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Definition and Explanation of the Christian Gospel Message of Salvation through Jesus Christ

The term "gospel" derives from the Anglo-Saxon meaning "God's spell"—the word of God—or alternatively "good spell," meaning good news, rendering the Greek evangelion, which signifies "good message" [1]. This good news constitutes the central announcement of Christianity: that salvation from sin and its consequences has been accomplished through Jesus Christ. The gospel is not merely information about a historical figure but "the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as preached by our Lord and his followers" [1], declaring that God has acted decisively in history to rescue humanity.

The Biblical Foundation

The gospel reveals "the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish" [8], establishing that right standing before God is obtained not through human merit but through trust in Christ's finished work. Paul's letter to the Romans articulates this with precision: believers are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" [6]. The term "salvation" in Hebrew denotes deliverance, welfare, and victory [9], concepts that find their ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament's proclamation of deliverance "from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ" [4].

This message was not an innovation but had been "foretold" in the Hebrew Scriptures and "preached under the old testament" [3], with prophetic texts anticipating the coming proclamation of good news. The gospel thus represents the culmination of God's redemptive purposes announced throughout biblical history, bringing "life and immortality to light" through Jesus [3].

The Content of the Message

At its core, the gospel announces that Jesus Christ functions as Savior—"one who saves from any form or degree of evil" [2]. In its highest sense, this term "indicates the relation sustained by our Lord to his redeemed ones" [2]. The great message concerns both salvation and the Savior, constituting "the gospel of salvation" [2]. Faith in Christ "secures to the sinner a personal interest in the work of redemption," while "salvation is redemption made effectual to the individual by the power of the Holy Spirit" [2].

The gospel is characterized as "the power of God to salvation" [3], not merely moral instruction or religious philosophy but divine power actively working to rescue those who believe. It exhibits "the grace of God" [3] and is described as both "glorious" and "everlasting" [3]. The knowledge of God's glory comes specifically through this gospel message [3], making it the lens through which divine character and purpose become visible.

The Means of Appropriation

The gospel operates through proclamation and reception. "Preaching the Gospel is the ordinary means of salvation; faith in Christ is the result of hearing the word, the doctrine of God preached" [17]. This establishes a sequence: God sends preaching, attentive hearing produces faith, and belief in the message results in salvation [17]. The resurrection of Jesus serves as God's "assurance" or pledge that this revelation is "true and worthy of acceptance" [7], providing historical grounding for the gospel's claims.

Salvation comes "not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy" [11]. The contrast is stark: human actions that might merit salvation stand opposed to God's grace [11]. Salvation occurs "through faith in God's mercy alone" [11], involving a washing away of sins, new birth, and new life through the Holy Spirit [11]. This signifies "a complete departure from the life of sin and death and a transfer into the realm of life and purity" [11].

The Transformative Effect

Those who receive the gospel message undergo radical transformation. Believers are "made alive together with Christ," sharing in his resurrection both presently and eschatologically [10]. This union with Christ means believers "share God's glory and blessings, and experience resurrection both now and in the future" [15]. The transformation involves stripping off the old sinful nature and putting on a new nature [14], allowing Christ to be Lord and guide conduct [14].

Critically, good works emerge as the result rather than the cause of salvation [12]. God "has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us" [12]. The Spirit's transforming work produces a good life [12], expressing divine life within the believer [16]. This transforming work of God's Spirit constitutes part of salvation's gift itself [16].

The Scope and Proclamation

The gospel is announced as "good tidings of great joy for all people" [3], breaking down barriers between ethnic and religious groups. Gentiles who believe are "no longer strangers and foreigners" but "fully accepted into God's family," becoming "children of God, just like believing Jews" [13]. This universal scope was central to apostolic preaching: "the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles" [20], referring to the gospel as "a publication and declaration of that salvation, which God contrived from all eternity" [20].

The four canonical Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—provide historical accounts of Christ's person and work, with the term evangelion applied to these narratives because they record the good message [5]. Mark begins his account by identifying Jesus as "Son of God," pointing to "his Divine origin" and "miraculous conception," an "essential character of the Messiah" [18]. The gospel is emphatically "not a cunningly devised fable" [19] but represents "the counsel of God, the most excellent contrivance of the infinitely wise Jehovah" [19], describing a way of saving sinners that God himself invented.

