He leaned forward having finished his incredible tale. Locking his eyes on mine he said, “And that’s the Gospel truth.”
I’ve often thought about that phrase so easily used to verify the truthfulness of someone’s account of events. Somehow the reference to the Gospel makes the tale more believable. What is it about the Gospel that makes it so connected to truth? To answer that we have to understand what the Gospel is.
The word means “good news”, but good news about what? Ask ten people and you may get ten different answers. Some say it is the good news about love. Others say it is the good news about having a better life. While both of these are correct in part, there is a greater truth revealed in God’s Word.
In 1 Corinthians Paul uses the term and spells out its meaning for us. He writes: Now I would remind you, brothers of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:1-5, ESV).
That is it. The Gospel is the truth that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, was born in poverty, grew to be a man, and died on a Roman cross, not for his own misdeeds but for the sins of the whole world. Considering that He was no ordinary man makes this statement more amazing. John 3:16 calls Him God’s only begotten Son. John 1:1 refers to Him as the Word Who was in the beginning with God and was God. John 1:2 states he created all things.
Paul tells us that the Creator of the universe came to take the place of sinners on the cross. When we consider he says “our sins” we see the implication. We are sinners. We cannot deny this fact. Romans 3:23 says, “…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That takes some getting used to for those who want to justify ourselves and our actions. That began in the Garden on Eden when Adam blamed Eve for giving him the forbidden fruit when the two of them took the serpent up on his offer to “be as God.” We all have been our own gods ever since deciding our own version of what is good and bad. However, the good news of the Gospel is that “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
While we can argue the truth of this, as many will, believers will cite the empty tomb and how religious rulers of the day attempted to cover up the resurrection by claiming Jesus’s body was stolen. However, this takes us back to Paul’s original statement. The Gospel is something to be received and stood upon. It does no good to give mental assent to this good news. Nor does it do us any good to place it on the shelf with all the wise sayings of the various religions of the world.
But there is for those who believe in Christ—forgiveness and salvation. Teachers have come and gone and taken their “truth” with them to the grave, but Paul reminds us that Jesus did not stay in His tomb. He walked away and was seen by His disciples. 1 Corinthians 15:6 states that 500 witnesses saw Him at one time.