The Gospel

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The Gospel
by: Mark A. McNeil

Purpose

As indicated by the title, the purpose of this essay is to express the essence of the “Gospel” or “Good News” that is proclaimed in Scripture. The word, “Gospel,” appears numerous times in the New Testament and is a description of the message that Christ Himself proclaimed as well as that of His disciples (e.g., Matthew 4:23, Romans 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 1:5). The word itself (euaggelion) indicates “good news” or “good proclamation.”

It is especially important for those committed to the Roman Catholic tradition to spend some time reflecting on the most basic elements of the Christian faith. This is so because bringing these truths into our explicit awareness should have a transforming affect on our experience of the most central mystery of our Christian lives, the Eucharist. In point of fact, the celebration of the Mass is filled with the material this paper seeks to address. It is also our faith that the Eucharist allows us the grace of participating in the perfect sacrifice of Christ which, of course, is the very heart of the Gospel itself.

One must first recognize that the word Gospel, first and foremost, does not simply refer to the first four books of our New Testament but it refers more basically to the message of Christianity itself. Because the four Gospels in the New Testament testify to the major aspects of this message in a remarkable way, they were early considered unique witnesses to the most important events of salvation history and therefore are called “Gospels” or particular proclamations of the “good news” of Jesus Christ.

It will be our goal here to attempt a description of the good news of the Christian faith in three major ways. First, we will try and distinguish the most foundational and important aspects of the Gospel itself and then secondly try to show how these “aspects” or parts of the Gospel or truths that are presupposed by the Gospel may be found in one manner or another throughout the books of our Bible. This will then provide, it is hoped, a “big picture” of the message of Scripture as it is viewed as a divinely inspired collection of texts with a fundamental unity throughout. Thirdly, it will then be possible to show how the various major areas of Christian theology flow from these truths. This will set up for the reader the subsequent history of the Church in which it is necessary to defend certain ideas that are essential to maintaining the essence of the Gospel expressed in Scripture. For all who wish to understand their Christian faith, then, it is of incalculable value to engage in this kind of analysis.

What is the Gospel?

The Good News of Scripture presupposes some bad news. Perhaps a few analogies will help. The message of the Gospel is something like the good news shared with an anxious spouse while waiting for a major operation to conclude. Or, perhaps more to the point, the Gospel is like the life-raft that is offered to the drowning individual who has suffered ship-wreck. Again, the Gospel is like the dramatic rescue of the person who is trapped within the walls of a burning home. In every case, there is a sense of urgency and danger in the midst of which the “good news” is realized or made manifest. In accord with such examples, the Gospel begins with, what we might call, some bad news. It will be necessary, then, to offer this bad news in order that we may clearly see the message of the Christian Scriptures concerning salvation or the rescue provided by God to the problem of the human condition.

Five Points. Our first “truth” (1) in connection with the meaning of the Christian Gospel involves understanding something about the God Who is revealed in Sacred Scripture. Certainly it should be seen that the God of the Bible is Creator, all-powerful, self-sufficient, infinite, source of everything other than Himself, all-knowing, all-wise, etc. Our point here, however, is to place special focus on that attribute of God that has resulted in an unpleasant situation for us as human beings in our present condition. That is, God is set forth in Scripture as radically or extremely holy.

The notion of “holy” or “holiness” is prominent in both the Old and New Testaments. In many places, “holiness” refers to the consecration or separation of a thing or person to divine service. The idea being that such persons or things have been made fit for such a high and sacred purpose as use by God. The word is also used to describe God Himself who is most “separate” and most sacred especially if considered in relationship to His creation. In other words, God’s holiness is a way of emphasizing His radical “otherness” or transcendence beyond and in distinction from the creatures He has made. Although we know that the creation does, in a very real way, “mirror” or reflect its Creator (Gen. 1:26), we also are led to recognize and admit that the Creator is far greater than what is seen in this world.

This radical “otherness” or transcendence of the Creator then leads to a sense of awe and reverence as well as a sense of duty or obligation. Since the created world depends upon its Maker and Sustainer in such an extreme way, it follows that the creatures of this world are under obligation to orient their whole being towards their Maker in an act of loving worship.

