Tomorrow, it begins, Father! As another school year gets underway, guide us in all we say and do. May we keep You first and foremost in our lives. Amen.
Romans 1:1-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
So, what is the gospel? There may be some consensus as to what it means if I were to ask a good cross-section of believers, but it’s important that we really understand what it has meant and, specifically, what it means today…to us.
I’ve found Dr. R.C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries, to be an amazing source of information both in the past, and on dealing with this question as well.
First of all, the word gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion. Its prefix is eu- which we find in several familiar words. It – refers to something good. For example, a friend of mine plays a brass instrument called a euphonium. Its origins are eu- for good, and -phōnos meaning sound – so good sound. We talk about a eulogy, which is a good word pronounced about someone at their funeral service.
So, the word euangelion…means “good message” or “good news”… That is the word gospel’s base definition. Sproul goes on to say that in the Old Testament… the basic meaning of the term gospel was simply an announcement of a good message. A doctor’s pronouncement of someone’s illness not being serious was gospel or good news.
Another Old Testament application was during times of war. The only way to get news from the battlefield was by foot and marathon runners would dash back to give the report of either victory or defeat. You may recall the passage from the first part of Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news…” NKJV
I found this next part to be pretty cool! Know this, the roadrunner running from Wile E. Coyote wasn’t the only one who could get a plume of dust to rise behind him when he ran! The watchman in the watchtower would look as far as he could see into the distance. Finally, he’d see the dust moving as the runner sped back to the city to give the report of the battle. They were trained to tell by the way the runner’s legs were churning whether the news was good or bad. If the runner was doing the survival shuffle, it indicated a grim report, but if his legs were flying and the dust was kicking up, that meant good news. That is the concept of gospel in its most rudimentary sense.
I’m going to stop right there for there is more to share but it is far too much for one posting. I hope you will join me tomorrow when we’ll continue to learn together regarding the question, “What is the gospel?” (I’ll also share the link for this who would like to read the whole thing.)
Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,
….and good news gives health to the bones. Proverbs 15:30 NIV
Sept 5th, 2022, Mon, 6:47 pm
