Opening question: What is your definition of the gospel?
Opening question 2: What verse or verses would you quote to define what the gospel is?
What is the Gospel Tabling Question – Can you Define, Explain and Defend the Gospel?
Whiteboard Brainstorm:What are all of the elements of the gospel?
Gospel Definition Short Version:
If I had to put the gospel into one phrase, it would be the highlighted portion of the following 2 verses:
Acts 16:30-31 ESV
30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Another succinct Gospel Definition Short Version:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
English Standard Version
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
See how this verse is considered to be one of Christianity’s earliest creeds here:
https://bestofapologetics.com/2024/09/14/1-corinithians-15-earliest-christian-creed/
The Gospel as defined by the following sources:
Apologist.ai Gospel Definition:
https://apologist.ai/
asked “What is the Gospel?”
The gospel means “good news.” It is not mainly advice about how to become a better person or earn acceptance with God. It is the announcement of what the one true triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has done to save guilty sinners through Jesus Christ.
The bad news is that every person has sinned against God. Sin is not merely making mistakes; it is rebellion against our holy Creator. It offends His justice and separates us from Him. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, BSB). And sin earns death and judgment: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, BSB).
The good news is that God acted in mercy. The eternal Son of God became truly human in Jesus Christ. He lived the sinless life we failed to live, died on the cross as the substitute for sinners, bore the judgment sin deserves, and physically rose from the dead. Paul summarizes the heart of this message:
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, BSB
Because Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient, forgiveness and reconciliation with God are offered freely—not earned by religious works, morality, or self-improvement. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, BSB).
The fitting response is to repent—turning from sin and self-rule—and to trust in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior. “‘The time is fulfilled,’ He said, ‘and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!’” (Mark 1:15, BSB). Those who receive Him are not merely given a second chance to save themselves; they are given new life, pardon, and peace with God.
As Ligonier’s What Is the Gospel? rightly emphasizes, the gospel is good news about what God has accomplished, not a set of instructions for making oneself acceptable to Him. Good works and obedience matter as the fruit of a changed life, but they are not the basis on which anyone is saved.”
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Got Questions Gospel Definition:
https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-gospel.html
asked “What is the Gospel?”
The word gospel literally means “good news” and occurs 93 times in the Bible, exclusively in the New Testament. In Greek, it is the word euaggelion, from which we get our English words evangelist, evangel, and evangelical. The gospel is, broadly speaking, the whole of Scripture; more narrowly, the gospel is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation.
The key to understanding the gospel is to know why it’s good news. To do that, we must start with the bad news. The Old Testament Law was given to Israel during the time of Moses (Deuteronomy 5:1). The Law can be thought of as a measuring stick, and sin is anything that falls short of “perfect” according to that standard. The righteous requirement of the Law is so stringent that no human being could possibly follow it perfectly, in letter or in spirit. Despite our “goodness” or “badness” relative to each other, we are all in the same spiritual boat—we have sinned, and the punishment for sin is death, i.e. separation from God, the source of life (Romans 3:23). In order for us to go to heaven, God’s dwelling place and the realm of life and light, sin must be somehow removed or paid for. The Law established the fact that cleansing from sin can only happen through the bloody sacrifice of an innocent life (Hebrews 9:22).
The gospel involves Jesus’ death on the cross as the sin offering to fulfill the Law’s righteous requirement (Romans 8:3–4; Hebrews 10:5–10). Under the Law, animal sacrifices were offered year after year as a reminder of sin and a symbol of the coming sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:3–4). When Christ offered Himself at Calvary, that symbol became a reality for all who would believe (Hebrews 10:11–18). The work of atonement is finished now, and that’s good news.
The gospel also involves Jesus’ resurrection on the third day. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). The fact that Jesus conquered sin and death (sin’s penalty) is good news, indeed. The fact that He offers to share that victory with us is the greatest news of all (John 14:19).
