Introduction

The term “Gospel” is one of those words you hear a lot around churches, especially our church!  But what does it mean?  Oftentimes we use these words—you could call them “church words”, and people who have spent time in churches know what they mean, but if you have not spent a lot of time in church you might be unfamiliar with them.  Even in church settings, sometimes we use words like this so often that they become so common that we do not even take the time to recall what they mean.  So, what does the word “Gospel” mean and what is the Gospel? 

I would like to think about this in two lines of thought—first, what does the word Gospel mean, and then second, what is it.  Gospel as a word simply means good news.  It implies the type of news that might make you jump up and down for joy or dance in the streets!  But what is this news?  The Gospel is very simply the good news about Jesus.  But it is not just a word, the Gospel is a message.  The word tells a story—the story of God and the story of men.

What then is the Gospel?  It is the message about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God.  That is the good news!  The Bible teaches that all of us have sinned against God, who is completely holy and righteous.  Because of our sin, we deserve punishment; separation from God in a place called hell.  Though men might try to save themselves, there is nothing we can do to rescue ourselves from our punishment.  But because God is a loving God, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place and take our payment.  He was brutally murdered on a cross so that He could take our sin and rescue all those who believe in Him.  But Jesus did not stay dead!  He rose from the dead, purchasing the freedom of all of those who believe in Him.  That is what makes the Gospel such good news! 

Final Thoughts

I like to think of the Gospel as a house.  It is not just a door you walk through and shut behind you and never come back to, rather it is a house that you walk into and never leave.  If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and accept His free gift of salvation, the Bible teaches that you have an eternal relationship with Jesus as your Savior and you inherit eternal life with Him in heaven.  This is perpetual good news!  It is so certain that the Bible describes it as something that gives us hope and joy as we journey through life.  That is the message of the Gospel and that is why it is such good news.  The question I leave with you is this: now that you know, what will you do with such incredible news?         

*This article appeared in the Faribault Daily New “Faith Column” in September of 2021