What is the Gospel?
Quick Answer
The Gospel is the 'good news' of salvation through Jesus Christ - that God became man, died for sins, rose again, and offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe.
Understanding Gospel
The word 'gospel' (Greek: euangelion) means 'good news.' In the Roman world, it announced military victories and royal proclamations. In Christianity, it is the announcement of God's victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ. The gospel message includes: humanity's sinful condition and separation from God, Christ's incarnation as fully God and fully man, His sinless life, His substitutionary death for sins, His bodily resurrection, and the offer of salvation by grace through faith. The gospel is not advice for self-improvement but news of what God has done. It calls for a response - repentance from sin and faith in Christ. The gospel is 'the power of God unto salvation' (Romans 1:16) and the central message the church is commissioned to proclaim.
In the Old Testament
The concept of good news appears in the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah's prophecies of deliverance. Isaiah 52:7 celebrates the messenger bringing 'good tidings' of peace and salvation. Isaiah 61:1 prophesies the Messiah preaching 'good tidings unto the meek.' The entire Old Testament prepares for the gospel through its revelation of human sinfulness, the sacrificial system pointing to Christ, and prophecies of a coming Savior. The gospel was 'preached before unto Abraham' (Galatians 3:8) in the promise that through his seed all nations would be blessed.
In the New Testament
Jesus inaugurated His ministry proclaiming 'the gospel of the kingdom' (Mark 1:14). The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are so named because they narrate the 'good news' of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. After Pentecost, the apostles proclaimed the gospel, and it spread throughout the known world. Paul provides the clearest summary: 'Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again' (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The gospel is not just the entry point to Christianity but the foundation for all Christian life and growth.
Key Scripture References
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Read full commentary →Romans 1:16“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
Read full commentary →Mark 1:14-15“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Read full commentary →Ephesians 2:8-9“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Read full commentary →John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Read full commentary →Acts 4:12“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Read full commentary →Related Concepts
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