What is the Gospel?
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
GOOD NEWS
In the New Testament, that is, in the Gospel section of the Holy Bible. It is about the coming of the Kingdom of God and what God has done for humanity through Jesus Christ, as Jesus Himself preached. God fulfilled the promise of a Savior and Salvation, which He made to the people of Israel (not the modern state of Israel, but the faithful community that began with Abraham in the Torah) for centuries, through Jesus Christ. This is the announcement of the Gospel. Jesus referred to the prophecy of Isaiah, spoken centuries ago (in the Torah and Psalms), saying this prophecy has been fulfilled concerning Himself.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” —
In the Holy Bible’s Gospel, there are two chapters where Apostle Paul explains the Gospel in more detail:
“I, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” —
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” —
The first four books of the New Testament — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are also called Gospels. However, this usage is not found inside the New Testament itself; when “Gospel” is said, it means the content of the Good News of Jesus Christ, not the books themselves. It should be emphasized that the content of the Gospel does not differ in these books. Over time, people might say “the Gospel according to Matthew” or “according to John,” but the content of the Gospel is the same. Only perspectives and events covered differ.
Mark begins his narrative:
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Here, the Gospel indicates its content, which focuses on Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
When Matthew speaks about the Gospel, he calls it
“the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23). He also refers to this Gospel of the kingdom preached by Jesus and the church as “this gospel” (Matthew 26:13).
The source of the Good News is Jesus Christ. Accepting the Good News means completely changing our worldview and lives. For this, we must repent and turn away from living by our own decisions and enter the way of Jesus Christ. Therefore, an important part of the Good News is that our Creator gives us the opportunity to repent and be forgiven of our sins through the cross of Jesus Christ. God calls us to a faithful life through the incredible work done through Jesus Christ and, most importantly, gives us hope. Because God’s purpose in doing new things through Jesus Christ is to restore the perfect creation He made at the beginning of time and for us to live lives like Him under His Kingdom.
If you want to understand the Gospel better and invite Jesus Christ into your life by accepting this Gospel, you can start reading the Holy Bible immediately using the links below. Peace be with you.