The Scriptures show this extreme holiness of God in a variety of ways. As reflected in the words of Mass, the heavenly hosts do not cease to cry out before the throne of God, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8). This three-fold repetition of “holy” serves to dramatically emphasize this term in connection with God, much as the superlative form would do so in Latin. God is then “most holy” or “extremely holy.” Recognition of this fact by those in the presence of God, whether they be men or angels, demands the response of worship and adoration. “The twenty-four elders fall down before the one who sits on the throne and worship Him, Who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before the throne, exclaiming: Worthy are you, Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things; because of your will they came to be and were created” (Revelation 4:10-11).

This great emphasis on divine holiness is not simply the result of God being so “other” or different from human beings. It is the kind of difference between God and human beings that is of such importance. Long ago the prophet Habakkuk clearly saw of God that His “eyes” were “too pure to look upon evil” (Hab. 1:13). David as well wrote, “You are not a God who delights in evil; no wicked person finds refuge with you” (Psalm 5:5). John, in his first letter, continues to affirm the same truth, “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say, ‘We have fellowship with Him, while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth’” (I John 1:5-6).

The point here is that the difference between God and His creatures is not the kind of difference that exists between, say, a snail and a dog, merely one of degree of complexity or abilities. No, what makes God so different from the world made by Him is that His otherness is an extreme purity and righteousness that repels and is foreign to all impurity and unholiness. One should then tremble before the divine holiness as Isaiah did long ago, especially in light of his (and our) sinfulness before this holy God. To the extent that we conform our lives to the nature of the all-holy God, we too may be called “holy,” or “saints.” Sainthood involves a conformity, gradual to be sure, to the very likeness of this God. In the Catholic Tradition, the label of “saint” has been specially used for those who have completed the journey towards God’s holiness and therefore stand continually before the vision of God purified from all taint of sin. It is their closeness to God that is the foundation of the application of the label “holy” or “saint.”

This brings us to the second (2) of our points attempting to get at the heart of the Gospel. Human beings, created to be friends and “reflectors” of the image of God, have chosen to turn away from these purposes and therefore have chosen to sin (Gen. 1-3). “Sin” is “every departure from the way of righteousness.” David expressed a deep sense of his own sinfulness and the extreme way in which it has affected the human condition in the famous words, “True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me. Still, you insist on sincerity of heart…” (Ps. 51:7-8). Paul, in his great work on justification, sets forth a series of arguments establishing the conclusion that “Jews and Gentiles alike …are all under the domination of sin” (Romans 3:19). Furthermore, “there is no one just, not one” (3:10).

That human beings are “sinners” or persons who have disobeyed the moral demands of their Creator to Whom, by the way, obedience is owed in the most supreme way, is a sad truth that runs throughout the pages of Scripture. The reality is that the human family has found itself in a position of alienation and separation from its God. In fact, in this condition the Apostle Paul considers us “enemies of God” (Romans 5:10). This is not an isolated Pauline theme, either, but one that can be found throughout both testaments.

It is absolutely necessary that the student of Scripture grasp these preliminary points or else the Bible and its Gospel will simply be incomprehensible. One must lay aside all personal or philosophical positions that suggest that humans are “basically good” in a sense that denies Original Sin (discussed below) or, “God doesn’t really care about my personal choices” or any number of other points that could be made. To be sure, there is something about human nature that gives it tremendous value but it must be said that it is a value that is seriously marred and disfigured as a result of sin and disobedience. As we will discover later, the original source of this inevitable tendency of human beings towards sin and disobedience to God, is the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Through Divine Revelation, we discover that it was the choice of Adam to disobey God that brought misery and suffering into our lives. We, of course, continue to replicate the disobedience of our father Adam unless and until we find a remedy to our “sickness” (See CCC 415-419). That this primeval event is factual and necessary to understanding the human condition today, is categorically affirmed by the teaching of the Catholic Church as well as the clear testimony of Sacred Scripture itself.

The reader should then be in a position to see clearly that an obvious problem or tension is created due to the above observations. If God is so extremely holy and pure and man is so marred by the presence of unholiness, a negative relationship is then the result. If God is too pure and holy to favorably look upon sinful humanity, then it follows that sinful humanity stands alienated from God when considered in its natural condition and self-generated actions. The Old Testament Law was given, the Apostle Paul argues, in order that we might become fully aware of this problem and our standing before God. That Law renders us “silent” before the divine tribunal and “the whole world stands accountable to God” (Romans 3:19). Paul elsewhere describes our condition as one is which we are “dead in our trespasses and sins” implying that, in ourselves, we are insensitive and oblivious to the seriousness of our condition (Eph. 2).

