The Gospel Is
The Gospel in Focus: Part 1
The central message of the Christian faith could be summarized into one phrase: the gospel. If you attend a church service this weekend, it is likely that you will hear this word come up. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a central declaration of the Christian faith.
But there are many misconceptions about this gospel in the world of Christianity, and many have not taken the time to carefully study and understand what we mean when we talk about the gospel.
In this series of posts labelled “The Gospel in Focus”, I hope to bring provocative reflections to this core element of the Christian faith. We’ll explore many wonderful ideas, critique others, and learn together!
Why Define “Gospel?”
For some, this project may seem redundant. Why spend such time defining this term? Allow me to share a few reasons.
Precision in the Midst of Generalities
Many do not precisely define biblical words or theological ideas. Instead, concepts are left vague. When concepts are left vague, two problems arise: first, people in the church will no longer know what words they say mean, and second, people outside the church will never know what such words mean! What was meant as a gift to the world becomes indecipherable, abstract slop.
In my church tradition, there’s a slogan that says “call Bible things by Bible names.” I have a love-hate relationship with motto, particularly in how it is sometimes applied. However, I think it is generally helpful. If Scripture gives us precise language to use, we should take care in preserving it when possible.
Precision with our words and care in articulating biblical concepts honors the revelation that was passed on to us. Let us honor God by precisely defining the gift of the gospel!
Clarity in Cloudiness
If we can explore how the New Testament speaks of the gospel, it will provide clarity for us today. This is vital because of the cloudiness that has developed in how people use the term gospel. Some might say the gospel is justification by faith, others will call it social justice, and others still will say the gospel is a pathway to prosperity in life. Are any of these gospels the gospel? How can we know for sure?
In doing the due diligence of examining the Scriptures and making observations, we can find clarity, not just for our own sake but for the sake of others, too! It will help as we consider the works of others and how we help others hear the gospel.
The Gospel Is
We’re going to precisely clarify the meaning of the “gospel” by looking at what the Bible affirms about it. These 5 foundational principles, built in a particular context with particular language, give us the ability to make a strong gospel description.
The Gospel is: Good News (About Jesus)
Behind the word “gospel” is the Greek word euangelion. In its most basic sense, euangelion means “good news.”
In the context of the New Testament, however, euangelion is not just some general news that is good. The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. This is explicit in the first verse of Mark:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1, CSB)
As we begin exploring the content of the gospel message, we will discover that this is a message about Jesus Christ. In whatever way we describe the gospel, its content must be related to Jesus.
Secondly, whatever the gospel is, it must be news that is good! This seems like a no-brainer for a word that means “good news.” But here’s my point: however we articulate the gospel should naturally lead into and answer the question, “What makes this news so good anyway?” If we don’t reach the end of the road without good news, we can’t say that we’ve properly understood the gospel.
Of course, meaning cannot be separated from its context. For example, if I were painting my living room and called the chosen color “light,” that means something different than if I were to pick up my backpack and call it “light” (and believe me, it is rarely light!). For us to know what exactly this “good news” is, we must look at the context: how the euangelion is used in the ancient world and how the word is used in Scripture.
The Gospel is: A Royal-Political Announcement
Euangelion was used in numerous different contexts in the ancient world. One common setting was in royal and political announcements. For example, in the Priene calendar inscription, the birth of Augustus Caesar was proclaimed as “the beginning of good news for the world.”
The Jewish historian Josephus also declares Vespian being the new emperor as good news:
Accordingly Vespasian, looking upon himself as already intrusted with the government, got all things ready for his journey [to Rome]. Now fame carried this news abroad more suddenly than one could have thought, that he was emperor over the east, upon which every city kept festivals, and celebrated sacrifices and oblations for such good news (Wars of the Jews, 4.618, Whiston)
And now, as Vespasian was come to Alexandria, this good news came from Rome, and at the same time came embassies from all his own habitable earth, to congratulate him upon his advancement; (Wars of the Jews, 4.656)
Even in the Old Testament, we see similar undertones. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), euangelion and its word family appear multiple times, often bearing royal-political news: King Saul’s death (used sarcastically by David in 2 Sam 4:10) and a victory won over Absalom (2 Sam 18:22, 25). The verbal form is also used in 1 Sam 31:9, where Philistine messages spread the good news that Saul was dead.
When we get to the New Testament, the gospel still functions as a royal-political announcement. The most common shorthand for the gospel in the New Testament is “the gospel of Christ.” “Christ” is not a last name but a royal title that speaks of God’s anointed king. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, prophesied to come. The gospel of Jesus (the) Christ is a royal announcement, it’s good news of God’s chosen king!
And when Jesus himself proclaims the gospel, it’s once again a royal-political proclamation:
After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news [euangelion] of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news [euangelion]!” (Mark 1:14-15, CSB)
Jesus preaches a message about a kingdom arriving. To speak of kings was royal, and to speak of kingdoms carried political weight.
The gospel of Jesus is good news because it is a royal-political announcement about the arrival of God’s king and his kingdom. If our definition of the gospel does not carry royal-political tones, we’re out of line with how it is used in the ancient world and in Scripture. The type of good news we speak of Jesus must happen as a result of him being the Messiah.
The Gospel is: A Story
Many times, the gospel is simplified into a neat set of propositions. This is not inherently wrong— 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 is our earliest summation of the good news content, and it could be written as a series of bullet points. However, these propositions are also shared in a chronological order. That is because they tell more than a series of factual truth statements: the gospel tells a story.
