Becoming a Christian
What is the gospel?
“Gospel” means good news. It is the announcement that God has acted to rescue us through Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again, and that he offers forgiveness and new life to everyone who turns to him.
Where the word comes from
The English word comes from the Old English “god spel”, meaning good news. It translates a Greek word used in the ancient world for a public announcement of something momentous, such as a victory in battle. So the gospel is not first of all advice about how to live. It is news about something that has happened.
The gospel in a sentence
The apostle Paul summed it up for the church in Corinth like this:
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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.
The gospel in four steps
- God. He made us and the world, and he made us to know him.
- Us. We have all turned away from God and gone our own way. This is sin, and it separates us from him.
- Jesus. God’s Son became human, died on the cross to take the consequences of our sin and rose from the dead.
- Our response. God calls everyone to turn back to him and trust Jesus. All who do are forgiven and given new life.
News, not advice
Most religions and philosophies tell you what you must do to reach God or to live well. The gospel is different in kind. It tells you what God has done to reach you. The message is not “try harder” but “it has been done for you”. That is why Christians call it good news, and why Paul could say he was not ashamed of it.
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
Why four books are called Gospels
The first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are known as the Gospels because each one tells the good news by telling the story of Jesus: his life, his teaching, his death and his resurrection. Reading one of them is the best way to hear the gospel in full.
How to respond
Jesus himself said what the right response is:
The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.