What is the Gospel?

Friends,

I find that the best way to know a Christian's priorities is to ask him to define "the Gospel".

What is the Gospel? Can anyone here encapsulate what they believe it is? Imagine someone has just began to believe in God, but sees no point to this Jesus fellow. How do you define the very base, the foundation of it?

 

I think the evangelist summed the Good News up best: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." ~John 3:16-17
And to that I add AMEN!

 

So the Good News is that, indeed, there is one God and He loves the Creation enough to come directly into it, in the Person of His Son, that those who live in that Son live forever?

Sometimes I hear that the news itself is the death of Death, our greatest enemy as human beings. Interesting.

 

The Gospel is the good news of the Incarnation, life, atonement, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, defeating death, sin, Satan and all evil, and assuring those who have faith in Jesus that death is not the end -- that they will share in His resurrection to eternal life.

Take away the bodily resurrection, and the Christian religion is just one more among many.

 

Christ has died,
Christ has risen,
Christ will come again.

 

Thanks for the interesting answers so far!

So can the Gospel, in brief & in summary, be described only as the actions of Jesus Christ? Does the simple, basic Gospel involve a description of what has occurred to/in us, or is that "higher theology"?

 

Both.

 

I agree on what have been said, very good to the point descriptions. I often find people asking me why I have so much peace or joy or such and I myself telling people about the fullness of life I got in Christ Jesus.

 

Both as Lowly Layman pointed out in his post above... John 3:16-17

 

I believe that was I. But no problem.

 

you may well have brother but I was referring to post #2 by Lowly Layman:

 

Sorry.

 

But what does that have to do with me? Gospel is the relationship of God to man, not just abstract events that took place somewhere...

 

To be fair, they weren't my words to begin with.

 

I heard a preacher on the radio today who summed it up like this: I can do nothing to earn my salvation. God does not require that I earn it. Jesus paid for my salvation on the cross and gives it to me freely.

 

I don't believe I said they were... but they were excellent words by John...

 

I don't believe I said it had anything to do with your, the original question was asking peoples opinion on what the Gospel was, and how you define the foundation of it...
Christ has died,
Christ is risen, and
Christ will come again.

is part of that foundation.

 

The Good News is that The Lord God Jesus came to earth to redeem mankind

Jesus defeated evil through his death, and defeated death through his rising from the dead.

Jesus loves each of us, no matter what we have done or will do. Jesus welcomes us to take our place in his family and accept Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus only asks that we do not reject His invitation. We are God-stuff. As children of God, we will do more than Jesus did in his earthly life, and become more conformed to God throughout our lives.

But the bottom line for those who believe in God is that Jesus IS God, Jesus is ALIVE, and Jesus welcomes us into his family.

 

If one were to summarise the Gospel, then it would be Christ cruficied, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

 

If you don't include the Incarnation and Resurrection, Christianity is just another religion among many.