Summaries of the Gospel in the Old Testament.
Summaries of the Gospel in the Old Testament.
§ 9. Not only the epithets or titles given to this doctrine pertain to the definition of the Gospel, but also the summaries of the Gospel pertain, which are comprehended in brief statements as well as in complete descriptions, the more significant of which we shall list because they very beautifully express the genuine nature of the Gospel. Thus it must be observed that the Gospel is described in the Old Testament in the following way. It is the most joyful discourse of God concerning the “woman’s Seed which would bruise the serpent’s head and whose heel would be ambushed by the same,” that is, concerning the suffering and death of the Messiah through which the power of the devil would again be trod underfoot and his kingdom destroyed (Gen. 3:15). It is the promise of the Messiah who would be born of the seed of Abraham, in whom “all the nations of the earth would be blessed,” so that faith in this promise would be imputed to them as righteousness (Gen. 12:2; 15:6; 22:18). (That promise is repeated to Isaac, Gen. 26:4, and to Jacob, Gen. 28:14.) It is the discourse about the Messiah who would be born of the tribe of Judah, who would be Shiloh—“the son of a virgin” or, as others have translated it, “fortunate and prosperous”—to whom the nations will cling by faith (Gen. 49:10).
It is the promise about “a prophet who would be similar to Moses, who would come from the people of Israel, who would speak to people in the name of God, and whom all must hear with the obedience of faith” (Num. 24:17; Deut. 18:18–19).
It is the promise of the Son of God, who in the fullness of time would assume a true human nature from the seed of David; who would die for the sins of mankind; who nonetheless would rise again from the dead, ascend into heaven, and be placed at the right hand of the Father; who would be the King, the Priest, and the Bridegroom of the church; etc. All of this is from a repetition of the promise given to David (2 Sam. 7:1[–17]; 1 Chronicles 22) and is clearly gathered from its depiction published in the Psalms by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Psalm 2; 8; 22; 45; 68; 89; 110).
It is the discourse about the Messiah who would be “Immanuel,” God and man, “the Son of a virgin” (Isa. 7:14); the one who would be sacrificed for the sins of the whole human race on the altar of the cross (Isa. 43:24; 53:4[–9]), by the salutary knowledge of whom we are justified (Isa. 53:11). It is the discourse about “the branch of David which would be raised up, who would be called Jehovah, our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:5[–6]; 33:15[–16]). It is the doctrine of the suffering and death of the Messiah through which “transgression is to be ended, an end put to sin, expiation made for iniquity, and everlasting righteousness brought forth” (Dan. 9:24).
It is the most joyful message about “death being overcome and hell being destroyed by the death of the Messiah” (Hosea 13:14); about the Messiah “who would be born in Bethlehem, who would be the ruler of His people, whose going out is from the days of eternity”—that is, who is the God-man (Mic. 5:2)—because of whom “our sins will be cast into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19), for which reason He is also called “the desire of the nations” (Hag. 2:8). It is the most joyful message about a King who “comes to us as a righteous Savior” (Zech. 9:9); that in Him there is set a “fountain opening into the forgiveness of sins and into cleansing” (Zech. 13:1). It is the universal message pertaining to all nations (Mal. 1:11) regarding the Mediator of the new testament (Mal. 3:1), regarding the “Sun of righteousness under whose wings is healing” (Mal. 4:2), etc.