SALVATION STORY: REMEMBERING THE GOSPEL ON EASTER WEEKEND.
by Dan Oliver
Have you ever wondered what the word “Gospel” means? When I was a child I heard adults talking about taking the “Gospel to the world.” That to be saved you had to “believe the Gospel.” And if somebody wanted to convince you that they were being honest they would say it’s the “Gospel truth.” But nobody ever explained to me what the term meant. Which baffled me because I quickly gathered it was quite important!
As a teenager, I learned about a new musical being produced in New York City. It was a hippie-friendly take on the life of Jesus called “God Spell.” I felt a little religiously offended by the title because I thought the creators were making fun of the word “Gospel,” which by then I realized was more important than I had earlier thought, but for which I still couldn’t have given you a definition.
Later in my life, my love of words (and their meaning and development) led me to discover that our religious term, “Gospel,” is simply a modern juxtaposition of two words: “God” (I knew what that meant!) and “spell” (an ancient English word meaning “story”). So the term Gospel could be retold as “God’s Story.” (Some argue that the “Go-“ is a contraction from the word, “good,” so that the meaning of Gospel is actually “good story.” I find no practical reason to argue, either way. History’s truly “good story” is “God’s story!”) I was chagrined to admit that the Broadway writers had it about right with the title of their show about Jesus. (I can’t speak for the veracity of what was included under the title—I never saw the show.)
So, what is this “Good Story”? The apostle Paul once wrote to some believers in Greece, saying, “I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved…” (1 Corinthians 15:1, 2 NIV, emphasis mine) Boy, the Gospel sounds pretty important to me! Believers were commended for receiving it, for taking their stand on it, and are reminded that by this they were saved.
But again to our question, what is the Gospel? Well, about two sentences later, as if Paul could hear our question, he writes (after pointing out that this is of “first importance”): “…that Christ died for our sins…that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day…, and that he appeared…” to a large number of his disciples before his ascension. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)
The Gospel, then, is what we proclaim daily in affirmation of our faith, and celebrate in a special way each Easter. That is, God’s good story—the Incarnation, Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, God’s anointed One. This explanation fits well with what must have been the Apostle’s intention as his original word translated as “gospel” was a common Greek expression literally meaning “good news.”
This good story, God’s story—rescue by His cross, life by His resurrection—is certainly good news. It is the story of God’s provision of salvation, freely for each of us.
Join me this weekend, Thursday through Sunday, as we at the St. Helena SDA Church consider again the Gospel, God’s Story, with a series of gatherings in remembrance of the risen Christ, Jesus our Lord. Celebrate with us Salvation Story.