According to Strong’s Concordence the word ”gospel”, Greek word “euaggelion”, means ”good news” or “God’s good news”.
So what are the good news?
The good news is that God, Jesus Christ, became a human being and substituted for all of mankind that were under judgment for breaking God’s laws. He made it possible for us to have everlasting life. The punishment would otherwise have been death, an everlasting separation from God in a place called Hell.
In other words – In order to set us free, Christ took the punishment on our behalf when He died on the cross and paid the penalty that we deserved. (Rom 3:9-18,23, 1 john 3:4, John 3:16, I cor 5:18-21, 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Peter 2:24-25, John 1:1,14, Rome 1:3-4, Rom 8:3, Colossians 2:9, Dan12:2, Matt. 3:12, 25:41, Mark 9:47- 48, Rom 6:23, 2 Thess. 1:9, Rev.14:10-11, 1 John 2:1-2, Isaiah 53:12). Some key verses are:
2 Cor 5:18-21
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1 Peter 3:18a
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
1 Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
1 kor 15:1-4
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
As we can see from the above scripture the Gospel is centered and found in the atonement of Christ.
The most profound verses about this is Isaiah 53, which states a prophecy prophesied by the prophet Isaiah around 700 years before the crucifixion.
Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
To get a clear understanding of Isaiah 53 and the atonement we have to view the verse in a somewhat context, including some N.T. references of the specific passage. (Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 15:28, Luke 22:37, John 12:38, Acts 8:26-33, Romans 10:17, 1 Peter 2:21-25). Especially;
Matthew 8:16-17
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”
And;
1 Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Notice, that Jesus is quoting verse 4 of Isaiah prophecy and connecting it to physical healing. While Peter is quoting verse 5 of Isaiah prophecy and connecting that to the forgiveness of our sins.
According to the quoted verses above there are two things included in atonement in the Gospel:
1) The most important – The forgiveness of our sins. See 1 Cor 15:3; For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,”
2) Physical healing – which also includes deliverance from demonic oppression (Matt 8:16-17, Isaiah 53:4).
If presenting the Gospel without healing the sick, you are in fact not preaching the whole Gospel.
You are missing the atonement of Christ, and also an powerful opportunity to demonstrate the love of God. Not taking advantage of the full Gospel also means that many people that are sick and suffering, still will be under the power of the devil. With that being said, healing is an essential part of sharing the gospel and is put to practice several times in the Bible. (Luke 10:9, John 9:1-38, 11:11-15, 38-48, Acts 3, 4:8-12, 29-30, 33, 8:6-7, 9:33-35, 40-42, 13:9-12, 14:3, 19:13-20, Rom 15:17-19 ).
It is further more a fantastic tool to get peoples genuine attention and increases the chance of a positive respond because it is much harder for a person who just got healed to deny God (Luke 18:42-43, John 9:32-38).
Acts 4:29-30
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Rom 15:19
by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.
1 Cor. 2:4
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
1 Thess 1:5
because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
The preaching of Jesus Christ’s atonement should include a demonstration of its power by healing the sick (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 10:7-8, Mark. 16:20, Lukas 9:2, 10:9, Apg. 4:29-30, Rom 15:19, 1 Cor. 2:4, 1 Thess 1:5).
Aly-Sam Botros
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