What IS the "good news" ?

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reen12

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I was well into young adulthood, before the words
“good news” were heard, with any frequency.
It was always: the gospel

Well, what is the “good news”?

Does it mean:

-Christ took the burden of our sins on His shoulders?

-that He made us “right” with God, through His own
righeouness and sacrificial offering [atonement =
at-one-ment, with the Father]

-that our justification and salvation are His alone,
and that our good works are in obedience to His
commands, and not “salvific” in themselves

-does it mean that we can have blessed assurance,
in terms of salvation, if we follow His commands,
as best we are able, with God’s grace

-that any sins we commit are forgiven…and how?
by the simple act of turning back to Him [what
Judaism would call “teshuva” in terms of the
“turning.”] Or is forgiveness only obtained thru
a sacramental “system” *

-is the peace Christ promised, peace of mind,
heart and soul - in that we are assured that He
will keep His promise [blessed assurance] - or
is that peace to be had, only with “certainty,” at
the hour of our passing into eternity
Christ said to John’s disciples: Go and tell John
that the blind see, the lame walk, and that the
poor have the good news preached to them -

Was it the arrival of the Kingdom of God?
And what does *that *mean?

So, what is the “good news”, anyway? :o

reen12*
 
****Jesus is the good news and sharing the gospel .

Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has drawn near; repent, and believe the good news.”
Matt 4:17

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near****.”

Sara
 
Good news is the literal translation of the Olde English word “Gospel”.
 
Dear sara888

quote: sara888
**
Jesus is the good news and sharing the gospel .
Click to expand...
**
See, the question I’m asking is, “Why is Jesus the good news”?

If, to a person who knew nothing of Jesus, I said:

“Jesus is the good news” I figure they’d reply "What good

news?"

Or, if I said: “I’m sharing the good news”, the same question

would arise: What good news?

And, even if I added: Jesus said, “the Kingdom of God is
at hand”…what does that mean to us, and in our
efforts to pass on the good news?

And, when He read from the scroll of Isaiah, and
said: These words are fulfilled today, in your
presence…what did that mean?

Any thought on this?

reen12
 
**Blessed Assurance. ? = Guranteed Salvation?

Matthew 19:16, Jesus was asked what must be done to inherit eternal life. His answer: “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments” (verse 17). Jesus then enumerated enough of the Ten Commandments to make clear which commandments He meant: “…‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (verses 18,19).

**Today some people will tell you that keeping the commandments was fulfilled by Christ, so we are no longer required to keep them. Let’s notice what Jesus has to say about this idea. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). ****

Some try to deny His plain, simple statement by interpreting the verse to mean the law was not abolished until Jesus came and fulfilled it. They then interpret “fulfill” as “bringing to an end,” “superseding” or some other synonym for “abolishing.” In essence they have Jesus saying, “I have not come to abolish the law, but to abolish it.”

Jesus, on the other hand, said heaven and earth would disappear before the smallest part of the law would do so (verse 18). He said the law would continue until everything is accomplished. Because the fulfillment of many biblical prophecies of Christ’s second coming is yet to occur (the prophecies have not yet been accomplished), we know the law has not ceased to exist.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus was speaking to people who believed in keeping all of the Ten Commandments. He reaffirmed the necessity for all who come to Him to do likewise. In Matthew 5-7 Jesus explained how God intended for the Ten Commandments to be kept. By making this explanation, He was fulfilling a prophecy about Himself from Isaiah 42:21: “The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will magnify the law and make it
 
**Reen,

Tell them the good news is the gospel of Christ in the bible. To believe, follow and repent, because the Kingdom of God is near.

I would suggest they read the Bible**]
 
Hi, Semper Fi,

Is it to you that I am indebted for the “gudspeil” =gospel?
Someone wrote that in a post, a while back, and I
wanted to thank whoever it was, for noting that fact.

Do you see what I’m asking, here?

If we say:
Jesus is the good news, what exactly are we testifying to?

Best to you, Semper Fi,

reen
 
Hi, sara888,

quote: sara888
Tell them the good news is the gospel of Christ in the bible. To believe, follow and repent…
Click to expand...
I like the: “…believe, follow and repent…”

Before I continue, in this thread, “assurance” does
not mean “once saved, always saved” [OSAS], or that
one is free to “accept” salvation, while ignoring the clear
commands of Christ.

