What About the Gospel? (Part 1)

"The Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed."  - Harry Ironside

Anyone who is a believer in Christ (and even someone who isn't) has more than likely heard mention of: the gospel. It's a pretty common topic, and one that is certainly fundamental to the Christian, yet many have trouble understanding it.

Therefore, I will make an attempt to cut through some of the confusion, and hopefully make it a little easier to grasp. In order to accomplish this for you, I feel it would be more effective to begin with some preliminary information this week.

Now, we need a good starting point to set us on our way. An excellent reference verse from Scripture for our discussion is Mark 1:1 (KJV), "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."

If we read this verse carefully, we notice that there are actually two topics here: a) the gospel; and b) the beginning of the gospel. To add to our conversation, let's ask two questions of each. The gospel: What is it? and Whose is it? The beginning of the gospel: Where did it begin? and Where does it begin?

What is the gospel? The word "gospel," both in Greek and English, originally means: good news or glad tidings. That is, good news from God to man --- good news of spiritual good, forgiveness, and salvation. 

All of us are familiar with the feeling we get when we receive good news from family or friends.The gospel is similar, but on a totally different level. The gospel is good news from God to man (you and I). 

It comes to us by special delivery from heaven to earth; from the infinitely blessed and infinitely holy to the lowest depths of deplorable, human hopelessness, and sin. It is a voice from heaven that breaks through the silence or the dissonance of our natural condition.

I hope that I have presented some solid information here today. There is still much more for us to cover. We shall continue our talk next time. Until then, have a wonderful week, and may God bless you.

Scripture: Romans 1:16; John 5:39-40; Ephesians 1:13-14; Isaiah 53:6; John 14:6

Prayer: Dear Lord, I pray that I may live in such a way that I value all that is good in my life, and never take anyone or anything for granted, amen

May the Lord bless!

Shawna