The elements of the gospel are clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3–6, a key passage concerning the good news of God: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living.” Notice, first, that Paul “received” the gospel and then “passed it on”; this is a divine message, not a man-made invention. Second, the gospel is “of first importance.” Everywhere the apostles went, they preached the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Third, the message of the gospel is accompanied by proofs: Christ died for our sins (proved by His burial), and He rose again the third day (proved by the eyewitnesses). Fourth, all this was done “according to the Scriptures”; the theme of the whole Bible is the salvation of mankind through Christ. The Bible is the gospel.
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). The gospel is a bold message, and we are not ashamed of proclaiming it. It is a powerful message, because it is God’s good news. It is a saving message, the only thing that can truly reform the human heart. It is a universal message, for Jews and Gentiles both. And the gospel is received by faith; salvation is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8–9).
The gospel is the good news that God loves the world enough to give His only Son to die for our sin (John 3:16). The gospel is good news because our salvation and eternal life and home in heaven are guaranteed through Christ (John 14:1–4). “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3–4).
The gospel is good news when we understand that we do not (and cannot) earn our salvation; the work of redemption and justification is complete, having been finished on the cross (John 19:30). Jesus is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2). The gospel is the good news that we, who were once enemies of God, have been reconciled by the blood of Christ and adopted into the family of God (Romans 5:10; John 1:12). “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). The gospel is the good news that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
To reject the gospel is to embrace the bad news. Condemnation before God is the result of a lack of faith in the Son of God, God’s only provision for salvation. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17–18). God has given a doomed world good news: the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Here is this article, associated with this question and webpage, in video form:
Can you define the Gospel in a minute? Here’s William Lane Craig’s take:
What is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints definition of the gospel?
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/true-to-the-faith/gospel?lang=eng
“Gospel
The gospel is our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. The central doctrine of the gospel is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “The first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4). In its fulness, the gospel includes all the doctrines, principles, laws, ordinances, and covenants necessary for us to be exalted in the celestial kingdom. The Savior has promised that if we endure to the end, faithfully living the gospel, He will hold us guiltless before the Father at the Final Judgment (see 3 Nephi 27:16).
The fulness of the gospel has been preached in all ages when God’s children have been prepared to receive it. In the latter days, or the dispensation of the fulness of times, the gospel has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
BOA Question: How does the LDS gospel definition agree or disagree from the gospel definitions above?
Is this “Another Gospel” as in Galatians 1?
Galatians 1:6-9
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him![b] 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!
What view of the Gospel (Good News) do Jehovah’s Witnesses publish:
https://www.jw.org/en/library/brochures/good-news-from-god/what-is-the-good-news/
What Is the Good News?
1. What is the news from God?
God wants people to enjoy life on earth. He created the earth and everything on it because he loves mankind. Soon he will act to provide a better future for people in every land. He will relieve mankind of the causes of suffering.—Read Jeremiah 29:11.
No government has ever succeeded in eliminating violence, disease, or death. But there is good news. Shortly, God will replace all human governments with his own government. Its subjects will enjoy peace and good health.—Read Isaiah 25:8; 33:24; Daniel 2:44.
2. Why is the good news urgent?
Suffering will end only when God clears the earth of bad people. (Zephaniah 2:3) When will that happen? God’s Word foretold the conditions that now threaten mankind. Current events indicate that God’s time to act is close.—Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
3. What should we do?
We should learn about God from his Word, the Bible. It is like a letter to us from a loving father. It tells us how to enjoy a better way of life now and how to enjoy everlasting life on earth in the future. True, some may not like it that you are receiving help to understand the Bible. But the opportunity of a better future is too good to miss.—Read Proverbs 29:25; Revelation 14:6, 7.
How is the word Gospel defined by JW’s:
https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-glossary/gospel/
Gospel
A term commonly used for the first four books of the Christian Greek Scriptures. These books provide a historical account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
The word “gospel” is derived from the old English godspel, which means “good news; good tidings.” In some Bible translations, “gospel” is used to render the Greek word eu·ag·geʹli·on, meaning “good news.” (Mt 4:23; 24:14; Mr 1:14) As used in the Bible, the gospel, or good news, refers to the message about the Kingdom of God and of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.
Mark’s account begins with the words: “The beginning of the good news about [or, “the gospel of”] Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Some scholars believe that this may have been the reason why the term “gospel” came to be used to describe all four accounts.
