GOSPEL, what is it?

Theology
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I love that you quoted Voddie Baucham.

I appreciate what you all have said. I remember when the gospel was pushed aside when the book of colors was seen as racist. It was the easiest way to teach little children the gospel.

My heart was black with sin (black)

Until the Savior came in

His precious blood I know (red)

Has washed me white as snow (white)

And in the city I’m told I’ll walk the streets of gold (yellow)

To grow in Jesus each day, I’ll read my Bible and pray. (Green)

How many remember this?

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God bless.

J.

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Jesus lived sinless, is God, died and rose again, paid the price of sin for anyone who believes in Him.

  1. know you are sinner, needing salvation. Romans 5:8

  2. believe that Jesus is God, that He died and rose again, that by believing in Him, you have forgiveness of sins, eternal life. John 3:16, 3:18, 5:24, 6:40, 10:28, Ephesians 2,8-9, Romans 10:9-10

Pretty much the gospel right there

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In a nutshell, the gospel is the “good news” of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16) To “believe” the gospel is to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation.

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There are several ways to answer this question. In a pastoral capacity, the Gospel is the proclamation of what God has done for you in Christ. That is why pastors are tasked with preaching the Gospel (see 1 Timothy 4:2), that you (and me, and all Christians) might be edified by the proclamation of God’s love, forgiveness, grace, and kindness in the Person and work of Jesus Christ our Lord who suffered and died for us, and who rose from the dead as Victor over sin, death, hell, and the devil. And in Him we have hope, eternal life, salvation, and peace with God forever.

It is possible, of course, to go deeper. The word we translate as “gospel” in English is the Greek εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion), the Greek prefix “eu-” means “good” and angelion means “message” or “report”. Notice that it looks similar to the word “angel”, the word “angel” comes from the Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos) meaning “messenger”. In the ancient Greco-Roman world this word already had an established meaning, but was used in a secular way. During the Roman conquests of places like Gaul, or in the frontlines at the Rhine in Germania, messengers were dispatched to proclaim the good news–the euangelion–of the Roman victories, such as the victories of Julius Caesar, or later victories under the Caesars during the post-Republic era of Rome. In this sense a euangelion was a report, a proclamation of victory, good news about what was happening on the front lines. So that gives important historic and cultural context to the statement we find in the beginning of Mark’s Gospel,

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel.” - Mark 1:14-15

Jesus came proclaiming the Euangelion of God, of the kingdom of God being near, thus the imperative: “repent and believe”.

When Jesus is arrested and handed over to Pilate, Pilate interrogates Jesus about how Jesus claims to be a king. Let’s not mince words, to declare kingship when Rome declared Caesar was the king was seen as nothing short of seditious. Jesus does not renounce the claim, but affirms it, it is true that He is King, but His kingdom is not of this world otherwise His followers would take up arms and fight–but they don’t. His kingdom cannot be compared to Caesar’s kingdom.

Jesus comes proclaiming the Gospel of a very different kind of kingdom. The victory of God is not against the barbarians in the north, or the Persians in the east, nor is it against the legions of Rome. The victory of God is being achieved over the very power of sin and death and the devil which rules this fallen world and age. And the means by which God achieves victory is not through an army of heavily armed soldiers wielding swords and spears and shields–but is through this Jesus who offers Himself in love, in obedience to the Father’s will, even to the point of the suffering and shame of the cross–tot he point of death. For the true King–the Messiah–must suffer and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead. And so that happened: the King Messiah was put to death, and then rose from the dead conquering death. That is the Victory of our God. That is the kingdom of God: God’s kingdom not of worldly glory, but of love and mercy; the victory of God over death and hell.

And that victory, that is what we preach and proclaim. The victory of our God, of the Crucified and Risen Christ and King. And therefore there is peace with God, forgiveness of our sins, eternal life. For God has vanquished death.

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The bible describes two gospels. The kingdom gospel for the nation of Isreal. The gospel of individual salvation called the gospel of grace for gentiles.

Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

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@timf
I don’t understand the passage you shared in the same way that you explain it. I don’t think what you suggest is what Paul was intending to be heard.

KP

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You are mistaken @timf

Gal 2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
Gal 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Gal 2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
Gal 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
Gal 2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Gal 2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
Gal 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
Gal 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Gal 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

Paul’s special ministry to the Gentiles

In the testimony of his salvation and commission, Paul says that ‘God called him by his grace’ to ‘preach among the heathen’ (Gal 1:15-16).

Luke records these words of Jesus to Paul:

“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee” – Acts 26:16-17

Paul was given a special ministry by the Lord Jesus to go preach a message of reconciliation to the Gentiles and the entire world!

