The meaning of the word “gospel

The word “gospel” comes from the Greek (εὐαγγέλιον) and is composed of two parts of speech “eu” (well or good) and “aggelion” (message or news). A gospel is “good news” or “good tidings.” As a neutral term, it can mean any kind of good news. An example of this is the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zacharias by an angel:

“The messenger answered him, I am Gabriel standing before the eyes of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to proclaim this to you as good news.”
Lk 1,19

In this place is the verb “to preach the gospel” (gr. εὐαγγελίζω). In fact, it is extraordinary news and good tidings for Zacharias, who is already very old. The content, however, is not Jesus, but the birth of a son for Zacharias and Elizabeth.

The term “gospel” is a neutral term. It is most applied to Jesus, but not only there. Nor is it the case that the same thing is meant everywhere. There is another story where angels tell of a birth:

“In the same region there were shepherds by the fences, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, behold, a messenger of the Lord came to them, and the glory of God shone around them; and they were afraid, and their fear was great. The messenger said to them: Do not be afraid, for behold, I proclaim to you great tidings of joy, which will be for all the people: Unto you is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, in the city of David…”
Lk 2:8-11

The messenger “proclaims … joyful tidings” (εὐαγγελίζω). Here it speaks of good news and the content of this message is the birth of Jesus, who is described here as “Savior” and “Christ” (“Messiah”). The good news is the birth, not the death and resurrection of Jesus. It was still a long way from that point. First of all, the shepherds were to rejoice that the Messiah was born, and that in the city of David, which is Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

The context speaks of Jewish listeners being told that their long-awaited Messiah and Savior has been born. That’s all it says here. For the listeners it was good news, a gospel.

The context determines the statement

Various gospels are mentioned in the New Testament. They are different messages, all of which are considered “good news” or “good tidings.” In this context, the word gospel is a neutral term and the message of each is to be determined from the context.

When John the Baptist preaches, he speaks of the “kingdom of heaven” that this had come near (Matt. 3:1-2). Jesus does the same thing later:

“From that time Jesus began to proclaim and to say, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Mt 4,17

This kind of preaching and this theme was seen as “Good News”, as Gospel. That is why we can read more often about the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (Mt 4:23, Mt 9:35, Mk 1:14):

“After John’s surrender, Jesus came to Galilee. There He proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom of God, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.””
Mark 1:14-15

The “gospel of the Kingdom of God” is a good news, a gospel that has the Kingdom of God as its content. According to Matthew, it is about the “kingdom of heaven”. In this proclamation, the approaching messianic kingdom is central. When Jesus immediately afterwards says “believe in the gospel”, it is as clear as daylight that this kingdom is the content of the message. Believe in the good news of the Kingdom!

The context alone determines the meaning and scope of the word “gospel”. In the New Testament, therefore, the neutral word is used in quite different contexts. It is always good news, but the content can change.

Different gospels

Because the word gospel is neutral and the context defines the meaning, there are quite different “gospels” or “good tidings” in the New Testament. They cannot and should not simply be confused with each other. However, this happens frequently. An example of this is the interpretation of the so-called 4 Gospels or the 4 accounts. Generally, a “proclamation of Jesus Christ” is read out of it, although He Himself speaks of a “Gospel of the Kingdom”.

Of course, Jesus and the expected Messianic Kingdom are related, but they are not confusable. Without further ado, we have changed the focus in our lore. Everything we know about Jesus Christ is now projected onto the Gospels and the statements of the Gospels themselves are forgotten (Have you ever heard a sermon on the “Gospel of the Kingdom” mentioned by Jesus?). Much “understanding of the Bible” is really nothing more than a projection.

Different gospels are all “glad tidings,” with the addition setting the focus in each case:

• Gospel of the Kingdom (Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35, etc.)
• Gospel of God (Rom 1:1; Rom 15:16; 1Th 2:8ff etc.)
• Gospel of His Son (Rom 1:9)
• Gospel of our Lord (2Thess 1,8)
• Gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1)
• My Gospel (Paul in Rom 2:16; Rom 16:25; 2Tim 2:8).
• Gospel of Uncircumcision (Gal 2:7-9)
• Gospel of the Circumcision (Gal 2:7-9)
• Aeonian Gospel (Rev 14:6)

Certainly, there is always overlap in meaning. However, one must not conclude from this that “therefore everything would be the same”. Especially where two Gospels are placed in direct contrast to each other, the differences should not be swept under the rug. This can be read in the following story.

The gospel that Paul preaches

After many years, Paul goes up to Jerusalem once to present the gospel to the 12 apostles, which he preaches among the nations (Gal 2:1). Paul seeks contact there, but also wants to accomplish something in Jerusalem. It is about mutual understanding and recognition that everyone is pulling in the same direction, that everyone is talking about God’s work through Jesus Christ. So Paul wants to present his gospel to the other apostles. If Paul would tell exactly the same as the 12 apostles, then such a visit would not have been necessary. However, there were obvious differences. That is why Paul set out for Jerusalem.

Now what do the apostles in Jerusalem realize?

“Surely these esteemed ones submitted nothing else to me, but on the contrary, because they perceived that I am entrusted with the gospel of uncircumcision, as Peter was entrusted with that of circum cision. “
From Gal 2:6-10

Two gospels that contrast: the gospel of uncircumcision (for gentiles) and the gospel of circumcision (for Jews). The 12 still follow the law and also maintain contact with the temple. Their expectation was still the fulfillment of the prophetic promises, as Jesus had already spoken of (Mt 15:24; Rom 15:8). Paul, on the other hand, was allowed to open a new way for the nations. The gospel of uncircumcision (of the gentiles) contrasts in some respects with the gospel of circumcision (of the Jews). The apostles mutually recognized this, but today this recognition, as well as the different messages and audiences, have mostly been forgotten. There should be only one gospel.

