The gospel, meaning the good news, is a word that is used throughout the New Testament. It was used in talking about the good news of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23). Mark starts his account of the life of the Christ this way: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark. 1:1). The Bible also mentions “the gospel of God” (Mark 1:14), “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), “the gospel of your salvation” (Eph. 1:13), and “the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15). God is the origin of that good news, Christ is the central figure, and because of God’s grace, we can have salvation and peace with Him. Since Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write about the good news or salvation in Christ, what can we learn about salvation in just their accounts?
One must first hear about salvation. Jesus taught very plainly about the importance of hearing His words and acting on them (Matt. 7:24-27). A blessing is given to the obedient listener: “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28).
In hearing, we may come to believe. John specifically states in his account that the things that were written, “have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Mark tells us that Jesus was teaching that belief and repentance go hand in hand. “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
Repentance is a key element in salvation. Jesus highlighted this in the book of Luke. “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). When Jesus sent out his twelve apostles to preach, “They went out and preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12).
Jesus also taught that confessing His name before men was important. This is the act of publicly acknowledging that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ the Son of God. “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).
Baptism was also taught in the gospels. John taught “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Jesus was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). Jesus teaches the importance of baptism for us. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16). It was something that His disciples were to keep teaching (Matt. 28:19-20). We can know what we need to do to be saved in just the gospel accounts. Hearing and knowing is only the beginning.