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Gospel — A word of Anglo-Saxon origin, and meaning "God's spell", i.e., word of God, or rather, according to others, "good spell", i.e., good news. It is the rendering of the Greek evangelion, i.e., "good message." It denotes (1) "the welcome intelligence of salvation to man as preached by our Lord and his followers. (2.) It was afterwards transitively applied to each of the four histories of our Lord's life, published by those who are therefore called Evangelists', writers of the history of the gospel (the evangelion). (3.) The term is often used to express collecti”
  2. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Saviour — One who saves from any form or degree of evil. In its highest sense the word indicates the relation sustained by our Lord to his redeemed ones, he is their Saviour. The great message of the gospel is about salvation and the Saviour. It is the "gospel of salvation." Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ secures to the sinner a personal interest in the work of redemption. Salvation is redemption made effectual to the individual by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
  3. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Gospel, The — Is good tidings of great joy for all people -- Lu 2:10,11,31,32. Foretold -- Isa 41:27; 52:7; 61:1-3; Mr 1:15. Preached under the old testament -- Heb 4:2. Exhibits the grace of God -- Ac 14:3; 20:32. The knowledge of the glory of God is by -- 2Co 4:4,6. Life and immortality are brought to light by Jesus through -- 2Ti 1:10. Is the power of God to salvation -- Ro 1:16; 1Co 1:18; 1Th 1:5. Is glorious -- 2Co 4:4. Is everlasting -- 1Pe 1:25; Re 14:6. Preached by Christ -- Mt 4:23; Mr 1:14. Ministers have a stewardship to preach -- 1Co 9:17. Preached before”
  4. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Salvation — This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians (Ex. 14:13), and of deliverance generally from evil or danger. In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus Christ, "the great salvation" (Heb. 2:3). (See [546]REDEMPTION; [547]REGENERATION.)”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Gospels — The central fact of Christian preaching was the intelligence that the Saviour had come into the world (Matt. 4:23; Rom. 10:15); and the first Christian preachers who called their account of the person and mission of Christ by the term evangelion_ (= good message) were called _evangelistai (= evangelists) (Eph. 4:11; Acts 21:8). There are four historical accounts of the person and work of Christ: "the first by Matthew, announcing the Redeemer as the promised King of the kingdom of God; the second by Mark, declaring him a prophet, mighty in deed and word'; th”
  6. Romans “being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; -- Romans 3:24”
  7. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Assurance — The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17:31) is the "assurance" (Gr. pistis, generally rendered "faith") or pledge God has given that his revelation is true and worthy of acceptance. The "full assurance [Gr. plerophoria, full bearing'] of faith" (Heb. 10:22) is a fulness of faith in God which leaves no room for doubt. The "full assurance of understanding" (Col. 2:2) is an entire unwavering conviction of the truth of the declarations of Scripture, a joyful steadfastness on the part of any one of conviction that he has grasped the very truth. The "full assurance ”
  8. Romans “Romans 1:17 (BSB) — For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.””
  9. STEPBible TBESG “[H3444] H3444 = (H3444) — 1) salvation, deliverance<br>1a) welfare, prosperity<br>1b) deliverance<br>1c) salvation (by God)<br>1d) victory”
  10. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:5: 2:5 gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead (literally made us alive together with Christ): Joined with Christ, believers share in his resurrection, now and in the future (see 2:6; Rom 6:4-14; Col 3:1-4). • It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved: See Eph 1:2; 2:8-9.”
  11. Titus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Titus 3:5: 3:5 not because . . . but because: The contrast is between human actions that might be thought to merit salvation and God’s grace (see Gal 2:16). Salvation is through faith in God’s mercy alone (Eph 2:8). • He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth: See Ezek 16:9; John 3:1-15; Eph 5:26; Heb 10:22; 2 Pet 1:9. • and new life through the Holy Spirit: This signifies a complete departure from the life of sin and death and a transfer into the realm of life and purity (see also Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 5:17; Col 3:10).”
  12. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:10: 2:10 He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. God’s Spirit, working through a transformed heart, produces a good life (Gal 5:22-23).”
  13. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:19: 2:19 Gentiles who believe are no longer strangers and foreigners (2:11-12, 17). Through Christ, they are fully accepted into God’s family. They become children of God, just like believing Jews (see Rom 8:14-17).”
  14. Colossians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Colossians 3:9: 3:9-10 your old sinful nature . . . your new nature: Paul contrasts old and new identities (see also Rom 5:12-21; 6:6; Eph 4:22-24). Believers strip off their old life and put on Christ’s new life, allowing him to be Lord and to guide the way they live.”
  15. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:6: 2:6 united with Christ Jesus: Because of this union, believers share God’s glory and blessings, and experience resurrection both now and in the future (see Rom 6:4-14; Col 2:12-13; 3:1-4).”
  16. Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 4:24: 4:24 A believer has a new nature: God’s Spirit expresses his life within the believer (see Col 3:10; cp. Gen 1:26; Rom 12:1-2; Gal 5:22-23). The transforming work of God’s Spirit is part of the gift of salvation (Eph 2:8-10).”
  17. Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing - Preaching the Gospel is the ordinary means of salvation; faith in Christ is the result of hearing the word, the doctrine of God preached. Preaching, God sends; if heard attentively, faith will be produced; and if they believe the report, the arm of the Lord will be revealed in their salvation.”
  18. Mark (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Mark 1:1: The beginning of the Gospel - It is with the utmost propriety that Mark begins the Gospel dispensation by the preaching of John the Baptist, he being the forerunner of Jesus Christ, and the first proclaimer of the incarnated Messiah. Gospel - for the meaning of the word see the preface to Matthew. Son of God - To point out his Divine origin; and thus glancing at his miraculous conception. This was an essential character of the Messiah. See Mat 16:16; Mat 26:63; Luk 22:67, etc.”
  19. 2 Peter (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 2 Peter 1:16: Here we have the reason of giving the foregoing exhortation, and that with so much diligence and seriousness. These things are not idle tales, or a vain thing, but of undoubted truth and vast concern. The gospel is not a cunningly devised fable. These are not the words of one who hath a devil, nor the contrivance of any number of men who by cunning craftiness endeavour to deceive. The way of salvation by Jesus Christ is eminently the counsel of God, the most excellent contrivance of the infinitely wise Jehovah; it was he that invented this way of saving sinners b”
  20. Acts (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Acts 28:28: Be it known therefore unto you,.... Unbelievers and despisers, take this along with you at parting, and do not say you were never acquainted with it: that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles; meaning the Gospel, which is a publication and declaration of that salvation, which God contrived from all eternity; made provision for, and secured in the covenant of grace; which he appointed, called, and sent Christ to effect, in the fulness of time; and which he has accomplished, by his obedience, sufferings, and death; even a full, complete, spiritual, and eterna”
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