Two Audiences, One Gospel Plan: How Jews and Gentiles Received the Good News Differently

 Two Audiences, One Gospel Plan: How Jews and Gentiles Received the Good News Differently



The gospel was never a one-size-fits-all announcement. When we closely examine the New Testament through the lens of Full Preterism and the New Perspective on Paul, we discover something intriguing: the message that Jesus and the apostles proclaimed was tailored differently for Jews and Gentiles—not because there were two gospels in conflict, but because each audience was at a different point in redemptive history.


The Gospel to the Jews: "The Kingdom Is at Hand"


When Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, His message was direct: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). This was a gospel rooted in Israel’s covenant story—a story that began with Abraham and reached its climax in the first-century generation.


To the Jew, the gospel was eschatological. It was about the fulfillment of promises made to the fathers, the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah, and the imminent judgment of that generation (Matt. 24:34). The gospel of the Kingdom was not an abstract invitation to personal salvation—it was an urgent call to recognize that Israel’s corporate destiny was reaching its final chapter.


Under Full Preterism, we understand that this Kingdom did come—in AD 70, with the judgment on Jerusalem and the temple. That event wasn’t just political or military; it was covenantal. It marked the end of the old age and the full arrival of the new, confirming that Jesus had indeed been enthroned as Messiah.


So, the gospel to the Jew was about covenant climax: “Come out from the old system. Receive the Messiah. Escape the coming wrath.”


The Gospel to the Gentiles: "Christ Crucified"


Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, framed his message differently. To pagan nations with no covenant history, no Moses, and no temple, the proclamation wasn’t about escaping the old age of Israel—it was about being included in the new one.


Paul's message to the Gentiles was “Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23), the foolishness that confounded Greek philosophy and Jewish legalism alike. But through the New Perspective on Paul, we now see that Paul wasn’t obsessed with individual guilt and abstract salvation. He was announcing that the death and resurrection of Jesus had broken down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile (Eph. 2:14). Faith in Jesus—not Torah observance—was the new badge of covenant membership.


For Gentiles, the gospel was participation in Israel’s fulfilled story. They were being “grafted in” to the olive tree (Rom. 11:17). But their message wasn’t “Repent, for the Kingdom is near,” because they were never under the threat of the old covenant’s judgment. Instead, their message was, “Believe in the risen Christ and be included in God’s new family.”


One Gospel Plan, Two Messages


These were not contradictory gospels but contextual expressions of the same overarching narrative:


To the Jew: “Your covenant story is climaxing. The Messiah is here. The Kingdom is at hand. Choose wisely.”


To the Gentile: “The God of Israel has raised His Son from the dead. Come and be part of His new creation.”



This dual delivery fits perfectly within Full Preterism, which sees the AD 70 judgment as the definitive end of the old covenant age. After that event, there was no more Jew or Gentile (Gal. 3:28) in terms of redemptive distinction—only the new humanity in Christ.


Implications Today


Understanding this distinction clarifies much of the New Testament’s urgency and tone. Jesus’ and Paul’s apparent differences are not theological contradictions but strategic communications for two very different audiences living in a time of massive covenantal upheaval.


It also challenges us to rethink evangelism today. The gospel we share must be rooted in the story that has already reached its climax. We’re not waiting for a Kingdom to come—we’re living in its aftermath. The task now is not to fear an imminent judgment but to walk in the new creation realities of righteousness, peace, and unity in Christ.



Conclusion


The gospel has always been good news, but not always the same news to every audience. To the Jews, it was an urgent Kingdom message tied to their story. To the Gentiles, it was an invitation into that completed story through faith in the crucified and risen Messiah.


One gospel. Two expressions. One new humanity.



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