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The Gospel

Why is it so important that Christians tell the authentic, biblical gospel to unbelievers? First of all, it is the gospel that is God's power unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

The word gospel means simply "good news." It is the modern version of the older English word godspel.  Another word sometimes used in English is evangel, from which we get evangelism, evangelical, evangelistic, evangelist, etc.  Evangel was derived from the French word evangile, which, in turn, came from the Latin evangelium.  

Simply put, the "gospel" of the Bible is "good news." It is good news because it tells us what God, in His Son Jesus Christ, did for us that we had no ability to do for ourselves - and that was to rescue or save us from eternal destruction.

The gospel is defined clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Here we see: 1) it was what Paul had been teaching, 2) the early Christians received it and relied on it, 3) it is the message of salvation, 4) it is what the early Christians believed. The "good news" (the gospel) is that Jesus died for sins, according to the scriptures, He was buried, and He rose again on the third day.

We must also keep in mind that "good news" is only good news in the proper context. The idea of salvation is only meaningful to people who understand their own natural condition as a helpless and hopeless sinner who needs a Savior. This is why Paul taught that the law is to be use properly according to the gospel (1 Timothy 1:8-11).

This is the message that Christians must tell to unbelievers. This is the message that unbelievers must believe for salvation (Romans 1:16).