Although none of the Gospel writers identified themselves as such, there is substantial evidence that these books were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John respectively. The first three of these books are sometimes called synoptic (meaning “like view”) because they have a relatively similar approach to documenting what Jesus said and did. However, God allowed each of the four men to write in a way that reflected his individual personality.
What does the site Apologist.ai say about the JW definition of the gospel?:
from https://apologist.ai/
What is the Jehovah Witnesses definition of the gospel?
Jehovah’s Witnesses generally define the gospel (“good news”) as the announcement that Jehovah God’s heavenly Kingdom is the only solution for humanity, that Jesus is its appointed King, and that faithful people may receive everlasting life in a restored earthly paradise under that Kingdom.
Their message normally includes these elements:
- Jehovah’s name and sovereignty must be vindicated.
- Jesus died as a ransom for Adam’s sin, opening the way for obedient people to live forever.
- God’s Kingdom, rather than human governments, will soon end wickedness.
- A person must exercise faith, live by Jehovah’s standards, participate in the Witnesses’ preaching work, and remain associated with the Watchtower organization.
- They distinguish a limited “anointed” class destined for heaven from a larger group who hope to live forever on earth.
There are important points of agreement with biblical Christianity: God’s Kingdom matters, Christ died for sinners, and believers must live in repentance and obedience. Yet their gospel differs at its center because they deny that Jesus Christ is eternally God the Son, teaching instead that He is a created being—often identified with Michael the archangel. They also make acceptance with God depend not on Christ’s completed work alone, but on continuing faithfulness and organizational obedience.
BOA Question: How does the Jehovah’s Witnesses gospel definition agree or disagree from the gospel definitions above?
Is this “Another Gospel” as in Galatians 1?
How does Islam define and document the gospel?
from https://apologist.ai/
In Islam, the Gospel is usually called the Injil (Arabic: al-Injīl). Muslims commonly define it as a divine revelation Allah gave directly to Jesus—not as the four canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In standard Islamic belief, Jesus was a human prophet and Messiah, but not God incarnate, and the original Injil was subsequently lost, corrupted, or altered by Christians.
Where Islam documents this view
Islam’s teaching on the Injil is documented chiefly in the Qur’an, then developed in hadith literature and Islamic commentary (tafsir).
Key Qur’anic passages include:
- Surah 3:3–4 — says God sent down the Torah and the Gospel as guidance.
- Surah 3:48 — says Jesus was taught the Book, wisdom, Torah, and Gospel.
- Surah 5:46–47 — says Jesus was given the Gospel and tells the “People of the Gospel” to judge by what God revealed in it.
- Surah 5:110 and 57:27 — again state that Jesus was given the Gospel.
- Surah 61:6 — depicts Jesus foretelling a messenger who would come after him, whom Muslims identify as Muhammad.
- Passages such as Surah 2:75, 3:78, and 5:13–15 are commonly used in later Muslim argument to support the claim that earlier biblical revelation was distorted, though Christians dispute that these texts establish wholesale textual corruption of the Bible.
Thus, Islam has an affirmation and a difficulty: the Qur’an speaks positively of the Gospel and expects Christians in Muhammad’s time to recognize and follow it, while later Islamic theology typically says the biblical Gospels are not the original Injil.
The supplied source from Stand to Reason, “Get to the Gospel with Muslims” (Alan Shlemon, 2024), highlights this issue: Muslims often picture the Injil as one book handed to Jesus, like the Qur’an was given to Muhammad. Yet there is no historical evidence that Jesus received such a written book. Christians of the first through seventh centuries possessed the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—not an unknown, separate Gospel of Jesus.
Similarly, the supplied article “The Unclear Quran: What Is the Injil?” notes the ambiguity: does Injil mean Jesus’ oral proclamation, the later written Gospels, or something else? It observes that Christians at the time of Muhammad had the canonical Gospels, making the claim of a now-lost original Injil historically difficult to establish.
How Islam’s “gospel” differs from the Christian gospel
Islam does not present the gospel as the saving announcement that the eternal Son of God became man, died as the atoning sacrifice for sinners, and rose bodily from the dead. Islam denies Christ’s deity, ordinarily denies that He was crucified, and rejects His resurrection as the foundation of salvation.
