“Jesus proclaimed the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe this good news.’” (Mark 1:14-15)
Cultural Christianity has blurred the lines between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. It has misrepresented, misunderstood, and marginalized “the full message of real and eternal life.” (Acts 5:20) This has resulted in churches filled with self-righteous, religious, and morally suspect people who have little or no understanding of the gospel (euaggelion), and who have deceived themselves about their true spiritual status.
John MacArthur states that “Scripture teaches and history confirms that the Body of Christ is most potent and most effective when it simply speaks and lives the gospel without equivocation or apology. With the façade of cultural Christianity crumbling, the best days for the spread of the true gospel are ahead of us.”
The gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s means of bringing salvation. Sinners are commanded to repent and believe it, and the church is commissioned to preach and teach it to all nations. The gospel is of divine – not human – origin. The character of the gospel is true, gracious, and glorious. The response to the gospel is faith and obedience. The gospel results in saving souls, bringing in the kingdom, and motivating sanctification and transformation.
“The greatest news in all the world is that the slaughtered Lamb of God reigns as the Sovereign Lord of all!” says David Platt. Christopher Wright, in an article entitled “According to the Scriptures, The Whole Gospel in Biblical Revelation” sees the gospel as a Christ-centered story to be told, a hope-filled message to be proclaimed, a revealed truth to be defended, a new status to be received, a transformed life to be lived, and a divine power to be celebrated. This is good news indeed!