The Gospel
The word gospel is translated from the Greek euaggelos,
which means "good news." Bad news, therefore, such as
doctrines pertaining to evil or to personal sins, do not properly
belong under the category of the gospel.
The Gospel includes all of the doctrines pertaining to salvation,
including: Redemption, Expiation, Reconciliation, Propitiation,
Imputation, Justification, Positional Truth, and Sanctification.
It also includes the doctrines pertaining to the Lord Jesus Christ,
including: the Hypostatic Union, Impeccability, the Deity of Christ,
etc.
There are six uses of the term "gospel" in the New Testament:
- The gospel of Christ; Rom. 1:16,17, "I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ..." This is an emphasis on the Person
of the gospel.
- "My gospel", Rom. 2:16. This means that the gospel
belongs to every believer.
- "Our gospel", 2 Cor. 4:3,4. This verse speaks of
the believer's possession of the gospel and the importance of
communicating it as God gives opportunity in witnessing.
- "The gospel of peace", Eph. 6:15. This emphasizes
the doctrine of Reconciliation in the gospel.
- "The everlasting gospel", Rev. 14:6. This emphasizes
the proximity of eternity for unbelievers during the Tribulation.
- "The gospel of the kingdom", Matt. 24:14. This
emphasizes the fulfillment of the unconditional covenant to the
born-again of Israel.
There is no such thing as the Full Gospel. This is absolute
apostasy, and is called "another gospel" in Galatians
1, the purveyors of which are to be avoided.
The fundamentals of the gospel are given in 1 Cor. 15:1-4.
- Christ died as a substitute for our sins (His spiritual death
- "It is finished!")
- Christ died physically, and was buried
- Christ rose from the dead
The enemy of the gospel is Satan (as the ruler of this world,
2 Cor. 4:3,4.
The believer's attitude toward the gospel is expressed in these
verses:
Rom. 1:16; Rom. 1:20; 1 Cor. 1:17; 1 Cor. 9:16