Through and through, the gospel is the story of Jesus. This is why Mark can confidently call his work the gospel (Mark 1:1, see above)! When we read the gospel of Mark, we see an entire narrative of Jesus’s ministry, not just his teaching or his death and resurrection. Does your articulation of the gospel describe the story of Jesus, or does it simply present certain truth statements?
The story of Jesus is not just shared in a vacuum. We only arrive at Jesus because his coming was anticipated in a larger story: the story of Israel. We read about Israel’s journey as God’s people, how they were given a calling to be a kingdom of priests to the nations, yet they failed to live up to their calling. They faced consequences for not maintaining covenant faithfulness, but they also anticipated rescue from God’s coming Messiah. This Messiah would restore Israel, bring peace, order, and justice, and ultimately help Israel fulfill their priestly role to the nations.
This is why the story of Jesus is consistently connected to Israel’s story. We repeatedly read about the fulfillment of Scripture in the Gospels.1 Jesus himself connects his story to the Scriptures.2 The gospel-oriented sermons in Acts draw upon Israel’s story. Finally, in Paul’s description of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, he links it to a previous story:
For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: 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, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, CSB)
So to call Jesus “Christ” recalls the larger story that he is placed in. When we speak of the gospel, we are telling the story of Jesus, a story that continues the story of Israel. In fact, he’s the climactic point of Israel’s story!
The Gospel is: Jesus-centered
Too often the gospel is described in anthropocentric ways. What I mean is that the central focus of the gospel is about humans and individuals. Consider this common summary of the gospel:
God loves you has a plan for you
You sinned
Jesus came to save you
You can have eternal life by trusting in Jesus
Sometimes even the first bullet point is left out. Do you see how the central character of this gospel is humanity, and more specifically an individual person? Everything in this message revolves around humans. For many descriptions of the gospel, Jesus is just a vehicle to help humans get from point a to point b— how humans can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. Instead of the lead, Jesus is a support actor.
Now don’t get me wrong: the gospel is certainly good news for humans! But the good news also extends beyond just humans, which is why Paul can speak of all of creation groaning in anticipation for what’s to come (Rom 8:18-25).
Either way, the central character is not humans— it’s Jesus! When we share the gospel, we must keep Jesus as the main character in our rhetoric.
The Gospel is: Defined by Scripture
Of all elements, this is the most important principle to follow when it comes to the gospel. Really, all the other elements flow from this idea. If we want to represent the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully, we must let Scripture speak. The content of the gospel we share should match the content of the gospel that the New Testament shares. We shouldn’t add to it, and we shouldn’t take from it.
Where, then, do we look to find the content of the gospel? There are three explicit summaries of the gospel in Paul’s writings:
1 Corinthians 15:3-5— written in the 50s AD, this is considered the earliest gospel summary. With the cadence of the wording, it is even possible that this is an early creed or proto-creed used to help the early church affirm the gospel.
Romans 1:1-4— As Paul opens his letter to the Romans, he takes a moment to restate the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:8— This is a shorthand of the gospel that Paul shared, and it is the most succinct gospel summary (beyond describing Jesus as the Christ).
After this, we can also see the content of the gospel that the early church shared:
Mark 1:1— Mark calls his book the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our gospel definition, therefore, must be big enough to allow for this Gospel (and the other three Gospels that share this title) to be part of the gospel.
Gospelling in Acts— The verbal form of the gospel (euangelizō) means “to proclaim/preach good news.” It describes people who are gospelling to other people. Sometimes translations obscure this connection, translating it as simply “preach.” There are 15 instances of this verb in Acts: 5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 10:36; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10; 17:18. Additionally, the sermons in Acts are meant to be read as gospel-centric messages. We can observe patterns in the content preached: 2:14-39; 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 10:34-43 (read with 11:4-18)l 13:16-41; 14:15-17; 17:22-31. Additionally, Stephen’s message could potentially fall under this category in Acts 7:2-53.3
Other ideas might flow into the gospel as context for the story, and there might be ideas that flow out of the gospel (like how we might respond). But we must let the above New Testament passages guide us in precisely defining the good news of Jesus.
If you want to make the most out of this series of posts, spend an hour today reflecting on these different passages. As you read the verses, open up a document on your computer or take a notepad and pen, and make observations. What does each passage seem to emphasize? What patterns do you notice? What surprises you? This exercise might be the most important and profitable thing you could do.
If this is the Gospel, What is the Gospel?
The gospel of Jesus Christ is shaped by five foundational principles. The gospel is:
Good news (about Jesus)
A royal-political announcement
A story
Jesus-centered
Defined by Scripture
These principles give us the means to build a strong, consistent, precise description of the gospel of Jesus Christ!
So buckle up, because you’re in for a ride! For some, this project will reveal new ideas that you haven’t considered. For others, I hope it can be an affirming reminder of the hope we find in the gospel of Christ. Maybe it can be an easy resource to point to when others struggle with understanding the full meaning of the gospel.
Before I describe the gospel in my own way, we’re going to first see other attempts. There are many different gospel definitions floating around, and our next post will review these contemporary descriptions. They will give us clarity in what should or shouldn’t be called the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Find the next post in this series here!
Questions to consider:
Which of these foundational principles stands out to you? Why might that be so important?
How does seeing the gospel as a story shift the way we might talk about it?
Why do you think there are so many totally different gospels taught by people in the church? What can we do to change that?
What surprises you most when you consider the content of the gospel according to the New Testament?
E.g. Matt 1:22-23; 8:17; 12:17-21; Mark 1:1-3; Luke 4:21; John 19:24, 28, 36.
Luke 24:25-27
More will be said on resources later, but I am indebted to Scot McKnight’s work in examining the gospel in Acts. See Scot McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 129-147.
“Call Bible things by Bible names” - I love it!