The Gospel is first described in the New Testament as the message that Jesus and his followers shared with those they encountered about the Kingdom of God. “It is near”, they said. It’s also the message that Paul says his life was set apart for, that inspired his missionary journeys, his work with Gentiles, and was the “power of salvation to those who believe” (Romans 1:1, 16).

What did the Gospel mean to the early church believers and to Paul? The same things it ought to mean to us today.

The Gospel is:

– That God will make you righteous, if you’ll let him. (2 Cor. 5:21)
– That God will make you holy, if you’ll let him. (Heb. 10:10)
– That God will make you forgiven, if you’ll let him. (I John 1:9)
– That God will make you loving, if you’ll let him. (I John 4:19)
– That God will make you free, if you’ll let him. (Gal. 5:1)
– That God will make you alive, if you’ll let him. (John 10:10)
– That God will make you new, if you’ll let him. (2 Cor. 5:17)
– That God will make you his, if you’ll let him. (Rom. 8:15)

How do we let God change us?

By admitting that Jesus is the final authority over all that is (including ourselves, personally),
and by believing that he rose from the dead. (Rom. 10: 9-10)

By stating that Jesus is master over all and that he rose from the dead, we are also acknowledging that we put our trust in him plant our lives in his kingdom. We are making a choice to let him drive our lives.

Why is believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection crucial in the Gospel?

Because through them,
– Jesus destroyed sin and death (Rom. 8:3, 2 Tim. 1:10)
– Jesus restored our relationship with God (Rom. 5:1-2)
– Jesus fulfilled the law within us (Rom. 10:4)
– Jesus replaced our old, hard hearts with new ones (Ez. 36:26-27)
– Jesus bathed us in mercy (Ps. 145:9, I Peter 1:3)
– Jesus grounds us in grace (Heb 4:16)
– Jesus gives our hearts hope (Rom. 15:13)
– Jesus fills us with power (Mt. 28:18-20)
– Jesus gives our lives purpose (Eph. 2:10)
– Jesus gives us eternal life with him (John 3:16, Rom. 6:23)

The early Gospel declared Jesus as master over all of creation, and through his resurrection, also his power over death. It is those two aspects in the Gospel story- that Jesus holds authority over life, and over death- that made the Gospel message the principle profession of early Christians in the Roman world. It likewise remains the basic belief uniting earnest Christians around the world today.