The term gospel means great or important news, it is a proclamation. In the Bible it is an announcement from God about his rule: both the sovereignty and the mercy of his rule.
A simple summary of God’s message as it is found throughout the Bible might look like this.
1. Jesus is the Lord of heaven and earth who is to be acknowledged as Lord by all (Phil 2.9-11, Rom 1.1-6).
a) He is the creator and master of creation (Col 1.15-19); he commands the winds and waves (Mk 4.35-41); he heals the sick both physically and spiritually (Mk 4.24; Lk 17.11-19); he raises the dead (Lk 8.49-56; Lk 7.12; Jn 11.43-44).
b) He is master over Satan, sin, and death (Col 2.15; Jn 12.31-33; 1 Cor 15.56,57).
c) He is coming again as judge to set free the captives, remove sin from his creation and punish those who persist in their rebellion (Lk 4.18-21; 2 Thess 1.5-10; Jn 5.22; Heb 2.14-18; 9.28).
d) Because he is Lord all people are called to repent, stop their rebellion, turn to Jesus and submit to him (Mk 1.14,15; Ac 17.30; 1 Thess 1.9,10; Mk 10.21).
2. Jesus Is The Lord Who Saves (Rom 10.9-13).
a) Because of Christ’s atoning death on the cross God forgives those
- who turn from their rebellion,
- who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and
- who trust his death as the means by which they can be put right with God (Col 2.11-15; Mk 10.45; Rom 1.16,17; 3.21-26; 5.1,9-11; 2 Cor 5.20,21; Ac 2.38-40; 13.38,39).
b) Jesus is the only one who can save (Ac 4.12). His death atones for the sin of all who call on God by faith for salvation (Rom 3.21 - 4.25).
c) Jesus is the one who sends the Spirit, who gives eternal life, gives us the right to be God’s children etc. (Ac 2.33; Gal 3.14; 4.4-7; Jn 1.9-13; 3.16).
Paul summarises the message very succinctly in Rom 1.1-6. There the gospel is about God’s Son, human from David’s line and full of divine power as God’s Son, which fact was demonstrated by his resurrection - the gospel is about Jesus the Messiah King, our Lord.
The implication of the gospel for Paul is that all nations are to come to the obedience of faith (v5). That is, the obedience to Jesus as Lord which arises from the belief that he is Lord, and that he is able and willing to declare righteous those who put their lives in his hands.
Dale