In the gospel or good news, we are still studying God’s solution to sin, salvation. The gospel is one foundational aspect of God’s multipart plan to rescue humankind and save it from its own sin and degradation. God calls out to us with the gospel of his grace. Will we respond? I also introduce the three acronyms D-O-B-R-A-S and A-R-T-B-E, and G-O-S-P-E-L, so I can remember what the basics of the gospel are.
The gospel is multifaceted, but all the facets point to one basic meaning.
I.. Basic Definition
A.. It is the good news.
It is the good news or good message or good announcement about who Jesus is and what he has done. Jesus is the Son and the Lord and the Messiah, who died for our sins and was buried, whom God vindicated by raising him from the dead, who appeared to many disciples, and whom God exalted to his right hand, where he forever reigns as Lord over all things.
B.. Further analysis
This definition is based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. For a breakdown of that basic definition, scroll down to the Content (Section V).
II.. Etymology (Word Origins)
A.. In Greek “gospel”
It comes from the noun euangelion (pronounced yew-ahn-geh-lee-on, and the “g” is hard, as in “get”). It is used 76 times in the NT, it combines eu– (good or positive) angel (message or announcement, and yes we get our word angel from Greek). It means “good news” or “good message” or “good announcement.”
B.. The verb for “gospel”
It comes from euangelizō (pronounced eu-ahn-geh-lee-zoh, and the “g” is hard, as in “get”). The suffix izō is the verb form. Greek adds the suffix -iz- and changes the noun to the verb. We do too, as in “modern” to “modernize”. So we could say “gospelize” or good-news-ize!” if the words were not awkward. Better: The one verb means “proclaim / preach / announce the good news.”
III.. Key Words That Describe the Gospel
A. Here are the facets
1.. It is the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1)
Originating with God, he launched it through his Son’s incarnation. Paul says he was set apart for the gospel of God.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1)
2.. It is the good news of God’s grace (Acts 20:24).
But on no account do I make my life precious to me, as I complete my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, testifying of the good news of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, my translation, emphasis added)
This stands in contrast to the drudgery of keeping the Sinai Covenant and all its laws. Yes, the Sinai covenant had a grace component in it (see III., below), but full grace comes through Jesus.
One Decisive Difference Between Sinai Covenant and New Covenant
The gospel must be heard and then we must truly understood God’s grace.
In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. (Col. 1:6)
God’s grace is embedded in the gospel.
3.. It is the gospel of God’s Son (Rom. 1:9; Mark 1:1)
The gospel is only and always about Jesus.
God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son […]. (Rom. 1:9)
God’s Son launched and preached the gospel during his earthly ministry. It is about him and for us.
Jesus began it.
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, Son of God” (Mark 1:1, my translation).
That verse is the opening statement of the Gospel of Mark and its beginning, so it says that the entire written Gospel is the good news or gospel. It truly is multi-faceted.
4.. It is the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thess. 1:8).
When we surrender to his Lordship, we can call him our Lord. But if we don’t surrender and obey the gospel, we place ourselves in peril:
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thess. 1:8)
5.. It is the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19)
For Paul the gospel was connected to signs and wonders backing up the gospel of Christ and done through the Spirit of God:
[…] by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. (Rom. 15:19)
That verse shows that Paul was a tireless, relentless missionary. Further, “Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah,” which means the “Anointed One.”
6.. The light of the gospel displays the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4).
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Cor. 4:4)
When people cannot receive the gospel, they miss out on the glory of Jesus Christ. Glory is connected to God’s light, which reveals the truth. We also see that the god of this age (Satan) blinds the minds of unbelievers. Blindness also means self-deception, prodded by Satan. Pray that God would open the minds of your friends and family to receive the gospel.
7.. It is the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23, etc.)
The Bible never says the “gospel of the King,” but it says the “gospel of the kingdom,” and it is a fair deduction that a kingdom must have a king, and he is Jesus, according to the four Gospels (Matt. 2:2; 21:5; 25:34, 40; 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 19:38; 23:3; John 1:49; 6:15; 12:13, 15; 18:39; 19:14).
