The Day the Gospel Changed: When God Stopped Counting Trespasses

Introduction

There is a specific moment in Scripture when everything changed. God had been dealing with Israel as a nation, offering them the kingdom through the gospel of the circumcision. Yet when they rejected that offer, God revealed something new, something kept secret since the world began. It was the day the gospel changed from prophecy to mystery, from a kingdom on earth to grace in heavenly places. It was the day God stopped counting sins against the world and began offering reconciliation by grace through faith alone. This day marked the beginning of the dispensation of grace and the revelation of the gospel that saves today.

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1. The Gospel Before Paul: Israel’s Kingdom Message

Before Paul was ever saved, the message preached was not the gospel of the grace of God but the gospel of the kingdom. This was the good news that Israel’s long-promised kingdom was at hand and that their Messiah had come. Peter and the twelve preached repentance and baptism for the remission of sins. That was the gospel of the circumcision, limited to Israel. Christ told His apostles, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Their commission was prophetic, rooted in promises made to the fathers, not in the revelation of the mystery.

This message required Israel to repent, be baptized, and believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. It was faith in His identity, not yet faith in His finished work. Even after the resurrection, Peter preached to Israel that they had killed their Messiah, but if they would repent, God would send Jesus Christ back and restore all things spoken by the prophets. That was a prophetic message, not a mystery revelation. It was about times of refreshing and restoration in the land, not about a new heavenly Body of believers.

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2. The Fall of Israel and the Turning Point in Acts

The book of Acts is not the beginning of the Body of Christ but the record of Israel’s fall and God’s gradual turning to the Gentiles. It begins with Israel still under offer. Peter stands with the eleven, preaching to “ye men of Israel.” The signs and wonders confirm the message, for the Jews require a sign. But as Israel rejects the witness of the Holy Ghost, the message shifts. In Acts 7, Stephen stands before the council and indicts the nation for resisting the Spirit as their fathers did. When they stoned him, it marked the formal rejection of the renewed kingdom offer.

Then something entirely new happens. Instead of wrath, God saves the chief persecutor. Saul of Tarsus, the enemy of the kingdom believers, is stopped on the road to Damascus. The Lord appears to him from heaven, not from Jerusalem, and makes him the pattern of something new. God had every right to pour out judgment after Israel’s rebellion, yet instead He dispensed grace. This is the day the gospel began to change. The prophetic timeline paused, and a secret purpose was revealed to a new apostle.

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3. The Revelation of the Mystery to Paul

Through Paul, God revealed the gospel that saves today. It is not the kingdom gospel that required baptism and repentance for Israel’s restoration, but the gospel of the grace of God that declares the finished work of Christ as the only means of salvation. Paul declared, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day.” That is the gospel by which we are saved today. It is faith alone in the cross work of Christ, not faith plus works under the law.

This revelation was kept secret since the world began. It was not spoken by the prophets nor known to the apostles before Paul. It revealed a new agency, the Body of Christ, made up of Jew and Gentile alike, seated together in heavenly places, not waiting for a kingdom on earth. The cross became not Israel’s shame but our glory. In this dispensation, there is no distinction between circumcision and uncircumcision, no law, and no temple system. There is only one gospel that saves, and it is Paul’s gospel of grace.

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4. The Day God Stopped Counting Trespasses

When Israel fell, God could have counted the world guilty and ended human history in judgment. Instead, He did something no prophet foresaw. He reconciled the world to Himself through the cross, not imputing their trespasses unto them. This was a divine ceasefire between heaven and earth. God’s wrath is postponed, and His grace is extended to all. This is the very heart of the mystery. God did not simply forgive Israel; He opened the door of reconciliation to Gentiles without Israel’s rise. That is why Paul said, “Through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles.”

Under the law, sin was counted. Under grace, sin was paid for once for all. This does not mean all are automatically saved, but it means the world stands in a new condition. The cross made peace possible. God is not holding sins against the world; He is offering reconciliation to all who believe. This is the day God stopped counting trespasses. It is the moment His dealings with mankind changed from law to grace, from Israel’s program to the Body of Christ. It is the greatest interruption of judgment with mercy in all of history.

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5. The Distinction Between Prophecy and Mystery

Understanding the difference between prophecy and mystery is the key to seeing when the gospel changed. Prophecy concerns the earthly kingdom promised to Israel since the foundation of the world. Mystery concerns the heavenly Body of Christ kept secret since the foundation of the world. Prophecy speaks of the restoration of the earth under Christ’s rule. Mystery speaks of the reconciliation of heavenly places by His cross. Prophecy promised blessing through Israel’s rise. Mystery offers salvation through Israel’s fall.

When believers confuse these two programs, they mix law with grace and water with blood. They try to apply Israel’s covenants, ordinances, and prophetic hope to the Body of Christ, creating confusion and division. The only cure is right division. The day the gospel changed is the day God revealed His secret purpose through Paul, showing that salvation now comes without Israel, without the law, and without works.

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6. The Message We Preach Today

Our message today is not “repent and be baptized” or “sell all and follow the Messiah.” It is “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” We preach reconciliation, not wrath. We proclaim a Savior who already paid for sin and a gospel that offers peace freely to all who believe. This is the ministry of reconciliation committed to the Body of Christ. We tell the world that God is not imputing their trespasses unto them but has made Christ to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

This is why our gospel is unique. It is not Israel’s prophecy come true but God’s secret purpose revealed. It is a message of unearned grace and complete forgiveness. It began with the salvation of Saul and continues until the catching up of the Body. That is the dispensation of grace — a parenthesis of mercy between Israel’s fall and her future restoration.

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7. The Outcome of That Change

When the gospel changed, so did God’s dealings with mankind. The middle wall of partition was broken down. Jew and Gentile were made one new man in Christ. The temple veil was torn, but more than that, the entire system of law was set aside. The believer’s standing became complete in Christ, seated in heavenly places, blessed with all spiritual blessings. The message of works and endurance was replaced with assurance and rest. This is why Paul could say, “We are ambassadors for Christ.” We represent a heavenly kingdom while living in an earthly world.

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Conclusion

The day the gospel changed is the day grace was dispensed. It began with the salvation of the chief of sinners and the revelation of the mystery to Paul. On that day, God stopped counting trespasses and started offering reconciliation to all. The kingdom clock paused, and the mystery program began. We are now living in that parenthesis of grace, called to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery. The greatest message ever given is not prophecy fulfilled, but mystery revealed.