Is “the Gospel” More than Just a Salvation Message?
“What is the gospel?” Seems like a simple enough question, right? Vocabulary.com explains, “The word gospel comes from the Old English god meaning ‘good’ and spel meaning ‘news, a story.’ In Christianity, the term ‘good news’ refers to the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, death and resurrection.”[1] Most Christians would agree with that definition.
The Gospel Coalition website explains, “The gospel is good news—the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ.”[2] Again, I imagine no Christian would disagree. But they go on to explain,
“Christ bore our sin on the cross. He bore the penalty, turned aside God’s judgment, God’s wrath, from us, and cancelled sin. The brokenness of our lives he restores; the shattered relationships he rebuilds in the context of the church; the new life that we human beings find in Christ is granted out of the sheer grace of God. It is received by faith as we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. We confess him as Lord, and bow to him joyfully.”[3]
Well, that sure starts out sounding like the “gospel message” we all know and love, doesn’t it? But the rest of that quote seems to go far beyond a simple salvation message. In fact, Timothy Keller says, “[In Galatians], Paul outlines the bombshell truth that the gospel is the A to Z of the Christian life. It is not only the way to enter the kingdom; it is the way to live as part of the kingdom. It is the way Christ transforms people, churches and communities.”[4]
You see, the gospel doesn’t end with salvation. That’s just the starting point. For many of us, we have years and years of Christian living to do. And all during that time God expects us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). God expects us to study the Scriptures daily to be sure we correctly understand Who He is, and what He expects of us, not only in our relationship with Him, but also in our relationship with others, both fellow Christians and also unbelievers. He expects us to:
“make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)
And there’s a wonderful payoff for those who persevere. As 2 Peter explains, “if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 10-11). Or, as the writer at the Gospel Coalition put it, “The good news culminates in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness, where neither sin nor any of its effects can survive, and where we enjoy the presence of God forever in the context of resurrection existence.”[5]
So the gospel, the good news, goes far beyond the glorious gift of salvation we have been given through Jesus Christ. It expands to include our lifelong response of gratitude for that gracious gift, and our lifelong anticipation of a future with Him for ever and ever.
