The Meaning of the Gospel
Kerygma as Content or Act?
When we review the seven uses of kerygma (proclamation) in the New Testament, we discover that the proclamation of the gospel here emphasizes different elements of the good news story. How does one arrive at a true gospel declaration with so many variations in the content? Rudolph Bultmann, a twentieth-century German Lutheran theologian, recognized gospel kerygma with the act of what is preached, against that of contemporary British scholar, C. H. Dodd, who identified kerygma as the content of preaching. For Bultmann, gospel preaching is not focused on past events (content), but on situations and events that brought about the proclamation. Appealing to context, Bultmann dismisses the notion that the gospel kerygma can be reduced to specific unchangeable content.[1] I.
Howard Marshall exposes Bultmann’s weakness here by his restricting teachings about Jesus merely to that of a “presupposition of New Testament theology rather than as part of its content…”[2] The content of the gospel proclamations was important but so too was the context in which they were preached. James Dunn argues that Bultmann is not off base with his perception that proclamation is, “to some degree conditioned by the circumstances which called the proclamation forth.”[3] One is right to ask, did the Apostles proclaim more than one kind of gospel message? Using my adaptation of Dunn’s classic work,[4] I shall offer four summary observations of New Testament preachers and their kerygma.
Jesus’ gospel kerygma in the Synoptics includes: (1) “preaching the gospel of God” (Mark 1:14), “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt 4:23; 9:35), and “preaching the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43; 8:1; 16:16). For them, the content was the immanent and present kingdom of God; (2) the call for repentance and allegiance; and (3) the offer of forgiveness and inclusion in God’s kingdom of love.
Gospel proclamations in Acts are about Jesus and not a kingdom: (1) the resurrection of Jesus is primary (2:24-32; 4:1-2, 33; 10:40; 13:30-37; 17:18, 30); (2) there is a call for repentance (2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21), faith (3:16; 13:8; 14:9; 15:9; 20:21; 26:18), and the promise of the Spirit for those who respond (2:38; 3:19; 5:32; 8:15-17; 10:44-47; 19:1-6).
For Paul, kerygma primarily relates to: (1) Christ death and resurrection (Rom 1:3; 4:24; 8:34; 10:9; 1 Cor 15:3-11; I Thess 1:10; 2 Tim 2:8); (2) Jesus who is representative of a new humanity (1 Cor 15:20-23; 45-49; Rom 6:3); allegiance to Jesus the Lord (king) (Rom 5:1; 1 Cor 15:25; Eph 1:5; Col 1:13-14; Phil 5; 1 Tim 3:13); and (3) an assumed missional aim based on the believer’s participation with Christ (Rom 6; 8:29; 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18; Gal 5:14).
John’s proclamation purposed its message in a belief that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,” and life is found in him (John 6:69; 8:24; 11:27; 16:27; 20:31). John, more than any other Gospel writer, applies the verb pistis (believe) 98 times, and its near equivalent know, is used 56 times, yet he never uses the term repentance, contrary to its use in the Synoptics (Matt 11:21; 12:41; Mark 10:15; Luke 10:13; 11:32).
Three similar elements can be discovered in the proclamations of John, Paul and sermons in Acts. They are the (1) proclamation of the risen exalted Lord; (2) call for faith and loyalty to Jesus; (3) promise of the Spirit (including either forgiveness, salvation, or life) or of a relationship with God through his Son (union with Christ). Dunn rightly explains that “the basic kerygma in each of these cases examined…is larger than this core.”[5] No single sermon presented the complete gospel. There is tension in the text and the differences are real, but so too are the unifying suppositions. Dodd was concerned with the content of what was preached while Bultmann emphasized the act of preaching. The needs of the contextual audience required that the act of kerygma relay the necessary content, and the content varied according to demand.
In the New Testament, we are afforded a wealth of theology. To this, we then apply hermeneutical practices designed to discern the gospel at its core. We miss the mark by responding headlong to an isolated text with the presumption that it avails the complete gospel message. To discover the beauty of each proclamation in its context and to develop essential traits found woven together in the gospel tapestry, we must include in our study both specific and general statements concerning the gospel.
