Seven Passages Describing the Gospel
Towards a Definition of the Gospel
In the first post, we introduced Gospel Realization. In this post, we seek to move towards a definition of the Gospel.
How would you define the Gospel?
The word ‘Gospel’ is everywhere in Evangelicalism. After all, the word ‘evangel’ translates to Gospel! Yet, I believe very few evangelicals genuinely understand what the Gospel means. (If I have offended you, please keep reading. I apologize if you still feel offended at the end of this.) It’s just that the New Testament (and a particular place in the Greek Old Testament—LXX) might surprise you with its understanding of the term ‘Gospel.’
So, before discussing Gospel Realization and its implications, we must examine how the Scriptures use the term euaggelion or the Gospel. Though not exhaustive, the following seven Scriptures will be examined to help shape our definition of the Gospel. Each one deserves far more attention than I will provide; I will point out highlights to help define the term.
Passage 1: Our God Reigns (Isaiah 52.7)
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns.""
This passage serves as the backdrop for the New Testament authors’ understanding of the Good News. Isaiah 40-66 focuses on the future establishment of God's Kingdom on earth, and it is in the middle of this section, 52.7, that we encounter the term euaggelion the LXX (the Greek translation of the OT). This verse uses the participial form of euaggelion twice. According to this foundational passage, the content of this good news is threefold: peace, happiness, and salvation. These realities will only be fully realized when Israel’s God reigns over all the earth. The announcement of this universal reign is the Gospel. The central focus of the euaggelion in this passage, then, is the reign of God.
What does this reign of God look like?
"It entails a condition where all things are in their proper relation to each other, with nothing left hanging, incomplete, or unfulfilled; it entails a condition where creation purposes are realized; it entails a condition of freedom from every bondage, but particularly the bondage resultant from sin. Where God reigns, these follow."
Paul cites this passage in Romans 10.15. Verses 13-15 state,
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Paul understands that for people to call on the name of Jesus requires someone to declare the Gospel to them. Without the Gospel announced, there can be no salvation. This much is clear, but there is more to unpack. Remembering the context of Isaiah 52, that the Gospel is the reign of God that ushers in peace and salvation to the world, Paul states that the time is right now. Jesus, in his death and resurrection, has ushered in God’s Kingdom—his reign over all the earth. The Good News is that in and through the person of Jesus, God’s reign over all the earth is already here.
Passage 2: The Good News of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1.14-15 & Matthew 4.23)
Mark 1.14-15: "Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!""
Matthew 4:23: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people."
From the very outset of Jesus' ministry, his message was the announcement of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. He claimed to be the feet bringing the good news that God's reign was now here. The Kingdom was not ancillary to his life and message. It was the central and most dominating aspect of his message. It might surprise one that Jesus' primary message did not concern a plan of how to get to heaven to be with God but, instead, was a message of how God would establish his Kingdom on earth. Jesus did not teach how to escape this world but how God would transform this world to be his dwelling place.
It is also worth noting that the Gospel is not itself faith and repentance. If that were the case, we would end up with a nonsequitur statement: Repent and believe in faith and repentance. As essential as faith and repentance are, they are not the Gospel. They are the proper responses to the announcement that in Jesus, the reign of God has come to the earth.
Passage 3: The Death and Resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-6)
"Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep."
This passage speaks to the well-known understanding of the Gospel, namely, the death and resurrection of Jesus. Here, Paul denotes two aspects of the Gospel: (1) the death of Christ and (2) his resurrection from the dead. Paul provides a proof statement for each element. How do we know that he died? He states that Jesus was buried. That is what you do with dead people- you bury them. And we know that Jesus walked out of the grave because over 500 witnesses saw him. Paul states that many people who saw the resurrected Jesus are still alive. If you do not believe it, go find them yourselves.
Paul needed to remind the Corinthians of the essential truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Remembrance here goes beyond mere intellectual recall; it is more profound. It involves bringing to mind the implications of his death and resurrection. He wanted them to contemplate the implications of the Gospel, particularly in the context of bodily resurrection, which is Paul’s primary focus throughout chapter 15. The Gospel carries implications that must be considered and remembered.
