Finally the salvation of God is so complete, so assuring, so

unchallengeable, that we are 'persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor

angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to

come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to

separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Rom.

The Light to Lighten the Gentiles.

In our booklet entitled The Four Gospels, we have set out a few of

their distinctive differences; some of which we reproduce in this book, but

the perusal of that booklet would be a good preparation for the more

intensive study upon which we have now embarked.  While the Gospel of John is

of universal appeal, and its theme Life through His Name* is fundamental to

all callings, the Gospel according to Luke, by reason of the intimate

association of its author with Paul the apostle of the Gentiles, should

appeal very strongly to every member of the Church of the Mystery, the

calling of the present parenthetical dispensation.  By this we do not mean to

assert that the Mystery which was not at the time a subject of revelation, is

either found or hinted at in Luke's Gospel, but under the guidance of the

Holy Spirit, Luke would be led to include or to omit certain features that

are not distinctive of the Gospels of Matthew or John, thereby providing a

record of the earthly life and ministry of the Son of God to which we may

refer without the danger of introducing the many features of Israel's calling

that characterize the Gospel according to Matthew.  Paul would know most of

Luke's story, although it is possible he did not actually see the account

sent to Theophilus.

*

An exposition of John's Gospel bearing the title Life through His Name

can be obtained from The Berean Publishing Trust, 52A Wilson Street, London

EC2A  2ER.

The writer of this Gospel is the writer of the Acts of the Apostles,

the Gospel being written to one known as 'most excellent Theophilus' (Luke

1:3), the Acts opening with the words:

'The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus' (Acts 1:1).

We find Luke accompanying Paul to Rome, and he is found with him at the

time of the end, Paul saying with evident feeling 'Only Luke is with me' (2

Tim. 4:11).  In Colossians 'Luke, the beloved physician' sends greetings to

the church (Col. 4:14).  The first fifteen verses of Acts 1 are a summary of

the teaching of the last chapter of Luke's Gospel, and form a link between

the two writings.  This overlap is set out in chapter 1 of the book The

Apostle of the Reconciliation.*

*

May be obtained from The Berean Publishing Trust, 52A Wilson Street,

London EC2A  2ER

From Colossians 4:11 and 14 we gather that Luke was not one of the

circumcision, and if he was, as is usually believed, a Gentile, he stands

unique, for every other writer of the Scriptures was an Israelite excepting