Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…
gos-pel:[1]
- the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the Christian revelation.
- the story of Christ’s life and teachings, esp. as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
- (usually initial capital letter) any of these four books.
- something regarded as true and implicitly believed: to take his report for gospel
- a doctrine regarded as of prime importance: political gospel.
- glad tidings, esp. concerning salvation and the kingdom of God as announced to the world by Christ.
- (often initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. an extract from one of the four Gospels, forming part of the Eucharistic service in certain churches.
“Jesus Christ is the gospel. The good news is revealed in His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel, His resurrection is the power of the gospel and His ascension is the glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men must be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what He has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our hearts, churches and ministries to proceed from and be related to the cross.”[2]
The word gospel is translated from the Greek εὐαγγέλιον which means good news. It is the message of the life, death and resurrection of Christ through which the believer is saved from sin and to life. Indeed, there are various ways of looking at the gospel, depending upon the way in which you are looking at the term. This article will be restricted to the theological implications for mankind, but we must also be cognizant of the greater story of God’s creation, its corruption and His reconciliation. See the article “What is Reconciliation?” for a broader sense of God’s overarching purpose in the good news.
In its most simple form, the gospel is a confession of the primary tradition of faith which is presented in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8:
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
In this snapshot foundational understanding, we learn the following:
- I. It is by the gospel that we are saved
We are not saved by any works of the flesh or attempts and efforts to reach out to God. Neither are we saved by any religious system nor any other belief. It is purely and only on the merits of and by trusting in the gospel that we are saved.[3]
- II. Christ died
While we will focus on the significance of the event in the next point, it is important to point out that assertion necessarily implies incarnation. Being divine, the Son could not die. So, He emptied Himself of prestige and privilege[4] and was clothed with flesh, bone and suffering, being born of the virgin and living a perfect and obedient life until He breathed His last.
- III. He died for our sins
He bore our sins and the wrath of His Father as our perfect sacrifice. This is substitutionary atonement; that Jesus died for our sins and in our place. He took the curse which was ours and made it His own. He was our substitute. Though we deserved to die, yet He died.
- IV. He died according to the Scriptures
He was not taken by surprise and neither was this plan some last minute insertion into God’s redemptive program. From all eternity Christ was appointed and willingly chose to submit Himself to death.
- V. He was buried
His burial represents to us His actual death to assure us that the price has adequately been paid. Done away with is the claim that perhaps He merely escaped from the cross and reappeared. He truly died and lay in a tomb for three days.
- VI. He was raised on the third day
Being fully God, death could not hold Him. Our payment being rendered in full, He rose victorious over death and sin. We have evidence of divine satisfaction. God’s wrath was fully spent.
- VII. He appeared to a number of persons
This is not some contrived narrative to make us feel good. Rather, those who witnessed to His resurrection attested to it not only in word, but by choosing gladly to face death. Such confidence on their part inspires subsequent confidence in those of us who have not seen with our own eyes.
The above summary is a basic answer to the question, “What is the gospel?” It is the good news that though we were dead in our transgressions and sins,[5] while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, in our place.[6] For the means by which to enter into the benefits of the gospel see “What Must I do to be Saved?” and “Is Christ the Only Way?”
In order to believe in this gospel, it is necessary that we try to put together the requisite elements of the tradition which Paul mentions. These elements include: sin, death, substitutionary atonement, and faith. The next post will have further expansion of these elements.
[1] From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2006.
[2] From The Village Church Statement of Faith
[3] See “What Must I do to be Saved?” and “Is Christ the Only Way?”
[4] Philippians 2:7
[5] Ephesians 2:1,5
[6] Romans 5:8
