Biblical Gospel

(REUPLOADED) This article is the first part of The Doctrine of the Gospel Series.

Subject: Start of The Doctrine of the Gospel Series: The Biblical Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Note: Different sects have different standards and favorite topics in preaching. But upon reading the passage, we notice that there is indeed a standard in Christian preaching.

TRUTH: The Gospel preaching is the only message that saves!

Based on the verses we’ve read, Paul gave the urgency of Biblical Gospel preaching.

1. Purely Divine — The Message of the Gospel came directly from the Holy God. (Gal. 1:11-12)
2. Saving — (Rom. 1:16)
   • Keep in mind that the Bible is not written for the shallow purpose of becoming successful in earthly matters with earthly possessions. It was written for every living person (that’s us). The Bible gives us the right understanding that all of humankind are sinners. (Rom. 3:23)
     Further study of the Bible gives us the right view of the Holy God that He hates sin and condemns sinners. With that said, we must recognize that the Bible also contains bad news, especially for the lovers of sin — that the Holy God will send all sinners to hell! (A reminder again is Rom. 3:23)
   • Even though ALL deserved punishment because of the sin problem, the solution is also available within the same Bible. And this is why this collection of books exist. It contains the message that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sinners. That whosoever believes in Him, what He has done for us and accepts Him as Lord and Savior shall be saved.
3. Sustaining and Sanctifying — Not only it is written for sinners and unbelievers, but more so, for the believers. The Gospel will sustain and sanctify us continuously. What the Gospel preaches should reflect in the believer’s way of life. (Rom. 5:1-5)

If you say that you embrace the Bible, you should have known that you have accepted the three Gospel elements as a believer. Let’s dive into these elements that the Apostle Paul gave:

1. The Death of Christ for the Atonement of Sins — Many people believed that Christ indeed died, but they do not accept that He died for them.
   • There’s this thing called “mercy theory” that men devised to explain why Jesus did what He did on the cross. That Christ died so we’ll feel sorry, pity Him that in effect, we’ll accept Him. That’s an absurd theory! It is unacceptable! A creator already has the power over his creation. Where can you find a creator that asks mercy from his creation? Even simple logic can answer that simple question.
2. The Burying of Jesus — To satisfy the wrath of his Father.
3. Physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ — A believer should believe in Christ’s bodily resurrection from death.

REMEMBER: With the verses we read, the Gospel is, and must be, the content of Christian faith and preaching (1 Cor. 1:23-24). Otherwise, a danger awaits for preaching another gospel. (Gal. 1:16 and Gal. 1:6)

POINT: A true church is a Gospel Church. “The true church of Christ is the Gospel preaching Church.”

The good news? True. But to leave it like that is a shallow definition.

We can find the word Gospel 93 times in the Bible and exclusively in the New Testament.

The gospel from Greek to English that we know of today: euaggelion > evangelion > evangel > evangelical > godspel > gospel.

Broadly speaking, when we say Gospel nowadays, it talks about the wholeness of the Bible. It is the whole Scripture.

But to know its specific details, let’s enumerate them here:

1. The Gospel talks about the Good News, Christ, and the Offer of Salvation

Now here’s the million-dollar question: will you appreciate the presence of the Good News without “the bad news?”

The fact that all sinners are bound to go to hell! That’s a serious bad news! But most lovers of sin will scoff at that statement.

Wait, are you saying you’re a “good person?”

Ask yourself if you’ve obeyed all the Ten Commandments without fail. You will probably get the clearance, that’s if, you’re really being honest. But if you’re guilty of even one of them, that will be problematic. Sooner or later, we’ll all die, and everybody will face judgment. There’s no escaping it.

But someone solved the problem! That’s the Good News! And the name of that someone is Jesus Christ.

How did He do it?

Even though you deserve the punishment, He underwent the pain and sufferings and died on the cross for you, so you don’t have to.

Where do you think you’re going after your earthly body dies today? The time is now is the time to believe, repent, and receive Jesus as your Lord, King and only Savior!

2. The Whole Scripture Contains the Gospel

We know that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s central themes are the Gospel; that’s why we call them the Gospel Books.

In truth, the whole Bible pertains to Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Books focuses on the life of Christ. But the things that explain the person of Christ, who’s He, what He did and what He will do, why He is the Savior, what will happen to those who will have faith in Him, they are all being taught from Genesis up to Revelation.

That’s why true Christians claim that the wholeness of the Bible teaches the Gospel. All points to the person and works of Christ. (Luke 24:27)

3. The Account of the Gospel and Synoptic Problem

Let’s dive into the Gospel Books; i.e., Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Every record has its unique perspective of the most significant event in history.

Every book teaches the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

These Gospel Books were named after the names believed to be the writers, also based on traditions.

But there’s a problem; every book does not mention its own writers.

That’s why we need to check why this name wrote that book.

Another problem: for someone to believe another’s documented stories about Christ, that documentarist or writer should have been with or at least seen Christ himself. Right?

But two of the four writers didn’t have the chance to rub shoulders with Christ. And that were Mark and Luke.

