I hang out with theologians and pastors a lot.
They often bandy about the term “The Gospel” as if it were a fixed commodity on which we all agree.
So what is this “Gospel?”
Gospel means “Good News.” But what Good News are we talking about?
Jesus, in Mark 1:15, kicked off his ministry by suggesting that the gospel was the fact that the Kingdom of God was near.
Conservative Evangelicals seem to imply that the Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died for us. If we say yes to this, we go to heaven. If we don’t, then…well…
It seems, in the New Testament, that there is a Gospel which Jesus preached, and then there is a Gospel that was preached about Jesus. The two come together a bit in John 3:16, but we wouldn’t want to reduce all of the Bible to one verse.
If we don’t preach the Gospel simply enough, we get lost in vague piety and religiosity.
If we preach it too simply (without any nuance) then we collapse the entire Word of God into a simple transactional contract that does not do justice to the depth of our relationship with God.
And then there is the matter of fact that the four “bios” of Jesus are called “Gospels.”
What is, for you: this “Gospel?”
Not a rhetorical question. Please have at it.
David Housholder Essays 
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December 20, 2009 at 2:19 am
John M. Bjorge
The gospel is the power of God for salvation — In Romans 1:16 Paul wrote: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
–John Bjorge
December 20, 2009 at 6:10 am
David Housholder
The power of God unto salvation is what “it” does, not what it “is.”
Please say more.
December 20, 2009 at 6:42 am
John M. Bjorge
I like Dallas Willard’s idea of the good news being that “up there is coming down here” (e.g. ‘Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven’). It’s God’s relentless (and costly) pursuit to re-establish the kind of community that he first intended at creation and where he is able to come amidst that community and be its sustainer and its most glorious inhabitant.
To do that he has to vanquish our three big enemies: sin, death, and the devil. To do that he has to come upon us, be within us, and dwell among us in his power and for his glory.
More could be said, but this will suffice–I still stand on the gospel being the power of God for salvation to all who believe! I can’t improve on that!
December 20, 2009 at 4:23 am
Evers
An initial stab:
What is the Gospel?
+ The Gospel is the promise that in Jesus, the love and power of God can and will overcome all evil and recreate life in over-abundant fullness.
+ Those evils include sin and guilt in your heart, a generations-long script of abuse or addiction in your family, massive systems of violence or injustice, or even the cosmic evil of death, decay, and entropy.
What about the Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel about Jesus, and the 4 Gospels?
+ The Gospel that Jesus preached seems to be that the kingdom/ reign of God was coming near. In his power over the demonic, illness, nature, and even death, Jesus embodied this reign.
+ The Gospel preached about Jesus is that in the cross and resurrection, the Gospel that Jesus preached was accomplished.
+ The four Gospel narratives are the story of that preaching, incarnating, and accomplishing of God’s loving, re-creating reign in the person Jesus.
Stated another way: The life of Jesus trumps death in all its guises. And that life is now offered to you.
That’s probably all way too heavy on nuance and far too light on simplicity.
December 20, 2009 at 4:30 am
Eric Holmer
A blog I follow has been asking this same question to a range of individuals for over two years now. I find the differences and similarities between the responses to be quite interesting to work through.
http://trevinwax.com/2009/09/14/gospel-definitions-2/
Andy Crouch gets to the point that you are making in terms of both Jesus himself and the message that he proclaimed (if that makes sense)
“The gospel is the proclamation of Jesus, in [two] senses. It is the proclamation announced by Jesus – the arrival of God’s realm of possibility (his “kingdom”) in the midst of human structures of possibility. But it is also the proclamation about Jesus – the good news that in dying and rising, Jesus has made the kingdom he proclaimed available to us.”
– Andy Crouch, Culture Making, page 146
December 20, 2009 at 5:29 am
Randy Wawrzyniak-Fry
Interesting question, and one that there is no one answer to. That is because “the Gospel”, like our relationship with God, is personal to each of us. It starts as something simple, like Jesus died for our sins, but as we grow in our relationship with Christ so to does our understanding of what the Gospel means to us as individuals and what it means to humanity as a whole. This means that how the Gospel is preached depends both on our audience and on our relationship with God.
The Gospel is an amazing thing. It can be summarized by a few characters on a hand lettered sign held by a guy in a rainbow wig at a sporting event and it can fill a library. It can be completely understood by a child singing “Jesus love me” and yet remain a mystery to a theologian who has spent his life trying to understand it.
Hous has many followers and I’m sure that there will be many words written here as each tries to describe what “the Gospel” is to them. And so I kick this off by being the first to fail to adequately describe what the Gospel means to me, because in the end the Gospel is more experienced than it is understood, and for each of us that experience is unique.
December 20, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Randy Wawrzyniak-Fry
At least at the time I was first. I guess it’s true that the first will indeed be last. Or in this case fourth. Not counting replies.