And he circulated throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every malady among the people. (Matt. 4:23, my translation)
There are many verses that use the phrase “gospel of the kingdom.” So what is the kingdom? We better not dive into this rich topic here since this post is already very long, so please see section 3 and part 20 about the Kingdom of God:
8.. It is the gospel of salvation (Eph. 1:13)
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit […] (Eph. 1:13)
The gospel is a synonym for the message of truth, which is about a person, not only abstract, theological propositions. It is about the person of Jesus Christ. It includes everyone who surrenders to the Lordship of Jesus, not just the extra-pious and well-behaved. The gospel changes people from the inside out, by the power of the indwelling Spirit.
9.. It is the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:14a-15)
Stand firm then […] 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (Eph. 6:14b\a-15)
It is the peace that comes from being reconciled to God. Before our reconciliation to him, we were his enemies because we lived according to the world, the flesh, and the devil, even though we may not have realized it. Now, through Jesus and his message, we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). The gospel, when we surrender to it and Christ’s Lordship, can also bring us internal peace because we can sense in our hearts that we have peace with Father God (Phil. 4:7).
Find this link:
B. Basic summary
Salvation is an equally multifaced term, as much as the gospel is. Since this post is about the gospel, and I must not extend an already-long post, you can read about the term salvation at this link:
IV.. The Gospel in the Old Testament
A.. The Old Testament’s gospel theology
Of course the Old Testament introduces the gospel. Examples follow.
B.. It was revealed first to Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15)
It is called the protoevangelium, which means the “first” (proto-) or “primitive” gospel (evangelium). God is speaking to the serpent:
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.” (Gen. 3:15)
Womankind, who will be represented by one woman Mary, will give birth to Jesus the Messiah, and he will defeat Satan.
C.. The gospel was revealed to Abraham (Gen. 12:2-3; 18:18; 22:18).
Here is Genesis 12:2-3, which will be fulfilled ultimately in Christ, as we will see below in verses from the NT:
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:2-3)
Galatians 3:16 speaks of Christ being the one offspring (or seed, singular):
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. (Gal. 3:16)
Everyone in Christ is now a blessing to the nations, the ultimate descendant of Abraham, because Jesus is the Messiah and Lord.
Here is the same promise restated in two more verses:
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. (Gen. 18:18):
[…] and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Gen. 22:18)
Abraham’s ultimate blessing to the nations is through his highest descendant, Christ Jesus, as we read in Galatians 3:16. Galatians 3:8-9 reinforces 3:16:
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Gal. 3:8-9)
This reliance on faith is not vague or scattered. It is directed and placed in the Messiah Jesus. Now Gentiles can become the people of God through faith in the preeminent descendant of Abraham, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, and the Messiah (see V.E, below).
D.. The gospel was predicted in the prophet Isaiah’s writings (Is. 40:9; 52:7-10; 61:1-3)
Isaiah predicts the gospel, using the phrase “good news.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!” (Is. 40:9, emphasis added)
This long passage from Isaiah is rich with key words, which are fulfilled in Christ.
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God. (Is. 52:7-10)
All the major themes are there: good news, redemption, salvation, joy. They are all fulfilled in the Messiah.
Jesus quotes much of Isaiah 61:1-3, though he omits the verse about vengeance (v. 2b).
First, here are the verses in Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. (Is. 61:1-3, emphasis added)
Second, in fulfillment of the above passage, quoting Isaiah 62:1-2, Jesus announces the beginning or launch of his ministry, in his hometown, Nazareth:
16 He came to Nazareth, where he was raised, and according to his custom on the Sabbath day he entered the synagogue and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was given him, and he opened the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he has anointed me.
He sent me to preach the good news to the poor,
To proclaim release to the captives
And sight to the blind,
To set at liberty the shattered,
19 To proclaim the Lord’s year of favor” [Is. 61:1-2]
20 After he rolled up the scroll and gave it to the attendant, he sat down. Everyone’s eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-19, my translation)
Note how he stops in the middle of Isaiah 62:2 and omits the vengeance of God. God will ultimately judge Jerusalem (Luke 21:20), but not yet at the earliest stage of his Son’s ministry.
