Topical Bible: Gospel: Called the New Covenant

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The term "Gospel" is derived from the Old English "godspel," meaning "good news" or "glad tidings." In the Christian context, the Gospel refers to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, encapsulating His life, death, resurrection, and the promise of eternal life for believers. This message is central to the New Testament and is often referred to as the New Covenant, distinguishing it from the Old Covenant established through Moses.

The New Covenant

The concept of the New Covenant is rooted in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, where it is foretold as a future promise. Jeremiah 31:31-34 states, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah... I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people." This prophecy anticipates a transformative relationship between God and His people, characterized by internalized divine law and personal knowledge of God.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is presented as the mediator of this New Covenant. During the Last Supper, He explicitly connects His sacrificial death to the establishment of the New Covenant. In Luke 22:20 , Jesus declares, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you." This statement signifies that through His atoning death, Jesus inaugurates a new era in God's redemptive plan, offering forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

The Gospel Message

The Gospel message is succinctly summarized in passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 : "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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." This core message emphasizes the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and the historical reality of Christ's resurrection, which is the cornerstone of Christian faith.

The Gospel is not merely a set of doctrines but a transformative power that brings about spiritual rebirth. As stated in Romans 1:16 , "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek." This universality underscores the inclusivity of the Gospel, extending the promise of salvation to all humanity, transcending ethnic and cultural boundaries.

Theological Implications

The New Covenant, as revealed in the Gospel, signifies a shift from the law-based righteousness of the Old Covenant to a grace-based relationship with God. Hebrews 8:6 explains, "But now Jesus has received a more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises." This better covenant is characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to live in accordance with God's will.

The Gospel also emphasizes the concept of justification by faith, a foundational doctrine articulated in passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 : "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." This underscores the unmerited favor of God, highlighting that salvation is a divine gift rather than a human achievement.

Practical Application

The Gospel calls for a response of faith and repentance, inviting individuals to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship is marked by a commitment to discipleship, as believers are called to live out the implications of the Gospel in their daily lives. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 encapsulates this mission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you."

In summary, the Gospel, as the New Covenant, is the heart of Christian theology and practice, offering a message of hope, redemption, and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
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Hebrews 7:22
By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
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Hebrews 8:6-13
But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
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Hebrews 9:8-15
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
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Hebrews 10:9
Then said he, See, I come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first, that he may establish the second.
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Hebrews 12:22-24
But you are come to mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
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Library

The Ministry of the New Covenant
... tens of thousands we have throughout Christendom who are called ministers of the
gospel. ... first thought is that a minister of the New Covenant must be ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/murray/the two covenants/chapter xvi the ministry of.htm

Christ the Mediator of the Covenant
... the sum and quintessence of the gospel; the wonder ... of lapsed sinners, Jesus the Mediator
of the new covenant.'. ... of mankind: [1] Sometimes he is called a Saviour ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/2 christ the mediator of.htm

The New Testament
... Whereas it was essential that the gospel should be preached first in Aramaic, it ...
The whole collection of books is called the CANON of the New Testament. ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter i the new testament.htm

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Gospel Transcends Law.
... when he compares it with the ministry of the Gospel. ... calls "the letter," or, as we
have called it on ... he terms the "ministration of a New Covenant" and "of the ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/twelfth sunday after trinity gospel.htm

On the Comparison of the Law and the Gospel
... the covenants of promise;" (Ephesians 2:12;) let us also consider how far "this
covenant of promise," and the New Testament, and the gospel so called, by way ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 13 on the comparison.htm

Argument. --That the Same Truth is Proved from the Sacred Writings ...
... is Proved from the Sacred Writings of the New Covenant. ... 5094] For, moreover, "His
name is called the Word ... the same contends that he learned the Gospel not from ...
/.../chapter xiii argument that the same.htm

The Canons of Dordt
... Article 6 And, whereas many who are called by the gospel do not repent nor ... Paragraph
4 Who teach: That the new covenant of grace, which God the Father? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the canons of dordt/

More Particularly, in what Respect Christ is Called the Truth.
... people in the truth: hence he is called "a teacher ... who witness the truth of the gospel
by publishing ... right to all the benefits of the new covenant, "in whom ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xi more particularly in.htm

On the Church and Its Head
... that is, the institution of a new and gracious ... in this covenant men have been called
"in divers ... by that full manifestation in the Gospel, when, according to ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 18 on the church.htm

The New Covenant.
... The Gospel has for one of its primary objects to ... cause He is the Mediator of a new
covenant, that a ... the first covenant, they that have been called may receive ...
/.../chapter viii the new covenant.htm