December 20, 2009 at 6:12 am
Jeff
John you are right on to move quickly to Romans 1.16. What is suggested there by Paul and not picked up by anyone thus far is that the Gospel is also found in the First Testament. Is it too simple to suggest that Gospel is “Good News?” Good news that comes from God to God’s people. Good News that reminds us that we are both saved FROM, Sin, death and the devil; but also saved FOR lives that reflect the righteousness of God in this life. Peace! jf
December 21, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Per Nilsen
Great responses thus far. I’ve been pushed to consider this question more from the perspective of what the Gospel “is not” than what it “is”. So…..here it goes.
I believe “the Gospel” we speak of is not a natural phenomenon. It is not a political or social outcome. It is not self-defined (though it is uniquely experienced). It is not held captive to organization, denomination or constitution. It is not a multi-lane freeway with an infinite number of on-ramps. It is not substantive unless there is “bad news”. It is not found in other world religions. It is not eternally effective outside of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus. It is not “tolerant” (by modern definition of the word). It is not without boundary.
There ya have it. Would love to hear some more thoughts!
December 21, 2009 at 3:42 pm
David Housholder
Wow. Have to read it three times, but…wow.
December 21, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Wendy Housholder
Ok, I’m no theologian so my answer is simple: the Gospel = that someone loves me THAT MUCH = the best news ever.
December 21, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Luke Allison
The Gospel is the answer to the question, “How can a just God become the justifier of unjust men?”.
The Gospel is the answer to the question, “How can a cursed man redeem us from a curse?”
The Gospel is the answer to the question, “What should we do?”
The Gospel is the answer to the question: “What should we eat?”
The Gospel is the answer to the question: “What should we drink?”
The Gospel is the act of love by which all such acts are judged and deemed unworthy.
The Gospel is the reason we sing, serve, and live.
The Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, the very power of God.
The Gospel is what separates “common virtue” from “true virtue”.
The Gospel is the ultimate glorification of the Father, by which all people can enter into the joy they were created for, ie the ultimate glorification of the Father.
So, the Gospel that Jesus preached about, and the Gospel that was preached (and hopefully still is) about Jesus are two halves of the same coin. Jesus pointed constantly to the ultimate summation of His work: “For it is my Father’s will that all who see the Son and believe in Him should have eternal life.” John 6:40, and then carried it out in a way that was ordained by God from the Beginning (John 10:18), so that all who believe might feast on Him as the ultimate and supreme treasure of all existence. (John 6: 22-40)
Or something like that, I guess.
December 22, 2009 at 12:08 am
David Housholder
I like “two halves of the same coin.”
December 22, 2009 at 4:41 am
Ben Unseth
What is the gospel, the good news? We can understand what Jesus meant by the “good news” through three clear statements of Jesus’ purpose. Why did Jesus come? So that we could experience:
1. Restoration to God. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20.28.
2. A Full Life. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10.10.
3. Freedom from Evil. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” 1 John 3.8.
December 22, 2009 at 6:01 am
David Housholder
Ben, GREAT to hear from you, on many levels.
December 22, 2009 at 6:05 am
matt
My 2 cents:
What it aint: The gospel cannot be reduced to a simple formula that one mechanically plugs into a sermon or song, nor can the gospel exist without the law (the conviction of being ‘naughty or needy’) as it heightens our thirst for good news.
What it is: For a message to be the Gospel, it must disrupt my human thinking by triggering a dynamic confrontation with the living God through Jesus. That message/confrontation builds a bridge between my life (my past, present, and/or my future) and the Creator by presenting Christ as the solution to the particular needs I see in my life and world.
The gospel does not require my persission, but it both creates the capacity for me to respond and demands that I do so. In the end, the gospel is designed to enable and prepare me to do good things for God (Eph 2:8-9).
December 22, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Per Nilsen
Here’s another question about the “gospel” that I’ve been pondering.
“How are “the Gospel” and repentance linked?” For the sake of full disclosure……I’m a big fan of repentance. Some of my vigor comes from experiencing the power of repentance on a personal level……..More comes from observing church pews filled with unrepentant hearts (even after reciting the Brief Order of Confession……Ha!!).
Jesus first proclamation is “Repent…….and believe the good news.” Mark 1:15.
In Acts 2, in response to the question, “What must we do to be saved?”……..”Repent and be baptized……” Comes the reply.
Luke 13 recounts a bunch of people apparently in the business of comparing sins. Jesus responds…..”But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Then there is Acts 17. “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” and 2 Cor. 7. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
I would be the first to argue that the Gospel and repentance are not separated by an = sign. But it seems that any conversation on the practical and effective nature of “The Gospel” necessitates a conversation on repentance.
By the way…….thanks to all who have contributed!!
And, Merry Christmas!!!