V.. The Content of the Gospel
A.. It is the basic story about Jesus (Mark 1:1; 1 Cor. 15:1-8)
We already read Mark 1:1, which says, “the beginning of gospel of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” The entire Gospel of Mark proclaims the gospel of Jesus, so the topic is huge and multifaceted.
Turning to Paul, here is a long but boiled-down passage about the gospel:
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. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 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. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. (1 Cor 15:1-8)
We are saved by the gospel, if we hold firm to it (v. 2), or, if not, we will believe in vain. Verses 3-8 entails these elements of the gospel: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; he was buried; he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and he appeared to many disciples.
Here is the acronym based on those verses.
D-O-B-R-A-S
I pronounce it dohbras, reminding me of Debras (the heroine in Judges 4-5). Or it could be the D-O-B-R-A-S (the gospel message) defeat cobras or serpents or demons.
1 – Died: according to the Scriptures; we need to root the gospel in the Bible. He is the sacrifice for our sins. Sin results in death. Either we die or the Righteous One dies for us.
2- Our sins: he died for our sins, in our place. We are sinners. We deserved to be on the cross, but he took our place. We must admit we are sinners and quit sins by repentance. If we don’t see this, then we will not see our need for God’s salvation. If we don’t repent, then the other truths don’t apply to us.
3 – Buried: he cannot be resurrected unless he was buried. He was dead.
4 – Raised: the resurrection is the heart of the gospel. God vindicated his Son by raising him from the dead, on the third day, according to the Scriptures. Go to biblegateway.com and type in “third day” and you will get remarkable hits. It’s a significant theme, which we can skip over, in the Scriptures.
5 – Appearances: he appeared to women first and then multiple eyewitnesses, including over 500 at one time. This is strong eyewitness proof that he was alive.
6 – Salvation: All the above truths (1-5) lead to salvation if we hold firm to those basics. It is implied that if we do not hold firm to the message of the gospel, we are not saved. But let’s learn the basic gospel so we can spread it around conversationally, if we are one-on one with an individual , but let’s proclaim those basics to the church, where unrepentant sinners may be visiting.
In the two other acronyms, below, I provide more Scripture, but in this section I depend on 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, so the Scripture is right there.
You can come up with your own acronym (or not).
Please don’t bludgeon people with this acronym itself, as if it has power on its own. I use it only to keep my own convictions clear and basic knowledge straight. I and countless of other Christians need to know the basics of the gospel–what it is, how to define it, boiled down.
Or go here for “third day” of “after three days”:
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection and Rebukes Peter
B.. The gospel says Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 5:42)
And every day, in the temple and households, they [the apostles] did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 5:42, my translation)
The Messiah means “Anointed One.” God anointed him at his baptism. He went around healing people and expelling demons. He was also anointed to preach the gospel or good news.
C.. The gospel brings salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus (Rom. 1:16-17)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16-17)
The Spirit-inspired gospel is sufficient to produce saving faith in receptive people who in turn respond by exercising their gospel-produced faith and putting their trust in Jesus. So it works out to this simple sequence (the arrows mean “produces”):
Gospel → Saving Faith → Trust in Jesus
The moment one trusts in Jesus, the believer is born again by the Spirit (John 3:3). The Spirit-inspired gospel is powerful enough to bring salvation to open-hearted people, without a complicated process worked out by some theologians.
D.. Grace is built into the gospel (Acts 20:24)
We read this verse before (II.B). Grace and the gospel go hand in hand and are never to be separated.
E.. Both Jew and Gentile (Greek) can now be saved through the gospel of Christ (Eph. 3:6-7)
Gentiles (non-Jews) were never descendants of Abraham. So how could they be admitted into God’s people? Through the gospel of Christ.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. (Eph. 3:6-7)
The great mystery of the age is that God opened up his chosen people to Gentiles. The gospel opens this door of inclusion. It was a wonderful and stunning message for Paul, an extra-devout Pharisee before his salvation-conversion (Phil. 3:4-11).