“But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – Gal 1:11-12

It was this gospel and revelation by which Paul was given the office of ‘Apostle of the Gentiles’:

“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office” – Romans 11:13

Paul the Apostle

As a result of this special revelation and gospel, Paul frequently indicates the unique position and responsibility that he holds.

“Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.” – 1 Tim 2:7

“For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.” – 1 Cor 9:17

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God” – Col 1:25

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” – Romans 16:25

Paul’s special apostleship

No fewer than a dozen times does Paul refer to himself as an ‘Apostle of Jesus Christ’. There is no doubt that Paul was given the office of an apostle, but the extent of his authority is signified when he places his own responsibility on and above the level of the ‘chiefest apostles’.

Speaking of Peter, he explains:

“But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)” – Gal 2:7-8

And again:

“For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.” – 2 Cor 11:5

“I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. “ – 2 Cor 12:11

Paul refers to himself as the master builder who lays the foundation in 1 Corinthians 3:11:

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”

J.

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The word gospel means “good news.”

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Israel was always supposed to be a nation of priests (Ex 19). Israel (like any group of people) failed miserably. They didn’t even quit idolatry until the Babylonian captivity. They didn’t understand the promise of the kingdom would entail a supernatural change in them. This is what Nicodemus was supposed to have understood (Ez 36 and Jer 31).

Since Israel was unresponsive (even going so far as killing Stephen), The Apostle Paul was called. His skill in the Old Testament (he had been a student of Gamaliel) was useful in showing Jews from the Old Testament that Jesus had been their promised Messiah, Israel still had the opportunity to turn to Jesus and receive their promised earthly kingdom and see the return of their Messiah.

This was an opportunity extended to the nation of Israel that they were promised. However, God had planned that gentiles would be saved with or without Israel. This is what Paul means in Romans 11 that the “full number of the gentiles come in”.

Both gospels are based on faith. However, the kingdom gospel requires that those that are saved endure to the end. If they fall away, there is no salvation for them. The grace gospel for the gentiles provides new and eternal life upon salvation and we a sealed with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.

Provision was made for those of Israel to still be saved individually in this time of grace, but it was to be into the body of Christ and not the earthly kingdom. We are translated into the kingdom, but it is the heavenly kingdom.

The earthly kingdom will be populated by the faithful remnant of Israel that is supernaturally protected by God for the last three and a half years of the tribulation.

Those who try to fit both gospels in one monolithic package run into several problems. The emphasis on the law and works of the kingdom gospel is not needed for the grace gospel.

The desire that everything is all one can be strong, but the pieced do not fit.

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@timf
Thanx for this thorough explanation.

What you have presented here is a unique rationale, carefully organized steps of logic that undergird your conclusion. I can see the progression of your logic, and I appreciate its novelty; I see that your rationale attempts to solve a problem. But, from what you explained, it seems to me that you worked backwards, starting from the problem, looking for rationale that would help to form a solution. This method of working from the problem to the solution is often employed by scientific endeavor and almost always produces a solution, albeit, too often a solution with a short life.

You have not actually presented any proof, or evidence of your assertions. You have only provided anecdotal opinions, assertations, intrepretations of certain situations, and personal speculation that, in your reasoning, solve the problem. I’m not trying to be too critical; I understand your approach (I think). Your solution is the bifurcation of the “gospel” into two. You assert that it solves the assumed problem of the difference in a lasting relationship with God between “Israel” and the rest of human creation (the goyim, the nations, gentiles, non-Jewish people). Your bifurcation solves this problem much like Solomon solved the problem of the disputed Child (1 Kin. 13-28). But, much like that account, the bifurcation ultimately becomes unnecessary, the threat of bifurcation unexpectantly reveals the true identity of the child.

There is no need for two “gospels” to solve this problem. The Bible does not support that God will accept either of two paths to a restored relationship with Him, nor does it suggest one necessary path for the Jew and a different path for the gentile. There is literally One Way, One Truth, and One Life. The gospel is the ONLY “good news” that Holy God has provided only ONE redemption for sinful mankind to reestablish his broken relationship with Holy God. The provided redeemer is good news for the Jew, and the provided redeemer is good news for the Gentile, because the provided redeemer is the very God Messiah who created all. Notice how the Jewish Apostle Paul speaks of one gospel, which he calls “The Gospel of Christ, and never allows even a scintilla of hope in any other gospel. One Christ = one gospel.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:1-17

Rather than starting with the problem and working back toward a solution, the child of God starts with faith, (taking God at His word), and subsequently witnesses what were once problems, resolve into peace in the light of His revelation.