Matthew wasn’t that popular in the Bible, while the Gospel of John (the writer was believed to be the disciple of whom God loves) is also equally questionable for those who didn’t profoundly study them.

I don’t want to confuse anyone.

But I want you to see the providence of why God allowed these people to write about Christ instead of anything that points directly towards themselves (actually, one of the writers indeed is an eyewitness himself and its proof will be revealed later).

The Gospel Books’ writers are anonymous, unlike Apostle Paul’s writings where his name is constantly introduced.

Now, how would we know the authenticity of these Four Gospels?

There is something called The Four Portraits of One Jesus in Mark L. Strauss’s systematic course in Theology.

Here, he analyzed all the canonical gospels.

Let’s look into it:

1. The Gospel According to Saint Matthew or The Gospel According to Matthew

The Synoptic Gospel (i.e., Mark, Luke, John) records that there was a time that Jesus called a tax collector to become one of His disciples. There was no mention of Matthew’s name.

But in the Book of Matthew, it says that the tax collector’s name was Matthew.

Going back to Mark, Luke and John, they called the tax collector only by Levi.

Some scholars say that the person from the Book of Matthew differs from the synoptic gospels.

FACT: All four Gospels documented that Christ called a tax collector to become His apostle.

Most denominations, including Baptists, believed that two names are calling out for Matthew. One of those names is already mentioned, Matthew, and the other is Levi (since he came from the tribe of Levi), which only means they are all but the same person.

What are the arguments that favor Matthew as the actual writer of the book?

• First, the nearest person we can ask for help to attest that Matthew was the writer of the said book is Papias, the Elder.

Papias is one of the Church Fathers who lived in the fourth century after the death of Christ.

Papias has a quotation that was presented to us by Eusebius, Papias’ disciple.

Although their age gaps were a bit off that can be described as a father (Papias) and son (Eusebius), these two people are friends to each other.

The quotation received by Eusebius from Papias says like this: “Therefore Matthew put the logia in an ordered arrangement in the Hebrew language, but each person interpreted them as best he could.”

But for some, what Papias said is still questionable. Scholars notice that he didn’t mention Matthew’s authorship of the book. He only said Matthew arranged it.

So, if it is not enough for the scholars of the time, we also can’t use this quotation to solidly prove that Matthew wrote the book.

• The second argument that Matthew was the book’s writer is that Matthew’s Gospel is highly organized.

Come to think of it, Matthew was a tax collector. Do you know how his profession keeps everything organized, especially if it pertains to their work?

Under the governance of Rome, tax collectors can’t afford to make mistakes since they are in charge of large sums of money. Or else it will cost their lives.

Notice the introduction and documentation of the Book of Matthew about Christ’s life and His works; they are highly organized.

By repetition, which became a habit, Matthew might have developed the habit of being organized.

Matthew arranged the Five Discourses of Olivet.

• Third, the use of the name Matthew in Matthew 9:9.

If Markian theory was true, if (let’s say I was Matthew) I have received a copy of Mark’s Book and saw a familiar story about me but called me with a different name, it makes sense that I will have to correct my name in it.

• Fourth, the Gospel of Matthew talks about money more than other Synoptics.

Apostle Matthew is very precise when he describes Jesus Christ. Remember The Parable of the Talents?

You will read the words gold and silver 28 times within his Gospel. But only one time in Mark and four times in Luke.

There are also some specific money-related terms being used through the Book of Matthew that are absent in other Synoptics. An example of this is the mentioning of the drachma temple tax. (Matt 17:24)

Notice also an excerpt from the Lord’s Prayer written in Matt. 6:12.

2. The Gospel of Mark

Mark’s full name is John Mark. Mentioned in King James Bible as “Mark whose surname is John.”

He is a companion, a friend to both Paul and Peter.

He is not an apostle of Christ, nor an eyewitness for Christ when He was still here on earth working with His ministries. Then how did he wrote the Gospel of Mark?

• Remember Papias?

According to his disciple Eusebius, Papias also mentioned something about Mark. And this is what is said: “Papias also claims that John the Elder told him that John Mark had written it.”

To clarify who’s who — John the Beloved’s disciple is Papias, while Eusebius is the latter’s disciple.

“Eusebius tells us that Papias said that John the Elder told Papias that John Mark wrote this Gospel and based on the Apostle Peter’s reminiscence.”

The belief is that Mark was equipped to have written the Gospel with the accounts shared to him by the Apostle Peter through writings and various sources.

If Papias isn’t that convincing to you, some more early church writers still believe that Mark wrote the second Gospel. Examples are Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Rome, Origen, and Jerome.

These writers believe that John Mark indeed wrote the Gospel because of the actual writings of the Apostle Peter.

• The name Mark was a popular name at the time. But, there is a certain Mark in the Bible that particularly pops up consistenly throughout the New Testament, and it is believed that he is the John Mark who wrote the Gospel.

He is first mentioned in Acts 12:12 when he and the Apostle Peter were both imprisoned. From this passage, we can understand how close these two people were. With this additional fact, John Mark’s writing becomes more reliable since it came directly from an eyewitness who is closely associated and had direct fellowship with Christ.

