Have you ever noticed that the way that Jesus and the Apostles preached the Gospel doesn’t resemble how many churches and Evangelicals preach it today? Why is it that the “gospel” message many Christians share today (even in Bible-believing, conservative churches) cannot be found in the Bible?

I grew up hearing the “gospel” being preached in churches with phrases like:

• “You need to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Saviour.”
• “The Gospel isn’t about a religion, it’s about a personal relationship with Jesus.”
• “If you want to accept Jesus into your heart, pray this prayer after me…”
• “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, if you’ll only let him into your heart.”

However, NONE of this language is found in the Bible. Isn’t that a little problematic?

Many Christians have reduced the Gospel to a mere “get out of hell free” card or “personal relationship” with Jesus. However, in Scripture, the Gospel isn’t a minimalist escape plan for individuals but the authoritative declaration of God’s Kingdom invading (and conquering) a rebel world. As Jesus Himself declared, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).

This good news declares God’s reign breaking in through Christ and demanding total allegiance. It’s a holistic vision where the King redeems not just souls but the entire creation, ushering in justice, healing, and eternal shalom. This stands as the heart of the biblical message: a divine monarchy where Christ rules as Lord over all.

As R.C. Sproul reminds us:

“The kingdom of God is not of the people, by the people, or for the people. It is a kingdom ruled by a King.”

We don’t tend to talk much about kings in the modern democratic Western world—and even far less so in a positive light. Perhaps this is another reason why modern Christians miss this dimension of the Gospel message.

Here’s my big idea: we should abandon these unbiblical formulations of the gospel and recover preaching the Gospel the way that Jesus and the apostles did—using the language that they did.

Defining the Word “Gospel”

Before we move on, it’s important to define our terms.

One major reason Christians today misunderstand the Biblical Gospel is because we actually don’t understand what the word means. Many think that it just means “Good News”—which to an extent is true.

However, what comes to mind for most modern Christians today when they hear “Good News” is a positive news report on the TV or an encouraging headline in a news article. But that’s not what the First Century writers of the New Testament would have had in mind.

The Gospel was a proclamation of imperial triumph that would reshape empires, topple kings, and rally armies. In the first century, the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον—euangelion—(often translated as “gospel”) carried that kind of weight. For early Christians, adopting this term wasn’t a neutral choice; it was a bold, subversive declaration that God’s Kingdom had arrived in Jesus Christ, challenging the powers of the world and redefining reality itself.

A Brief History of the Word “Gospel”

Euangelion is a compound Greek word: eu- meaning “good” or “well,” and -angelion derived from angelos, a messenger (think “angel,” but without the wings and eyes all over). In its earliest classical usage, dating back to the 8th century BC in Homer’s Odyssey (14.152), euangelion referred to the reward given to a messenger for bringing good tidings, not the news itself. But, by the 5th century BC, writers like Aristophanes and Plutarch expanded it to mean the “good tidings” themselves, often in contexts of military victory, a birth, or significant events. The word had not-so-subtle political overtones.

In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament used in the First Century by the writers of the New Testament), euangelion translates the Hebrew besorah, which also conveys “good tidings” of deliverance or victory. For instance, in 2 Samuel 18:22-25, it’s used for news of a battlefield win, and in Isaiah 52:7, it’s the “good news” of God’s reign:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'”

The Roman “Gospel” of Imperial Propaganda

Next, we must understand how the word was used and understood during the first century—the era of Jesus and the apostles. Otherwise, we risk importing our own modern assumptions onto the word.

Outside Christianity, emperors like Augustus used the word euangelion in official inscriptions to announce “good news” of their divine status, victories, or reigns. The most famous example is the Priene Calendar Inscription (circa 9 BC), which hails Augustus’ birthday as “the beginning of the good tidings (euangelion) for the world,” portraying him as a god who brings peace, salvation, and a new era. This was Rome’s imperial gospel—propaganda declaring Caesar as lord and saviour, with temples, festivals, and oaths enforcing loyalty.

