the Gentiles.

An examination of the Acts record demonstrates that the "good news" which was preached to the Jews was centered on the "identity" of the Lord Jesus, that He is the Christ, the Son of God. It has already been demonstrated that this is the gospel which Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. After Paul was converted on the Damascus road he preached the same gospel in the synagogues:

"Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God...proving that this is very Christ" (Acts 9:19-20,22).

That is the gospel which Paul continued to preach to the Jews: "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ" (Acts 17:1-3).

This is the same gospel which Apollos preached to the Jews: "For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ" (Acts 18:28).

There is absolutely no eveidence that Paul or anyone else preached a different gospel than this one to the Jews during the Acts period.

The following words of Paul reveal the contents of the gospel which he preached among the Gentiles:

"I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand,,,For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor.15:1,3-4).

As noted earlier, H.A. Ironside stated that "When He died, when He was buried, and when He rose again, the gospel could be fully told out to a poor lost world. Observe, it says, 'that Christ died for our sins.' No man preaches the gospel, no matter what nice things he may say about Jesus, if he leaves out His vicarious death on Calvary's Cross" [emphasis added] (Ironside, God's Unspeakable Gift [London: Pickering & Inglis, 1908], Chapter 2).

The gospel which was preached to the Jews during the Acts period said nothing about the Lord Jesus' vicarious death so it is certain that the gospel which was preached to the Gentiles was not the same gospel that was preached to the Jews.

Those who deny that two gospels were preached during the Acts period quote the following verses to attempt to prove that their assertion is correct:

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal.1:6-8).

Paul does not say that there is only one gospel. He knew that there were two gospels and he also knew that those preaching the other gospel would not be preaching that gospel to the Gentiles:

"...they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter...when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision" (Gal.2:7,9).

So there is nothing written at Galatians 1:6-8 that proves that only one gospel was preached during the Acts period.

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