At this point the message of Scripture appears to be more “gloomy” than good. It is nonetheless necessary to begin with these truths, however, or else it will not be seen how marvelous the message of the Gospel really is. Rescue from drowning in an ocean pales in the face of rescue from the guilt and consequences of sin and alienation towards the God before Whom we will one day give an account of our lives. If one is fully conscious, then, of the seriousness of the situation, the message of the Gospel will arrive as the most glorious word ever spoken.

Our third point (3) requires that we see the All-Holy God that we have already discovered, is also, in a profoundly mysterious way, loving. In fact, loving is too weak a manner of putting the point. The Apostle John wrote the closest human language may come to the truth, “God is love” (1 John 3:16). Glorious paradox and mystery! The God Who is extreme holiness is also extreme love! We come to discover this love in the context of the Gospel in the truth that the very God against Whom we have turned in sinful disobedience is the God Who has chosen to do the unthinkable: God became a man so that He might reveal the love of God to us and that, as a result, He may enable us to begin the journey back to friendship and union with God, the reason for which we were originally created.

Perhaps no clearer text in the New Testament can be found than the Prologue of John’s Gospel in which it is clearly affirmed that Christ, the Son of the Father, “became flesh and dwelt among us.” It is in this way that we “behold” the glory of God (John 1:14, 18). It is this “becoming flesh” that lies at the heart of “incarnation” or infleshment of God Himself. The truth of the matter is that we, in ourselves, were unable to effect a return to God’s favor and therefore we were as lost sheep, dumb lost sheep, wandering about not knowing where to go (Luke 15:1-7). We were not left to ourselves, however, but God, as loving Shepherd, came searching for us in our lostness.

The greatest part of the story is yet to come, however. Not only did God come looking for lost humanity, but He performed another absolutely unthinkable act. He gave His life in order to reconcile His holiness and love together. Think of the dilemma. If God is holy but yet wants to show love towards humanity, how may He do one without compromising or denying the other? If God shows love to sinful humanity, a humanity that is deserving of punishment and wrath, then it appears He has come closer to us in embracing unholiness so that we may no longer view Him as so extremely holy. On the other hand, if we so emphasize the divine holiness and sinfulness of humanity, we seem then to be hopelessly lost in our sins. We must either compromise the nature of God or we must conclude that we are all doomed in view of the purity and holiness of God.

The Cross of Christ (4) is the biblical answer to this serious dilemma. As Paul again teaches the Romans, Christ is the way men are “justified” or made righteous before God’s holiness “through the redemption (apolutrosis),” or “release, or deliverance of the payment of a price,” “in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). He further states that Christ has been “set forth as an expiation (ilasthrion).” Expiation is a term that is reminiscent of the Old Testament mercy seat, a place where atonement was symbolically made between God and man through sacrifice. Somehow, then, through the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross, God has proven “His righteousness in the present time, that He might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

The Cross is the answer to how God’s holiness may remain intact and yet God may be merciful to sinners. In this way the Cross far extends beyond the power of human ingenuity in that it shows, through the apparently unthinkable action of God incarnate suffering and dying upon a Cross, the marvelous reality that the Holy God is, in the highest and most exalted way, love (See I Corinthians 1:18-25).

The result of this message of the Cross is that those human persons who respond positively to this wonderful message are then restored by the grace won through the Cross of Christ to the journey back to the friendship of God. In other words, a process of glorification (5) is now begun (Romans 8:30, 2 Timothy 2:11-13). To put it simply, because God has moved towards us in the Incarnation and the Cross we may begin the movement back towards God in the process of glorification. It is the resurrection of Jesus, a point so important in the New Testament proclamation of the Gospel, that reveals the end-result of our own salvation or “rescue” from the damaging and condemning effects of sin and also suggests the heart of what is meant by “glorification.” Our hope is to share the glory and likeness of Christ at the end of our Christian “race” (Philippians 3:12-21).

We have, then, made our way through five major points that, I am suggesting, are central to understanding the essence of the Christian Gospel. We have discovered that (1) God is holy. (2) We are sinners. (3) God is loving and became a man in Christ Jesus for our sake. (4) Christ showed the depth of divine love by going to the Cross which also becomes the way by which God’s holiness and love are reconciled in human redemption. (5) Because of Christ we are then restored to God’s friendship and enabled to begin the journey towards full union with God, the very reason for which we were made in the beginning.

Our next step in the objectives of this chapter is to offer some ways in which this collection of truths may be seen to run through the various major sections of the Bible in one way or another.

