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The Mystery of the Gospel

Jew and Gentile and the Eternal Purpose of God

By D. Thomas Lancaster, First published in November, 2003

While awaiting trial before the wicked Emperor Nero, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians. In that letter, he unburdened his heart, sharing with the Ephesians what he understood to be the deepest mystery of the Messiah and the eternal purpose of God on earth. According to Paul, the mystery of the Gospel is that Gentiles are joint heirs with Israel through faith in Messiah.

The Mystery of the Gospel addresses the question of Jewish/Gentile relationships within the body of Messiah. In a friendly, easy to read, narrative style, D. Thomas Lancaster works through the Apostle Paul’s rabbinic scholarship to piece together the deep mystery of the Messiah. Ultimately, that mystery is about the identity of Gentile believers and their relationship to Israel through the Messiah.

The Mystery of the Gospel provides long-sought answers for everyone who is confused about where they fit in the House of Israel and the Torah of God.

There are not many books on the market which can purport to convey the “eternal purpose of God.” This one does! Like a collection of midrash for believers, this book is simultaneously a great introduction to the Hebrew Roots of Christianity and a wealth of new material for those already well on their way in that movement.

From the Foreword

You worship the God of Israel.

We don’t often think of it that way, but it is true. The God we worship is the God of the Jews. Edith Schaeffer, wife of the famed Christian intellectual Francis Schaeffer, once published a book titled Christianity is Jewish. That title says it all. Our faith is essentially Jewish. Our religion is Jewish. As a believer in Jesus, we are followers of the Jewish Messiah. In Jesus, we are united with the God of Israel.

Within Evangelical Christianity, this is a fact that often goes unnoticed. Our connection to Israel and Judaism is typically overlooked or deliberately ignored. There is an historical and theological disconnect between Christianity and Judaism, between the Church and Israel, between the Law (Torah) and the Gospel. It’s as if a spiritual “Berlin Wall” has been erected. There is a partition dividing Old Testament and New Testament, Jew and Gentile. This should not be. God is One, His Word is One, and His people should be One. The Mystery of the Gospel is about tearing down the dividing wall and rediscovering our common unity.

The Mystery of the Gospel uncovers that common rootedness. The mystery, it turns out, is our shared inheritance in Israel through Messiah. However, D. T. Lancaster goes beyond just pointing out those Hebrew roots. He shows how those roots are at the very center of Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel. Lancaster shows us that the Gentile believer’s share in Israel is part of the grand scheme of redemption. The Gentile inclusion in Israel is the realization of God’s universal Kingdom on Earth. It is profoundly exciting stuff.

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