The word “gospel,” which means good news, is the true and Divine message of God’s eternal plan and supernatural activity that brings about the (re)establishment of His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven in the hearts and lives of men from every people group of the world. The absolutely essential element in this Kingdom-building work is the saving reconciliation and justifying forgiveness of sinful, rebellious, should-be subjects of the one and only true King. This is what makes the gospel “good news of great joy”! Gracious love is God’s motivation; the glorification of His gracious name is His purpose.
And at the very center of all of this stands one Person: Jesus Christ, the Son of God! It is Jesus, and Jesus alone, who is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. It is none other than Jesus who is the true King. He is “the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”. There is only one “Good Shepherd”, one “Bread of life”, one “Light of the world”, one “True Vine”, and His name is Jesus! Since the gospel is the central message of the Bible, and since Jesus is the central figure of the gospel, it follows then that all of the Bible is about Jesus. No where is this truth displayed more clearly and vividly than in the four Gospels (the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). They all four have different angles and perspectives on the life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. They do not contradict each other, but on the contrary, they complement each other so that there is one full and rich picture of the Person and work of the Jesus as Messiah (God-Man, Savior, and King). It should be easy to see why they are called “Gospels” or “gospel accounts.” For they tell the story of Jesus, whom the gospel message is all about.
Read a post about the artwork for this series on ExaltEquipEngage.com, “More Than Artwork“.
