Is the gospel the heart of the New Testament?

Answer 1

The "gospel" is the heart of the Bible.

Gospel means "glad tidings" or "good news." The "Gospel" [good news] that Jesus preached was:

"...The time is fulfilled, and THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND: repent ye, and BELIEVE THE GOSPEL [good news]." (Mark 1:15)

But, thanks to the god of this world whom our first parents chose for us to worship... that wonderful message has been blocked, contorted, hated, or just plain not believed by most folks since before the flood.

The good news of Jesus' establishment of His Kingdom on the earth [believe it or not] WAS PROPHESIED AND PREACHED TO THE PRE-FLOOD WORLD BY ENOCH!!!

"...Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, THE LORD COMETH WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF HIS SAINTS, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed..." (Jude 1:14-15).

The "good news" of the Kingdom of God is "THE PROMISED LAND" [THE EARTH] God promised to Abraham:

"...the promise that he should be the HEIR OF THE WORLD, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." (Rom.4:13)

It's the promised "good news" of the Kingdom of God [the Home God is making for His Children] that all of Abraham's "faithful children" shall inherit with him, along with the second part of the "good news" of Eternal Life promised to Abraham, which comes through the Creator God of the Old Testament and Lord, Jesus Christ - [John 1:3]:

"...Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, forseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, PREACHED BEFORE THE GOSPEL UNTO ABRAHAM, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed [the Promise of the Christ]. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (Gal.3:7-9).

"And IF YE BE CHRIST'S, THEN ARE YE ABRAHAM'S SEED, and HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE." (verse 29)

King Nebuchadnezzar had the "gospel" [good news] of the Kingdom of God prophesied and preached to him by Daniel when he interpreted the king's dream [Dan.2]:

"...in the days of these kings SHALL THE GOD OF HEAVEN SET UP A KINGDOM, which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and IT SHALL STAND FOR EVER." (Dan.2:44)

The "gospel" [good news] of the coming Kingdom of God has been the heart of God's message to man since before the flood. And it has been recorded in the Bible. All of it... not just the New Testament.

In the New Testament, we merely see the beginning of God's promises to Abraham starting to be fulfilled. The two promises of the Kingdom of God and Salvation [God's Eternal Children living forever in His Eternal Home, specially prepared for them]. And Jesus Christ is fulfilling it.

It began after Jesus Christ successfully defeated Satan the Devil in the monumental "temptation" account. The certainty of the "gospel" couldn't be preached until the "KING" of the prophesied Kingdom of God was secured.

And it was Jesus who did that: "...the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty day, tempted of Satan... Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD...." (Mark 1:12-14).

It wasn't until AFTER Jesus' temptation... and John the Baptist's ministry came to its end, that the "good news" of the Kingdom of God was preached in earnest by its "NEWLY QUALIFIED" KING.

The "gospel" [good news] is: Jesus Christ is the King who shall establish the coming Kingdom of God on earth. It is indeed the joyous good news of the New Testament. And while it is preached and prophesied throughout the Old Testament... it's seeing the promises of God to Abraham coming to pass in the New that lifts the heart and bears the fresh fruit of hope in the faithful who believe what they are reading.

"Then shall the KING say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD..." (Matt.25:34).

"...ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD..." (Luke 13:28).

The gospel has always been at the heart of the entire Bible... but for men to be able to see and grasp the fulfillments of the Promises recorded in the New Testament, lends urgency and immediacy to the ancient good news.

As the nations of the world grow more restless and panicky and desperate... the good news of God's Government ruling the world... the hope and expectation of it grows. The gospel is ultimately in the heart of God's faithful [Abraham's seed].