After addressing Jesus’s emphasis on the “kingdom of God” in his preaching (e.g., Matt 24:14), Wiley Jones addressed a potential abuse of 1 Cor 15:3-4:
And now, in the face of all these
facts, is it not surprising to find some persons taking an isolated text (1
Cor. xv, 3, 4,) and, contrary to sound criticism and right interpretation,
endeavoring to prove from it that Paul at Corinth did not preach the kingdom,
but preached only the death, burial and resurrection of the Saviour? In that
text the words en prōtois,
translated " first of all," are defined by Liddell & Scott's
Lexicon (1849) to be "like the Latin in primis, among the
first." The phrase might be accurately rendered "among primaries."
Campbell's edition (A. D. 1832) says, Whitby's paraphrase says, "among the
principal doctrines of faith." Thus we see that the death, burial and
resurrection although essential things were not the only things preached
at Corinth but were comprised “among” certain other things elsewhere called “the
things concerning the kingdom of God.”—Ac. Xxx, 8.
Those preachers who declaim
against us must admit that it would be a wretched sophism, extremely stupid and
unfair, to take Ac. xx, 25, and argue from it that the death, burial and
resurrection of Christ were not preached or believed in at Ephesus, merely
because those events are not mentioned in that text. Now on the same
principle it would be an equally stupid and unfair sophism to take 1 Cor. xv,
3, 4, and argue from it that the doctrine of the kingdom was not preached or
believed in at Corinth, merely because the kingdom is not mentioned in that
text. Our opponents try to justify their silence concerning the kingdom by
saying that in sundry places conversions are described where there is not
express mention of preaching the kingdom. But we rebut this piece of sophistry
by proving that in sundry places we have the history of con- versions where
there is express mention of preaching the kingdom .- See Ac. viii, 12:
xix, 8,20:xx 25: xxviii, 23, 31. And now let me emphasize this question-whether
is it wiser or safer to include "the things of the kingdom "
in our preaching and faith; and thus have a whole and true
gospel; or to leave out those things of the kingdom as though they were never
mentioned in Scripture, and thus have a fragmentary and perverted gospel? To
all men, women and children, of common sense, this question is submitted.
To suppose from such texts as 1
Cor. xv, 3, 4, that Paul at Corinth did not preach the gospel of the kingdom,
nor require the Corinthians to believe it, is to misunderstand those texts, and
to absurdly set Paul against Paul, for it would be accusing him of preaching a
very different faith and hope in Corinth from what he preached in Ephesus and
Rome; and indeed from what all the apostles were required to preach everywhere,
for the command was general, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world." -- Mat. xxiv, 14. Since therefore the gospel of
the kingdom covers the whole field of apostolic preaching, it is plain
that whatever short phrase is used to designate what was preached at Corinth
and other places, "This gospel of the kingdom" is always implied if
not expressed in that phrase. In 1 Cor. xv, 3, 4, it is implied in the official
title " Christ," which means "Anointed."-Jno. i, 41. He is
anointed for the three offices of Prophet, to teach; Priest,
to intercede; and King, to reign. The "great salvation" is
comprised in the performance of these three offices. We are by nature ignorant,
guilty and enslaved. To remove ignorance is the office of a prophet; to remove
guilt, the office anointed of a priest; and to liberate, lead to victory
and protect in a safe home and country is the office of a king. The Redeemer's
prophetical office was foretold in Isa. lxi, 1-3;- "The Lord hath me to
preach good tiding unto the meek," etc. His priestly office in Dan. ix, 26;- "After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah (i. e. the Anointed)
be cut off, but not for himself ;" which means that He " died for our
sins." His Kingly office in Psa. ii;- "The rulers take counsel
together against the Lord and against His Anointed (rendered Christ in Ac. iv,
26) ... Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. ... I
shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession." Here the territory and the royal
city of the king are specified with the utmost clearness. (Wiley Jones, The
Gospel of the Kingdom: Annotated in a Series of Ten Discourses [Norfolk,
Va.: Virginian Steam Presses, 1879], 19-23)
