What Does the Gospel Mean?
The word “gospel” comes from the Greek euangelion, which translates as “good news” or “glad tidings.” It is the proclamation of the greatest news humanity has ever received. However, to fully grasp why this news is so good, we must first confront the bad news: we are all sinners under the righteous wrath of God. As Romans 3:23 states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our sin separates us from our Creator, and we are incapable of saving ourselves.
Isaiah 59:2 declares, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” This separation is not just a minor issue; it is eternal. From the moment Adam sinned in the garden (Genesis 3:6), humanity fell under the curse of sin and death. Romans 5:12 explains, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The disease of sin is universal, and without intervention, the outcome is eternal condemnation (Romans 6:23).
The Great Physician Provides the Cure
Into this hopeless situation comes the gospel. Jesus, the great Physician, brings the cure for our sin. He Himself said in Matthew 9:12-13, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
This good news begins with God. From the very beginning, He has been unfolding His plan of redemption. In Genesis 3:15, God promised a Savior who would crush the head of the serpent, foreshadowing the coming of Jesus Christ. The sacrifices and rituals under the Old Covenant pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice that would be made by the Messiah. Hebrews 10:1-4 explains that the law, with its sacrifices, could never truly take away sins but served as a shadow of the good things to come.
Salvation by Faith: The Old Testament Foreshadowed the Gospel
Throughout history, salvation has always been by faith. Hebrews 11 recounts how Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and others were justified not by their works, but by faith. Genesis 15:6 says of Abraham, “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” They trusted in the promises of God, looking forward to the day when the Messiah would come to provide the ultimate sacrifice for sins.
Consider the Passover lamb in Exodus 12:5-7. The blood of the lamb on the doorposts spared the Israelites from God’s judgment. This was a picture of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The prophets also foretold this salvation. Isaiah 53:5-6 proclaims, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
The New Covenant Fulfilled in Christ
In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of these promises in Jesus Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 declares, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Jesus lived a sinless life, perfectly fulfilling the law (Matthew 5:17), and offered Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10).
On the cross, Jesus was the sacrifice or propitiation for our sins. Isaiah 53:10 declares, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” Through His resurrection, He conquered death and provided eternal life to all who believe. Romans 4:25 says, “[He] was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”
Faith Alone: The True Gospel
The gospel is simple yet profound. Salvation comes by grace through faith, not works. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Faith is the sole requirement, but this faith must be genuine—a faith that is “worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8). It is not mere intellectual agreement but a heartfelt trust that transforms lives. James 2:17 reminds us, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” True faith produces repentance and obedience, as Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
False Gospels and the Danger They Pose
We must be vigilant against false gospels, which distort the truth. Antinomianism, which claims that grace permits a life of unrepentant sin, is a lie. Jude 1:4 warns about those who “turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” On the other hand, legalism, which adds human works to faith, is equally dangerous. Paul condemns this in Galatians 1:8: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
The true gospel balances the simplicity of grace with the power of transformation. Genuine faith produces fruit. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, “You will know them by their fruits.”
My Final Thoughts
The gospel is the greatest news because it addresses humanity’s greatest need. It is the cure for the disease of sin, the hope for the hopeless, and the power of God to salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16). The story of salvation, from the Old Testament to the New, has always been about faith in God’s provision. Whether looking forward to the coming Messiah or looking back to the finished work of the cross, salvation has always been by faith.
In Christ, we find life, peace, and reconciliation with God. Second Corinthians 5:21 sums it up beautifully: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