F.. The fullest proclamation of gospel must be connected to demonstration (Matt. 4:23-24; 9:35; 10:7b-8; Luke 9:10-11)
In these verses Matthew sees the connection between Jesus preaching the gospel and doing signs and wonders, with healing and deliverances:
23 And he circulated throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every malady among the people. 24 And the report about him went out to all of Syria, and they brought to him everyone having illnesses, various sicknesses and pains—those being tormented and suffering from being demonized and having seizures and paralytics—and he healed them. (Matt. 4:23-24)
Next, Matthew summarizes the same connection between proclamation and demonstration:
35 And so Jesus circulated around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness. (Matt. 9:35)
Now the disciples go out, but not before Jesus instructs them on what to say and do:
As you go, proclaim, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, expel demons. (Matt. 10:7b-8)
In these verses, the twelve apostles returned from the short-term mission. They healed the sick and expelled demons. Then Jesus went north and the crowd followed him:
10 When the apostles returned, they described to him everything they did. He took them along and withdrew privately into a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowd found out, they followed him. He welcomed them and was speaking to them about the kingdom of God and was healing the ones needing healing. (Luke 9:10-11)
So in v. 11, Luke connects the proclamation of the kingdom of God and healing.
There are many other verses about proclamation and demonstration. This gospel was defined before 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (see I.A).
G.. The gospel says Jesus will return as judge (Rom. 2:15-16)
15 They [Gentiles] show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. (Rom. 2:15-16, emphasis added)
Yes, the gospel involves grace, but at the end of the age God will judge everyone’s secrets through Jesus Christ. Final judgment is also part and parcel of the gospel.
See this post at my website: Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
VI. A-R-T-B-E and G-O-S-P-E-L
A. Brief intro.
The first acronym is pronounced art be.
The previous major point was the Content of the Gospel. Here is my variation on it. I like to create abbreviations or acronyms so I can remember the core of the gospel. It is a fun challenge. I also have another acronym in part one in this section on Soteriology: S-E-R-F-F-F-B-OR-D (surfboard).
B. The first acronym.
1.. Admit you are a sinner.
There are lots of verses, but here is one to get you started:
[…] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom. 3:23)
2.. Repent of your sins
It means a change of mind that produces a change in action or behavior.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt. 4:17)
3. Trust fully and completely in Jesus.
Paul and Silas tell the Philippian jailer:
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
Believing and trusting are the same word in Greek. I like the translation “trust” because it has a deeper meaning in English (to me, at least).
4. Born again
Be born again.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again (John 3:3)
This is when the Spirit causes you to experience a new life. The old things have passed away, and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).
5. Empowerment
Jesus is speaking to the Eleven:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
And this verse describes the empowerment of a large gathering of the church in Jerusalem.
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)
After you are saved, you need empowerment to live a Spirit-filled, holy life and to be a witness.
The last point is also a part of the gospel, but if you not think so, then delete the “E” and just go with A-R-T-B. It still sounds the same as A-R-T-B-E.
C. The second acronym, G-O-S-P-E-L
I won’t quote Scripture in all of the letters because I did this in the first acronym.
1.. Good news of God’s grace
Paul speaks to the Ephesian elders:
[…] my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24b)
Then he writes to the Ephesians:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (Eph. 2:8)
2. Offense
Our sins and rebellion have created an offense between us and God. He did not move. We did.
The people of Nazareth, Jesus’s hometown, too offense at him, because they did not believe he was the Messiah. The very idea!
Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. (Mark 6:3)
In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (weeds that look like wheat, early on), Jesus talks of final judgment on those who cause sin and do evil:
40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:40-42)
“O” also reminds me of God’s offer.
The first offer is our repentance. He grants it to us. Jesus is already resurrected, and just before his ascension, he tells people to preach repentance.
46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Peter is writing about the Day of the Lord, or the Second Coming. Why the delay? God is patient with people. He writes:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
You can now talk about reconciliation as another of his offers. After we repent of our sins and rebellion and surrender to the Son of God, then we become reconciled and his friends.
