There are places in Scripture in which Paul refers to the gospel as "my gospel" (Rom 2:16; Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8). Now, we know that there are not "other gospels" (Gal 1:6-7), so he's not talking about a different gospel. There is, however, some significance to "my gospel." So ... what is "the gospel"? Obviously, it's that God sent His Son to die on our behalf in order that we who believe can be saved apart from works. That's it ... in a nutshell ... but not completely.
The "good news" of the gospel begins there, but don't think that's it. For instance, Paul wrote about the "fruit of the Spirit" like love, joy, and peace (for starters) (Gal 5:22-23). That's good news. He asked, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with him graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:32). You see the connection, don't you? Because He gave His Son (the gospel), we can be confident He will "graciously give us all things," including being more than conquerors in tribulation (Rom 8:35-39). That's good news. To the Ephesian believers he wrote how God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph 1:3) and offered a list of blessings (Eph 1:4-14) along with hope, the riches of His glorious inheritance, and the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us (Eph 1:18-19). That's good news! He assured the Philippian believers that God would bring to completion the work He began (Php 1:6). That's good news. We know that He works all things together for good according to His purpose (Rom 8:28) and will certainly save those whom He foreknew (Rom 8:29-30). Good news! And, oh, the love. He prayed that God would give the strength to comprehend "the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge" (Eph 3:18-19). Such love! Truthfully, the list just gets longer and longer.
Imagine a door with a sign over it. You walk up and read it: "The Gospel." Huh. Nice. Good news. Right above the door handle is a note. "By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8). Nice! So, you open the door ... by faith ... and you've received the gospel. But ... inside is a warehouse of wondrous things, accessible only through this door. And now that you've entered it, you realize the sign, "The Gospel," meant something much bigger than "saved by grace through faith." Certainly no less than, but way, way bigger. When we grasp the magnitude of this "good news," it should overwhelm us. Or, as Paul points out, it should be "to the praise of His glorious grace" (Eph 1:6), ever larger and more magnificent as we explore it deeper, making "The Gospel" "My Gospel."
2 comments:
I like your illustration of opening a door “by faith” and then discovering “a warehouse of wondrous things”; it’s a helpful depiction of the spiritual riches that Apostle Paul has in mind. When I first received the Gospel as a 20-year-old, I had no inkling of all that was to follow that initial act of faith; in hindsight, I see that I was taking “baby steps” at the beginning of an amazing journey, full of spiritual blessings and riches I could not know of at the start. (I am quite certain that I have barely taken advantage of all that is available to me in this life as a believer.) As you point out, the “good news of the Gospel” is really, really good--just as one would expect from a really, really good, gracious, and loving God.
If you aren't amazed by the breadth and depth of the gospel, you're not paying attention. Paul calls himself chief asking sinners because of how vast he sees the gospel is.
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