The Contents of Scripture

The books of the Old and New Testament, at least roughly speaking, can quite easily be divided into a limited number of sections. This does not suggest that there is no overlap between the sections that will be offered here nor does

it mean there are not other ways of doing the same kind of division. What it does mean is that the books making up our Bible are of a limited number of literary types or genres and that the contents of these books allow them to be helpfully divided into sections that may be differentiated from the other sections. We will divide the Old Testament into four major sections (Law, History, Prophets, Wisdom Literature) and the New Testament into five sections (Gospels, Acts, Paul’s Letters, General Letters, Revelation). We will first give a brief explanation of the contents of these sections and then we will turn back to the main themes of the Gospel presented above and suggest some ways in which all these sections may be seen to relate in important ways to them. It is in this way that we will show the fundamental unity of Scripture in spite of the varying authors and historical periods and contexts in which the books were actually written.

The Law. Concerning the Old Testament, the first five books, called the “Pentateuch” or “Torah” or, in English, “The Law,” are the books of Moses and have a foundational place in the Old Testament. Although the various religious “denominations” among the Jews in the time of Christ argued about which books to include in the sacred collection of books (known as the “canon”), there was no dispute about the books of Moses. It is in these books that the stories of the beginning of the nation of Israel and, yes, of the whole human family are found (Genesis). It is here that the story of the deliverance of the sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from Egyptian bondage through the leadership of Moses is to be found (Exodus). The standards for moral living, ceremonial and ritual worship, along with detailed descriptions of the sacrifices that were to be offered in the context of the Tabernacle, the place where God dwelt or made His presence known in the midst of the journeying tribes towards the Promised Land, are all contained in these books. To be sure, there is a variety of literary types within these books, poetry, historical narrative, legal codes, etc. Because of their unique foundation, however, they deserve a special place of distinction among the Old Testament texts.

History. Following the Law, there is a string of historically oriented books that primarily detail aspects of the history of the Chosen People upon arrival in the land of promise and over the subsequent centuries. They speak of the rise of the monarchic form of government in the land and the important emergence of the Davidic monarchy along with Messianic promises associated with him (See 2 Samuel 7). These books include the history of the people all the way until a relatively short time before the coming of Christ. Approximately twelve centuries of history are contained in these books in one fashion or another. The reader of these books is also struck by the stubborn sinfulness of the covenant people. Over and again the people are said to turn back to idol worship and adopt the “gods” of the surrounding nations and peoples.

Prophecy. The Prophetic Books are divided into Major and Minor sections because of the comparative length of the books. The Major Prophets are much longer collections than the Minor Prophets. These books are a collection of writings claiming to have divine inspiration and are from several different periods of the history of Israel and Judah. Characteristic of these books is that they call the people to repentance in the face of their rebellion in turning away from the God of the covenant. These books also consistently set forth a future restoration of the land and people that will be effected by divine intervention in the course of human history.

Among the prophetic writings are various themes that are not easy to reconcile or harmonize upon first glance. Isaiah speaks of a “Suffering Servant” that suffers vicariously for the sins of the people. Other passages in Isaiah and other prophets emphasize the glorious restoration of the people in their own land and that the knowledge of God and His Law would be written upon their hearts as part of a “new covenant” that would also spread throughout the world. In other words, Israel would have an evangelical mission in spreading the Good News of Yahweh and His covenant relationship to His people that would be accompanied by forgiveness of sins and obedience to the divine law.

Wisdom Literature. The Wisdom Literature is actually the most difficult section of the Old Testament to characterize in a few words. The Psalms, for example, are a collection of ancient “songs,” many of which are attributed to David. Many of these songs offer praise and worship to God. Many reflect on the holiness of God. Others praise the righteous who follow the law of God. The longest of the Psalms (119) is a marvelous exaltation of the Law of God and the wisdom of following its truths. Still others are messianic in that they point forward to a Davidic figure who would not see death (Ps. 16:10-11) and who would be called “Lord” by David himself (Ps. 110). Throughout the centuries, the Psalms have rightly been one of the most read and cherished collections in all the Bible by both Jews and Christians.

