Making sure people understand what the word gospel means is something to take seriously. I have two boys at home, and I regularly ask them to define the gospel. First, I ask them what the word gospel means. They’ll respond, “good news.” Then, I’ll follow that up with, “good news about what?” At that point, on a good day, they’ll say the good news about Jesus. And away we go with more questions, carefully defining the content of the good news. That may sound like something simple, but it is amazing how often people struggle to share in simple and succinct terms the good news of Jesus.

Several years ago, I had the chance to serve as the Family Pastor at a church just outside of Louisville, KY. One of my responsibilities was to lead the student ministry on Wednesday nights. I was eager to gather with students and some adult leaders each week and unpack the Bible. I knew one of my main tasks would be helping young people (and the volunteer leaders) understand, embrace, and live in light of the gospel. So, on perhaps the second or third Wednesday night gathering of my tenure, I had tables set up with blank paper at each chair. That evening, I gave one simple assignment. Write down your understanding of what the gospel is and turn in the paper. I didn’t read them that night, but later that week, I sat down at my desk to review these sheets of paper. The results were sad. Some were short and vague, missing key components of the good news. Others were long and complicated, making the good news confusing at best or something along works-righteousness at worst. I do not recall (though to be fair, it was a long time ago) one encouraging explanation of the good news. I knew then that my task, like Paul, was to “know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). I needed to make sure that I took whatever time I had in that position to help others have a clear understanding of the gospel.

But back to my boys and that first question, asking them to define the word. This is an important place to begin. What is the gospel? What does that word mean?  

Our English word comes from the Greek, εὐαγγέλιον (euaggelion), and carries the basic meaning of “good news” (BDAG). John Piper writes, “The word for gospel in the New Testament is euangelion…It’s built out of a prefix that means good or joyful and a root word that means message or news” (Piper, God is the Gospel).

But good news of what? Was it merely that God was about to run Rome out of Israel? Or good news that God had sent a mere sage to lead his people? Or good news that a powerful (but mere mortal) prophet had arrived? Or something else? 

Well, something else, indeed! In the New Testament, the gospel was about Jesus. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Thus, “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). And, “As for the word that [Peter] sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)…” (Acts 10:36). This was the news that Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah, promised by prophets of old (e.g., Isaiah 53; John 1:45), had arrived. And with him came the first experience of the kingdom of God (e.g., Matt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14), where the curse of Genesis 3 would be reversed and God’s people would once again enjoy the presence of their God. The full realization and experience of the kingdom, however, would come in the future. For now, in the New Testament, the good news was that the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:7; Gal 3:16), the one who would crush the head of the snake (Gen 3:15), the lion from Judah (cf., Gen 49:8–12; Matt 1:1–17), had taken on flesh and dwelt among human beings (John 1:14). And he had come in the incarnation “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45). Here was the Son of God who would go to the cross and die for sinners (Rom 5:6). That substitutionary death would move Paul to say, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). 

This is the gospel. The gospel is not some vague reference to “believing in God” or a call to merely live a good life, or that God helps those who help themselves. The gospel is clearly proclaimed when it is precisely defined. It is the gospel of Jesus. It is a message of God reconciling sinners to himself through faith in the crucified, risen, and reigning King Jesus. All other messages are counterfeits.

It’s hard not to keep writing about such glorious realities! If those biblical truths about the gospel don’t excite you, I wonder whether or not you’ve truly been born again. For those who have tasted the goodness of God in the gospel of Jesus, it seems impossible to get over this news.

My prayer, you’d understand the gospel clearly. And you’d happily embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior. Then, by the power of the Spirit, live to make that glorious gospel known among your neighbors and the nations.