Rajk999's Agenda
08 Aug '14 16:41The meaning of the word Gospel, I gleaned from the following article. I don't have his commentary he mentions, but nevertheless it is still powerful.
"When I was just beginning to seek the Lord back in the late 60s, I remember the Lord telling me that if I could get a revelation of the first eight chapters of Romans, it would change my life. I concentrated on those scriptures for years. I read them through dozens, maybe hundreds of times, and gradually, I began to get it. Sure enough, those scriptures have changed my life as much as any in all the Word of God.
Paul put forth this radical statement in Romans 1:16: "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation." That doesn't sound as radical to us as it did to the people in Paul's day because the term gospel has become a religious cliché to us. Most people don't know what it means. In Paul's day, it was a radical way of referring to the grace of God as the means of obtaining right standing with Him.
The Greek word from which the English word "Gospel" was translated literally means, "a good message, or good news." It was in use before the writing of the New Testament, but it was very obscure. In my research, one commentator said there were only two times in all of Greek literature where this word was used. This is because it really meant more than just "good news." It was more like "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news." It was a superlative that was so fantastic that it was seldom used. However, this sensational word perfectly described what Jesus did for us; therefore, it became a common word among New Testament believers.
Today, most Christians think the word "Gospel" is just a word that identifies religious things. They relate preaching on the wrath of God and impending judgment as the Gospel, but it's not. It's true that those who don't accept the sacrifice of Jesus will spend an eternity in hell, but that's not "good news." That's certainly not "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news."
The Gospel is the "good news," that despite our sins and the judgment we deserve, God has provided complete redemption for us. Even more specifically, the word "Gospel" describes the grace that enables us to receive this forgiveness.
If I told you that I had a gift of a million dollars for you, that would be good news. That would be nearly-too-good-to-be-true news. What if I put down difficult or impossible stipulations as things you must do to receive that money? Then it would cease to be a gift. Your performance would be required so you would actually be earning the money. All your joy over the "gift" would fade away as you despaired of meeting the criteria. You would probably be upset with me. It would be better to have never been offered the money than to have it dangled in front of you and then placed out of reach through impossible demands.
That's the way it is with salvation. Just saying that Jesus provided salvation for us is not truly the "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news" unless it is emphasized that all Jesus provided is available to us by grace. The grace of God is the heart of the Gospel.
In Acts 20:24, Paul said he was testifying of "the gospel of the grace of God." He said the same thing in Galatians 1:6: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel." Paul equated the grace of God with the Gospel. Any statements about God or the salvation He provided, without highlighting the grace of God, are not the true Gospel.
Telling people they are going to hell if they don't repent is true, but it's not the Gospel. Even telling people that Jesus provided an escape is not the Gospel if we tell them they have to live holy lives in order to obtain that salvation. Putting any stipulations on what we have to do to acquire God's provision denies grace and, therefore, is not the Gospel.
These are radical statements! Most of the church world doesn't define the Gospel this way, but that's the way Paul defined it, that "the gospel...is the power of God unto salvation." The power that we need to get saved and obtain everything that Jesus provided for us is in the Gospel. If we seem powerless to receive, it's because we don't have a full revelation of the true Gospel. "
AWM.org
"When I was just beginning to seek the Lord back in the late 60s, I remember the Lord telling me that if I could get a revelation of the first eight chapters of Romans, it would change my life. I concentrated on those scriptures for years. I read them through dozens, maybe hundreds of times, and gradually, I began to get it. Sure enough, those scriptures have changed my life as much as any in all the Word of God.
Paul put forth this radical statement in Romans 1:16: "The gospel is the power of God unto salvation." That doesn't sound as radical to us as it did to the people in Paul's day because the term gospel has become a religious cliché to us. Most people don't know what it means. In Paul's day, it was a radical way of referring to the grace of God as the means of obtaining right standing with Him.
The Greek word from which the English word "Gospel" was translated literally means, "a good message, or good news." It was in use before the writing of the New Testament, but it was very obscure. In my research, one commentator said there were only two times in all of Greek literature where this word was used. This is because it really meant more than just "good news." It was more like "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news." It was a superlative that was so fantastic that it was seldom used. However, this sensational word perfectly described what Jesus did for us; therefore, it became a common word among New Testament believers.
Today, most Christians think the word "Gospel" is just a word that identifies religious things. They relate preaching on the wrath of God and impending judgment as the Gospel, but it's not. It's true that those who don't accept the sacrifice of Jesus will spend an eternity in hell, but that's not "good news." That's certainly not "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news."
The Gospel is the "good news," that despite our sins and the judgment we deserve, God has provided complete redemption for us. Even more specifically, the word "Gospel" describes the grace that enables us to receive this forgiveness.
If I told you that I had a gift of a million dollars for you, that would be good news. That would be nearly-too-good-to-be-true news. What if I put down difficult or impossible stipulations as things you must do to receive that money? Then it would cease to be a gift. Your performance would be required so you would actually be earning the money. All your joy over the "gift" would fade away as you despaired of meeting the criteria. You would probably be upset with me. It would be better to have never been offered the money than to have it dangled in front of you and then placed out of reach through impossible demands.
That's the way it is with salvation. Just saying that Jesus provided salvation for us is not truly the "nearly-too-good-to-be-true news" unless it is emphasized that all Jesus provided is available to us by grace. The grace of God is the heart of the Gospel.
In Acts 20:24, Paul said he was testifying of "the gospel of the grace of God." He said the same thing in Galatians 1:6: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel." Paul equated the grace of God with the Gospel. Any statements about God or the salvation He provided, without highlighting the grace of God, are not the true Gospel.
Telling people they are going to hell if they don't repent is true, but it's not the Gospel. Even telling people that Jesus provided an escape is not the Gospel if we tell them they have to live holy lives in order to obtain that salvation. Putting any stipulations on what we have to do to acquire God's provision denies grace and, therefore, is not the Gospel.
These are radical statements! Most of the church world doesn't define the Gospel this way, but that's the way Paul defined it, that "the gospel...is the power of God unto salvation." The power that we need to get saved and obtain everything that Jesus provided for us is in the Gospel. If we seem powerless to receive, it's because we don't have a full revelation of the true Gospel. "
AWM.org
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