In Evangelicalism, connecting the Gospel to Jesus’ crucifixion is commonplace. However, what does the resurrection have to do with the Gospel? How is the reality that Jesus walked out of the grave part of the Good News? The doctrine of the resurrection is often taught to confirm that God was pleased with Jesus' sacrifice. In other words, the Father accepted the sacrificial death of Jesus on behalf of the world, and his resurrection proves such. This means that our sins have all been forgiven. Yet, as accurate as this may be, there is a more significant implication of the resurrection being connected to the Gospel. Jesus’ bodily resurrection was with his incorruptible body, the body that would come to all of God’s people at the end of time. However, Jesus got his already. He has brought the end into the middle. He has brought God’s new world to the earth. More will be said later, but we must underscore that the resurrection is intimately tied to the Good News.
Passage 4: The Destruction of Death and Brought Life to Light (2 Tim 1.10-11)
"This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher."
In this passage, Paul highlights the incarnation as essential to the Gospel. Without the incarnation of Jesus, there is no Good News. The grace that we received even before the creation of the world has now been realized in the coming of Jesus. Paul then notes two outcomes of the incarnation. First, Jesus destroyed death. By tasting death himself, Jesus has overcome death's power, which holds power over all people (Heb 2.9). Death is our great enemy; Jesus has conquered it for us so that we no longer need to fear it. What amazing news! In Jesus, death is overcome. Second, he has brought life and immortality. The Gospel brings life that is truly life (1 Tim 6.19). Life for Paul is not merely physical life but a fullness of life that includes holistic flourishing. It is participation in the very life of God Himself. This life of God was in the person of Jesus (cf. John 1.4).
The Gospel has also brought immorality. If we share in the very life of God himself through the person of Jesus, we also possess immortality.. What is this immortality? Paul uses the same word four times in 1 Corinthians 15 (cf. 15. 42, 50, 53, 54) to speak of the resurrection bodies we will receive when the last trumpet sounds. Then, our bodies will be transformed into bodies like Jesus'. (Cf. Philippians 3.20) )Immortality is connected to eternal life in our resurrected bodies.
God became man so that man might participate in the life of God. This is the Good News!
Passage 5: The Blessing of the Nations (Galatians 3.7-8)
"Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you.”"
If you were making a list of various aspects of the Gospel, I highly doubt God's promise to bless the nations through Abraham made your list! This passage is a direct reference back to Genesis 12.1-3. In Genesis 12.1-3, God gives Abram two commands: First, go. Go from your homeland to a land I will show you. If he went, God would provide Abram with immense personal benefit. He would be given a great name, made into a great nation, and experience God’s blessing. Second, he was commanded to be a blessing. Not only would Abram experience personal blessings, but he would also be a blessing to the whole world. This is the pivotal part of God's speech: "And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Abraham would be the conduit through which the disinherited nations would return to Yahweh. The nations would experience, for the first time, the creational blessings God always intended for his people.
Paul connects this passage to the Good News! Scripture records God's promise to justify the nations through faith as the Gospel. The Gospel was preached to Abraham! What Paul started in Galatia is a direct fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to bless the world. Moreover, the nations would experience this blessing by faith in the Messiah—Jesus, the descendant of Abraham..
Passage 6: The Descendant of David (2 Tim 2.8)
"Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel.”
Here is another forgotten aspect of Paul's understanding of the Gospel: Jesus is a descendant of David. Although Paul mentions the resurrection in other passages (cf. 1 Corinthians 15.1-7), he makes David an integral part of his understanding of the Gospel. Why is David mentioned in Paul's Gospel?
There are at least two interrelated reasons. First, Jesus is the promised descendant of David. In 2 Samuel 7, God made a covenant with David, promising him an everlasting throne and kingdom. In other words, God pledged that one of his descendants would rule over God's Kingdom. Jesus, as the promised Davidic heir, is now fulfilling these promises. The Kingdom of God has come through David's descendant. That is good news!
