What is the gospel?

The word "gospel" simply means good news, and it is the heart of the Christian message. It is the announcement that God has acted, in His Son Jesus Christ, to rescue a fallen world and to reconcile sinful people to Himself. When Jesus began His ministry, the first word He preached was this very news: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). The gospel is not first a set of rules to keep or a philosophy to admire. It is news about something God has done, news so good that it changes everything for the one who receives it.

The apostle Paul gave us the clearest summary of that news. He reminded the Corinthians of the gospel he had preached to them, "how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Here are the great pillars of the good news: Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ rose again. Each of these happened in history, and each happened "according to the scriptures," for the coming of a Redeemer had been promised from the beginning. The gospel is not a new invention; it is the fulfillment of a hope God planted long before, the unfolding of His purpose to bless every nation through the One who would crush the serpent and undo the curse.

Why was such news necessary? Because something had gone deeply wrong. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). Sin separates us from a holy God, and no amount of effort on our part can mend what we have broken. Into that need God sent His Son. On the cross Jesus took our place, bearing what we could not bear: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the wonder at the center of the gospel, that the holy One should stand in the place of the guilty out of sheer love. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

But the cross is not the end of the story, and a buried Savior could save no one. On the third day Jesus rose from the grave, conquering death and proving that His sacrifice was accepted by the Father. The empty tomb is God's great "amen" to the work of His Son. Because Jesus lives, all who belong to Him are promised life as well. This is why Paul called the gospel "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). It is not advice for the strong but rescue for the helpless, not a reward for the worthy but a gift for the undeserving.

How then do we receive such a gift? The gospel calls for a response, and that response is repentance and faith, turning from our own way and trusting wholly in Christ. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). Salvation is God's gift, freely given and freely received: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Yet the faith that receives Christ is never a dead or idle thing. It takes hold of Him and clings to Him, and a heart that truly trusts Him will love Him and follow Him. The same grace that saves us also begins to remake us, until the life we live bears witness to the news we believe.

This is the gospel: that God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). It is news for the weary, the guilty, and the searching. It meets us exactly where we are and offers us more than we could dare to ask, forgiveness for the past, new life for the present, and an unshakable hope for all that is to come. The only fitting response is to believe it, to receive the One it proclaims, and to give thanks that such good news is true.