Scripture Reading:    Romans 16:25

In three places, the Apostle Paul refers to the message committed to him as "my gospel" (Romans 2:16; 16:25; II Timothy 2:8). Why does Paul personalize the gospel in this way? It is surely not out of pride or egotism, for Paul's words were written by divine inspiration.

Paul called his message "my gospel" to set it apart from the message preached by the Twelve Apostles. For you see, none of these could call their gospel "my gospel" because it was not just revealed to one of them, but to all twelve. But when God unveiled His message for the new dispensation of grace, He chose to reveal it to and through only one man, the Apostle Paul. But someone will ask, "Didn't the apostle preach the same Lord Jesus Christ as the Twelve Apostles?" The answer is, yes, but in a different way. In the words of our text, Paul preached Jesus Christ "according to the revelation of the Mystery which was kept secret since the world began" (Romans 16:25b).

The gospel preached by the twelve pertains to Christ's offer of the kingdom to Israel, and is called, appropriately, "the gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23). Paul's gospel pertains to God's gracious offer of salvation without works during this resent dispensation of grace, and is called, appropriately, "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). The majority of churches seem intent on mixing these two messages, but the Word of God maintains a clear distinction between he two. By the grace of God, let us boldly proclaim the gospel of the grace which Paul so passionately referred to as "my gospel."