Gospel

Gospel [EBD]

a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning "God's spell", i.e., word of God, or rather, according to others, "good spell", i.e., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, i.e., "good message." It denotes (1) "the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as preached by our Lord and his followers. (2.) It was afterwards transitively applied to each of the four histories of our Lord's life, published by those who are therefore called 'Evangelists', writers of the history of the gospel (the evangelion). (3.) The term is often used to express collectively the gospel doctrines; and 'preaching the gospel' is often used to include not only the proclaiming of the good tidings, but the teaching men how to avail themselves of the offer of salvation, the declaring of all the truths, precepts, promises, and threatenings of Christianity." It is termed "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24), "the gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 4:23), "the gospel of Christ" (Rom. 1:16), "the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15), "the glorious gospel," "the everlasting gospel," "the gospel of salvation" (Eph. 1:13).

Gospel [NAVE]

GOSPEL
Called Gospel of the Kingdom, Matt. 4:23; 24:14; Gospel of God, Rom. 1:1; 15:16; 1 Thess. 2:8; 1 Tim. 1:11; 1 Pet. 4:17; Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mark 1:1; Gospel of Christ, Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 9:12, 18; Gal. 1:7; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thess. 3:2; The Dispensation of the Grace of God, Eph. 3:2; The Grace of God, Acts 20:24; Gospel of Salvation, Eph. 1:13; Gospel of Peace, Eph. 6:15; The Kingdom of God, Luke 16:16; Glorious Gospel of Christ, 2 Cor. 4:4; Preaching of Jesus Christ, Rom. 16:25; Mystery of Christ, Eph. 3:4; Mystery of the Gospel, Eph. 6:19; Word of God, 1 Thess. 2:13; Word of Christ, Col. 3:16; Word of Salvation, Acts 13:26; Word of Reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5:19; Word of Truth, Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 6:7; Word of Faith, Rom. 10:8; Word of Life, Phil. 2:16; Ministration of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3:8; Doctrine According to Godliness, 1 Tim. 6:3; Form of Sound Words, 2 Tim. 1:13.
Likened to a mustard seed, Matt. 13:31, 32; Mark 4:30-33; Luke 13:18, 19; good seed, Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43; leaven, Matt. 13:33; a pearl of great price, Matt. 13:45, 46; Luke 13:20, 21; a treasure hidden in a field, Matt. 13:44; a householder, Matt. 20:1-16; a feast, Luke 14:16-24.
Unclassified Scriptures Relating to
Psa. 46:4, 5; Psa. 89:15; Matt. 4:23; Matt. 11:4-6 Luke 7:22. Matt. 13:17; Matt. 24:14; Matt. 28:18-21; Mark 1:14, 15; Mark 13:10 Mark 16:15. Luke 1:67-79; Luke 2:10-14, 35; Luke 4:18, 19; Luke 10:23, 24; Luke 16:16 Acts 12:24; 19:20. Luke 17:20, 21; John 1:16, 17; John 4:14; John 8:32; John 12:35, 50; John 17:7, 8 John 13:20. John 18:36; Acts 2:11; Acts 5:20; Acts 10:36; Acts 13:32, 33; Acts 14:3; Acts 16:17; Acts 20:24, 32 Acts 14:3. Rom. 1:16, 17; Rom. 10:15-18; Rom. 15:29; Rom. 16:25, 26; 1 Cor. 1:18, 21, 24, 25; 1 Cor. 2:4-7, 9; 1 Cor. 4:20; 1 Cor. 9:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:1, 2; 2 Cor. 3:6-11, 18; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4, 6; 2 Cor. 9:15; 2 Cor. 10:4, 5; Gal. 2:2; Gal. 3:8; Eph. 1:13, 14; Eph. 3:8-11; Eph. 6:15, 17, 19, 20; Col. 1:5, 6, 23, 26-29; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:10; 2 Thess. 2:10, 14; 1 Tim. 1:10, 11; 1 Tim. 2:4; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Tim. 1:10; 2 Tim. 2:3; Heb. 4:2; Heb. 5:13; Heb. 6:1; Heb. 7:19; Jas. 1:18, 21, 25; 1 Pet. 1:23, 25 Isa. 40:8. 1 Pet. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:12; 2 Pet. 1:16, 19; 2 Pet. 2:2, 21; 1 John 2:8; Jude 3; Rev. 14:6, 7
Called the New Covenant
Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 7:22; Heb. 8:6-13; Heb. 9:8-15; Heb. 10:9; Heb. 12:22-24
Prophecies Relating to
Psa. 46:4; Isa. 2:3-5; Isa. 4:2-6; Isa. 9:2, 6, 7; Isa. 25:7; Isa. 29:18, 24; Isa. 32:3; Isa. 35:5; Isa. 40:9; Isa. 41:27; Isa. 42:6, 7; Isa. 43:18-21; Isa. 46:13; Isa. 49:13; Isa. 51:4-6; Isa. 52:7; Isa. 55:1-5; Isa. 60:1-22; Isa. 61:1-3; Ezek. 34:23-31; Ezek. 47:8, 12 vs. 1-12.; Joel 2:28-32; Mic. 4:1-7; Matt. 24:14 See: Church, Prophecies Concerning; Jesus, Kingdom of, Mission of; Kingdom of Heaven.

