We have probably all received news that changed our lives significantly. We’ve head bad news of the death of family member, a cancer diagnosis, or rejection from yet another job application. We’ve also heard good news, like the birth of child, hearing that our body is cancer-free, or landing our dream job that we’ve worked toward our entire lives. We can all understand the power of good and bad news to change the direction of our lives. There is no better news than the gospel, the good news of Jesus.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of salvation for everyone who believes (John 3:16; Romans 1:16–17; 1 Peter 1:25), and it is the central message of the Bible.
To expand a little bit, the gospel can be like this. It is an announcement of good news about Jesus, who conquers sin and death and calls us to respond:
An Announcement of Good News
The word “gospel” could be translated as “good news.” In the cultural context of the Bible, the word “gospel” often referred to the good news of king’s victory over enemies or the accession of a new king. We can also see this focus on kingship and kingdom in the Bible. For example, Isaiah wants to announce the victory of Yahweh over Israel’s enemies, Isaiah proclaims the good news that God reigns (Isaiah 40:9–11; 52:6–7). God is king, and this is good news for his people. In the New Testament, Jesus begins his ministry by preaching the good news of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14–15). The Gospels go on to tell the story of how Jesus, as God in the flesh, is bringing about the promised rule and reign of God in the world.
With this background, we can summarize the gospel in this way: the good news that Jesus our king has accomplished our salvation through his life, death, and resurrection.
About Jesus, Who Conquers Sin and Death
The Apostle Paul helpfully summarizes this gospel story in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4,
Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (CSB).
The good news of Jesus depends on this—Christ died for our sins. The Bible’s teaching on humanity’s sin is clear. God created a good world. Humanity, however, rebelled against God. Our rebellion allowed the curse to enter into the world, poisoning our relationship with God, one another, and creation, ultimately leading to death. The effects of sin and death are far reaching, as wide as creation. All of us have sinned against God, and because of our sin, we daily experience the effects of sin and death, and we stand under the curse and judgment of God. But God promised sin and death would not rule forever. He promised that a child would be born who would bring blessing instead of curse, life instead of death.
The gospel is the announcement that the promised one has come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was a human like us in every way, except he did not sin (Hebrews 2:17). Since he lived a perfect life in obedience to God, he did not stand under the penalty of death. Instead he died on the cross for our sins. As Peter writes,“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus, the Son of God, took on human form to live a perfect life and to die in place of sinful humanity. His death on the cross is not merely an example of love, but an atoning, substitutionary sacrifice that satisfies the penalty for sin, thus reconciling people to God. The gospel, therefore, includes the good news that through Jesus’s life and death, he has accomplished salvation by taking the penalty of sin.
Without the resurrection, however, the gospel would be incomplete. Jesus does not merely submit to death. Jesus dies so that he might conquer sin and death in his resurrection. In other words, Jesus’s resurrection secures our salvation and demonstrates him as king over sin and death. The resurrection, therefore, is absolutely essential to the gospel message. As Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” The gospel, therefore, announces that Jesus is king because of his perfect life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection in fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.
And Calls Us to Respond
This gospel calls for a response. The good news of Jesus is no clickbait headline that we can scroll past without consequence. We realize that some news we receive changes our lives significantly. The good news of Jesus must be taken seriously because it changes everything, and it changes everything for our good. To experience this change, God calls us to repent and believe the gospel. In so doing we receive all the benefits of the gospel, including forgiveness of sins, life lived under a good king, the hope of a new creation, and the presence of God.
Whether we are hearing the gospel for the first time or revisiting its message, we are invited to respond—by believing, repenting, and living in the light of the good news that Jesus our king has accomplished our salvation through his life, death, and resurrection.