The Good News (Gospel)

Promised Long Ago

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The word gospel means good news. Paul says this good news did not begin with him. God “promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2). Long before Jesus was born, God was telling His people He would come.

The first promise. Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God spoke to the serpent about a Child of the woman: “He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). One day Someone would crush the enemy, even though He would be hurt.

A blessing for everyone. God told Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Paul says the Scripture “preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand” (Galatians 3:8).

A forever King. God promised David, “I will set up your seed after you… and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:12). That is why Romans 1:3 says Jesus came from the family of David.

A little town. Micah wrote about Bethlehem: “Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). Jesus was born there.

A Child and a Son. Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). This Child would be called “Mighty God.”

A suffering Savior. Isaiah also wrote, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). Transgressions and iniquities are sins. The Savior would be hurt in our place.

Alive again. David wrote, “Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10). On the day of Pentecost, Peter said David was speaking about Jesus rising from the dead (Acts 2:31).

The angel's news. When Jesus was born, the angel said, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). Tidings means news. God's promise had arrived.

Jesus explained it. After He rose, Jesus said, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:46).

Why it matters. God planned the gospel long before Jesus came. Hundreds of years ahead, He told His people what would happen. Then it happened. The good news is not a made-up story.

What we learn. The whole Bible points to Jesus. God keeps every promise He makes, so we can trust Him with ours.

What to do. This week, read Isaiah 53 with a grown-up. Talk about all the ways it describes Jesus.

Paul calls it “the gospel of God… which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:1-2). The gospel is not a new religion. It is the fulfillment of the oldest promises in the Bible.

Euangelion. The Greek word euangelion (say: yoo-an-GEL-ee-on) was used for good news brought by a messenger, such as news of a victory or of a new king. Isaiah had pictured messengers running with good news, and Paul quotes it: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15).

Genesis 3:15. The first promise comes right after the first sin. The woman's Seed would crush the serpent's head and be wounded in the heel. Victory would come through suffering.

Genesis 12:3 and Galatians 3:8. “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Paul says Scripture, “foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand.” The gospel was always meant for every nation.

2 Samuel 7:12-13. God promised David a descendant whose throne would last “forever.” No ordinary king lives forever. Romans 1:3 names the One who does: Jesus, “born of the seed of David according to the flesh.”

Isaiah 53:3-7. The Servant is “despised and rejected by men,” “wounded for our transgressions,” and “led as a lamb to the slaughter.” Then “the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (53:6). Isaiah described the cross centuries before it happened.

Psalm 16:10. David wrote, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol.” Sheol means the place of the dead. David died and was buried, so Peter says David “spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ” (Acts 2:31).

Micah 5:2 and Isaiah 9:6. The Ruler from Bethlehem has goings forth “from of old, From everlasting,” and the Child born is called “Mighty God.” The promised King is human and divine, exactly as Romans 1:3-4 says.

Luke 24:46-47. The risen Jesus taught that His suffering and resurrection were “written,” and that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.” Remission means canceling a debt.

Why it matters. A gospel promised centuries in advance and then kept in detail is strong evidence that God is behind it. It also shows that God's plan to save sinners was never a backup plan.

Application. Read the Old Testament looking for Jesus. When you find a promise, ask how Jesus keeps it. That habit will make the whole Bible come alive.

The Heart of the Good News

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What exactly is the gospel? Paul gave a short answer to the church in Corinth. He said he had passed these things on “first of all,” because nothing matters more. Then he wrote them down in one sentence.

Four parts. “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Christ died. Jesus really died on a cross outside Jerusalem. It was not a story or a dream.

For our sins. Jesus had no sins of His own. He died for ours. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The just means the one who is right. The unjust means us.

He was buried. His body was laid in a tomb, and a stone closed it. That shows He truly died.

He rose again. On the third day He came out of the grave alive. Then “He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:5). Cephas is Peter. Later more than five hundred people saw Him at once (15:6).

Without the resurrection. “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Futile means useless. Because He rose, our faith is not useless.

News, not advice. Advice tells you what to do. News tells you what has already been done. The gospel tells what Jesus has done for us.

How to answer it. Jesus said, “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Repent means to turn from sin to God. Believe means to trust Jesus with your whole life.

For anyone. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Whoever means anyone at all.

Only Jesus. Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Good news to tell. “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). Good news is meant to be shared. Someone told you, and you can tell someone else.

What we learn. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again. It is God's good news for anyone who turns to Him and trusts Jesus.

What to do. Learn the four parts by heart: Christ died, for our sins, He was buried, He rose again. Tell them to someone in your family this week.

Paul reminds the Corinthians of “the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand” (1 Corinthians 15:1). Then he gives its heart in four short lines (15:3-4).

“First of all” (15:3). The phrase means of first importance. Many things matter in the Christian life, but nothing matters more than these facts about Jesus.

“Christ died for our sins.” The little word for tells us why He died: in our place. Isaiah had written, “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Peter adds, “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The goal of the cross is not only forgiveness but friendship with God.

“According to the Scriptures.” Paul says it twice. The death and the resurrection were both promised ahead of time (Isaiah 53; Psalm 16:10). This connects 1 Corinthians 15 with Romans 1:2.

“He was buried.” Burial proves death. Jesus did not faint on the cross and wake up later. He died and was laid in a tomb.

“He rose again the third day.” The resurrection was bodily and public. Paul lists witnesses: Cephas, the twelve, and “over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present” (15:6). In other words, most were still alive and could be asked.

Everything rests on it. “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (15:14). Christianity stands or falls on a real event in history.

Jesus is Lord. Romans 1:3 calls Him “Jesus Christ our Lord.” The gospel is not only a rescue; it is the announcement of a King who has the right to rule our lives.

Repent and believe (Mark 1:15). Repentance (Greek metanoia, say: meh-TAN-oy-ah) means a change of mind that turns a person around, from sin to God. Faith means trusting Jesus and resting on what He has done.

Only one name. “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The gospel is not one good option among many. It is God's one way.

Sent to tell (Romans 10:14). “And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” God chose to spread His good news through people, like Paul, and like you.

Application. Practice saying the gospel in your own words in under a minute. Include all four parts and the call to repent and believe. Then pray for one person who needs to hear it.

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Read each section and answer the questions correctly.