GOSPEL [ISBE]

GOSPEL - gos'-pel (to euaggelion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant "the story concerning God." In the New Testament the Greek word euaggelion, means "good news." It proclaims tidings of deliverance. The word sometimes stands for the record of the life of our Lord (Mk 1:1), embracing all His teachings, as in Acts 20:24. But the word "gospel" now has a peculiar use, and describes primarily the message which Christianity announces. "Good news" is its significance. It means a gift from God. It is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins and sonship with God restored through Christ. It means remission of sins and reconciliation with God. The gospel is not only a message of salvation, but also the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works (Rom 1:16).

The gospel differs from the law in being known entirely from revelation. It is proclaimed in all its fullness in the revelation given in the New Testament. It is also found, although obscurely, in the Old Testament. It begins with the prophecy concerning the `seed of the woman' (Gen 3:15), and the promise concerning Abraham, in whom all the nations should be blessed (Gen 12:3; 15:5) and is also indicated in Acts 10:43 and in the argument in Rom 4.

In the New Testament the gospel never means simply a book, but rather the message which Christ and His apostles announced. In some places it is called "the gospel of God," as, for example, Rom 1:1; 1 Thess 2:2,9; 1 Tim 1:11. In others it is called "the gospel of Christ" (Mk 1:1; Rom 1:16; 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12,18; Gal 1:7). In another it is called "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24); in another "the gospel of peace" (Eph 6:15); in another "the gospel of your salvation" (Eph 1:13); and in yet another "the glorious gospel" (2 Cor 4:4 the King James Version). The gospel is Christ: He is the subject of it, the object of it, and the life of it. It was preached by Him (Mt 4:23; 11:5; Mk 1:14; Lk 4:18 margin), by the apostles (Acts 16:10; Rom 1:15; 2:16; 1 Cor 9:16) and by the evangelists (Acts 8:25).

We must note the clear antithesis between the law and the gospel. The distinction between the two is important because, as Luther indicates, it contains the substance of all Christian doctrine. "By the law," says he, "nothing else is meant than God's word and command, directing what to do and what to leave undone, and requiring of us obedience of works. But the gospel is such doctrine of the word of God that neither requires our works nor commands us to do anything, but announces the offered grace of the forgiveness of sin and eternal salvation. Here we do nothing, but only receive what is offered through the word." The gospel, then, is the message of God, the teaching of Christianity, the redemption in and by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, offered to all mankind. And as the gospel is bound up in the life of Christ, His biography and the record of His works, and the proclamation of what He has to offer, are all gathered into this single word, of which no better definition can be given than that of Melanchthon: "The gospel is the gratuitous promise of the remission of sins for Christ's sake." To hold tenaciously that in this gospel we have a supernatural revelation is in perfect consistency with the spirit of scientific inquiry. The gospel, as the whole message and doctrine of salvation, and as chiefly efficacious for contrition, faith, justification, renewal and sanctification, deals with facts of revelation and experience.

David H. Bauslin