The Gospel Defined
As a general definition, the Greek term εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion), is designated as gospel, or good news and means “God’s good news to humans, and good news as proclamation.”[6] There are 76 uses in the New Testament Greek text,[7] with five primary connotations:[8]
1) εὐαγγέλιον τῆς σωτηρίας, the good news of the present reality of salvation (1 Cor 15:1-5; Eph 1:13)
2) εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, good news of the present reality of obedience (Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 2:12; 9:13; 10:14; Gal 1:7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thess 3:2)
3) εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας, the proclamation of the good news of God’s coming kingdom (Matt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14)
4) ἀλήθεια τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, gospel truth as a concrete reality (Gal 2:5, 14; Eph 1:13; Col 1:5)
5) τίνι λόγῳ εὐηγγελισάμην, the proclamation of the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection as a finished work of salvation (1 Cor 15:1-5; 2 Tim 2:8).
In these instances, the gospel is about the concrete reality that God has come to earth in the person of Jesus to bring salvation to the world and establish his kingdom with Jesus as its King.
To appreciate the breadth of use in the New Testament for euangelion —good news, let us add to the five dominant uses of gospel previously identified, the following pronouncements: “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24); “the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15); “the glorious gospel” (1 Tim 1:11); and “the eternal gospel” (Rev 14:6). Gospel language finds its source, support, and end in Jesus, “for it was the Father’s good pleasure for all fullness to dwell in him (Col 1:15-20). It is in this perichoretic Trinitarian relationship (John 17:21) that God lovingly extends his grace and mercy toward people so that they may participate with him as a response to the gospel. Here, the Trinitarian God works jointly as the Father originates the plan of redemption (Gal 4:4-5), the Son implements the Father’s plan of redemption (John 6:37-38), and the Spirit administers God’s plan of redemption (John 14:6; 16:8).
When one reads beyond the Synoptics, she may suppose a dilemma. Unlike the message Jesus preached in the Gospels, there appears a new gospel proclamation. Dunn wisely observes that “Jesus has become the content of the message; the proclaimer has become the proclaimed…the principal focus falls on the resurrection of Jesus; again and again it forms the central thrust of the message (italics original).”[9] The resurrection is the crux that forces us to observe a new development in God’s gospel story. A new expanded way of thinking about the gospel was demanded and the preachers in Acts found themselves on the climactic better side of the Old Testament gospel milieu.
The kingdom reign of Messiah was different than anticipated (Acts 1:6-8) and had already begun but its ultimate glorious consummation lay ahead. The already, not yet understanding of God’s kingdom began to be understood as a spiritual kingdom furnished with living breathing people who were entrusted to communicate and live daily this glorious gospel. Jesus’ kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world (Luke 22:25-27; John 18:36) nor is it about the Church enforcing its will and standard upon the cultures and governments of the world. Jesus’ kingdom does not use carnal power structures (2 Cor 10:4) but instead rejects them.
Hermeneutical Assumptions Concerning the Gospel
Three Pauline passages instruct that the gospel is: (1) God’s gospel (Rom 1:1-5); (2) the power of God for salvation (Rom 1:15-16); and the (3) foundation for salvation (1 Cor 15:1-3).
Let us briefly consider these texts.
Romans 1:1-5
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.
Immediately, the apostle asserts his credentials as one “called as an apostle” and “set apart for the Gospel of God.” He established the gospel as an ongoing outworking of God’s plan anchored in the teachings of the prophets and the genealogical kingly line of David (cf. 2 Sam 7:14). Matthew Bates correctly concludes that: “This creator God, the only true God, the God whom not even the highest heavens can contain, has deliberately obligated himself to bring about the gospel through an advance promise (italics original).”[10] For Paul, the gospel has an intended purpose—to "call all Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.” (1:5), and this results from “power according to the Spirit of holiness” by the resurrection from the dead. That is, Jesus has inaugurated God’s kingdom gospel story through his resurrection from the dead, and the resurrection qualifies Jesus as Lord—King (1:4).
Paul resumes his emphasis on the gospel as “power declared” through the Son, but later defines the gospel as the absolute “power of God for salvation” (cf. 1:4, 16).
