What does gospel mean? I do not mean to ask you what it means to you, but what it means. I was in the fourth decade of my life when I first heard someone use gospel as an adjective in a pejorative way. Music was described as “just gospel music.” The speaker killed a style of music with faint praise. The problem with the music was that it was just “gospel music.” This confused me. How can good news be bad news?
We can tell by the tone of Paul’s voice he was a bit agitated with the Galatians. They have twisted the gospel. Why did he care so much? Paul knew that the gospel or good news he preached to the Galatians was the vehicle through which God brought them into his kingdom. False teachers had followed behind him and made a mess by suggesting that the gospel of grace was somehow not enough to save. These teachers confused the Gentiles by requiring them to keep the Jewish ceremonial and calendar law. Paul was livid because he knew that a distorted gospel would be no gospel at all.
Paul received his gospel in a revelation from Jesus. Remember Christ came to him in a blinding light on the road to Damascus. Paul realized he had been persecuting Jesus when he persecuted Jesus’ followers. Suddenly, he realized he was worse off than he thought and more loved than he dreamed. So are we. The good news of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection transformed Paul from a persecutor of Christians to a preacher of Christ. How do we know if our definition of “gospel” is accurate? Did it transform your life? The good news of the gospel is that we are worse off than we thought. We could never save ourselves. Thankfully, we are more loved than we ever imagined. We don’t have to stay the same. Isn’t that good news?