Job is another of the books in the Wisdom Literature. It is the most extended treatment in the Old Testament of the problem of evil and suffering in this world. It remarkably sets forth these problems and their seeming conflict with a good and loving God emphasizing the inability of the human mind to deal with such questions due to its severely limited understanding. Song of Solomon is a love-story that has often been understood as foreshadowing the relationship between Christ and His Church in terms of a drama of love. Ecclesiastes shows the folly and “vanity” of various approaches to the meaning of human life concluding that the whole duty of the human person is to “fear God and keep His commandments.” The Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings offered to those who would wish to live their lives wisely. Later works would build on this notion of wisdom (e.g., The Wisdom of Ben Sirach).

These brief “samples” from the Wisdom Literature show that they are books of varied content emphasizing the importance of following the way of wisdom or the way of the God of Israel. They are books of praise and thanksgiving to God as well as books foreshadowing the coming Messiah, or Anointed One, Who would be able to bring about a Kingdom of righteousness and goodness.

We now turn our attention to the books of the New Testament. As already mentioned, we may easily divide these twenty-seven different books into five major sections.

The Gospels. The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) constitute the greater part of the New Testament. They have also functioned in, through most of Church history, the primary place of authority for the Church. This unique authority of the Gospels grows from the content of the books and the closeness of the books to the events described in them.

It has often been said that the Gospel accounts in our New Testament are Passion Narratives with long prefaces. The Passion, or suffering, of our Lord is clearly the focus or goal of each of these books which is shown by the fact that it is this material that constitutes the largest section in all four Gospels and the other sections are all ordered towards the Passion as the goal or purpose of Christ’s coming into the world.

The first three of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are called “synoptic” because they all follow the same basic outline of the ministry of Jesus. They roughly begin with (1) the baptism of Jesus by John, followed by the (2) temptation in the wilderness, (3) the Galilean ministry, (4) the journey to Jerusalem, (5) the Jerusalem ministry, and finally (6) the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. I say “roughly” because both Matthew and Luke include a birth narrative before they begin with the baptism of Jesus. It is clear that the bulk of all these books is built around the earthly ministry of Jesus and for this reason they do not spend much time on matters outside this scope. Even though this basic pattern is followed, however, there is some considerable difference in focus between the Synoptics. Matthew, for example, has five long teaching sections included in his book while Mark has very little of the teachings of Christ. For him it is sufficient that one see Christ in action and this should lead him to the conclusion that Jesus was truly the Son of God (Mark 1:1). Luke, on the other hand, includes many parables and teachings of Jesus not found in either of the other Synoptic writers and has an extended section concerning Christ’s journey to Jerusalem.

John’s Gospel is so significantly different in content and outline from the Synoptics that it should be viewed as supplemental and explanatory of the basic outline of Christ’s life found in the other Gospel writers. A more extended treatment is necessary in order to show the most likely cause of John’s writing. It is sufficient here to point out that, despite all the differences between his work and the others, he, too, has a lengthy record of the final days of Christ’s life.

These unique perspectives on the life of Jesus, then, allow us to characterize each Gospel with a particular slogan. Mark, for instance, shows us Jesus as “Son of God in Action.” Matthew shows us Jesus as the “New Moses” and “Great Teacher of the Church.” Luke shows us Christ as “Universal Savior.” John shows us Christ as the “Word of God” Who makes the heavenly Father known.

Acts. The book of Acts is actually a “sequel” to the book of Luke. It was clearly penned by the same person, a traveling companion of Paul. It seems most likely that the book was written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (ca. 62-65 A.D.) since the book ends abruptly with Paul under house-arrest in Rome. Since Paul did not die during this imprisonment and apparently had many more significant experiences afterwards, it seems most likely that Luke wrote the book before Paul’s death (ca. 65).

This book is a powerful account of the growth of the Christian Church from the small “mustard seed” of a relatively small number of disciples waiting in Jerusalem into a great “tree” that filled all the earth. Through the heroic efforts of the Apostles (esp. Peter and John), Deacons (esp. Philip and Stephen), and various other leaders in the churches and converts to the faith, the Gospel message spread throughout the ancient world. Persecution was unable to quench the incredible zeal and persistence found in these persons who went forth proclaiming Christ as crucified and risen from the dead. A dramatically different disposition is found in the Apostles when one compares their weakness and misunderstanding in the Gospel accounts to their uncompromising stance following the resurrection.

Acts follows the early Church from its birth in Jerusalem (chp. 2) to its spread to the surrounding areas and then to all the world (esp. chp. 8, 10-11). Acts records the early problems experienced by the Church as the tension between Jews who rejected the Christian message and those who embraced it grew. Acts shows in concise form the manner in which the Apostles preached and called believers into the Christian Church. They are repeatedly told to “repent” of their sins, exercise faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, be baptized in order to be forgiven of all sin, and live in communion with the Church (e.g., Acts 2:37-47, 16:30-34).