Romans 1:15-16
"So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
The transformative power of God’s gospel for Paul drives him with an “eagerness to preach the gospel.” The apostle’s use of πρόθυμον eager denotes more than mere enthusiasm and includes “readiness and willingness.”[1] While studying this passage one may be tempted to read “power of God for salvation” to mean being saved from Hell to go to heaven. The context suggests the apostle is explaining how salvation includes power for living life in the present as well as having an eschatological hope. Bates sums up well that through the cross, a kind of power was released that was, “sufficient to decisively defeat sin, the covenant curses, death, and evil spiritual powers (Col 2:13-15).”[2] The results of Jesus’ triumph are advancing and when Paul applies “salvation” he is referring to a spiritual life that “makes itself known and felt in the present, but will be completely disclosed in the future.”[3] We observe the present expectation for holy living, justice, and love as the apostle warns the Roman believers against idolatry, unnatural sexuality, and the judgment of God in this context (1:18-32).
The phrase, “not ashamed of the gospel” (2 Tim 1:8-12; 2:15), and its echo, found elsewhere in scripture (Heb 11:16; 12:2; 1 John 2:28), is a preference for Paul and New Testament authors. “Not being ashamed” here expresses, “to whom his solidarity is directed precisely in terms of his confidence in and loyalty to Jesus.”[4] Allegiance to Jesus compels the apostle with eagerness to proclaim his risen Lord.
The reign of Jesus and salvation that comes through him had been accomplished in the past and were being achieved in the present (1 Cor 15:20-28; Eph 1:18-23). Jesus began to reign at the resurrection and is extending to believers his power for obedience because he has conquered his enemies and ours through God’s gospel. Paul regularly employs the phrase “power of God for salvation” and uses it extensively in his writings (Rom1:20; 9:17; 1 Cor 1:18, 24; 2:5; 6:14; 2 Cor 4:7; 6:7; 13:4). His expression communicates a spiritual reality that the gospel changes people, conforming them to the image of Jesus (Rom 8:29), provides conviction that leads to Christlike imitation (1 Thess 1:5) and results in the resurrection of the body (1:4; 1 Cor 6:14; 15:43; 2 Cor 13:4; Phil 3:10). As partakers in divine agency, the gospel has the power to convert, convict, and compel believers to a new kind of life now (1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 4:7; 6:7; 12:9; 13:4; Col 1:11, 29; 2 Thess 1:11; Rom 15:13).
The gospel is God’s story of salvation for the world that began in Genesis and finds its fulfillment in Jesus. Paul further established that the gospel and believer’s faith is founded in Jesus.
1 Corinthian 15:3-5.
"Now, brothers and sisters, 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, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: 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, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve" (1 Cor 15:1-5).
The apostle reminds the Corinthian believers that the gospel which they received, and upon which they took their stand is about Jesus. This point seems apparent but its hazy understanding in evangelicalism today begs that we reemphasize what is obvious. In this gospel is salvation, and Paul warns them that salvation is conditioned upon their holding firmly to the message of his gospel. His use of the phrase, “according to the scriptures” confidently asserts to the Corinthians a whole narrative of Old Testament scriptures that climaxes in Jesus. The apostle is acute in his designation that Jesus is a representative of humanity when he writes “that Jesus died for our sins,” and Jesus is reigning as king, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:24). As we read further in this letter, we discover the dominion assigned to Jesus (22-24).
Already, Jesus has begun subduing evil in its various elements, and already, Jesus has started to recreate the world through his people, while at the Parousia, the complete renewal of his creation will be realized. The gospel story is that of God’s unfolding kingdom, being instituted with power through Jesus’s death for sins, resurrection, and exaltation as King. There is, however, a truncated form of the gospel being proclaimed.
[1] William Arndt et al., 870.
[2] Matthew Bates, 41.
[3] William Arndt et al., 986.
[4] James D. G. Dunn, “Romans 1–8,” vol. 38A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1988), 38.
[5] Matthew W. Bates, 27.
[1] R. Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, Vol. 2, Trans. Kendrick Grobel (New York: Charles Scribner Press, 1955)135. See also 30, 370.
[2] I. Howard Marshall, New Testament Theology, Many Witnesses, One Gospel (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004)40.
[3] James D. G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity, Second Edition (London: Trinity Press International, 1993)12.
[4] Ibid., 16-32.
[5] James D. G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, 30.
[6] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 402.
[7] Kurt Aland et al., Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012).
[8] Adapted from the “Morphology Chart Word Studies Lemma for εὐαγγέλιον,” from Kurt Aland et al., Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012) Logos 8 Bible Software, accessed, November 3, 2021.
[9] James D. G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the New Testament, 17.
[10] Matthew Bates, 31