Chances are that you think you have a vague idea of what the gospel in a Christian context is about. The gospel is fundamental to our faith. It’s as basic as it gets. If you don’t know what the gospel is, are you even a Christian? At least, that is what I used to think. But what if I told you that it took me ten years of following Jesus before I started to understand what it meant that Jesus was going around “proclaiming the gospel” (Matthew 9:35)?

I was a leader at a youth camp a while back, and I was in a conversation with a passionate leader who was adamant that the Church needed to focus more on “the gospel”. “If we just focus more on the gospel, more people will get to know Christ!”. When I asked him how he would define “the gospel”, he gave me a breakdown that I think most Christians would agree with: We are separated from God because of our sin, Jesus came and died on the cross for our sin, and we are reunited with God as long as we accept the free gift of salvation. Am I trying to argue here that this is wrong? Is this not what the Bible says? I am not saying this is wrong; I just don’t know if it is what the New Testament writers would call “the gospel”.

If that is the gospel, what exactly was Jesus proclaiming when he went around “proclaiming the gospel”? “Hey everyone, I’m going to die for your sins. Believe in me, and you can go to heaven”. All the followers of Jesus were pretty shocked when he died, so I don’t think he said anything like this. Then what did he say? Mark 1:14-15 says it pretty clearly:

"After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.  "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"

The Greek word translated as “good news” here is euangelion, which is the word we also translate as “gospel”. So this is it! This is the gospel.

Wait. Am I missing something?

What is Jesus actually saying here? “The kingdom of God has come near”. In fact, when the word “gospel” is usually mentioned in the Gospels, it is in the phrase “the gospel of the kingdom”. So, the kingdom of God is clearly central to the gospel!

And what is the kingdom of God? I’m sure I’ll make more posts going deeper into the meaning of the Kingdom of God in the context Jesus was in, but for now, let’s just go with Dallas Willard’s definition. The kingdom of God is

“the range of his effective will, where what he wants done is done. The person of God himself and the action of his will are the organizing principles of his kingdom, but everything that obeys those principles, whether by nature or by choice, is within his kingdom”.

Simply put, the kingdom of God is where God is king. The Jewish people were waiting and longing for a time when they would be set free from Roman occupation, and God would be their king. It is in this context that Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is at hand”. This would be absolutely shocking to hear! “How can the kingdom of God be here if I still have to pay taxes to Rome?”.

Jesus went on to explain how this kingdom was not of this world, how the poor would be blessed, and the sick would be healed. Most of the Gospels are trying to explain what the kingdom of God is like, so give it a read and try to figure out what it is like. It will change your life!

But if the gospel is that the kingdom of God is here, where does Jesus dying on the cross fit into that? The Gospel authors, Matthew in particular, portray the crucifixion of Jesus as his coronation as king. He is dressed in a robe, he is given a crown (of thorns), and they put a sign over his head that says, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37). On the cross, Jesus won the ultimate victory over sin and death, making it possible for us to live in his kingdom. It is only through the cross that we are able to live in the kingdom of God.

But what difference does this make? I already said that I believe that what most people believe is the gospel is true. So, is this just a difference in definition? Is it just a technicality that has no impact on our daily lives? No, I really think it matters what we believe the gospel is. Because, if we preach a gospel that Jesus didn’t preach, we are in real danger of preaching a gospel Jesus wouldn’t preach.

The problem with “the gospel” most people in the West know is that it encourages converts, not disciples. It makes us think that there are two levels to following Jesus: those who believe in Jesus and those who are serious enough about their faith to become disciples. This seems pretty far from what Jesus told those who wanted to follow him.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24

"In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Luke 14:33

Jesus never asked anyone to put their hand up after a sermon. He never gave an alter call. He never led anyone in the sinner’s prayer. He invited people to lay down their entire lives and follow him.

But wait, am I saying that the people who just believe in Jesus aren’t saved? Well, that depends on what “saved” means. If it means “going to heaven when you die”, then I don’t know. Only God can be the judge of who belongs in his everlasting kingdom. But if by “saved” we mean experiencing the eternal life that Jesus calls “life to the full” (John 10:10), then someone who doesn’t live by the way of Jesus clearly doesn’t have that. Through following Jesus, abiding in his presence, and living according to his commands, we get to experience eternal life right here and now. That is the gospel. The kingdom of God is here, available to anyone who turns to him and chooses to follow in his ways.

In my opinion, this good news is much better than “you get to go to heaven when you die”. Because abundant life doesn’t start when you die, it can start right now.