Acts also records the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, otherwise known as Paul. Born a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, Paul was a deeply committed Pharisee who initially fought with all his might to suppress the Christian religion. After an encounter with the risen Christ (Acts 9), Paul then became the mightiest missionary of the Christian Church. Much of the rest of the New Testament was penned by Paul as he wrote instructions to the various churches he helped to establish.

Paul’s Letters. Paul’s writings are perhaps the most valuable sources we have for understanding the state of the Church in the first century. Paul deals with many of the pressing problems of that time. Examining these problems makes it possible to uncover both the social structures and values of the time as well as basic Christian beliefs and teachings and their implications.

Paul’s writings also provide valuable insights into the tensions that were caused between Christian faith and Judaism. Of course, Christianity was at first simply seen as a sect of Judaism. As the Jewish position hardened against Christianity as a whole, especially following the destruction of the Temple (70 A.D.), a forced separation between Christian groups and synagogues was necessary. Christianity became suspect not only by the Jews but also by the Roman authorities who, though not so much interested in particular theological claims, were alarmed by any group that opposed the existing religious structures and which threatened Roman unity. This would continue to be a plaguing problem for centuries to come.

Perhaps the most valuable aspects of Paul’s writings, however, would be those glimpses into the early controversies within the Church itself. Controversies about the meaning of salvation, the identity of Jesus Christ, heretical formulations of Christian doctrine, “loose” standards of living, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Apostles, the Eucharist, Baptism, etc., all give us important information about Paul’s concerns and how he explained and preached the Christian Gospel.

The most “theological” writings in the collection of Pauline books would have to be Romans and Galatians. Both of these works addressed the problems that appeared between converts to Christianity from Judaism and also converts from among the Gentiles or non-Jews. The crux of the controversy was concerning the relationship between the Old Testament Law and the Good News of Jesus Christ. For Paul, there was a fundamental difference between the two. Discovering the precise nature of this “difference” is vital towards gaining a correct appreciation of New Testament Christianity.

The problem of human sinfulness is a dominant one in Romans and Galatians. In fact, the first three chapters of Romans systematically “proves” that all are sinners (3:23). It is as if Paul is staging as a trial lawyer and his task is to show that “all have sinned” and that there is “none righteous, no not one” (3:10-18). The result of his argumentation is to bring all people, whether Jew or Gentile, to the place that “every mouth may be silenced and the whole world stand accountable to God” (v. 19).

For Paul, this inability of human beings to live “righteous” according to the divine standards expressed in the Law of Moses, disqualifies the Law as the way of righteousness and ultimately acceptance by God into heaven. The “new” way that has been established because of and through Christ’s death and resurrection is the way of “faith” (see Romans 3-5, Gal. 1-3). Faith and Law are then opposed “ways” to righteousness the latter being incapable for sinful human beings of being a legitimate alternative. The way of entering into the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ, then, is “faith,” which, for Paul, is initially expressed in the sacrament of faith, baptism (Rom. 6:3-5, Gal. 3:27, I Cor. 6:11). It is through this initial act of faith that one enters into the “sphere” of Christ’s Lordship and grace. Christians are endowed with the internal grace and external divine favor that enables them to live the very Law they were unable to obey apart from grace (Eph. 2:8-10, Rom. 6, 8). In this way, God enables the human person to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ and share in the hope that he, too, will participate in the resurrection of Christ at the end of this life’s journey (Romans 6:3-5, Phil. 3:21). In this way, too, the Law and the Gospel are shown to be complementary rather than contradictory. The Law truly expresses the moral demands of God but only points to the way of true righteousness by grace.

These brief comments only touch the tip of the iceberg of Paul’s theology. They are sufficient to suggest, however, that Paul’s theology is occupied with the themes of Christ, grace, sin, forgiveness, Law, transformation, etc.

General Letters and Other Remaining New Testament Letters. There is a collection of letters towards the end of the New Testament books that is commonly called “Catholic Letters” or, as we are calling them here, “General Epistles/Letters.” They are so-called because they are not addressed to any particular local church but appear to be intended for a much wider reading in the mind of the original authors. There are also “other” letters that I group in this category only as a concession to the greater number of modern scholars. These are the “Pastoral” Letters, so-called because they are written for the benefit of “pastors” or leaders of churches (Timothy and Titus). These books are of great value primarily because they give significant insight into the formation and development of the visible structures of the Church at the time of their writing.