Here is one about reconciliation.
Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Rom. 5:11)
These verses are all about it:
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
Here is a verse about friends:
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13-15)
Verse 14 seems conditional. By God’s grace and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can maintain our friendship with God and his Son.
3. Salvation from sins
You can omit the phrase “of sins” because it is in the acronym under Offense. You can now offer salvation from sins in an additional way than reconciliation.
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Rom. 10:9-10)
I won’t quote verses about sins, because I did that before in the previous acronym.
4. Place your full faith and trust in Jesus.
For the Scriptures see the previous point (Salvation)
5. Empowered
You can also call it Empowerment. When you do those previous letters, God by his Spirit empowers you to be born again and then you have subsequent empowerments, not to be born again (again), but to share your faith when the need arises.
For the Scriptures see Empowerment in the previous acronym.
6. Life in the Spirit and holiness
When God’s Spirit lives in you, he empowers you to live in the Spirit and “smackdown” sins and thoughts and behavior that is contrary to the will of God, God’s best for you.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Gal. 5:16-18)
And these verses:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23)
The fruit should show up in your behavior. “No law” means that life in the Spirit is not about law-keeping, but letting the Spirit work in you. But if you ever get confused, then check back with moral law in the Ten Commandments and elsewhere in the NT.
And these:
14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter. 1:14-16)
The gospel produces a 180-degree turn in you from your evil desires in your old life to holiness. Only God’s Spirit can transform your life.
D. Summary
You can invent your own acronyms, if you like (or not), to an “elevator pitch.” It could include surrender, grace, love, the resurrection, forgiveness of sins, and so on. Be sure to include Scripture. But in your private conversations with an unbeliever, you should not brag about the acronyms, but keep them in mind, so you can get the main elements of the gospel, either in one conversation or more likely over many long conversations.
This is good for street preachers, too, or Sunday morning pastors, to remember.
Whatever the case, I hope this helps.
VII.. Characteristics and Function of the Gospel
A. It’s nature and functions
1.. It reveals the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4)
We saw this verse before (III.F). We need to pray that our friends and loved ones have their minds opened up to receive the light (truth) of the gospel which displays the glory of Christ. People receiving the gospel is the best way of defeating Satan in spiritual warfare.
2.. It is eternal or age-long (Rev. 14:6; see 1 Pet. 1:25).
Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. (Rev. 14:6)
In Greek, in many (not all) contexts, the word “eternal” means “for an age” or “age-long.”
The age-long gospel was planned in the heart of God before the foundation of the world. Yes, he knew (but did not cause) humanity would rebel, yet he made us anyway, because he knows his redemptive plan would far exceed our failures. It endures from now on to the end of this age and will last in all future ages, even after the Second Coming. The gospel will remain valid and in effect for us as long as God’s Son exists, which is forever.
3.. It demonstrates the power of God (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Rom. 1:16)
The gospel is so powerful that it brings salvation to everyone who believes. The gospel is so powerful that it produces saving faith in people so that they can believe it in the first place. The born-again experience is the entrance into the kingdom of God (John 3:3). There’s no need for anything more complicated than this.
4.. It saves us (2 Thess. 2:13-14)
[…] because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 2:13-14)
In v. 13, the truth = the gospel. Yes, God chose us to be saved, and numerous verses say we believe after the call of the gospel goes forth (some of these verses have been discussed in this post). So God calls and we respond for salvation, but it does not follow that God did not choose some people in a negative predestination to exclude them and send them to hell. That is, nowhere does it say here that God predestined some to damnation. Rather than obsess over that question, let’s keep the main thing the plain thing: the gospel has power in it to save us when we believe and apply it to our hearts, as we saw in the previous point (Rom. 1:16)
5.. The gospel gives us peace (Eph. 6:14-15)
We read this verse before (III.I). The gospel reconciles us with God, first, but we can expand it to reconciliation with others. Let the gospel of peace flow into your life and bring you peace with God and with each other.
6.. The gospel brings hope (Col. 1:22-23)
[…] But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. (Col. 1:22-23)
We have to remain firm until the end and not move from the hope that the gospel holds out for us. This hope will be fulfilled when he returns and presents you before God (v. 21).
