The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXX

Hebrews 4:2a
For to us was the Gospel preached as well as to them:…"

Now we have to be careful here. What does the word Gospel always mean? Good news! Now how far back in human history does good news go? Well all the way back to Genesis chapter 3. But how far back does Paul’s Gospel go? Back to Paul’s ministry, naturally, because it’s his Gospel, that was only given to him. Alright, so now, if we look at this word Gospel as good news, then all of the garbage just falls away and we’re left with nothing but the bare Truth. Which John tells us came through Jesus, where you ask, well in Johns gospel, the good news of Jesus in chapter 1 and verses 14 and 17 but also 4:

John 1:14
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Now a word of caution is due here because John is writing after the Lord's ascension he declares that which Paul had been given and that had been spoken first in the Psalms and that is that Jesus is now the "only begotten of the Father". (Hebrews 1:5, 5:5 and Psalm 2:7) Don't miss this as it is very important in scripture and for our learning of the Truth.

John 1:17
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

So we are to receive both Grace and Truth through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Now the next is one which many don't see or when they do they don't comprehend and it is in verse 4:

John 1:4
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

To get an understanding we have to go back to Genesis chapter 1 and verses 1 through 3 which says:

Genesis 1:1-3
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."

Here's where we find the Spirit of God first introduced and who is this Spirit none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what does John tell us of this Jesus well first that in Him is Life Divine Life the power to reproduce life or to bestow life. And when that is seen in verse two of Genesis as the Spirit that moved upon the waters and brought Light and Life to the earth's surface to cause it to be able to produce life when it was spoken to by the same Spirit. This is the same light and life which brought forth the plant and animal life as found in verses 20 through 25 what we call nature. Then John speaking of in verse 4 tells us that this Light and Life is the light of all men and this we pick up now in verses 26 and 27. Genesis 1:26-27 "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Because He is the same Life which God breathed in Genesis 2 and verse 7 where we find God making a body in which to house His divine creation for it to walk and live in this world and it says: Genesis 2:7 "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." This is where life meets with Life and man was formed or the spirit put on flesh just as it is recorded elsewhere here the Lord Jesus put on flesh in John 1:14 quoted above. Man was first a divine being housed in flesh and had communion, fellowship with his creator before woman was removed and formed from his rib. This is what John here is revealing so all mankind knows of God but not all mankind is known by God or has this relationship restored. It is restored only through Christ Jesus and this is the Good News.


And so, when the good news was presented in Genesis 3:15, what was it? Let’s go back and look. Here we have good news, but not the Gospel of the Grace of God. Now again its not in the exact phrase as the Gospel of Grace, even the new covenant as found in Jeremiah chapter 31 is not identified as of Grace or so called. It’s through Paul's Gospel that we must believe that Christ died and rose from the dead. It’s good news! My, it’s good news. Genesis chapter 3. Most of you should know what this verse says, the Lord is dealing with Satan, right after the fall of man, as they have just eaten of the forbidden fruit. And what’s the good news? That God is going to defeat Satan. And that there's a seed within woman which will one day spring upon him and defeat him. But and here's the rest of the story, this same seed of within all mankind because man was first created a spirit being as revealed above and will one day become a spirit being again. Which the Good News is all about. Now that’s good news! Alright, look at it. Where the Lord says to Satan:


Genesis 3:15a
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, (who’s in control here? God is.) and between your seed and her seed; (well, Who’s her seed? Jesus Christ!) it (the seed of the woman, Jesus the Christ) shall bruise your head,…"

Now how do we kill a serpent? On the head. And so, what’s the implication here? That one day the Seed of the woman, Jesus the Christ, the Light, Truth and Grace of God, would defeat and put out of commission, Satan. And what is that? That’s Good News! It’s the only thing that the human race had left. Adam and Eve had now eaten, and the race has fallen, and Satan is seemingly glowing in his victory. But, God comes back and says, "No, I’ve got good news. I’m going to provide a way back into fellowship with the Creator." Man is one day going to be restored to fellowship with Me as if this hadn't been and as though this break or separation has never happened.


And so here we have the first instance of good news. Now let’s go up a little further to Genesis chapter 12. We're skipping a bunch of them in between here. But, here in Genesis chapter 12. Oh, some more good news! Now we don’t ordinarily think of it as Gospel, but it was. My, we don’t know what else it could have been so far as Abram was concerned. It was Gospel! It was good news!! And what was it? Let’s look at it: