Having examined both the Old Testament story, that serves as the background, and the story of Jesus of Nazareth, I feel it is time to begin to define the gospel, the εὐαγγέλιον. Within this framework that I established, I observed everywhere in the New Testament where εὐαγγέλιον or εὐαγγελίζω (“I bring good news”) appears. In the Gospels and Acts, the most common theme that was attached to “gospel” is that of “kingdom.” Paul attaches it to Jesus Messiah, both in Jesus’ person and work. In the Gospels and Acts, God’s fulfillment of the promises made about a Davidic Messiah as well as Jesus’ resurrection are also tied into the use of the term “gospel.” Paul most often seems to use “gospel” as a technical term more than anything, thus it is important to see this term as encompassing both Jesus’ person and work. The following is my attempt to define the gospel as the New Testament defines it.

The Old Testament “Gospel”
In the LXX, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, “gospel” whether as a verb or noun usually just refers to good news from the standpoint of the hearer of the message. In the verb form it means to proclaim or announce or deliver the message. In the noun form it is the message. It is primarily used in the histories about the Israelite/Judea monarchial period. It also appears in the the Psalms as well as some of the prophets.

Isaiah’s use of the term is most interesting because it appears in the section that the New Testament picks up and uses in telling its story and message about Jesus. In Is 40:9 the city of Jerusalem is to proclaim the good news that her God, Yahweh, has come. In Is 52:7 the announcement of good news is that God reigns. And in the exercise of this reign, God redeems his people and ends their captivity and restores them through his Davidic Servant-King. Isaiah also uses the term in Is 61:1 where the Servant is annointed by the Spirit to free captives, heal the sick and wounded, and liberate prisoners, and help the poor. So it seems to me that for Isaiah the “gospel” (if he would use the term) is Yahweh coming and raise up his Servant-King from the house of Jesse (David’s father) to recreate the world by the Spirit, end Israel and Judah’s captivity, and draw the Gentiles to Israel and to worship the one true Creator Yahweh. In Isaiah the good news is this kingdom that Yahweh is going to set up.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God
In the Gospels and Acts, it seems to me that the good news that Jesus announced and proclaimed to the people was that God’s kingdom had in fact arrived. And the Gospel writers wanted their audience to see that Jesus was the Servant-King who was to reign over that kingdom. Just see how Mark describes Jesus preaching the gospel of God in Mark 1:14-15 (NET), “Now after John was imprisoned, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. He said, ‘The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel!’” Matthew writes in Mt 4:23 (NET), “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” In Luke 4:18 we read, “[Jesus] said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’” Again in Acts 8:12 (NET) we read, “But when they believed Philip as he was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they began to be baptized, both men and women.”

When one follows the narratives of the Gospel writers, they situate these events that I have just cited in the context of Isaiah’s prophecy of a coming kingdom from God, ruled over by a Davidic Messiah. It seems right to say that this kingdom with Jesus as its King that recreates the world into the paradise God intended and has promised it to be again is the good news. Jesus healed and freed like Isaiah 61 said he would. He obeyed like Isaiah said he would. He went and called Israel back to himself, her king, ending her exile. He announced the good news of this kingdom to the Gentiles, drawing them into the light that Israel now is under her true king. God is fulfilling his promises to call the world into the kingdom he was creating in the new world he is creating.

The question then becomes what does Jesus’ death and resurrection have to do with this? Part of the mission of the Servant-King is to offer his life up for the redemption and vindication of the people of God back to covenant blessing (Is 53). Through his death, by surrendering to injustice, the Servant-King atones for the transgressions of his people. But rather than be left for dead, he is raised to life as the Righteous One. And through him and his vindication in resurrection his people will be vindicated and restored to a proper covenant standing and receive covenant blessing. Listen to how Jesus predicts his death in Mark 10:33-34 (NET), “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles. hey will mock him, spit on him, flog him severely, and kill him. Yet after three days, he will rise again.” Again Jesus describes his death like this only a few verses later, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NET). Jesus portrays his death in terms of the Davidic Servant-King in Isaiah 53. Thus Jesus’ death and resurrection restores the people of God into proper covenantal relationship with Yahweh.

For his death, Jesus says, instates the new covenant. Luke writes in his gospel, citing Jesus, “[Jesus] took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:19-20 NET). Jesus is seen here mediating the new covenant that God put in place to permanently forgive sins and ensure the obedience of the people of God in the kingdom of God. So here is Jesus fulfilling his prophesied role of not only a Servant-King, but of a High Priestly Servant-King as promised in the telling of Melchizedek and of Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah’s prophecy (Zechariah 6:10-15). Jesus death is the death required to ratify a covenant and his blood is offered up upon the altar of the Lord to forgive sin, avert divine wrath, remove uncleanliness and unholiness and guilt, and to restore the people to stand before their God in his presence.

And Jesus resurrection not only instated Jesus as the Righteous One of Isaiah 53, but it also began the Spirit’s work of recreating the world. Jesus, as begotten by the Spirit in his birth, is the Spirit-indwelt leader. But he was created as part of this order. In his resurrection, Jesus is no longer living in a body that is cursed but in one that is free from decay. He is living in a body that has been recreated by the Spirit of Yahweh to live eternally in the eternal kingdom promised in the prophets of old. The new creation has begun in the coming of the Spirit to resurrect the Messiah.

Therefore it seems to me that the good new that the New Testament is proclaiming is that God has sent his promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus went about this world, living in total obedience to Yahweh, taking dominion over the earth and its demonic rulers, healing and restoring the people of God, calling Israel out of exile, drawing Gentiles out of their pagan darkness and into the light of a restored Israel under his rule. He went to the cross to deal the decisive blow to sin and the demonic rulers by offering up his own life to atone for the sins of his people (Jew and Gentile) and was resurrected by God as the Righteous One and ruler over the Kingdom of Heaven and of God. His resurrection began the new age of the Spirit for in Jesus the recreating work of the Spirit has come. He is the firstfruits of the new creation.

Instead of a really lengthy post I’m going to place Paul into a second entry. I want to be sure to give the reader ample time to digest what I have said so far and to allow Paul to have adequate space to speak.