summary of the New Covenant of God in the Lord Jesus Christ does not imply that any lack of understanding of one or more of these truths will invalidate an individual's personal salvation. The redeeming mercy of God applies to each of us through our surrender to that mercy and not through any intellectual grasp of 'how' it works.

Nevertheless, believing in Jesus as Messiah is simply not enough! Jesus is much more than God's hero! Current Judaizing tendencies in some Christian circles debase Christ's New Covenant to a 'renewed covenant' of Israel, which Gentiles are then invited to join. But the Bible says –

reassertion of the centrality of Israel is an insult to the spiritual unity of the Christian Church and to the person of the Holy Spirit by whom the Christian Church exists. This New Covenant is not Israel’s covenant renewed. This New Covenant calls back to before that, to the beginning of all things. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise given at the beginning of human history in His judgment upon the Serpent; in faith-filled anticipation of which Adam renamed his wife 'Eve' ('life giver'), even though she had not yet given birth to any children.

It is here wise to remember that during His preaching ministry to Israel Christ did not openly preach this New Covenant. His public proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God presented the Sovereign Justice of God which called for an appropriate lifestyle whose righteousness exceeded that of the Scribes and Pharisees (the religious leaders among the people) by fulfilling the intention of the Old Covenant and its precepts.

For that reason Christ's teaching contained so much correction of the Jewish traditions of interpretation that had developed around Israel's Law/Torah (which are today called the Talmud). But within this wrapper of the Gospel of the Kingdom message was grace, beyond measure, for the repentant, as illustrated in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

The Bible contrasts Israel's national covenant engraved in tablets of stone, as the Ministry of Death ('διακονια του θανατου', 2 Cor.3:7) by comparison with the Ministry of the Spirit in this New Covenant in Jesus. The condemnation carried in this Ministry of Death was designed by God as a 'schoolmaster/guide' (παιδαγωγός) to lead Israel to the repentance necessary for the Ministry of the Spirit which came through Christ.

The following four foundational-truths of this New Covenant Gospel, the 'Jerusalem Works' of Jesus, are the full dimension of its base, which then leads us further... upward... for –

Much of what Jesus said and did was only an extension of what the holy prophets of God in previous times had already said and done in their correction of Israel, except:

These markers in Christ's life and work are the four cardinal points of God's New Covenant relationship with humanity in Jesus Christ with those who believe.

Jack Van Impe (USA) confusedly teaches that there are two gospels: the gospel of grace, and the gospel of the kingdom; understanding the first as the message of salvation, and the second as the message of Christ's return. This is utter nonsense! There is only one gospel – filled with the richness of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.

The word 'kingdom' in the Scripture phrase 'gospel of the kingdom' is a reference to God's rightful rule. The gospel includes the total message of Jesus, which is the one and only gospel to which Jesus referred when He said –

The rule of God in Christ will simply be physically revealed at Christ's return. God's rule was practically demonstrated in human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ from the time of His baptism. Therefore Jesus described His coming transfiguration upon the Mount (to be seen by Peter, James, and John) as the 'kingdom of God' come (MK.9:1-4). It simply made His identity visible! There is no gospel except that which God revealed in the actual person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a story about future event. It is what has been done and completed in Jesus Christ. Praise God!

The four Jerusalem acts-of-God-in-Christ form the basis for all, absolutely everything, which God has done or ever will do concerning us, outside of His uncompromising judgment upon everything in His universe which is out of tune with Him.

These cardinal elements of the Covenant of Christ arise from the four historical acts of God in Jesus Christ the sinless, as representative human being – our proxy:

consequence, in Jesus Christ all of God's People have therefore already been:

Twelve Apostles' own experience of the above four events, as it affected them spiritually, is given to us in God's Word like an illustration that gives a cut-away view of a new product in order to explain its inner functions.

What, to these Twelve, were uniquely four distinctly separate events with their spiritual effects, are to us today a single four-fold 'package' of God's grace. The Apostle's recorded experience was unique because they lived through the overlap between the Old and new Covenants of God.

