THE WORD “GOSPEL” MEANS GOOD NEWS
The word Gospel is not religious jargon; it is an announcement. Long before it was preached from pulpits, it was spoken in the streets to describe a victory, a liberation, or the arrival of a new king. In the Scriptures, the Word of God takes that ordinary word and fills it with eternal weight. Gospel means good news—not good advice, not moral instruction, not self-improvement—but news. Something has happened. God has acted. Heaven has broken into history through Jesus Christ (Mark 1:14-15).
The Gospel is good news because it begins with God, not with us. It does not ask what humanity can do to climb up to heaven; it declares what God has done in Christ to come down to us. Jesus lived the life we could not live, bore the judgment we deserved, and rose victorious over death itself (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). That is why the Gosoel is proclaimed, not negotiated. You do not argue with news; you receive it, believe it, and live in light of it.
The Gospel is good news because it speaks to sinners without pretending they are not sinners. It does not minimize our failure, but it refuses to let failure have the final word. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, proving that grace outruns guilt and mercy outpaces shame (Romans 5:8). Only bad news tells you to save yourself. Good news announces that salvation has already been accomplished.
The Gospel changes everything without requiring us to earn anything. Forgiveness is offered freely; righteousness is given, not achieved; adoption is granted, not merited. In Christ we are reconciled to God, no longer enemies but children welcomed home (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). The Gospel does not place a ladder before us—it places a cross behind us and an empty tomb ahead of us.
The Gospel is good news because it endures. Circumstances change, bodies weaken, and the world shakes, but the good news of Jesus Christ remains steady and sure. The Word of God proclaims peace with God now and glory with Him forever (Romans 1:16). The Gospel does not merely improve life; it gives life. It is good news for the guilty, the weary, the broken, and the hopeful alike—because it tells the truest story of all: God saves.
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Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for the good news of Your grace. Help me to believe it deeply, live it faithfully, and proclaim it boldly. Let my life reflect the joy of a heart changed by the Gospel. Amen.
BDD