December 22, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Luke Allison
Per,
I tend to notice a lot of teaching nowadays that predicates any kind of Gospel message with a fairly low, almost snickering view of sin.
I don’t see how the Gospel can effectively be preached without pointing out what Scripture says about the human condition. Ephesians 2 is just one example, but there are plenty more. Fundamentally, the problem of repentance becomes less and less a “how”, and more and more a “why?” in the hearts of human beings. I am 28, and have grown up being told repeatedly, by every form of media and, unfortunately, lots of preachers, that my “self” is my most precious asset, and consequently, should be defended and fought for at all costs.
It seems to me that this is one of the fundamental problems we have in the Christian life today. How do you preach repentance to a generation of people who consider themselves innocent? Why eat the bread of life when the bread of “self” is so much more valuable and tasty?
Then church leaders read too many books on how to reach “postmoderns”, and start catering to the carnal instead of sticking with what is true: not religious pandering to any sort of morality, but the message that we are incapable of bringing anything of value to a Holy God without His son as mediator.
So, all that to say: repentance is key, a Spirit-led throwing of oneself upon the mercy of God. Understanding why one must repent is slightly more tricky. Like you said: if there’s no bad news, what is good news? If you take all the nasty predators out of an ecosystem, you destroy that ecosystem. Life works a certain way, and the Gospel is the means by which that way is accessed. Life lived to glorify anything other than Jesus (I have done lots of that, in ways that I am incapable of freeing myself from) is life lived in direct opposition to the number one Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”
Only through repentance (which scripture explains as a process that God leads us into) can we restore that fracture and see Jesus as majestic instead of foolish.
All that to say, I agree with you, and would love to participate in more of that.
December 22, 2009 at 7:43 pm
David Housholder
I think repentance is great. It is truly transformative.
I teach repentance. Love it.
However.
Paul got hammered by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. No record of any repentance.
Repentance is the royal road to salvation, but it is not the only “on ramp.”
A large minority of solid “hard” conversions I’ve experienced with people don’t have a repentance component (could be healing, awakening, enlightenment, power encounter, spirit filling, etc.), but their conversions (fruit following) have truly “taken.”
Also the term “metanoia” in Greek (higher mind or “passing gear”) is not necessarily identical with “repent” in English. The English is closer to the Hebrew “shuv.”
December 22, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Luke allison
Pastor Dave,
I would have to respectfully disagree with “no record of repentance” on Paul. No record of the formulaic method of repentance, maybe, ie “Way of the Master’s solid gold conversion technique”, but I would argue that all of the Pauline Epistles represent a radical repentance, the only kind of repentance that truly matters. Counting everything as nothing compared to Christ is the very definition of a repentant heart, I would think. And Paul, the best of all Jews, fought Peter tooth and nail over the purity of the Gospel message. Realizing that Jesus is the only thing that we have ever have and ever will have is the key to conversion, and I think repentance flows out of that.
So, I actually probably agree with you, just in a roundabout fashion. I would be interested to talk with you sometime about Word Faith thinking. I just read your book and, having grown up in a profoundly Word/Faith environment until my post high-school years, I find your perspective interesting and grace-filled.
December 22, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Per Nilsen
Keeping the ball rolling……..
Every conversion has a “once was” moment. When Jesus says “repent and believe” he is pointing people to that “once was” moment as it pertains to their fundamental belief.
In other words, the very first repentance in conversion is turning away from one set of beliefs (changing one’s mind, turning around, adopting a new point of view……..the greek can mean lots of things.) and cleaving to another……..in this case “Jesus is Lord”.
With that basic understanding I would argue that repentance is present in every conversion………though it is not always the Kirk Cameron, Fireproof, type of occurance.
It also seems that there is another level of repentance that has to do with sanctification…..”Putting to death, therefore”. Or in Luther’s language, “being drowned daily”. The first repentance turns us around. Ongoing repentance keeps us on the right path.
I don’t know about you…..but for me, Christmas is getting more merry with every note read and every thought written!!
December 22, 2009 at 10:16 pm
CJ Brower
My understanding of the bible leads me to believe that repentance is not in any way a requirement for salvation, but more so the proper response to it. Although too many people tend … See Moreto combine the teachings in James with the verse that Annemarie quotes from Acts to justify teaching “works righteousness,” I think if we really dig into what James teaches us we realize that if we have truly accepted the gift of salvation into our hearts repenting and acting upon Christ’s call to us are the natural response.
December 22, 2009 at 10:18 pm
CJ Brower
The verse in Acts I referred to Annemarie as quoting is:
“First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also,
I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” Acts 26:20
December 22, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Luke Allison
Pastor Per,
I really do have a life outside of this sort of thing, but I’m writing a talk for 8th graders on who Jesus was/is, so this helps me process everything.