Plutarch, a first-century writer, uses euangelion for announcements of royal ascensions or military triumphs, often tied to sacrifices and celebrations. In everyday Greco-Roman life, it could mean good news of a birth, wedding, or business success, but in public spheres, it evoked empire-wide significance. This context made the Christian Gospel a direct counter-claim: Jesus, not Caesar, is the true Lord whose “good news” brings real peace (shalom).

Dr. R.C. Sproul highlights this subversion in his sermon “The Gospel of the Kingdom” (Luke 4:42-44), explaining that Jesus’ proclamation was a declaration of war on worldly powers—not just a message about your personal relationship with God.

In First-Century Rome, the common confession in the empire was Kaiser Kurios—”Caesar is Lord”. When Christians publicly declared “Jesus is Lord”, it was a self-consciously political statement. Thus, the Gospel that Jesus and the apostles proclaimed threatened Rome—because it declared that Jesus, not Caesar was LORD.

Some critics might argue this Roman usage is overstated, but historical evidence from inscriptions and papyri confirms euangelion as a term of imperial cult, making the apostles’ preaching treasonous in Roman eyes (Acts 17:7). If we ignore this, we domesticate the Gospel, turning it into harmless spirituality rather than the earth-shaking announcement it was.

Jesus and the apostles weren’t borrowing a bland term; they were hijacking Rome’s vocabulary to announce a Gospel of a greater King and Kingdom, often at great risk to the early Christians. In a very real sense, it was a “political” Gospel. Even Mark 1:1—”The beginning of the gospel (euangelion) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”—mirrors Augustus’ inscriptions, but elevates Jesus as the true divine ruler. As Herman Ridderbos warned, detaching the Gospel from the Kingdom leads to a “social gospel” of human effort or a privatized faith ignoring cultural dominion.

We really cannot properly appreciate the scope of the Gospel without understanding this First Century context about the word and language the New Testament writers were borrowing and repurposing. Below are key examples, drawn from historical Roman usage and biblical application, with references.

1. Kyrios (Lord)
   Romans hailed Caesar as kyrios (lord), a title demanding absolute allegiance in the imperial cult. Emperors like Nero required subjects to confess “Caesar is Lord,” with refusal leading to persecution. This was part of deifying rulers as divine lords over the empire.
   The New Testament applies this to Jesus, asserting His ultimate authority. Paul writes, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). In Philippians 2:11, every knee will bow and “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This directly challenged Roman loyalty oaths, as seen in Acts 17:7 where Christians are accused of “acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
2. Sōtēr (Saviour)
   Emperors were titled sōtēr (saviour) for bringing political stability, military victories, or economic relief. Inscriptions praised Augustus and others as saviours of the world, crediting them with delivering humanity from chaos through the Pax Romana.
   The New Testament transfers this to Christ alone. Luke announces Jesus’ birth: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Paul declares, “God our Saviour… desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” through the “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:3-5).
3. Huios Theou (Son of God)
   Roman emperors claimed divine sonship, like Augustus who was called divi filius (son of the divine Julius Caesar), legitimizing their rule as gods’ offspring in the imperial cult. This title appeared on coins and monuments to affirm their heavenly mandate.
   New Testament writers apply it to Jesus as the true divine Son. Mark begins, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). At Jesus’ baptism, God declares, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). Paul preaches “the gospel of God… concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:1-4), proving His superiority through resurrection, not mere political adoption.
4. Eirēnē (Peace)
   The Pax Romana (Roman Peace) was a propagandistic phrase for the empire’s enforced stability under Caesar, celebrated in literature and architecture like the Ara Pacis altar, crediting emperors with universal harmony.
   The New Testament counters with true peace through Christ. Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Ephesians 2:14 declares, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” This Gospel peace reconciles sinners to God and humanity to each other, exposing Roman “peace” as superficial and coercive.
5. Parousia (Coming/Arrival)
   In Roman usage, parousia described the ceremonial arrival or visit of an emperor or high official, marked by fanfare, processions, and public celebrations to honor their presence.
   The New Testament uses it for Christ’s second coming, elevating Him above earthly rulers. Paul comforts believers: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command… And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). In 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Christ’s parousia will destroy the lawless one, subverting imperial pomp by promising ultimate judgment and victory under God’s King.
6. Pistis (Faith/Allegiance)
   Romans demanded pistis (faithfulness or loyalty) to Caesar through oaths and sacrifices in the imperial cult, viewing disloyalty as treason.
   The New Testament reorients this as faith in Christ. Paul urges, “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:22). In Galatians 2:20, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Thus, in contrast to today’s “easy believism”, this calls for exclusive allegiance to Jesus—unwavering faithfulness and loyalty to him as Supreme King.

