What is the Gospel?

The old English word gospel means good news, we've all heard that. It comes from Latin's explanation of its own word evangelium (bona adnuntiatio), borrowed from Greek euangelion (or euangelos), which may be from Hebrew bisser which is bring (good) news - good is implied. But despite the etymology of the word there is a scriptural definition. Christ when He came to the American continent defined doctrine and defined gospel - His doctrine and His Gospel.

The doctrine is the witnessed facts - Christ is the Son of God as witnessed by all members of the Godhead, God. God the Father is the literal Father of Christ and the Father of all mankind as witnessed by God. As our Father He loves us and gives us commandments with promise: repent and believe in Christ and we shall be saved or in other words inherit the kingdom of God. That is the doctrine of Jesus Christ upon which the gospel is founded.

The gospel is more than just news, it is the doing of the witnessed doctrine. It is referred to when using examples of those who lived or acted upon the doctrine. Christ is the embodiment and primary example of the gospel. His father had a will, a commandment with promise, and Christ fulfilled it. God sent Him, He came willingly. God wanted Christ to be lifted up on a cross, He came and died. God wanted him to draw all men unto Him, He came, taught and was resurrected to bring all men unto Him.

We have grown up our whole lives hearing examples of people doing the will of God, people living the gospel. When we repent you are living the gospel. When we pray, study, are baptized, accept the spirit, wade through trials glorifying God and actually performing an act that is in obedience to God's commandments and guidance we are living the gospel. When we feel to do good and not ignore it but do it, that is the gospel.

When we teach by the spirit and lead people to act by the spirit, they start living the gospel and tasting of the fruit thereof, the fruit of Christ. That news which is taught is doctrine; those teaching it are living the gospel in so doing; they are obeying the commandment to warn their neighbor. Those who hear the news hear the doctrine and if they choose to find out if it is true and act upon it, they start to live the gospel with faith.

What do we need to be doing right now? We need to make goals in accordance with the doctrine of Christ of our own free will and then do them. This is the message of the prophets. The people of Alma the elder were an industrious people because they were doers. In this society we are sold a lie to "spend money for that which is of no worth," and our "labour for that which satisfieth not." We spend money on entertainment, that which pleases the idle mind, but then we get depressed and alone, weak in body and spirit; these are evidences of sinful behavior. The Lord says love and serve one another and so often we just sit down and get fat. There are types of entertainment that are "virtuous, lovely ... of good report [and] praiseworthy" that can count us worthy to be living the gospel; we should seek them out and do them.

We must first start with the basics - pray and study. Commit to pray for five minutes on your knees, commit to increase our scripture study by five minutes. If we already study for thirty minutes to an hour commit to add acts of love that day. Seek and do - that is the law of the gospel and the prophets' message - the good news.