By contrast, the New Testament’s gospel is explicitly anchored in these historical events:
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, — 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, BSB
Jesus is not merely a prophet who received revelation. John says of Him, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, BSB). The Word who became flesh is identified earlier in John 1:1 as eternally divine and personally distinct from the Father—consistent with the historic Christian confession of the Trinity.
The biblical gospel also declares that forgiveness is received through Christ’s sacrificial blood, not earned by a person’s accumulation of righteous deeds: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7, BSB). Because sin is rebellion against the holy God, it brings real guilt and separation from Him. Yet God offers mercy to everyone who turns from sin and trusts in Christ.
Jesus Himself summarized the appropriate response: “‘The time is fulfilled,’ He said, ‘and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!’” (Mark 1:15, BSB).
In short: Islam documents the Injil in the Qur’an as revelation given to Jesus, usually understood as a lost or corrupted single book. Christianity documents the gospel in the apostolic New Testament as the public, preserved proclamation of Jesus Christ—God the Son incarnate—crucified for our sins and raised from the dead.
end of Apologist.ai content
BOA Question: How does the Islamic gospel definition agree or disagree from the gospel definitions above?
Is this “Another Gospel” as in Galatians 1?
One Christian Gospel Presentation method:
Bill Fey’s How to share your faith without an argument:
In the days of paper Bibles the idea was to start with Romans 3:23 than write the next verse in the margin on your Bible, to progress through the verse list.
If you put Romans 3:23 in the front of your Bible there’s nothing to memorize (assuming that you have your Bible 🙂 )
Simply show the verse to whom your speaking with and ask them what the verse means.
1. Romans 3:23
—for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2. Romans 6:23
—For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. John 3:3
—Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4. John 14:6
—Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
5. Romans 10:9-11
—9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
6. 2 Corinthians 5:15
—and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
7. Revelation 3:20
—Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
This information is also available in an app named Share Jesus Without Fear available here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lifeway.sharejesuswithoutfear
BOA Questions:
From 1 to 10 how would you rate your ability to define explain and defend the gospel?
How important is The Gospel to Christianity?
Why are the first four books of the New Testament referred to as the Gospels?
Let’s assume that a person has a definition of the Gospel that is exactly as the Bible describes, and that the definition of who Jesus Christ is is different than what the Bible describes. Would you say that, that person has a Different Gospel or not?
Do you have a Go To Gospel presentation?
Just for fun, how would you define the Gospel in just two words?
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Additional Information:
Whiteboard Brainstorm:What are all of the elements of the gospel? As recorded at Ratio Christi UCCS 9/2/2026:
the resurrection
forgiveness
sacrifice(perfect sinlessness)
love
sin
repentance
Jesus
relationship
promise-covenant
prophesy
Lordship
salvation
grace
faith
conquered death
baptism?
justification
sanctification
glorification
righteousness
believe & receive
How would you define the Gospel in just two words? As recorded at Ratio Christi UCCS 9/2/2026:
Jesus Saves
Salvation Grace
Christ Crucified
Rescue
Loving Relationship
Believe Receive
Conquered Death
BOA Submission:
Good News
Whiteboard Brainstorm:What are all of the elements of the gospel? As recorded at the Magnify Church Defenders Class 9/6/2026:
sin
god
jesus
messiah
hell
good & evil
eternity
death
life
sacrifice
propitiation
substitution
law
resurrection
forgiveness
repent
love
What verses communicate the gospel? As recorded at the Southern Colorado Navigators student leaders and staff meeting 9/22/2026:
Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23
1 Peter 3:18 1 John 4:10 John 3:16
Whiteboard Brainstorm:What are all of the elements of the gospel? As recorded at the Southern Colorado Navigators student leaders and staff meeting 9/22/2026:
grace
separation
love
sin
repentance
atonement
restoration
covenant
eternal life
Jesus!
children of God
commune
God & Spirit
Trinity
truth
faith
abiding
lordship
propitiation
sacrifice
the cross
Whiteboard Brainstorm:As recorded at the Southern Colorado Navigators student leaders and staff meeting 9/22/2026:
