08/12/2026
Peter preached the gospel of the kingdom according to prophecy, calling Israel to repentance in light of the promised kingdom—“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out… whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19–21).
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Paul, however, says the gospel entrusted to him was received by revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11–12) and was connected with “the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25).
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That is a clear distinction, and to mix the two is to confuse messages God Himself distinguished. Near the close of his ministry, Peter directed his readers to Paul’s writings concerning matters of salvation, acknowledging the wisdom given to Paul and warning that some were twisting his epistles “to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15–16). Peter does not direct them back to his sermon at Pentecost, nor to the earthly ministry of Christ as the governing message for this present age—he points them to Paul. In Peter’s final recorded words, just before the close of his second epistle, the issue is the most important subject imaginable: salvation. And his direction is unmistakable—go to Paul.
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In the present dispensation of grace, there is only one saving gospel: that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
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Salvation is by grace through faith, “not of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9), and Paul states that God will ultimately “judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel” (Romans 2:16).
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Prophecy and mystery must not be confused: Peter’s kingdom proclamation belonged to Israel’s prophetic program; Paul’s gospel of grace is the saving message God has proclaimed to the world for this present age.
God bless.
