The Truth of the Gospel

In recent conversations, I've been talking with friends about the meaning of "the gospel." Those conversations have reminded me that it's important for us to give a full-bodied explanation of what we mean by "the gospel."

We must resist the temptation to simply reduce the gospel to "the facts concerning Jesus," or "the ethical teaching of Jesus," or "the Bible's program for how to get saved?" In reality, the message of the gospel is something quite different than these things.

Lost in our day is the belief and conviction that the truth of the gospel is a life- changing, subversive, and revolutionary reality.

The following is my understanding of what the New Testament means by “the gospel (good news) of Jesus.” Refer to: Mark 1.14-15; Romans 1.16-17; 3.21-26; 15.15-20; 1 Corinthians 15.1-8; Ephesians 1.13-17; 3.1-7; Philippians 1.12-18; Colossians 1.3-15.

The gospel is, first and foremost, a declaration about God. It’s all about God’s saving work in and through Jesus. The gospel is the good news that the rule/kingdom of God has come through the person and work of the Messiah Jesus.

The gospel is the central truth of God’s revelation to humankind, which is bound up in a central proclamation about Jesus. This truth and proclamation is all about the mystery of God’s saving activity, once hidden, but now fully revealed through the Messiah Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The mystery of the gospel of God’s kingdom come is that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah; that Jesus is God’s Light of revelation to the Gentiles; that Jesus is the Savior of the world and the Lord of creation; and that Jesus is the coming King who will renew all things.

The “guts” of this gospel announcement to the world is that the Lord Jesus was before all things and that in him all things hold together; that the man Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary; that he lived a sinless and faithful existence; that he died for our sins in accordance with Scripture; that he was buried; that he rose from the dead on the third day in accordance with Scripture; that he appeared to many as one risen from the dead; that he ascended to the right hand of God the Father; that he is now ruling as the Lord of creation; that he is exercising headship and authority over the church; and that he will come again to renew all things.

In all of this, the central point of the gospel is Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ death is the means through which God, according to his own righteousness or covenant love, has accomplished his covenantal purposes for Israel and the world. This includes God’s decisive victory over the powers of sin, evil, and death.

When we publicly announce in word and deed “the Messiah Jesus is Lord!” we unveil the good news that God has remained faithful to his covenant promises and that God is presently restoring peace, love, justice, and truth in his world. God is doing this through his Holy Spirit who is at work throughout all creation.

Further, the proclamation that the Messiah Jesus is Lord announces to the world’s gods and idols that they are parodies. Modern examples of good things that can very easily turn into false gods or idols are: ourselves, other people, knowledge, money, sex, entertainment, technology, ect.

In light of the above, we can see that the gospel is not a system or technique we use to “get souls saved” so they can “go to heaven when they die.” The gospel’s imperative is the present, and in light of that, it looks ahead to the future. The announcement of Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Lord results in the salvation of individuals, it implies entering into the community of God’s people, and it looks ahead to resurrection life on God’s new creation.

When the gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit draws people to respond to God in faith and in love. The demand of the gospel on us personally is that we trust in the faithfulness of Jesus. When we “confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10.8-10). All of this is, of course, the result of the Holy Spirit’s work, for “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12.3).

From here we can see that the fruit of God’s saving work in our lives is that God incorporates us into the community of faith, and gives us gifts of the Spirit so that we can carry out God’s will in the world.

Although the gospel can and must be preached to individuals, it is not individualistic in nature; it is communal in nature. The goal is for the faithful to dwell in Christian community, to go into the world as Spirit-filled agents of re-creation, and ultimately, to live in solidarity with Christ and one another in God's new creation.

The result of hearing and responding in faith to the truth of the gospel is that sinful humans are brought by God under Christ’s headship and are made part of “the body of Christ” through the work of the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our future inheritance in glory. The gospel is the way that, through salvation in Jesus Christ, sinful humans are made truly human so that we will be God’s agents in bringing his healing love to bear in the world.

Finally, what the gospel of God’s kingdom offers to the world is true love, true forgiveness, and the ability to trust. The gospel draws us into community and summons us out into the world, in order to bring God’s wise reshaping to the world by offering Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and trust to it. In Jesus, God has dealt with evil and sin, and has provided the world with the final offer of forgiveness for sins. Therefore, God is calling us to trust and abide in his unfailing love, as we become Christ’s image bearers to the world by overcoming evil with godliness.