Dictionaries :: Gospel

Gospel:

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" (Act 20:24), "the gospel of the kingdom" (Mat 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:

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 (Mr 1:1), embracing all His teachings, as in Ac 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 (Ro 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' (Ge 3:15), and the promise concerning Abraham, in whom all the nations should be blessed (Ge 12:3; 15:5) and is also indicated in Ac 10:43 and in the argument in Ro 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, Ro 1:1; 1Th 2:2,9; 1Ti 1:11. In others it is called "the gospel of Christ" (Mr 1:1; Ro 1:16; 15:19; 1Co 9:12,18; Ga 1:7). In another it is called "the gospel of the grace of God" (Ac 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" (2Co 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; Mr 1:14; Lu 4:18 margin), by the apostles (Ac 16:10; Ro 1:15; 2:16; 1Co 9:16) and by the evangelists (Ac 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.

Written by David H. Bauslin

Gospel: Good News.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the GOSPEL of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23)

Gospel: Called

GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM,

Mat 4:23; 24:14;

GOSPEL OF GOD,

Rom 1:1; 15:16; 1Th 2:8; 1Ti 1:11; 1Pe 4:17;

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST,

Mar 1:1;

GOSPEL OF CHRIST,

Rom 1:16; 1Cr 9:12, 18; Gal 1:7; Phl 1:27; 1Th 3:2;

THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD,

Eph 3:2;

THE GRACE OF GOD,

Act 20:24;

GOSPEL OF SALVATION,

Eph 1:13;

GOSPEL OF PEACE,

Eph 6:15;

THE KINGDOM OF GOD,

Luk 16:16;

GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF CHRIST,

2Cr 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,

1Th 2:13;

WORD OF CHRIST,

Col 3:16;

WORD OF SALVATION,

Act 13:26;

WORD OF RECONCILIATION,

2Cr 5:19;

WORD OF TRUTH,

2Cr 6:7; Eph 1:13;

WORD OF FAITH,

Rom 10:8;

WORD OF LIFE,

Phl 2:16;

MINISTRATION OF THE SPIRIT,

2Cr 3:8;

DOCTRINE ACCORDING TO GODLINESS,

1Ti 6:3;

FORM OF SOUND WORDS,

2Ti 1:13.

Gospel: Compared To

A mustard seed,

Mat 13:31, 32; Mar 4:30-33; Luk 13:18, 19;

good seed,

Mat 13:24-30, 36-43;

leaven (yeast),

Mat 13:33;

a pearl of great price,

Mat 13:45, 46; Luk 13:20, 21;

a treasure hidden in a field,

Mat 13:44;

a householder,

Mat 20:1-16;

a feast,

Luk 14:16-24.

Gospel: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To

Isa 40:8; Psa 46:4, 5; 89:15; Mat 4:23; 11:4-6; 13:17; 24:14; 28:18-20; Mar 1:14, 15; 13:10; 16:15; Luk 1:67-79; 2:10-14, 34; 4:18, 19; 7:22; 10:23, 24; 16:16; 17:20, 21; Jhn 1:16, 17; 4:14; 8:32; 12:35, 50; 13:20; 17:7, 8; 18:36; Act 2:11; 5:20; 10:36; 13:32, 33; 14:3; 16:17; 20:24, 32; Rom 1:16, 17; 10:15-18; 15:29; 16:25, 26; 1Cr 1:18, 21, 24, 25; 2:4-7, 9; 4:20; 9:16, 18; 15:1, 2; 2Cr 3:6-11, 18; 4:3, 4, 6; 9:15; 10:4, 5; Gal 2:2; 3:8; Eph 1:13, 14; 3:8-11; 6:15, 17, 19, 20; Col 1:5, 6, 23, 26-29; 1Th 1:5; 2:13; 2Th 1:10; 2:10, 14; 1Ti 1:10, 11; 2:4; 3:16; 4:6; 2Ti 1:10; 2:3; Hbr 4:2; 5:13; 6:1; 7:19; Jam 1:18, 21, 25; 1Pe 1:23, 25; 4:6; 5:12; 2Pe 1:16, 19; 2:2, 21; 1Jo 2:8; Jud 1:3; Rev 14:6, 7

Gospel: Called the New Covenant

Jer 31:31-34; Hbr 7:22; 8:6-13; 9:8-15; 10:9; 12:22-24

Gospel: Prophecies Relating To

Psa 46:4; Isa 2:3-5; 4:2-6; 9:2, 6, 7; 25:7; 29:18, 24; 32:3; 35:5; 40:9; 41:27; 42:6, 7; 43:18-21; 46:13; 49:13; 51:4-6; 52:7; 55:1-5; 60:1-22; 61:1-3; Eze 34:23-31; 47:1-12; Joe 2:28-31; Mic 4:1-7; Mat 24:14

See CHURCH, PROPHECIES CONCERNING; JESUS, KINGDOM OF; JESUS, MISSION OF; KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

Gospel:

• Mat 24:14
• Mar 1:15; Mar 16:15
• Rom 1:16
• 1Cr 15:1-4
• Gal 1:9