The English word gospel is Old English (goodspell, later contracted to gospel) for what is, in Greek, euangelion (pronounced e-van-ge-li-on). The Greek word, as used in classical literature, originally referred to the reward given to the one who brings a message of the good news, e.g., of a great victory or a royal birthday celebration, as well as the message itself. Eventually it came to be used of any goodtidings.
In the various forms of the word, it is used some 76 times in the NT. This itself is an indication of how the NT thought of its own core-message, i.e., it is the euangelion that God in Jesus Christ has fulfilled his promise to Israel and opened a way of salvation to all humankind, i.e., the reconciliation of all (i.e., Jews and Gentiles) humankind to God and to one another, and the renewal of all things that have been put out of joint by sin; in the words of Paul, "to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ". In this sense, there is only one "gospel," as Paul was so insistent on pointing out: "even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal 1:8).
While the apostles were still alive, they were the primary witnesses to the life, work, and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. As they began to pass away, however, there was felt a need to make records of these witnesses so that they may be preserved and taught to the future generations. Four of these records have come down to us in the four first books of the NT. It is significant that these records represented the beginning of a new genre of writing, and Mark seems to have been the first to use the word in this sense when he called his work "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mk 1:1 NET). In the 2nd Cent the word began to be used to refer to these records, and to distinguish them from one another they were named after their putative authors; hence, the "Gospel of Matthew," the "Gospel of Mark," etc. Some people find it helpful, as suggested by Origen, to think, rather, that the NT has preserved for us "a Four-Fold Gospel" instead of four Gospels. Outside of the four Gospels, the fullest coherent exposition of it is given by Paul, first in 1 Cor 15 and then in Romans.
But what is the message of the gospel? Most evangelical Christians, if asked what it is, would reply that, in essence, it is the good news of personal salvation, i.e., that every individual, by trusting in Jesus, will be saved. Many scholars have began to question this understanding; it reduces the gospel to "soteriology. Being "saved" is certainly part of the gospel message, but it is only the cherry, not the cake. Scholars like Scot Knight, N. T. Wright, and Matthew Bates have done the church an immense service in recent years by calling our attention to the need to review our understanding of the gosepl, and to see the centrality, not as getting to heaven, but as allegiance to King Jesus and a commitment to his Kingdom.
The literature on the gospel and the Gospels is so vast, literature specific to the individual Gospel is listed under their own entry.
Recommended Readings:
Mark L. Strauss, Four Portraits, One Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Watch Strauss's introductory lecture, 20.28 min. Youtube N
Matthew W. Bates, Salvation by Allegiance Alone. Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2017.
Matthew W. Bates, Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ. :Brazos, 2019.
Scot McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016. Click here to listen to an audio review of this book.
N. T. Wright, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. New York: HarperCollins, 2016.
N. T. Wright, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. New York: HarperOne, 2016.
sMedia Resources
N. T. Wright, "What is the Gospels?" NTOnline. 16 September 2022.
Video/Youtube 5.25. N
R. C. Sproul, What is the Gospel? Ligonier Ministries. 2 lectures.
R. C. Sproul, Understanding the Gospel? Ligonier Ministries. 12 lectures.
Third Millenium Ministrys has developed this extremely helpful course entitled The Gospels. These lectures open in the SPanel.
The Gospels. Lesson 1. Introduction to the Gospels. video 1:48:23.
The Gospels. Lesson 2. The Gospel According to Matthew. video 2:23:36.
The Gospels. Lesson 3. The Gospel According to Mark. video 1:54:21.
The Gospels. Lesson 4. The Gospel According to Luke. video 2:08:11.
The Gospels. Lesson 5. The Gospel According to John. video 2:03:46.
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