John, Peter, James and Jude are attributed with writing general letters. The content of these books is so rich and varied that it is quite difficult to briefly summarize them. As would be expected, the books concentrate on the Christian life, the need of holiness, the identity of Jesus Christ, the need for faith and good works, warnings to avoid and identify false teachers so as to not be led astray from the truth, etc.

Revelation. The book of Revelation is the strangest and most difficult of the New Testament books. This is so because it is of the “apocalyptic” genre of literature. It sets forth a series of visions that describe early Church history or the entire history of the Church from a heavenly perspective. The central thrust of the book appears to be encouraging Christians to persevere in faith even in the face of persecution. Even though it often appears as if evil will prevail, the book of Revelation encourages the “saints” to continue until the end and there will be victory forever.

Additionally, it is important to see that Revelation reflects the biblical view of history. There is a definite beginning and a definite end to the course of history. The raging conflict between good and evil is then not an eternal or endless one. God created the world “good” with a good purpose for it (Gen. 1). It was the free moral choice of the moral creatures made by God that introduced evil into the world. History will end with the ultimate victory of good over evil through the person and work of Jesus Christ (Rev. 19-22).

This linear rather than cyclical view of history marks the entire drama of the biblical narrative. The Prophets frequently spoke of the “Day of the Lord” which would inaugurate a new era of history, a “new heavens and new earth.” This world is see as primarily a preparation, an opportunity for creatures to voluntarily, through an act of faith, enter into the covenant people of God and thereby become fit for the divine kingdom.

Fittingly, then, the Bible ends with the conclusion of what was begun in Genesis. The opening pages of the Bible show God creating the universe out of nothing and history having its beginning. Shortly thereafter we find the human person tempted by the “serpent” and falling from a positive relationship with God. The Man, the Woman, the Serpent, and God are the key “players” in this drama. Revelation 12 shows the same key players engaging in an ongoing struggle that, we find later, is finally ended by the coming of Christ in all His glory.

What Does It All Mean?

We began our journey by stating a series of points that were thought to get to the heart of what is meant by the Gospel or “good news” that Christianity strives to proclaim to the world. We then quickly looked at each major section of the Bible with the goal of gaining some familiarity with the contents of each section. I would like to now restate the five points in connection with the contents of Scripture and try to indicate the unity of the message of the Bible around these themes.

That God is “holy” and pure is present throughout the pages of Scripture. We find specific instructions about the need for holiness in the lives of God’s people precisely because God Himself is holy. It is because of the fear generated by the knowledge of the holy God that Isaiah fell in fear before the vision of God (Is. 6). It was because of the failure of the Israelites to obey God that they fell into foreign domination and ultimately destruction. Once we arrive at the end of the Old Testament and enter the New, it is clear that the holiness of God is not only the cause of His punishing sins in this world, but it also gives way to the doctrine of eternal punishment that is the just end of those who disregard God in this life (See Matthew 25).

It is equally true that human beings are sinners. That is, without God’s grace and forgiveness, there is no hope for humanity. This is so because of the effects of sin beginning with Adam and reaching down through time to the present. There is a propensity towards evil that is present in every human heart that can only be healed by the grace of God that comes to us from above. This tendency to turn from God is abundantly borne out by the entire narrative of the Jewish people. Genesis 1-11 is an account of pre-patriarchal history that is marked by the disregard of God by the masses. Only faithful individuals that are “friends” of God find grace and salvation.

The history that follows is hardly better. Even the great names of the history of faith, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samson, Barak, Isaiah, Nehemiah, and so on, are names of people who are closely touched by the sinfulness of the people and in some cases such sin damages their own lives. Things are hardly better in the New Testament. One of Jesus’ own Apostles betrays Him and the rest scatter at His moment of suffering.

The remarkable truth, however, is that God loves humanity and that alone can account for why history continues to progress. It is this fact alone that can enable us to begin to understand why God became united with our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. It is through the incarnate God that we then have the most profound picture of the love of God for the human race. Christ’s death on the cross then becomes the way in which sin is forgiven and the human family is enabled to enter back into the relationship lost by Adam.