I hope you understand my rationale.
KP

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@timf

Not two gospels. One Gospel.

Galatians 2:7
ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἰδόντες ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς

“But on the contrary when they saw that the Gospel was committed to me to the uncircumcised, as it was to Peter to the circumcised”

Galatians 2:7 only mentions one Gospel, Paul was called to proclaim it to the Gentiles while Peter was called to proclaim to the circumcised. Peter and Paul preached the same Gospel; and while Paul’s mission was primarily to the Greeks and Peter was primarily to the Jews, both preached to both. Paul preached the same Gospel to his Jewish kinsmen as he preached to the Greeks; and Peter preached the same Gospel to the Gentiles that he preached to his Jewish kinsmen.

This is a distinction of mission. Not a distinction of kerygma.

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Gal 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; - KJV

Gal 2:7 but on the contrary, having seen that I have been entrusted with the good news of the uncircumcision, as Peter with that of the circumcision, - Young’s literal translation

Gal 2:7 But on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised as Peter with the gospel to the circumcised - Wuest (professor of Greek at Moody Bible Institute

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Same gospel @timf
Since…

Paul is not describing two gospels in Galatians 2, he is defending the unity of the one gospel against a false charge that his Gentile mission was inferior or divergent, and the Greek text itself closes the door on a dual gospel reading.

The KJV of ~Galatians 2 reads, But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter, and the controlling verb is πεπίστευμαι, perfect passive indicative, I have been entrusted, which appears once and governs both clauses, meaning one gospel has been entrusted in two directions, not two different messages delivered separately.

The phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας and τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς περιτομῆς uses the same noun εὐαγγέλιον in both cases, singular and definite, with the genitives functioning as descriptive spheres, not as sources or contents, meaning the gospel characterized by its audience, not altered in its substance, which is standard Greek usage and not a theological innovation.

This is reinforced by the comparative construction καθὼς Πέτρος, just as Peter, which establishes parity, not contrast, because Paul is arguing for equal authority and identical message, not parallel religions, and the context demands this since the entire letter is written to combat Judaizers who were already accused of preaching a different gospel, which Paul explicitly condemns in ~Galatians 1 saying there is not another.

If Paul believed there were two legitimate gospels, his anathema in ~Galatians 1 would be incoherent, since he says, though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed, where ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον is rejected outright, leaving no conceptual room for a circumcision gospel distinct in content from a Gentile gospel.

The immediate context seals this further, because in ~Galatians 2 Paul says they added nothing to him, οὐδὲν προσανέθεντο, aorist indicative, meaning the Jerusalem apostles did not supplement or correct his message, which would have been required if he were preaching a different gospel, but instead they recognized the same grace at work.

Even Wuest’s rendering, which is precise on the Greek, supports this reading, because entrustment is the issue, stewardship not substance, mission field not message, and the very next verse attributes the effectiveness of both missions to the same God, ὁ ἐνεργήσας, the one working, showing a single divine source producing a unified gospel outcome.

So exegetically, grammatically, and contextually, Galatians 2 teaches one gospel, one Christ crucified, one saving message, entrusted to different apostles for different audiences, and Paul’s entire argument collapses if two gospels are smuggled into the text, because he is fighting division, not creating it, and defending unity, not pluralism, in the gospel of the cross.

I could highlight the grammar, but I trust you will see this is not about “two gospels” but the same unified good news.

J.

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@timf
I appreciate that you point out Galatians 2:7, and in multiple translations to boot. Great!

You will notice in this passage that Paul speaks of “The Gospel” as a singular entity. He never says or suggests that there are “gospels”, but always uses “ho euaggélion”, “The Gospel”. He explains how the one-and-only Gospel was entrusted to two apostles, to be taken to two groups. Quite obviously, Paul teaches the Galatians that same “Gospel” (singular) that was committed to Peter to take to the Jew, was also committed to Paul to take to the Gentile. The same single message presented “in the language”, as it were, to two groups who think differently and start in two different places. The Gentile starts without the burden of circumcision, while the Jewish believer insists on it, thus dividing the two groups, but not dividing the gospel. The good-news insures the gentile of their acceptance apart from merit or the law, and the same good-news frees the Jew from any works-based acceptance. This same good news is good news to both groups.

KP

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The Gospel is the good news that God intends to reverse the effects of the fall within history, and to even eliminate death at the end of history.

In the meantime, He conscripts us into His service, and gives us meaningful stuff to do. Vocations to pursue, and families to build to amplify our efforts.

We can know no greater joy in this life than being in on what God is up to. He calls us into projects that are bigger than ourselves, then He redeems us and empowers us to make worthwhile stuff happen.