BTW, could you clarify the following, for me?

quote: sara888
Some try to deny His plain, simple statement by interpreting the verse to mean the law was not abolished until Jesus came and fulfilled it. They then interpret “fulfill” as “bringing to an end,” “superseding” or some other synonym for “abolishing.” In essence they have Jesus saying, “I have not come to abolish the law, but to abolish it.”
Click to expand...
Thanks, sara888,

reen12
 
Just through tradition and culture, I came to the conclusion that the “good news” is John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, that who so ever should believeth on him should have life eternal.

Sort of the gospels in a nutshell.

cheddar
 
Excellent question.

I believe the good news replies to life overall. Without Christ, life becomes dull and pointless. Jesus is “Good News” in the respect that he changes that. There is good news in the fact that life is not just about trying to get ahead, and there is someone who loves you unconditionally. Good news is the fact that there is a God to fill this God shaped hole
I’m sorry if that is choppy and uneducated.
 
what is the “good news” but Christ crucified?

1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified: unto the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and unto the Gentiles foolishness: (DRB)
 
40.png
reen12:
I was well into young adulthood, before the words
“good news” were heard, with any frequency.
It was always: the gospel

Well, what is the “good news”?

Does it mean:

-Christ took the burden of our sins on His shoulders?

-that He made us “right” with God, through His own
righeouness and sacrificial offering [atonement =
at-one-ment, with the Father]

-that our justification and salvation are His alone,
and that our good works are in obedience to His
commands, and not “salvific” in themselves

-does it mean that we can have blessed assurance,
in terms of salvation, if we follow His commands,
as best we are able, with God’s grace

-that any sins we commit are forgiven…and how?
by the simple act of turning back to Him [what
Judaism would call “teshuva” in terms of the
“turning.”] Or is forgiveness only obtained thru
a sacramental “system” *

-is the peace Christ promised, peace of mind,
heart and soul - in that we are assured that He
will keep His promise [blessed assurance] - or
is that peace to be had, only with “certainty,” at
the hour of our passing into eternity
Christ said to John’s disciples: Go and tell John
that the blind see, the lame walk, and that the
poor have the good news* preached to them -

Was it the arrival of the Kingdom of God?
And what does *that *mean?

So, what is the “good news”, anyway? :o

reen12

The good news is that God loved us so much that He became a man and let HIS OWN CREATION curse Him, spit on Him, torture Him, and finally kill Him, all for us. If that’s not love, what is? If God went through all of that, for us, what more could He possibly want? A “sacramental forgiveness” system? No. That’s laughable.

IF God wants anything from us, it’s to show each other the kind of love He showed us. He gave us the example. It’s up to us to share it with others. One act of love is worth more than all the confessionals in the world.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
Thanks, cheddarsox,

quote: cheddarsox
Just through tradition and culture, I came to the conclusion that the “good news” is John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, that who so ever should believeth on him should have life eternal.
Click to expand...
Best,

reen12
 
Dear Egg4christ,

quote: Egg4christ
…and there is someone who loves you unconditionally. Good news is the fact that there is a God to fill this God shaped hole
Click to expand...
Many thanks, for your thoughts.

Do you have a thought on how to bring this
good news, “that there is a God to fill this
God shaped hole” to those who seem to feel
pretty much at home in this world…that is,
financially successful, vacations, good jobs
and fine homes?

That’s the one I’m trying to figure out.
How to bring “good news” to those who
feel that life is already *full *of good news?

I’d appreciate any thoughts you’d have on this.

Best regards,

reen
 
Hi, mhansen,

Would you give me your thoughts on the question I
put in post #14, in this thread, please?

I’m trying to figure a way to present the good news,
by stating the good news to people who don’t feel
they’re lacking anything…in a way that will speak
to them.

Many thanks,

reen
 
40.png
mhansen:
The good news is that God loved us so much that He became a man and let HIS OWN CREATION curse Him, spit on Him, torture Him, and finally kill Him, all for us. If that’s not love, what is?
Click to expand...
In this part of his quote, Mike does a good job introducing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1:

“[W]hen the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.”