7.. The gospel gives us life and immortality (2 Tim. 1:9-10)
Only in Christ do we have guaranteed immortality.
9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Tim. 1:9-10)
We are first saved, and then God calls us to a holy life, not by our own efforts but because of his purpose and grace. The grace comes through Jesus Christ, who appeared and destroyed death and brought us life and immortality right now and forever. That is, we have eternal life now and in the future (if we remain firm).
8.. The gospel grows and bears fruit (Col. 1:5-6)
[…] the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. (Col. 1:5-6)
The gospel brings hope, as we already saw in the previous point, and the gospel also grows and bears fruit as it spreads around the world and saves people by offering saving grace. It also produces growth and bears fruit in the Thessalonians since they heard it and truly understood God’s grace. Once again, the gospel and grace go together inseparably. The Thessalonians represent us as well. We too can see the growth and fruit in us by the power of the gospel living in us.
9.. The gospel has no rival (Gal. 1:6-9)
The false gospel that Paul warns against is no gospel at all.
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Gal. 1:6-9)
The false gospel was about mixing circumcision (the sign of the Abrahamic and Sinai Covenants) with the New Covenant of grace and faith in Jesus, No, Paul says. It is about faith in Christ only, not any add-ons, whether circumcision or other rituals, as necessary for salvation.
B. Summary
It is the good news or good message or good announcement about who Jesus is and what he has done. From this truth flows the other ones listed above.
VIII.. Our Response to the Gospel
A. Positive responses
1.. We should repent (Mark 1:14-15)
[…] Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near! Repent and believe in the good news!” (Mark 1:15, my translation)
The good news is sufficient to bring repentance and to believe the gospel of Christ.
2.. We should believe it (Heb. 4:2).
For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. (Heb. 4:2)
That verse says that the writer of Hebrews and his fellow-believers heard the gospel and obeyed it, in contrast to the ancient people who heard about the rest of God and did not believe it, so it had no value for them. The ancient people represent the people of the author’s day who refuse to obey the gospel. Humans have enough free will to resist the gospel, but not enough free will to strut into God’s kingdom without the gospel wooing them.
3.. We must obey it (2 Cor. 9:13; 2 Thess. 1:8; Heb. 4:6)
Those who heard about the Corinthian generosity and their confession of the gospel of Christ will praise God.
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. (2 Cor. 9:13)
Obedience to the gospel, which accompanies confession of the gospel, is part and parcel of it.
First Thessalonians 1:8 is sobering and stark. Let’s not put ourselves in everlasting peril by disobeying the gospel.
In the next verse the author of Hebrews says that those who did not obey the gospel did not go into the rest of God (salvation not based on works, but on faith)
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience (Heb. 4:6)
As noted under the previous point, the ancient people did not enter God’s rest of salvation without works, and the ancient people represent unbelievers and the disobedient in the author of Hebrew’s day. Salvation that brings us into union with Christ is not based on works, but on grace through faith (Eph. 2:8)
4.. We should not be ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Rom. 1:16)
Once we understand how powerful it is–it can transform lives–we will never be ashamed of it.
5.. We have to live worthily of the gospel (Gal. 2:4; Phil. 1:27).
Paul is about to rebuke the lead apostle, Peter, for not being consistent in walking in line with the truth of the gospel:
When I saw that they [Jews] were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? (Gal. 2:14)
“They” are various Jews who accompanied Peter. Peter ignored strict regulations when he was with the Gentiles, yet went back to the old legal strictures when certain Jews came from Jerusalem. Our message is that we must live completely for gospel freedom.
Now Paul teaches the Philippians to let the gospel empower them to live in a manner worthy of it:
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel […] (Phil. 1:27)
Not only must we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, we must strive as one, in unity, for the faith (as distinct from law-keeping) of the gospel. The gospel is about faith in Jesus, so let’s stand firm in it and not go back to the old law (or Sinai covenant) (Phil. 3:9).
