THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

Raphael Oye Taiwo

Part One

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of victory and salvation

1 Cor 15:57

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Eph. 1:12-13

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. trusted: or, hoped

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise

The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Greek word, ‘euaggelion’ and means ‘good news’, ‘joyful message’.

The word was used in the past in times of warfare when solders of two enemy factions were battling with each other quite a distance from the city.

On victory or defeat of an army of a city hung the lives or direction of those remaining in the city – old men, women and children who could not go to the battle-field.

They would be waiting anxiously for the news from the field. Finally, they would spot the messenger from the field running towards the city.

What news was he bringing? Would it be the news of victory or defeat, the news of sadness or joy?

Then they would hear him shouting a single word, “Gospel!”

The announcement would be greeted with a thunderous applause and ear-splitting shout of joy. It was just a word that they had heard, “Gospel.” But that word told them all that they needed to hear at the time, for the word meant that they were victorious.  

On the cross of Calvary, Jesus engaged the devil and his cohorts. He conquered them and gave us victory and salvation. ‘The gospel of Jesus Christ’ is the good news of victory and salvation for the human race.

The good news of peace

Rom 10:15

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

 Eph 6:15

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

Through the finished work of Christ on the cross on Calvary we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). The Gospel announces to us the good news that every human being can now enjoy peace with God.

A man was in great trouble with the mighty king of his town. The king promised him a rough time and a terrible end.

He became a fugitive, scurrying from one hiding place to another and skulking about like a robber. He became hopeless, knowing that sooner or later the king’s police servants would get him and drag him before their master for a most fearful judgment.

Then one day, a man came to him in one of his numerous hide-outs. As the man entered the cave where he was crouching down, he almost drop dead in fear. He was sure the horrible, dreadful end had finally come.

What was it to be? He thought sadly. The hangman noose around his thin neck, after being beating to a pulp?  The firing squad bullets riddling his body after a period of inhuman treatment? Or the decapitator’s axe after going through the tormentors’ wicked hands?

“Relax man,” the visitor announced. “I come with the good news of peace. The king wants you and him to be reconciled.”

The fugitive thought this news was too good to be true. Thinking that the man had come to torment him by giving him false hope, he flared, “How dare you, mister, to invade my hide-out like this to crack a cruel joke with me?”

“No, pal,” the visitor replied gently, giving the offender a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “This is for real. The king’s only son had intervened on your behalf. You can be reconciled today with the king if you want to. Not only can you be a free man and a personal friend of the king, you can be an adopted son of the king. Thanks to the king’s son.”

For some moments, the fugitive stared in dumbfounded astonishment at the bearer of this good news of peace. He became convinced that this man had not come to raise a false hope in him. As the full meaning of this message of peace became clearer to his mind, he fell at the feet of the messenger of the good news and burst into tears.

Man fell out with God when Adam sinned. Man became separated from God and became the enemy of the One who had created and loved him. Man became a fugitive before the throne of heaven. He had nothing good to hope for after this life but an appalling prospect of fearful judgment of the holy God.

Then Jesus, the beloved Son of the blessed Father, intervened on man’s behalf. He came into the world to reconcile man with God by suffering and dying for the sin of man. Man could now become not only a friend of God but a child of the Most High, a joint-heir with Jesus Himself.

This is the good news of peace.

The gospel of Jesus - Part One
The gospel of Jesus - Part two
The gospel of Jesus - Part three