Second, Jesus fulfills the promise of David in Isaiah 55.3-5. It states,
“Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
In this passage, Isaiah speaks of a future David endowed with such splendor that the nations will come running to him. There is an interpretative decision to be made around the phrase “my faithful love promised to David.” The NIV translation indicates that the everlasting covenant is further explained as God’s faithful love to David in relation to the Davidic Covenant. However, there is an alternative interpretation. It can be translated as ‘My love promised to David the covenant faithful one.” The primary difference relates to whether ‘David’ receives something—namely, God’s covenantal love (first translation) or does something—namely, because of his faithful obedience to the covenant, he is rewarded with God’s love(second translation). The latter interpretation is preferred based on the following reasons. First, as Gentry and Wellum note, the idea of promise is foreign to the context and grammar of Isaiah 55, and second, the concept of love involves actions. David is the covenantally faithful partner. Adam failed. Abraham failed. Moses failed, etc.. However, Jesus is the faithful Israelite who upheld the covenant on behalf of God’s people. He is the truer and better David—the one in whom all the promises of God find their yes. Jesus is now endowed with splendor as the faithful David, summoning the nations to himself.
Returning to 2 Timothy 2, Paul states he is in chains for the sake of the elect Gentiles, who will experience God's salvation in Christ. Jesus’ kingly rule over all the nations breaks the chains so that the Gentiles can now experience salvation. This is because what was promised to David is being fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus.
Passage 7: The Declaration of the Power of the Son of God (Romans 1.1-6)
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”
In my estimation, this passage provides the most robust understanding of the Gospel and deserves a more nuanced discussion.
First, the Gospel was promised beforehand. The Old Testament Scriptures declared and promised the Good News of Jesus. The Gospel was not a new idea that the New Testament writers came up with. It was spoken of thousands of years before Jesus even came.
Secondly, it speaks to Jesus' human existence as the descendant of David. The incarnation is evidenced by the NIV phrase "as to his earthly life," which literally means "according to the flesh." Flesh is a critical theological term for Paul. Douglas Moo states, "It [sarx] refers essentially to human existence, with emphasis on the transitory, weak, frail nature of that existence. "According to the flesh," used 21 times in Paul, denotes being or living according to the "merely human." For Paul, the humanity of Jesus- his taking on flesh is central to his theology. In Jesus' human existence, he is a descendant of David. This is now the second reference to David by Paul when he explains his gospel theology.
Third, the Gospel includes the appointment of Jesus as the Son of God in power by the Spirit. This complex phrase speaks to three things. (1) God the Father appointed Jesus as the Son by his resurrection from the dead. Paul does not mean that Jesus became the Son of God upon his resurrection. There is no change in the essence of the Messiah, as if he became the Son of God for the first time upon his resurrection. There is a change in status or function. He is now Jesus Christ our Lord.
(2) Jesus was also appointed Son of God in power. What does Paul mean by "in power?” Paul notes that through the resurrection, the Son of God has been appointed to a new status in relation to the world; he is the Lord of all, the new ruler of the world. Jesus was born the Messiah Son; now, through the resurrection, he is the Messiah Son, the powerful, reigning Lord.
(3) Jesus' appointment to be the Son of God in power is according to the Spirit of holiness. What does Paul mean by the Spirit of holiness? Some perceive it to refer to Jesus’ own spirit of holiness. In other words, Jesus’ perfect obedience qualifies him to be the Son of God in power. As theologically accurate as that is, it is better to see the phrase used adjectivally, describing the new realm of the Spirit. It is essential to note the contrast between flesh and Spirit.
Born of the seed of David according to the flesh
Appointed Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness
Paul's contrast between the flesh and the Spirit is part of his cosmic worldview. They are the two operative realms. The old realm of the flesh is the world forfeited by Adam such that Satan, sin, and death now rule. The new realm of the Spirit is the new world Jesus inaugurated in his resurrection. Based on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, he has brought God's new creational Kingdom into the present, such that now, these two ages overlap. The Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of holiness, empowers this new realm.
This passage concludes with the meaning of all of this: Jesus Christ our Lord. This may be the simplest definition of the Gospel: Jesus is Lord. Caesar is not. The American president is not. Jesus rules and reigns over all things visible and invisible, and one day, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Based on the examination of these seven passages, how would you define the Gospel? Is your definition different than it was before you read this section?'
In the next post, I will put all of this together to help us arrive at a proper definition of the Gospel.
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