THE BIBLE’S WORD: “GOSPEL”
There are few words that harness such spiritual magnitude as the word “gospel.” In fact, the gospel of Christ “is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).# In essence, it is God’s dynamite# which is used to clear away the rubble of sin so that we might “have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18). Such an important concept demands careful attention, study, and application. However, the concept of the gospel has been grossly abused and misunderstood throughout the ages. Within this study, the effort is put forth to consider the biblical makeup of this word “gospel” in its many faceted respects. Special attention will be given to (1) an etymological examination of the word itself, (2) applications of the word’s usage from the Biblical text, and (3) modern implications of the word’s role in our salvation. The goal throughout this study is to foster better insight into such a meaningful word that we might better appreciate and understand the provision of God for us all. Within this word “gospel” lies the heart of Christianity. It enumerates the totality of man’s obedient obligation as well as God’s gracious gift. It calls the world t
The gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John coincide with the rest of the New Testament. Valuing lines of demarcation should not be drawn between them nor should they be pitted against one another. Both contain “good tidings” and both are needed to provide the full development of the Christian scheme.# Within the gospel message lies wonderful promises of hope as well as dreadful warnings of despair. Despite flawed approaches to the gospel message the truth still remains. Every individual must apply reasoning skills of discernment to work through tough difficulties and understand accurately the way of God’s precepts (Ps. 119:27). Perhaps, it is due to this misnomer that some have falsely concluded that gospel truth is found solely in the gospel accounts to the neglect of the other sacred writings. We must remember that: Everyone in the world needs to hear the gospel and Christians are the messengers. Therefore, great importance is placed, not only on the unbelievers need to obey, but also on the believers need to evangelize. Despite euangelion’s infrequent appearances outside of canonical contexts it is, nevertheless, a very important biblical word. In fact, since it is so atypical among ancient texts it becomes quite distinctively a New Testament word. Elwell remarks that “its true significance is therefore found, not by probing its linguistic background, but by observing its specific Christian usage.”# It is fascinating to speculate about why this word was chosen to become special. Perhaps, it is because Isaiah employed the idea of the gospel in some of his Messianic prophecies. Or perhaps it comes from the connection between a teacher and his pay. Thus the gospel is not only the message but the reward also. The reward being salvation. However, it could simply be that “good news” is the best descriptive expression of God’s new covenant plan for man. Despite its simplicity, it entails tremendous spiritual relevance that is worthy of our deliberate consideration. As we consider the gospel in the Old Testament, during Jesus’ ministry, and in the early church may we endeavor to uncover critical information about the gospel’s place in the Bible.
Some topics in this essay:
Jesus Christ,
Apostle Paul,
Gospel Words,
John Baptist,
God Mt,
Lordship Jesus,
Christ Jesus,
Father” Eph,
TEXT Despite,
Roman Empire,
gospel message,
“good news”,
word “gospel”,
1 cor,
jesus christ,
word euangelion,
apostle paul,
content gospel,
2 cor,
2 tim,
word’s usage biblical,
life death resurrection,
usage biblical text,
death resurrection jesus,
mk 835 1029,
Join now to see the rest of the essay!
Approximate Word count = 5937
Approximate Pages = 24 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
Example Essays Home
