Did Paul start the teaching that Jesus died for our sins?
Question:
It's taught in Mid-Acts Dispensationalism that the gospel before Paul was simply that Jesus is the Son of God, not that He died for our sins, until Paul preached this. The Ethiopian in Acs 8 said he believed Jesus is the Son of God, not that he died for sins like Paul's Gospel in I Corinthians 15:3. At the end of his gospel, John says to believe "that Jesus is the Christ," not that he died for sins. How can Jesus, being the Son of God, save today if believed when it's not believed that he died for sins as I Corinthians 15:3 says? How can those two messages be the same?
When Jesus said he would die and rise again, it said "it was hid from the apostles and they didn't know about that," when they were preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the gospels.
Answer:
"Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (I Corinthians 1:10-13).
Mid-Acts Dispensationalism, also known as Hyperdispensationalism or Pauline Dispensationalism, is a movement that teaches the modern church did not begin at Pentecost but later in the Book of Acts, specifically with the teachings of the Apostle Paul. It distinguishes the Old Testament prophecies of the gospel of the kingdom from Paul's gospel of grace, viewing certain New Testament scriptures as applicable only to the Jewish people, rather than to the church today.
It pits the teachings of Paul against those of the other apostles. Paul stated that dividing people by who they follow is sinful. It ignores that all Scripture comes from a single source — the mouth of God (II Timothy 3:16-17). "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment" (I Corinthians 14:37).
The fact that Jesus came to die for our sins has been announced from the days of Isaiah. "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). John the Baptist stated that Jesus was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). The Apostle John taught:
"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world" (I John 2:1-2).
"You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin" (I John 3:5).
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him" (John 3:17).
Saved from what? From our sins, of course!
Jesus told his disciples, before he departed from earth, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). The apostles, long before Paul's conversion, were commanded to make disciples of all nations and to teach them equally. Jesus also talked about the saving of the Gentiles earlier in his ministry, "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd" (John 10:16). The other sheep was a reference to the Gentiles who would become Christians. The equality is again shown because they would become one flock under one shepherd (Jesus) (Ephesians 2:11-18-22).
Peter stated, "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him" (Acts 10:34-35). There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in Christianity. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). There is only one Gospel that has been taught by the apostles. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Galatians 1:8-9). The goal of the gospel was to unite the Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-18) in one faith (Ephesians 4:4-6). See "The Gospel of the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision."