I like to think of John 3:1-21 as the basis for all my thoughts on the conversion experience. A respected teacher of the Law comes to Jesus in secret and essentially says “Even though we scoff at you in public, a bunch of us know that you are from God. What’s the secret? What do we do?”
Jesus says (verse 3) “Truly truly I say unto you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” When confusion comes, Jesus says by way of explanation: (verse 5) “Truly truly I say unto you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, He cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” More confusion, so Jesus clarifies some more: (verse 8) “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Then Jesus implies that anyone who knows the Law should know about this process of “water and spirit”.
I think He’s referring to Ezekiel 36:24-27. God washes with water, and God takes out the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. How this occurs, who can know? We have to believe that the preaching of the Gospel has the power to do this primarily (1 Peter 1:23-25), but who can say what this looks like besides a transformed life and a desire for God? I think this is a fundamental truth: The IDEA of repentance (new thinking, new heart) rather than a concrete form we can hold and say “this is repentance”. Certainly we know that we have nothing to do with the heart change and the infilling of the Spirit. And yet all we’ve been given is the “foolishness of what is preached.” I think that has to be enough. But I think the way in which people respond to that and are changed by God’s power and grace looks very different depending on the person. “The wind blows where it may….so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
So I agree with both Pastor Dave and Pastor Per. A veritable Pastoral Smorgasbord.
December 22, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Luke Allison
And I agree with CJ. So a CJ smorgasbord, too.
January 19, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Michelle Patstone
God lead me to this last night, I think this qualifies as an opinion..
Psalm 27 and Luke 7 words of Hope
Psalm 27 highlights
1-The Lord is my light and salvation-why should I be afraid?
2-The Lord protects me from danger-so why should I tremble?
14- Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. YES wait patiently for the Lord.
Luke 7
22- Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard-
THE BLIND SEE!
THE LAME WALK!
THE LEAPORS ARE CURED!
THE DEAF HEAR!
THE DEAD ARE RAISED TO LIFE!
THE GOOD NEWS IS BEING PREACHED TO THE POOR!
and tell him…God blesses those who are not offended by me (JESUS
January 19, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Lori Willey
I’ve never thought about thinking deeply on what the Gospel is. I guess I just thought of it as the life of Christ and the Good News. But after reading comments, questions and re-reading some of the scriptures and pondering, it is coming out as the Gospel is a relationship with God. A true relationship. Every relationship is unique based on the individuals. I think that is why many have said its unique to everyone.
Heaven coming nearer is His presence. We believe in Jesus, God with us in flesh and the Holy Spirit with us keeping heaven near. I look at the teachings of the bios now packed with the ways for THE relationship. Its the ultimate love-call.
Several years ago we were blessed to have a young man become friends with our family. He was raised in the B’hai faith. He was becoming interested in Christianity and I was heavy in prayer on how to relay it to him. The Lord showed me to explain to him that God was this incredible car. Anyone can choose to look at it and admire it. But, there is one key. Jesus is the key and when you have that key you are able to ride with the car, go places, feel the power, be a part of it or just sit inside. He got so excited and said, “That’s it!” Little did I know that as a pre-schooler he had a key collection and after he graduated from high school he would attend a mechanic’s school out in N Carolina for race cars and is a mechanic today. God knew it. The Lord reminded me of that explanation as I was considering what the Gospel is and again, it has come out as the relationship with Him.
January 19, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Katherine Harms
The Gospel is the Good News that God comes down for us, even though we do not deserve his love or his grace. It is the point at which God’s total forgiveness through Christ touches and heals us. It is the power that smashes through the fortress we build out of the guilt we all feel whether or not we even admit that God exists in order to rescue us from everything that enslaves us. The Gospel is the unconditional love that lifts us up and sets us free to be everything we were created to be. When someone needs the Gospel and doesn’t know it, I can usually get that person’s attention if I simply say, “God loves you.” That is the Gospel.
January 19, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Catherine
There are only 2 religions in the world; the one that tells us to do, do, do to pay our way to heaven (believe in ourselves), and then there’s the one that told us “it is done” and that Jesus Christ paid our way! Lest anyone should boast! The only one we can boast about is Jesus Christ!
The only ones with this guarantee for salvation are the ones who trust and BELIEVE that Christ has delivered them from themselves and the pit of hell, that all “unbelievers” will face. Which one are you? The devil believes in Jesus Christ, but he will not accept salvation from Him.
“If you confess with your mouth; ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!” (Romans 10:9)
Now we live by that faith, and not by our own doings, thoughts or ideas, but by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, who is a free gift of salvation from God to us, but we have to accept that gift with faith that we are saved by God’s grace, otherwise we are NOT saved!
The Bible was written about Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ, and IS Jesus Christ! There is no other purpose for the Bible. The Old Testament points to Jesus Christ and the New Testament looks back at Jesus Christ! Everything IS and is FOR Jesus Christ! Thats salvation..Jesus Christ!