This expression refers to the good news of the kingdom of God and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. In the Bible they are called “the good news of the kingdom” (Mt 4:23), “the good news of God” (Ro 15:16), “the good news about Jesus Christ” (Mr 1:1), † “the good news of God’s undeserved kindness” (Acts 20:24), “the good news of peace” (Eph 6:15), and the “everlasting good news” (Rev 14:6).
The Greek word translated “good news” (“gospel” in many versions) is eu·ag·ge·li·on. An “evangelizer” (the English word is practically a transliteration of the Greek term) is a preacher of the good news. (Ac 21:8; 2Ti 4:5.)
Your content. The various expressions just mentioned give an idea of the content and scope of the good news. They include all the truths that Jesus spoke and his disciples wrote about. Although ancient men hoped in God and had faith because of the knowledge they had come to have of Jehovah, God’s purposes first became clear “by the manifestation of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished the death, but has shed light on life and incorruption through the good news† . (2Ti 1:9, 10.)
Centuries earlier, God had declared good news to Abraham, revealing the means by which he intended to provide the eternal good news. He said: “Through you all nations will be blessed.” (Ga 3:8) Later, through the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah spoke of the preaching of the good news. Jesus Christ read of this prophecy in the synagogue at Nazareth, and afterwards said: “Today this scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.” (Lu 4:16-21) Isaiah’s prophecy explained the purpose and effect of the good news to be preached, particularly from the time of the Messiah’s coming. (Isaiah 61:1-3.)
Your progress. When Jesus was born, the angel announced to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid, because, look! I am telling you the good news of a great joy that all the people will have.” (Lu 2:10) John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ preaching of the good news, telling the Jews: “Repent, because the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.”—Mt 3:1, 2. ; and regarding the preaching of John, Jesus said: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens is the goal towards which men are pressing forward, and those who are pressing forward take hold of the† . (Mt 11:12.)
During his earthly ministry, Jesus limited his preaching of the good news to Jews and proselytes, saying: “I was not sent to anyone except the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Mt 15:24) When he sent out the twelve apostles, he commanded them “not to go into the way of the nations, and not to enter a Samaritan city; but, rather, that they continually go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel†™. (Mt 10: 5, 6) On one occasion he preached to a Samaritan woman (the Samaritans were related to the Israelites), but he did not go into the city to preach. However, the response of the woman and the others was so favorable that Jesus stayed with them for two days. (John 4:7-42.)
After his death and resurrection, Jesus gave his disciples the following command: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you† . (Mt 28:19, 20) He also assured them that his preaching would reach “to the most distant part of the earth.” (Ac 1:8) However, for the next three and a half years or so, the holy spirit caused the disciples to limit their preaching to the Jews and Samaritans. God then sent Peter to bring the good news to the home of Cornelius, an officer in the Roman army. (Ac 10, 11; 15:7) From that time onwards, the good news was declared to the most remote parts and to the maximum extent permitted by the circumstances.
Its importance. The apostle Paul wrote with strong conviction about the provision for salvation that God had made through Jesus Christ. He said that if someone declared to the Galatians something that was beyond what they had accepted, a different teaching, † ˜ be cursed † ™. Then, speaking of the source of the good news he declared, he added: “Neither did I receive it from any man, nor was it taught me, except through revelation by Jesus Christ.” (Ga 1:8, 11, 12) This conclusive statement was necessary, for even then there were those who tried to overthrow the true faith by preaching †˜other good news†™. (2Co 11:4; Ga 1:6, 7) Paul warned of a coming apostasy and said that the †˜mystery of lawlessness†™ was already at work, admonishing Christians to remember the purpose of the good news and to stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that by spirit direction they had learned from the apostles. (2Th 2:3, 7, 14, 15; see TRADITION.)
Faithful adherence to and continuing to proclaim the good news was considered by Jesus to be more important than a person’s present life, and Paul recognized that faithfully declaring it was vital. (Mr 8:35; 1Co 9:16; 2Ti 1:8) A person may suffer the loss of his most prized possessions and may even be persecuted, but he will also receive a hundredfold now, “houses, and brothers, and sisters , and mothers, and children, and fields, and in the system of things to come eternal life† . (Mr 10:29, 30)
The good news is the touchstone by which humanity is judged: accepting and obeying it results in salvation; rejecting and disobeying them supposes destruction. (1Pe 4:5, 6, 17; 2Th 1:6-8) With this in mind, the motive for preaching the good news must be pure, and the Christian must preach it from the heart, out of love for his listeners. So much did the apostles appreciate the importance of the life-giving good news and were so aglow with the spirit of God and with love, that they imparted the good news not only to those who listened to their preaching, but also to their “own souls.” (1Th 2:8) God granted the proclaimers of the good news the right to accept material help from those to whom they preached (1Co 9:11-14), but Paul and his companions valued their privilege as bearers of the good news new ones, who did not want to take financial advantage of him in the least, and even avoided making that impression. The apostle Paul describes his course in this regard at 1 Corinthians 9:15-18 and 1 Thessalonians 2:6, 9.
Enemies. The good news has been bitterly fought. The apostle identified the source of the enmity as follows: “Now, if the good news that we declare is in fact veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing, among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of those who are perishing. unbelievers, so that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, does not shine through to them. (2Co 4:3, 4) The first enemies of the good news were the religious leaders of the Jews. However, their enmity worked out for the good of the Gentiles, that is, the people of the nations, as it opened the opportunity for them to share in “the promise in union with Christ Jesus through the good news.” (Ro 11:25, 28; Eph 3:5, 6)
The enemies of the good news caused Christians much suffering, and the apostles were required to fight hard before the rulers to “defend and legally establish the good news” so that it might be spread as freely as possible. (Phil 1:7, 16; compare Mr 13:9-13; Ac 4:18-20; 5:27-29.)
The earthly ministry of Christ and his return. It is noteworthy that during the six months before Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized, he preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near,” and when Jesus introduced himself, John identified him as the “ œLamb of God who takes away the sin of the world† . (Mt 3: 1, 2; Joh 1:29) So he directed the people’s attention to the long-awaited messianic king. (Ac 19:4.)
When Jesus was on earth, both he and his disciples announced: “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” (Mt 4:17; 10: 7) Furthermore, once anointed as Christ the King, Jesus said to his enemies, the Pharisees: “’The kingdom of God is in your midst.’ (Lu 17:20, 21) This was the theme or central point of the good news during Jesus’ earthly ministry. However, after death the disciples are not reported to have proclaimed that the Kingdom was “at hand” or very near. Rather, they preached the good news that Jesus had ascended to heaven after giving up his life as the ransom price for salvation, and that he was sitting at the right hand of God. They also preached about the return of Jesus in a future time and about the Kingdom that was to come. (Heb 10:12, 13; 2Ti 4:1; Re 11:15; 12:10; 22:20; compare Lu 19:12, 15; Mt 25:31.)
Jesus’ disciples asked him: “What will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?”† . As part of his response, Jesus listed certain things that would take place during his presence. One was: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; And then the end will come† . (Mt 24:3, 14; Mr 13:10; compare Col 1:23.) In the Revelation received by the apostle John around 96 CE, he saw an “angel flying in the midst of heaven” having “eternal good news to declare as joyful tidings to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people, and he said with a loud voice: ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of judgment has come for he†™† . (Re 14:6, 7) These inspired statements indicate that in the “last days” there would be an unparalleled proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom.
Source: Dictionary of the Bible