Is There Really Good News in the Bible? What is it?

Bad news! That’s what many people say when watching, reading, or hearing news media outlets. What then is good news? The Bible speaks of good news, but what specifically does this mean?

Good News in the Old Testament

The term “good news” or “glad tidings” comes from the Hebrew verb basar (בשׂר), which means to announce or give news, and by extension to herald as good tidings.[1] Sometimes the word and its cognates depict runners who advance to cities and tell reports of battles or other news, such as the death of an enemy.

We find such news about the death of King Saul, a report that the runner tragically assumed would be good news to David (2 Sam 4:10). Likewise, Absalom’s defeat was reported in like manner (2 Sam 18:20–27). Psalm 95:2 encourages the proclamation of good tidings regarding salvation.

In the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament (titled LXX), evangelizȏ (εὐαγγελίζω), and its noun forms as evangelia and evangelion, replace the Hebrew basar. The Greek term is where we derive words such as evangelical and “evangelize”: to preach the message about Christ.

Good News in the Prophets and in the Gospels

The prophetic writings, notably Joel in Septuagint version, anticipates that in the lasts days God will pour out His Spirit on all people, sons and daughters will prophecy, and those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. And those who are saved from Jerusalem and Zion have the good news preached to them (Joel 2:32/LXX 3:5).[2] Early Christ-followers interpreted this prophecy to be fulfilled in their era, after the death and resurrection of Christ took place (Acts 2:17–22; Romans 10:13).

Similarly, Isaiah ties in the message of the good news with Israel’s future restoration from exile (Isaiah 40:3–9). Another passage anticipates those who will proclaim the good news of salvation and that God reigns (Isaiah 52:7; also in Nahum 1:15). Also, the “anointed one” (Messiah) with the Spirit of the Lord upon him will proclaim the good news to the disenfranchised. He will provide them with healing, freedom, and deliverance (Isaiah 61:1–3).

The Gospel writers interpret these texts as being fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:1–3; Luke 3:3–6; 4:16–21). Mark’s Gospel, for example, begins with the words, “The beginning of the gospel (i.e., the good news: εὐαγγέλιον/ evangelion) of Jesus Christ,” and then it continues by quoting Isaiah 40:3 (and Malachi 3:1) as being fulfilled though the ministry of John the Baptist who heralded the way of the Lord Jesus (Mark 1:1–4). It so happens that our English word, “gospel” comes from the Old English words, god (“good”) and spell (“story,” “tale,” or news).

Good News in Paul

Similarly, Paul interprets from Isaiah 52:7 apostles like himself who travel about proclaiming the gospel/good news (Romans 10:15).[3] For Paul and other New Testament writers the good news is not merely for Israel’s salvation, but for the salvation of all people, gentiles included. Moreover, the content of that salvation is not simply about God’s reign and deliverance, but also about Jesus. The gospel message especially focuses on what Jesus the Messiah accomplished through his death and resurrection.

Most lucidly, Paul speaks about the good news in Romans 1:1–4 and 1 Corinthians 15:1–4. The text from Romans asserts that the good news (gospel) comes from God and concerns His Son Jesus who was raised from the dead by the power of Holy Spirit.[4] The text from 1 Corinthians 15 reads as follows:

“15:1 Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel (εὐαγγέλιον/ evangelion), which I proclaimed to you, which also you received, in which you also have taken a stand, 15:2 through which also you are saved if you hold firmly to what message I proclaimed (εὐηγγελισάμην < εὐαγγελίζω/ evangelizȏ) to you, unless you believed in vain. 15:3 For I delivered to you among the first things what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 15:4 and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day according to Scriptures.”[5]

We learn through these verses that the death and resurrection of Christ is central to the good news.

Why is the Message about Jesus’s Death Good News?

The death of Jesus Christ is good news because he “died for our sins”! Paul and other New Testament writers state that Christ’s death became an atoning sacrifice and sin offering for humankind (Romans 3:24-25; 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’s death (= his “blood”) has saving efficacy, as James Dunn affirms (Romans 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Ephesians 1:7).[6] Indeed, Jesus at the Last Supper claimed his death would be sacrificial and forgive sins, echoing the experience of the Suffering Servant from Isaiah 53 (1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:19–20).

His death is a once-for-all sacrifice, superior to that offered on the Day of Atonement in which, inter alia, an animal was sacrificed every year to cover only the sins of Israel, and apparently only those sins that were not egregious (Leviticus 16; cf. Hebrews 9–10). And far from being simply a way to appease God’s wrath against sin, Paul claims that

Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates God’s love. It is His way of reaching out both to Jews and gentiles. He desires to be reconciled to humans despite their sins that alienated them from God (Romans 5:6–10; cf. John 3:16).

In addition, Jesus did not simply die; he rose again from the dead! His conquest over death ensures our own resurrection at his second coming. On that day, death itself will be defeated (1 Corinthians 15:20–58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Romans 8:18–23). This resurrection power currently lives in us through the Holy Spirit, who frees us from the bondage of sin and enables us to live in a way pleasing to God.

The Good News

A message that restores our relationship with God and saves us from sin and death is truly good news! That salvation, however, does not take place automatically. It becomes efficacious for us only through our belief and trust in Jesus as Messiah, Lord, and resurrected Savior (Romans 10:9–13).

Have you fully embraced this good news?

Notes

[1] See e.g., Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977), 142.

[2] If you look for “good news” or “gospel” in the typical English Bible version of this passage in Joel, you will not find it! Our English Bibles are based on the Hebrew text (known as Masoretic or MT), not the Septuagint version. Would you like the read the Septuagint version? Click on this link: LXX.

[3] Paul, however, is not the only New Testament writer who mentions the good news/gospel: see for example, Acts 15:35; Hebrews 4:2, 6; 1 Peter 1:12, 25; Revelation 14:6.

[4] Want to probe deeper into Romans but don’t know how? Here are some excellent commentaries on Romans: The Top 12.

[5] My translation. To probe further into this passage and others in 1 Corinthians, I recommend my commentary, 1 Corinthians (NCCS; Eugene: Cascade).

[6] James D. G. Dunn, “The Gospel according to St. Paul,” in The Blackwell Companion to Paul, ed. Stephen Westerholm (Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell, 2014), 139–53 (141).