6.. We should serve the gospel (2 Cor. 8:18)
An unnamed brother is the man Paul speaks of:
And we are sending along with him [Titus] the [unnamed] brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. (2 Cor. 8:18)
Titus and the unnamed brother did not serve the Roman empire, when they were going to visit the Corinthians. They served the gospel, which comes down from the heavenly kingdom.
7.. We should continue in it (Col. 1:22-23)
We read Colossians 1:22-23 before. God must sustain all of us to remain established and firm in our faith and not move away from the gospel. If we do, we lose our hope.
8.. We should promote it (Acts 8:4; Rom. 15:19-20; 1 Cor. 9:16-17)
After Saul’s (later Paul) persecution of the converts to the Messiah, they scattered and proclaimed the gospel everywhere: “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4). “Preached” is the verb “euangelizō” or they “gospelized” or “good-news-ized” the word.
Paul was a tireless, relentless missionary who intended to break through with the gospel in unreached territory where people had never heard the gospel.
19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. (Rom. 15:19-20)
Paul wanted to preach it voluntarily, but he was also compelled:
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. (2 Cor. 9:16-17)
Whether voluntarily or involuntarily (divine compulsion), let’s preach the gospel.
9.. We should defend it (Phil. 1:7, 16; cf. Jude 3)
Paul tells the Philippians how much affection he has for them (v. 7) and that he is in prison for defending the gospel (v. 16):
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. […] The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. (Phil. 1:7, 16)
In this context, “defense” means proclamation of the pure gospel without legalistic and ritualistic mixture of the old law. And for this refusal to back down from the gospel of grace, he was persecuted and arrested and sentenced to be under house arrest.
10.. We may have to suffer for the gospel (2 Tim. 1:8; 2:8-9)
Paul encourages Timothy:
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. (2 Tim. 1:8)
In Paul’s day, suffering for the gospel could come from Rome or Jerusalem. In our day, persecution is more prevalent in communist and Islamic countries. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel, and when you suffer for it, the power of God will sustain you.
Paul suffered as if he were a criminal, even though he merely preached the gospel of grace.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. (2 Tim. 2:8-9)
Jesus’s resurrection and his descendance from David (= the Messiah Jesus) brought Paul suffering and chains, as if he were a criminal.
Let’s pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in oppressive countries.
B. Summary
We should live in it, continue in it, and speak it to the world.
IX.. Application
A.. Reviewing the definition
It is the good news or good message or good announcement about who Jesus is and what he has done. Jesus is the Son and the Lord and the Messiah, who died for our sins according to the Scriptures and was buried, whom God vindicated by raising him from the dead according to the Scriptures, who appeared to many disciples, and whom God exalted to his right hand, where he forever reigns as Lord over all things.
B.. Analysis
Now let’s break it down.
“The good news or good message or good announcement about who Jesus is and what he has done.” This point comes from the basic Greek definition of euangelion. It is first and foremost good news. But about what or whom?
“Jesus is the Son and the Lord and the Messiah.” It is all about Jesus and his status in God’s kingdom.
“Who died for our sins and was buried.” Now he accomplished our salvation and suffered in our place.
“Whom God vindicated by raising him from the dead.” Yet God was with him and vindicated him when all seemed lost and finished. God raised him from the dead.
“Who appeared to many disciples.” First Corinthians 15:1-8, quoted above, says that he appeared to many disciples, including 500 at one time. The crowd of disciples must have gasped. Who knows but God? Some may have fallen on their faces or even swooned. Amazing (if you think about it).
“Whom God exalted to his right hand.” Acts 2:33 and 5:31 and 7:55-56 (and many other verses) say that God exalted him to his right hand. Jesus now occupies the highest position in the universe, equal to God.
“Where he forever reigns as Lord over all things.” These verses explain:
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9-11)
The gospel is always and only about Jesus and his salvation and grace and exaltation.
C.. You must surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.
To follow the gospel and get its blessings, you call on the name of the Lord and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Then this launches you into his new kingdom, and you can join with God to rescue people in your life, from their sin. Finally, we have to live worthy of it and proclaim it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 