      Their personal spiritual experience was marked by:

closer look then, at these first disciples' experience of Christ, is excitingly instructive as to how they encountered the acts of their Lord from His Cross to their Pentecost. To them this was a progressive experience. But, for us today, who live after the completion of these works of Christ, it is personally, as a divine work, a single four-factored event – four simultaneous works of grace – the inherent inheritance of simply being a Christian.

This progressively unfolding historical method is probably the better way to understand the richness of each act of God in Christ on our behalf. Hallelujah!

The rich magnificence of this awesome salvation-package is, unfortunately, usually only appreciated step by step, as our faith grows and our understanding is enriched from His Word. Consequently, many churches have variously taught that there are God-given stages that we must go through, i.e. – first Salvation, and then a Sanctification, or Baptism of the Spirit, etc. While this view is understandable, it is simply untrue to God's Word and His once-for-all-time provision of Grace.

But, where this 'stages'-view is sincere, the delay is really drawn out by our slow faith-response to God's completed works in Christ. This delay of our fullness in Him is not because of our unworthiness in any form. It is simply the ignorance of our faith in Him and of the precious completeness of His works for us.

In other words, it is not for God that we wait to enter into this fullness, no matter how sincere we may feel in our seeking. It is God who waits for us – for our faith-response to His completed works!

So:

1 & 3 are divine acts concerning the cosmic rule of God over us –

His Crucifixion and Ascension, and

2 & 4 are divine acts concerning the quality of our living in this world –

His Resurrection and gift of the Spirit of God.

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"He [God] made Him [Jesus], who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"
"...the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a Ransom on behalf of all ..."
(ransom, 'antilutron' = substitute price)

Abraham, the biblical prototype of all who believe, is an example of God's legal implementation of this Crucifixion through all ages of history:

"...then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord;
and He reckoned it [Abraham's believing] to him as righteousness ('tsedakah' = virtuous)"

this same quality of faith (believing God's word beyond our understanding) Christ's own disciples are also declared righteous:

"You are clean ('katharos' = pure) because of the word that I have spoken to you"

This justification by faith (declared righteous by believing God's promise) is the initial saving interface of the Gospel with its hearers. Conviction of sin or personal need, etc., that precedes this moment is simply preparation for this moment. This faith-response to God's promise in Christ is the dividing line between the lost and the found. It has been so from the very beginning of human history encompassing all nations and languages.

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Spiritual Life was given to All-in-Christ in His Resurrection from the Dead

Why?
Just before His arrest and death Jesus said:

"After a little while the world will behold Me no more;
but you will behold Me (resurrected);  because I live, you shall live also."

When?
As the Apostle Paul put it:

Essential?
Jesus Himself had said,

Meaning?
The Apostle Paul also said, "...if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation"

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New Collective Status before God was given in His Exaltation

"...He parted from them... And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and were continually in the Temple, praising God."

The Apostle Paul taught that God had, in that act –

For this very reason, even though we may sin, our status as children of God continues through Christ. Our prayers find access from our representative with the Father.

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The gift of God's Spirit to All-in-Christ to continue His ministry in the world.
(This gift is 'given' as initiated in a marriage relationship and not as in a gift of property to be possessed.)

promised His disciples a new relationship to the Holy Spirit such as He Himself had enjoyed to the Spirit in His human experience. The relationship to the Holy Spirit that Christ in His humanity had needed in order to carry out His ministry is given to us for this same purpose. This direct relationship is the spiritual essence of the Kingdom of God, the immediate presence of God's rule, God's authority on earth.

Before Pentecost Jesus had said concerning the Holy Spirit:

"He abides with you [present tense, with them in Christ], and will be in you" [future tense].

Jesus explained:

"...John baptized with water [initiating Christ's ministry],
but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" [initiating Christian ministry].

Therefore, practically – we all have "access in one Spirit to the Father".

Non-negotiable:

Paul taught us that sexual union is a simile of this precious new relationship between God's Spirit and the spirit of the believer:

"... the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him"

It is a relationship in which the Holy Spirit is unconditionally LORD (i.e. He is 'in-charge'). On some occasions even apostles were actually:

Just as Jesus Himself also was fully dependent upon the Spirit's equipping:

 "He Himself would slip away to the wilderness to pray... And it came about...
the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing."

And so now for us also:

"..the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."