Utlimately, Rome didn’t care about a privatized religion that only existed between your ears and within the four walls of your religious gatherings. Rome was filled with myriads of mystery religions and cults. Just like today, these posed no threat to the imperial order. However, Christianity became persecuted precisely because it did threaten the Roman emperor cult. You could not possibly use the type of language that the early Christians did and not risk the Roman powers taking notice. The New Testament writers were taking these Roman concepts and words and turning them on their head—saying that it was Jesus Christ, not Caesar who is LORD, Saviour, Son of God, and prince of peace who demands total allegiance and fidelity, and to whom every knee must bow.

Thus, for the First Century writers and their audience, the proclamation of the Gospel in the New Testament had much wider implications into every area of life than most of today’s “Gospel preaching” found in your average Evangelical church.

How Jesus and the Apostles Preached the Gospel

Jesus’s first public words? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He boldly announced, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21), claiming Himself as the anointed Messiah who embodies the Kingdom’s arrival. Jesus’s Gospel was one of the “Kingdom”—not of a personal relationship with him or inviting him into your heart.

Jesus sent disciples to preach likewise: “Proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:7-8). In the Great Commission, He commanded global expansion and the Christianization of the world: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and disciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). And yes, that’s what the Greek says—to disciple the nations.¹See my article for more on this.

The apostles didn’t pivot to a “new” gospel post-resurrection; they amplified the Kingdom’s fulfillment in Christ’s cross and empty tomb. Peter’s Pentecost sermon thundered: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). Philip “preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12), leading to baptisms. Paul proclaimed the Kingdom alongside Christ’s lordship: “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness” (Acts 28:31). Even in Athens, Paul urged repentance before the coming judgment by the resurrected King (Acts 17:30-31).

Over and over, the Kingdom is a main theme in the Gospel proclamation of the New Testament. Yet it is all but absent in the majority of “gospel” presentations today.

Contrast with Common Evangelical Preaching

In many Evangelical pulpits, the Gospel shrinks to a personal salvation pitch, like a spiritual infomercial promising heaven without the fine print of lordship. Proclaiming the Kingdom is often sidelined as “advanced theology” or worse, ignored.

Here are some common elements of typical modern Evangelical gospel presentations:

