Gospel literally means " good news " What is the good news ?
By Civic @ Berean Apologetics Ministry Fourm
The Greek word for Gospel is where we get our English word from evangelism
euaggelion: good news
Original Word: εὐαγγέλιον, ου, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: euaggelion
Phonetic Spelling: (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on)
Definition: good news
Usage: the good news of the coming of the Messiah, the gospel; the gen. after it expresses sometimes the giver (God), sometimes the subject (the Messiah, etc.), sometimes the human transmitter (an apostle).
There is One God
There is One Lord
There is One Sovereign
There is One Master
There is One Faith
There is One Baptism
There is One Jesus
There is only One way to God
There is One Savior
And there is One Gospel
Galatians 1:6
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
So since there is only One God, One Savior, One way to God through Christ, One faith, One baptism and One Gospel- there is only one way to be saved.
Paul defines that Gospel by which we are saved below:
1 Corinthians 15:1-19
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
Only One way to be saved, by One Person, One Gospel and One Faith. In Him alone. Scripture is really very exclusive here but inclusive to all that come to Him freely!
And Paul received this gospel directly from Christ by personal revelation
Galatians 1:11-12
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
This gospel is Eternal !
Revelation 14:6
Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Jesus passed on the gospel to His Disciples. Its the same Gospel but Christ had not suffered, died, risen yet. The disciples didn't understand the Passion until after His Resurrection, they were in denial.
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand…. I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.” — John 13:7,19
After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. — John 2:22
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. — Matthew 16:21
Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” — Matthew 20:17-19
After His Resurrection
He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. — Luke 24:25-27
He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. — Luke 24:44-45
Are you teaching others the one true Gospel ?
Ones salvation depends upon the one true gospel !
The gospel is Christological or Christ centered. The message is about Jesus. So, the question becomes one of identity. Who is Jesus? Let’s see what Scripture declares about the identity of Jesus and the salvation message. We see in the opening of Matthews’s gospel that Jesus is identified as Immanuel which means literally that God is with us. In Luke’s gospel we see that Jesus was born the Savior of the world. In John’s gospel we read that the Word was with God and the Word became flesh. We beheld His Glory. We also read in the same gospel (meaning good news) that God sent His Son to be the Savior. Where did He send Him from? Jesus gives us the answer to the question in John 17:5. He was together with the Father before creation and shared His Glory which is Gods alone. Jesus also tells His followers why do you ask to see the Father? To see Me is to see the Father. The Father and I are One. Basically, He is telling them He is God, you are looking at Him. This is why the Pharisees tried to stone Him on many occasions for claiming to be God (see John 8:56-60)
Also, we see the His Apostles identify Jesus as God. Thomas in John 20:28. Paul in Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13. Peter in 2 Peter 1:1,11. Hebrews 1-2, Jude and John in 1 John 1 and 5:20. Also the entire book of Revelation.
Acts it declares there is no other name given by which men must be saved! Not the name of the Father, not the name of the H.S. but the name of Jesus who represents the Godhead.
So, the gospel is Christ centered and one must know in whom they are placing their faith in to be saved.
Can I place my faith in Paul and be saved?
Can I place my faith in Peter and be saved?
Can I place my faith in Mary and be saved?
Can I place my faith in the pope and be saved?
Can I place my faith in the Holy Spirit and be saved?
Can I place my faith in the Father and be saved?
Can I place my faith in a god and be saved?
The answer to the above is a resounding no according to Scripture. There is no other name by which men must be saved period, end of story.
So, one must know and understand who the gospel is about and what He did for us. He came from heaven as God( the Word was God John 1:1, the Word became flesh John 1:14) to earth as a man to die for the sins of the world. This is the gospel by which men must be saved. He rose from the dead by the power of the Godhead (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) together raised Jesus the man from the dead.
We know that the disciples did not understand the gospel as it was hidden from them until after Pentecost. Jesus even said that He hid it from them.
Luke 9:43-45
While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Luke 18:34
But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying
Romans 16:25
Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past
1 Corinthians 2:7
No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.
Ephesians 3:1-5
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
Gospel Summary
1- Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures
2- Jesus was buried , in a guarded tomb
3- Jesus was raised from the dead, resurrected on the 3rd day bodily
4- Jesus was seen by many witnesses over 40 days before His Ascension
Jesus died for the sin of the world as the Lamb of God who taketh them away ( John 1:29 ) and Rose from the dead as the only sign He would give an unbelieving people who rejected Him proving He was the promised Messiah who had the power over sin, death/grave and the devil having been raised from the dead conquering them all. The gospel is a historical fact verified by many witnesses. The biblical principle of letting every fact be confirmed by the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses. This gospel is for all the world, for all sinners to come freely and receive the forgiveness of their sins by the atonement He made for ALL the WORLD as per 1 John 2:2.
John 1:12
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 3:16-18
“For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 20:30-31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The new birth being born again comes through the message of the gospel. It doesn't come before but after faith.
1 Peter 1:21-24
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word that was preached to you.
So Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ !
Romans 10
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.