A progressive development

There is a progressive development in the New Testament. There is a time before the cross and a time after the resurrection. The situation is changing. Likewise, the message changes. The 12 apostles were attended by the Messiah with the good news of the approaching Kingdom. Peter received the key to this kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:15-20). Jerusalem was the right place for them. Then, as if out of nowhere, another apostle, Paul, appears and is taught directly by Jesus (Gal 1:12; Gal 2:2, etc.). Paul was to tell something different from what Jesus himself did. He should also do other things. He is sent out to the nations, which was unheard of for the Jewish believers. Even Peter found some things not very easy:

“As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote unto you, as also in all the epistles, when he speaketh in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unfortified distort unto their own destruction, as also the rest of the scriptures.”
2Pet 3:15-16

So there are different gospels. The apostles dealt with this themselves. Because of the differences, there were no personal demarcations, but mutual recognition. God works miracles in Israel (through the 12), but He also works miracles outside of Israel (through Paul). The two complement each other and what Paul works and proclaims is sometimes difficult for Jewish ears to understand (says Peter), yet it is a stunning message of grace to the nations.

Thus Paul writes in the letter to the Ephesians:

“Therefore I, Paul, am the bound of Christ Jesus for you who are from the nations – namely, when you have heard about the administration of God’s grace given to me for you, since through a revelation the mystery was made known (as I wrote just before in brief, by which you can understand when reading my understanding of the mystery of the Christ, which is in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now His holy apostles and prophets was revealed ): In the Spirit, those from the nations are common lot-shareholders and a common body and common partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I have become a minister.”
Eph 3:1-7

It was not known before. The 12 did not know about it either. But Paul makes it known in a gospel of his own. What is it about? The nations are on the same level as the Jews. Paul calls this new church from all nations the body of Christ. Only Paul speaks of it. This group has nothing to do with the expectation of Israel. Their calling and gospel were a mystery until then.

Paul reveals. This is not about the fulfillment of Old Testament promises for the Jewish people, but about something entirely new, namely that through Christ Jesus, “by Him we have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph 2:18). What’s new about it? There is no longer any need for Israel to play the role of mediator. It no longer requires a temple service, because it happens “in the Spirit.” That was mind-blowingly new.

This church called by Paul from all nations had not taken the place of Israel, but existed simultaneously alongside the church from Israel. This development is described in the book of Acts.

Disputes in the New Testament

In order for us to assess the disputes in the New Testament by value, it should be kept in mind here that in this period, therefore, two gospels were in effect side by side, and the church in Jerusalem had a different orientation (focused on temple service and the expectation of a messianic kingdom) than the believers among the nations. Precisely because these gospels existed side by side, there was always friction, especially where the keeping of the law was concerned, as it was still practiced in Jerusalem. The church in Jerusalem lived with the law, while the nations did not have to do so according to the gospel of grace. Paul regularly mentions corrections for different churches in His letters so that there is no mixed gospel between the two, which he calls a “different kind of gospel” that “is not a real different one.”

“I marvel that you are so quickly changing your minds, away from the gospel that called you into Christ’s grace, to a different (gr. heteron) gospel, but which is not a different (gr. allo) genuine one, if there were not some who would trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ.”
Gal 1:6-7

In Greek there are two words for “different”. The gr. heteron denotes anders in the sense of “different” (English: different), while the gr. allo is something else (English: other). Some of the Galatians had been seduced into a “different” gospel, but one that is “not a true different.” The mixing of law and grace, according to the two real gospels for circumcision on the one hand and uncircumcision on the other (Gal 2:7-9), does not produce a real good news.

“O ye unreasonable Galatians, who then hath bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was drawn crucified? This is the only thing I want to know from you: Did you receive the Spirit from your works of the law, or in hearing of His faith? Are you so unreasonable? Did you undertake the beginning in the Spirit, now to complete it in the flesh?”
Gal 3:1-3

These speeches of Paul can be understood much better if we are aware of the different gospels. The time of the Acts of the Apostles was a time of upheaval. A development took place. It was a time marked by controversy. What happened among the nations through Paul’s preaching was stunningly new. Alongside this was the experience of Jesus’ preaching, which was directed exclusively to the Jews (Mt 15:24) and which referred to the fulfillment of the prophetic promises to Israel (Rom 15:8). Both can be gleaned from the New Testament. However, the congregation from all nations was stunningly new, as was the message of grace that fired that congregation.

No one-size-fits-all color palette

The New Testament (or: the Bible) is not a one-size-fits-all pulp. It is misleading if we assume that “everything is the same”. Such a view prevents a better and differentiated understanding. There are simply too many projections being made. What is considered “Christian” is often nothing more than a narrow view of biblical history, not infrequently further colored by traditions.

Can it be said that God is one God and He has one purpose in mind? Certainly! Figuratively, this can be thought of as having a single artist who paints a single painting. I recognize in it a positive and sober consideration.

However, some others think they can tell that all the colors are the same. One negates the color palette. There must be only one color. However, this does not correspond to reality, neither to the world nor to the Bible. The Bible is colorful and multicolored. Although a single painting is made, it is done with different colors. There is not just one gospel. There are different glad tidings that suit different contexts. I trust and thank my God that He paints with all colors. Each stroke on the sheet has meaning, sometimes it is a background color, sometimes something lights up.

Personally, some of these colors apply to me, while other colors are applied in other times and places. I no longer conclude from my cognition and me to all other colors. I met the artist and learned through reading the Bible that a great work of art is being created, expressively painted with many colors. Because I myself am applied as paint, I lack the distance, which allows me to look at the whole work of art. In faith, however, I gain distance and see something of the whole project. By reading the Bible, I recognize many different colors.

For this I thank my God and Father.