What is John Mark’s ministry? — He was a missionary.

How did the Apostle Peter knew John Mark?

Here’s how — Barnabas and John Mark are cousins. Barnabas was a companion of the Apostle Paul in missions. Barnabas brought John Mark along with him. So these three were together on their first missionary journey.

John Mark was also identified as an assistant to the Apostle Paul in Acts 13:5. But, a problem came when John Mark departed from one of his missions (Acts 13:13).

Another mention of John Mark was in II Tim. 4:11. The Apostle Paul directed Timothy to bring John Mark with him to help in the ministry.

As the early Church suggests, John Mark knew very well and had close fellowship with the Apostle Peter. At the same time, as mentioned, he was a companion to the Apostle Paul.

Aside from these facts, going back to the accounts of Papias, he said that John Mark also served as an interpreter for the Apostle Peter. When Peter (who speaks in Aramaic and Hebrew) preaches to Hellenists, John Mark interprets it to the locals’ native language.

Also, John Mark was entrusted to write since he knew the Greek language.

Let’s look at the Apostle Peter for a while. He was a fisherman before he met Christ. He might be considered as illiterate for today’s scoffers, much like the Pharisees of the time. But that’s the beauty of it. Christ picks up the humble and meek, not the boastful who think highly of themselves.

Soon enough, Peter became the apostle that we know of today.

Every moment of Peter’s fellowship with Jesus, every event he had with Him, was imprinted in his mind and heart.

And he (Peter) was allowed by God to meet up and be friends with John Mark, eventually sharing all his experiences of Christ with John Mark. Then God used John Mark’s hands and ability to write one of the Gospel Books.

Do you SEE how difficult the path of the Gospel went through?

Would you still consider the writings that you read from the Bible as mere stories?

Will you still consider that these stories are so unbelievable for an event to happen, as the skeptics say, that it’s too good to be true?

I hope not.

3. The Gospel of Luke

Luke also is not a disciple of Christ, but he is the best friend to the Apostle Paul.

Although Luke was not a prisoner himself at the time, he was always with Paul even when he (Paul) was eventually imprisoned.

Luke was a physician by profession. Paul acknowledged that profession of his in Col. 4:14.

Luke also wrote the Book of Acts. It records the lives of the apostles and their deaths.

The use of medical terms and jargon typical of physicians of Luke’s time is on some of these verses: Acts 28:8-9, Luke 5:12, 5:18, 8:27, 8:43-44, 13:11-13, (For a deep reference of medical terminologies written in the Bible, click the LINK.)

We know that he is credible to write the Gospel because Luke received a copy from John Mark, aside from having a personal fellowship with the Apostle Peter.

After finishing God’s purpose for him, including the Book of Acts, he was executed by the Romans.

4. The Gospel of John

Of all the Gospel writers, John was the closest to Christ.

Out of all the Gospel writers, John was the only person to see Christ in real-time. Notice the literary style of John. You will see how detailed his writing is.

• One example of this detailedness is when John said the exact number of jars where Jesus Christ transforms the water into wine (Jn. 2:6), wherein the other three Gospels, the number wasn’t mentioned.
• It is the only Gospel to say how long the man at the Pool of Bethesda has been crippled. (Jn. 5:5)
• John was the only Gospel writer to say the name of the person with the sword (Peter) and the one with whom he cut an ear (Malchus). (Jn. 18:10)
• The Gospel of John also mentions the exact number of fishes John and Peter have hauled that broke their net. (Jn. 21:11)
• John also gave detailed accounts of the feeding of the five thousand. (Jn. 6:1-14)

For some, the facts they’ve read here might be insignificant. But to those eager to study, one may ask, “Why is it so detailed?” It just means that the writer of this Gospel is an actual eyewitness of Christ.

Also, John is the only Jew writer. He’s the only person who can describe accurately, even in writing, all the Jewish festivals and traditions. An example is the Wedding in Cana.

Now, even though there were no direct mentions of the Gospel writers, one thing is clear, all of them introduced the fact that there was a Christ that was born, lived and walked in the flesh with men, nailed on the cross, died, and rose again from the dead.

All of these writers might have different ways or approaches in their writings. “Four portraits, but one Jesus.”

We believe these writers’ writings because they received the authority to write by God’s providence and accounts directly from eyewitnesses, one of which is an eyewitness himself and the closest to Christ.

Before we end, realize the uniqueness of the Gospel.

• Matthew introduces Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
• Mark recognizes Christ as the suffering Son of God who offers Himself as a sacrifice for sin.
• Luke recognizes Jesus as the Savior of sinners who bring Salvation to all nations and people groups.
• And John introduces Christ as the Eternal Logos, the self-revelation of God the Father.

For many centuries, people have debated over who wrote the Gospel Books. But we can never deny their attestations of the Message of the Gospel.

Want to know the TRUTH about the Biblical Gospel and the urgency of its preaching? Let’s come together, and learn more with us.