The Gospel Message (Part Two)
If someone asked you the definition of the Gospel Message, what would you say? In this post, The Gospel Message (Part Two), let’s dig into the meaning and the message of the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel Message Is The Good News Of Jesus Christ
The literal meaning of the Gospel Message comes from Old English and it means good message or good news. So the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ.
To improve my understanding of the word gospel, I looked for different Bible verses that use the word. In fact, it’s used 92 times. Let’s look at a few examples, not all 92.
Here is the first one:
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
The background to this passage is that Paul and Barnabas were sent by the church in Antioch to the Council of Jerusalem (approximately 50-51 AD). Their mission was to urge the leaders in Jerusalem to make a clean break with those who taught that all Christians had to comply with ancient Jewish traditions and practices.
In the passage above, Peter acknowledged that salvation through Christ can come to both Jew and Gentile. After Peter spoke, the elders acknowledged that the Gospel Message is for all people.
The Gospel Message In The Bible
Here are two more examples of gospel appearing in the Bible:
After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
In this next passage, Paul clarifies that the gospel message reveals the righteousness of God, righteousness based on faith in Christ:
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.”
The Gospel Message
The Gospel Message proclaims that redemption from sin and eternal life with God have been made possible for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to live among us. Being God, Jesus lived a perfect life. Out of perfect obedience to the Father, Christ shed His blood on the Cross. He gave His life that we might have the opportunity to be restored to a loving and holy relationship with God.
We receive salvation and eternal life by declaring Jesus as our Lord and Savior and by believing that God raised Him from the dead. For it is through faith alone that we receive the gift of salvation, not by the work of our own hands. It is a gift from God and the gift of God. Salvation comes to us at no cost because Christ paid it all. He died that we might live.
The Gospel Message proclaims that redemption from sin and eternal life with God have been made possible for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This means that we must build our faith and our lives on Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ, Kurt
For the first post in this series, click on The Gospel Message
