The Gospel Defined

2018-01-13

This is a simple explanation of the word “gospel” and what it is according to the Bible.

Definition of the Word

The Bible itself defines the word “gospel” when the Jesus referenced the prophet Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18)
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)

Jesus said that His coming was fulfilling this Scripture. Notice how the word “gospel” was rendered “good tidings” in the Old Testament. The gospel is defined as good tidings, and it truly is.

The Biblical Gospel

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 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 15:1-4)

The good tidings, or the gospel, is Christ’s death for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection. There are a lot of implications here; here are a few:

  1. Since the gospel is a message, it is to be received. Without faith, the message cannot be applied to us.
  2. Christ died for our sins, which means we do not die for our sins. We may physically die, but we will never spiritually die.
  3. Christ was buried, which means He truly was dead. The Romans made sure He was dead (John 19:34-35) before they took Him down from the cross.
  4. Christ rose from the dead, which means we will as well. We will also rise again into eternal life.