The Gospel - Kirk Wellum

What is the "gospel" and do those who talk about it really understand it and represent it properly? The "gospel" is one of those terms that is bandied around today just like "born again" was not so many years ago. Back then, everyone was "born again," until the term was so abused that it became almost meaningless. Today everything is about the "gospel" and it has become the latest buzzword that identifies the orthodox.

But what does the word mean? "Gospel" comes from the Old English godspel or "good news." It in turn is a translation of the Latin bona adnuntiatio, which is a translation of the Greek word euangelion. In biblical terms the good news is about what God has done in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save sinners. It is about the sovereign yet loving, powerful yet tender, objective yet intensely personal work of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit to bring human beings out of a state of lost alienation and into a state of divine acceptance and peace. The gospel is about what God has done and it calls for a response from all who hear it - a response of repentance and faith.

The gospel is not a slogan, nor should it be part of a marketing strategy. The gospel belongs to God. He is the one who planned it, who accomplished it and who applies it to the lives of his people. No one group has a corner on the gospel, it is bigger than any human organization, and it will stubbornly resist the efforts of ambitious people to co-opt for their own ends. Today it is important to recognize that many things get mixed up with the gospel that really have nothing to do with its essential meaning and significance. Cultural baggage and denominational hangups can get in the way of the faith that the Lord has entrusted to his people. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using the term as long as we have the wisdom to know what is gospel and what is not, what is essential and what is incidental.

As always scripture itself must guide our understanding and when it comes to the gospel Paul's words in Romans 1:16-17 are indispensable - "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. for in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed--a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Every lost son and daughter of Adam should be thankful for the gospel, and those who have known it's power should be determined to make sure it is clearly understood and not confused with anything else.

Kirk Wellum is the Principal of Toronto Baptist Seminary
http://redeemingthetime.blogspot.com