Gospel means Good News. The Good news was about the coming Kingdom of God, ushered in by a King Chosen by God, who is called “Anointed One”: “Messiah” in Hebrew; “Christ” in Greek”. Everything else that the Bible teaches, may be about the Gospel, but is not the Gospel. Since our enemy the devil would like to distract us, it is important that we have a clear understanding of the one and only true Gospel message.
In the past, God had anointed his chosen kings with oil by his prophets, but with Jesus of Nazareth, God The Father, Himself anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit in front of John The Baptist and a large crowd.
Below are some scriptures that verify that this is the one and only true Gospel.
Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,
Mark 1:14-15 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 in the gospel.”
The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew summarized the Gospel message three times.
The Gospel message that John the Baptist preached:
Matthew 3:1-2
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
The Gospel message that Jesus preached:
Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
The Gospel message that Jesus instructed the Apostles to preach:
Matthew 10:7
As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
God is the creator of the Universe. It is His to do with as He pleases. This makes him the ruler/king as well as the one who determines what is right, and what is wrong; He determines what is good, and what is bad.
From the beginning of time, every man and woman who ever lived has rebelled to some extent from God’s position as King. We have looked toward other people who we see as wise or powerful to be our king and to save us from the troubles around us; or we have created idols out of wood, stone, and metal and worshiped them as our God; or we say that we ourselves are the source of determining what is right and wrong and we rule ourselves doing what is right in our own eyes.
God had chosen a man named Abraham to create from him a nation of people to be an example to the rest of the world; that when they obeyed God, they would be blessed and when they rebelled against God, they would be cursed. This is the nation of Israel (also known as the Jews or Zion).
The Jews were ruled by God. God gave them laws to live by; and also prophets and judges to guide them, settle disputes, and administer justice. However, when their Prophet/Judge Samuel was getting old, the Jews wanted an earthly king because they didn’t have faith in God to protect and provide for them.
1 Samuel 8:7
And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.
Over the years, the nation of Israel had many good and bad kings. The kingdom even split North and South as Israel and Judah. When they were wicked, God punished them severely and at one point they were sent into exile to be ruled by the nation of Babylon for many years. Latter, God had mercy on them and brought them back to their own country.
All throughout the times of trouble for Israel, the prophets (God’s messengers) told the people that God would provide for them a good king who would suffer for them by taking the punishment for their sin and rebellion against God, and that king would reign in righteousness. You can read the prophesy about how the Christ would suffer and die for our sins in Isaiah 53. The promised King was called Christ (Greek), Messiah (Hebrew), or Anointed One (English – being anointed by a prophet was the sign that God had chosen this person as king). This King would also be for all the nations, and not just Israel: Isaiah 49:6
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
God Himself became both the King to rule all nations, and the sacrifice to take the punishment for their sins (crimes against God). The King that was to come was Jesus, the son of God, who is one with God, and who is God. This is the great mystery that is called The Trinity or the three persons of one single God: The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.
This famous prophesy about the Gospel shows that it would be God who would be the king: Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
God gave another prophesy telling the people that He Himself would be the Messiah:
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Micah 5:2
The Gospel is about the Christ (King) and His crucifixion (death on a cross) that brought reconciliation by taking the punishment that we deserve. The forgiveness only comes to those who put their faith in Jesus to be their king and tell them right from wrong. It is not enough to believe that God exists (James 2:19), you must put your faith in God as your King; as your Christ.
You may remember the angel who appeared to the shepherds in the famous Christmas story, telling them about the birth of Jesus:
Luke 2:10 – 11 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
To put yourself, the morals of your society, or any human leader above Christ is anti-Christ in nature. This includes your church, pastor, or priest.
When Jesus came, the Jews rejected Him as King, but if you receive Him as your King, only then will He be your savior in this life and in the life to come (John 1:11-12)
Salvation is not the Gospel, but the Gospel of the King brings salvation.
A false representation of God came into the Christian and Western cultures from the Marxist influence on the “Hippy” movement in the 1960s. This depiction of God portrayed Him as a pacifist who only does nice things for everyone. This is an attempt to turn God into a pet or a mascot and Christianity into a self-improvement program.
Jesus told a parable about His Kingdom recorded in Luke 19:11–27 This is how the King in the parable dealt with those who rejected him: “And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’ ”
In a similar parable recorded in Matthew 25:14–30 Jesus says “And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The end times of the Earth are described in the Book of Revelation and Jesus Himself will come bringing death and destruction to those who remain in their rebellion against God and all who ever lived would be judged by Jesus who sits on a great white throne “And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
The coming of the King is not Good News for His enemies!
The Gospel is the Good News for anyone who is willing to repent from their rebellion against God because your Creator has come to be your king and is merciful to those who put their faith in Him. You have been given the chance to be forgiven of your sins. Even your future sins will be forgiven because we never live perfectly, but you must get off the throne, you must put God above all authorities in your life.
This is The Gospel message that Jesus preached:
Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Here is a presentation of The Gospel by Professor N.T. Wright:
Here is a presentation by R.C. Sproul about the gospel:
Here is also some thoughts from Dr. Joe Boot of the Ezra Institute hosted by Apologia Church/Studios:
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