The Law especially directs us to the holiness of God and the failure of humanity to obey that Law. It also reveals to us the effort by God to restore this relationship by establishing a covenant with individual persons through whom a covenant would grow and affect the whole human race (Gen. 12). The Historical Books show us the ongoing problem of sin and the failure of God’s people to obey the Law given through Moses. They also show the establishment of a monarchy that would foreshadow the prophetic notion of a divine kingdom through which the Holy Spirit would be given and the Law of God would be placed in our hearts (Jer. 30-33, Joel 2).

The Prophets developed this idea of a divine kingdom while continuing to rebuke the people for their sins and speak of divine judgment that would precede the restoration of glory to the earth. They also spoke of a “king” Who would come bearing the authority of God (Dan. 7). The Prophets also spoke of the need that One come and suffer on behalf the people as a sacrifice making possible their forgiveness (Is. 53). This theme, too, was implied in the sacrificial system of the Law that required sacrifice in order to atone for sins. All of these sacrifices pointed towards the sacrifice of Christ Who would truly take away the sins of the world.

The Wisdom books of the Old Testament testify to these themes in a variety of ways. We see the struggle with the problem of evil and suffering. We find practical instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. We find suggestions of a messianic figure Who would come and bring God’s blessings and forgiveness upon His people.

By the time we reach the Gospels, then, the expectation is for a Messiah Who would bring in God’s kingdom, a dominant theme in Christ’s ministry. The masses were not able to see His kingdom nor were they able to see Christ’s true identity. This was precisely because they had an incorrect notion of the kingdom and failed to clearly see the need for suffering and sacrifice, a need satisfied in Christ’s life and sufferings.

Furthermore, Jesus proclaims that with His coming is also tied the arrival of the “time” (cairos, Mark 1:15) or definitive moment of human history. It is in the “Christ-event” that the meaning and purpose of the human purpose both individually and corporately is defined. It is the purpose of God for humanity that we be conformed into the likeness of His Son, Jesus, and this is accomplished through His self-gift by which atonement has been made. As a result, the human person can hope that he will ultimately share in the vision of God reserved for the pure of heart (Mat. 5:8).

The Epistles and the book of Revelation all look back upon the life and saving work of Christ on the Cross and His resurrection and show it to be not only the fulfillment of the Prophets but also the source of the hope of forgiveness and eternal life for all who believe and obey.

Conclusion

This paper has attempted a rather impossible task. We have sought to state the essence of the Gospel message in five points, a dangerous task in itself. We have further attempted to sketch the basic contents of each section of the Bible in rather broad strokes. We finally sought to bring together the message of each of these sections reminding ourselves of the original five points and how they can be observed throughout the pages of the Bible. Christ is then the goal and central theme of every part of Scripture.

We could also move beyond this discussion to an examination of the entire spectrum of theology. As a discipline, theology seeks to organize the data of Scripture and then systematize its teachings around key categories of consideration. For example, Theology Proper involves an examination of the nature of God Himself based on what is available both through reason and divine revelation. Eschatology deals with “last things” both for the individual’s life and for the human family. Ecclesiology deals with the nature of the Church. Protology deals with “beginnings” of the creation and human family. We could go on indefinitely. It is sufficient here to note that the central truths of the Gospel that we outlined here provide the initial impetus for the labor expended in all these categories. The life of Christ, for instance, provides the most complete source of information into our beliefs about the afterlife. The revelation of Jesus as God’s Son sparks the entire reflection on the Trinity which in turn functions as the central mystery of Catholic faith.

In short, our Theology as Catholics is really an extended reflection on the Christ-event, the very crux of the Gospel outlined here, which in turn is the central and overarching message of the entirety of Sacred Scripture.

Study Questions:

1. What does the word “Gospel” mean?

2. What is the “bad news” that must be understood before the Gospel itself?

3. What are the five points identified in this paper as constituting the essence of the biblical Gospel?

4. What does the word “holy” mean?

5. What is the cause (causes?) of human fear of divine holiness?

6. What “tension” is created by the first two points of the “Gospel”?

7. How is this tension relieved?

8. What was the primary purpose of the death of Jesus on the cross?

9. What is the divine purpose or goal of our lives?

10. Identify the main themes of the major sections of the Bible.

11. How are the Gospel accounts in the New Testament alike and different?

12. How does Paul reconcile the Mosaic Law and the Good News of Christ?

13. What is the biblical view of history?

14. Discuss some ways in which the points of the Gospel as suggested in this paper may be found in the Roman Catholic Mass. Think especially of the congregational responses during the course of Mass.

15. How does the Mass relate to the Christ-event in history?