Also, paragraph 571:
“The Paschal mystrery of Christ’s cross and Resurrection stands at the center of the Good News that the apostles, and the Church followng them, are to proclaim to the world.”

So, yes, the good news is that Jesus came to save us and all people who formerly had little hope of salvation.

The point where Christians differ is how to appropriate that saving work into our lives.
 
40.png
reen12:
Dear Egg4christ,

quote: Egg4christ

Many thanks, for your thoughts.

Do you have a thought on how to bring this
good news, “that there is a God to fill this
God shaped hole” to those who seem to feel
pretty much at home in this world…that is,
financially successful, vacations, good jobs
and fine homes?

That’s the one I’m trying to figure out.
How to bring “good news” to those who
feel that life is already *full *of good news?

I’d appreciate any thoughts you’d have on this.

Best regards,

reen
Click to expand...
There is not much you can do for people “who seem to feel
pretty much at home in this world,” especially if they really are content. That’s the danger of prosperity.

Two thoughts:
  1. You can plant a seed so that, when the inevitable suffering of life comes, they know where to turn
  2. Maybe underneath, they’re not so content. People who live only for themselves ultimately feel empty. Just tell them that, because Christ suffered, He gave meaning to our suffering. Maybe it will resonate, maybe it won’t.
God bless,
JP0
 
40.png
reen12:
Hi, mhansen,

Would you give me your thoughts on the question I
put in post #14, in this thread, please?

I’m trying to figure a way to present the good news,
by stating the good news to people who don’t feel
they’re lacking anything…in a way that will speak
to them.

Many thanks,

reen
Click to expand...
Hi reen. Nice to chat with you again.

That’s a good question. Without knowing any specifics, I can’t really give you a specific answer. How do you know that they don’t already have the good news? I guess that would be my first question. I’m sure you know, appearances can be deceiving, and that goes both ways. One that appears to not have the good news very well may, and another that acts as if they are lacking nothing many times are lacking much – spiritually, emotionally, etc. It’s just not a subject too many people care to discuss casually, unfortunately. God works in mysterious ways, and our ways are usually not His ways. I have the fullest confidence that God speaks to us all individually. Just because we don’t pick up on it (with other people) doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

Generally speaking, the way to NOT bring the good news is to state it, or, if we must state it, to do so in as few words as possible. This is really a case when we have to “live the good news” and leave others wondering just what the heck it is that makes us so loving all the time? They will ask. It never fails. The key is, I feel, that the WORST way to share the good news is by hurling doctrine and dogma at them. People have been fed this stuff (usually) since they’ve been able to understand the spoken word. The approach that we’ve been taking is falling on deaf ears. It’s time we leave the fear and guilt-based theologies behind us. Fear and guilt doesn’t sound like good news, does it?

I wish I could help you more, but I just don’t know the circumstances. When in doubt, be an example, not a theologian. That’s all I can say…sorry.

Mike
 
The time is at hand, the Kingdom of God is nigh, that God reconciles the world to himself, not counting trespasses. Biblically, I think the crucifixion and resurrection are central to this. Those who were in darkness have seen a great light.
 
Hi, Mike,

Good to chat with you again, as well.
quote: mhansen
God works in mysterious ways, and our ways are usually not His ways. I have the fullest confidence that God speaks to us all individually. Just because we don’t pick up on it (with other people) doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe that God reaches out, thoughout a lifetime,
to each individual, and will move heaven and earth, to
reach a person.

quote: mhansen
The key is, I feel, that the WORST way to share the good news is by hurling doctrine and dogma at them. People have been fed this stuff (usually) since they’ve been able to understand the spoken word. The approach that we’ve been taking is falling on deaf ears. It’s time we leave the fear and guilt-based theologies behind us. Fear and guilt doesn’t sound like good news, does it?
Click to expand...
We’re “singing from the same hymnbook” here, Mike. 🙂

quote: mhansen
This is really a case when we have to “live the good news” and leave others wondering just what the heck it is that makes us so loving all the time?
Click to expand...
Yes, I think your absolutely right, on this.

The other thing is, God doesn’t necessarily work in
the time-frame that we would like Him to. :o

A friend of C.S. Lewis’ said: God often has one build the
altar over here, so that the fire can come down…over there.

Best wishes, Mike,

Maureen
 
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