The Gospel

Greek - euangelion, meaning good news, glad tidings

Latin - evangelium

English - evangel, this is the anglicized form of the word (meaning it is adapted from a foreign word for English usage).
Therefore, to evangelize is to spread the good news and an evangelist is one who announces the good news.

There are 27 books in the New Testament of which the first four, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are called the four gospels. As we now know, gospel means good news, glad tidings.
Therefore, the four gospels are four different accounts of the good news.

So what exactly is this good news? What are these glad tidings?


Let's take a look!

• According to Matthew, it is the good news of the kingdom (4:23; 9:35; 24:14).


• According to Mark, it is the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1), and the good news of God (1:14).


• According to Luke, it is the good news of the kingdom of God (4:43; 8:1; 16:16).


• Although John does not directly use the word "gospel", his writing nevertheless reveals both the way of entrance into the kingdom of God (3:3, 5) and its nature (18:36). It is also one of the most marvelous and excellent portions of the Bible concerning the life and death, and the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

From these four books, we discover that the gospel is the good news of God, the kingdom of God, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

What else does the New Testament say about the gospel?

1. It is called the gospel of the promise (Acts 13:32).


2. Jesus and the resurrection were announced as the gospel (Acts 17:18).


3. Paul called it the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).


4. It is concerning both the incarnation (next week's topic) and the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God (Rom. 1:1-4).


5. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16).


6. The righteousness of God is revealed in it (Rom. 1:17).


7. There are some who distort and pervert it (Gal. 1:7).


8. Paul announced the Son as the gospel (Gal. 1:16).


9. It is called the gospel of your salvation (Eph. 1:13).


10. When Jesus came, He announced peace as the gospel (Eph. 2:17).


11. Paul preached the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel (Eph. 3:8).


12. It is a mystery which has been made known (Eph. 6:19).


13. It is something to be advanced and defended (Phil. 1:12, 16).


14. Paul talks about the hope of the gospel (Col. 1:23).


15. God calls people through the gospel (II Thes. 2:14).


16. It is called the gospel of the glory of the blessed God (I Tim. 1:11).


17. Death is nullified, and life and incorruption are brought to light through the gospel (II Tim. 1:10).

I encourage you to take some time to open your Bible (or use some electronic device) and look up all the verses listed above. By doing so, I believe you will gain a deeper understanding of, and greater appreciation for this wonderfully good news.

How should we respond to this gospel?

First -- Repent and believe in it (Mark 1:14-15).

Then -- Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of it (Phil. 1:27).

And -- Go and proclaim it to all the creation (Mark 16:15).

What happens to people when they repent and believe?

1. They receive forgiveness of sins and are justified by God (Acts 13:38-39).


2. They are born of God and enter His kingdom (I Cor. 4:15; Col. 1:12-13).


3. They have eternal life (I John 5:11-13).

Note: This is just a brief description of what happens at the time one repents and believes. Much more detail could be given, but I will be covering these topics in the weeks to come.

Why do so many people not believe this good news?

1. Because Satan has blinded their thoughts (II Cor. 4:3-4).


2. Because of the hardness of their heart (Eph. 4:17-18).


3. Because they love darkness and their evil works (John 3:19-20).

What will happen to them if they disobey the gospel?

1. They remain condemned (John 3:17-18).


2. They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His strength (II Thes. 1:8-9).

But keep in mind that: God desires all men to be saved and does not intend that any should perish. Read First Timothy 2:4 and Second Peter 3:9.

In brief, the gospel of God is the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, including all that He is and all He has done for our salvation and the glory of God.

I now conclude this week's post with these words from the apostle Paul:

"Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I announced to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold fast the word which I announced to you as the gospel, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you, first of all, that which I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Cor. 15:1-4).

Repent and believe in the gospel, and you shall be saved!

To print or download a copy of this blog, click here.