1. The Sinner’s Prayer as a Sacrament—Many of you have probably heard something like this before: “Repeat after me: ‘Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner… please come into my heart.'” Boom—saved! But where’s this formula in Scripture? Nowhere. It’s a 19th-century invention from revivalist circles, turning prayer into a magical incantation. At Pentecost in Acts 2, when they called out “What must we do to be saved?”, Peter didn’t respond. “OK, now. With every eye closed and every head bowed, repeat this prayer after me.” Logically, this type of preaching fosters false assurance: say the words, get the ticket. However, scripturally, salvation comes by faith (pistis)—which as we saw above was understood more properly as whole-hearted allegiance, faithfulness and loyalty to the King.
2. Separating Jesus as Saviour from Lord—The so-called “lordship controversy” functionally centered around the false notion of “Accept Jesus as Saviour now; make Him Lord later.” This no-lordship gospel is a modern myth, birthed from dispensational extremes. Other examples were pleas to “give Jesus a trial run”—as if you’re selling a used car. However, scripturally, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). In context, this confession was public, and believing “in your heart” did not mean as a privately held belief, but rather a belief that permeated your whole being. As Spurgeon rightly noted, “You cannot have Christ for your Savior unless you also have Him as your Lord.” Sproul adds that separating them makes obedience optional, unthinkable in a Kingdom where Christ reigns (Matthew 7:21) and his servants obey his commandments (John 14:15).
3. Fear-Based Appeals to Hell—There was a time when “Turn or burn” sermons used to hammer eternal torment as the main hook, like a divine scare tactic. I remember the popular skit in the 90s and early 2000s of Heaven’s Gates, Hell’s Flames that tried to produce decisions for Christ based on what was essentially a fire insurance pitch. Once you’ve bought the policy, there’s nothing to do, no obligation to Christ who’s seen as a divine floatation device. However, this produces superficial converts whose main reason is to “escape” Hell, but who don’t actually love God nor seek His Kingdom first. Now, while judgment is real (Matthew 25:46), and should definintely be part of our proclamation, these are a result of being outside the Kingdom when the King comes in glory to reward his servants and punish his enemies.
4. Minimal Discipleship—”Come as you are—Jesus accepts you.” This cheapens grace and ignores the cost: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily” (Luke 9:23). Scripturally, Jesus demanded counting the cost (Luke 14:25-33). John MacArthur blasts this as “cheap grace,” producing scandals by promising salvation without transformation. Bonhoeffer called it grace without discipleship, a counterfeit.
5. Overemphasis on the Cross Without Resurrection—”Jesus died for your sins—end of story.” Yes, this is true—but it’s only half the story. The Resurrection and Ascension are sadly underempasized in Evangelicalism, but they are the proof of God’s vindication of Jesus and his enthronement to the right hand of the Father where he now rules and reigns. Logically, it leaves the Gospel half-told and powerless. If Christ only died on the cross, we’d still be in our sins. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The Apostles preached the resurrection as proof of the Kingdom and called people to repent in light of that (Acts 2:24-32).

Let’s go back to some of those examples at the beginning and examine them from a Biblical framework.

• “You need to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Saviour.”—We don’t make Jesus Lord and Saviour. Christ is LORD and Saviour whether we recognize it or not. Also, he is not just our “personal” Lord and Saviour—as in some privatized religion. He is King of kings and LORD of lords, the Saviour of the world. This language makes Jesus out to be weak and needy of us, and privatizes our faith. We should stop using it.
• “The Gospel isn’t about a religion, it’s about a personal relationship with Jesus.”—This is perhaps one of the most non-sensical, sentimental phrases of modern Evangelicalism. No, Christianity is actually a religion. Religion is not bad. In fact, the Bible commends us to “true religion” (James 1:27). The fact is that religion is unavoidable because we are created to worship. The core of our rebellion is religious—we worship the created, rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). Saying the Gospel is not about religion, but about a relationship is a bait and switch. It is both. Our relationship with God as reconciled and redeemed people is expressed through our religion.
• “If you want to accept Jesus into your heart, pray this prayer after me…”—Jesus doesn’t need our acceptance, we need his. This phrase gets it totally backward. Jesus is not waiting on your acceptance. Also, Jesus doesn’t live in our hearts—he is seated at the right hand of the majesty on High (Heb. 1:3). More properly, the Holy Spirit indwells believers at the moment of conversion. However, this is something God does, not something we do.
• “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, if you’ll only let him into your heart.”—Does he though? I mean on one level, this is sort of true. However, what if that plan is suffering and dying a painful death—like the thief on the cross? This is not the primary motivation for the Gospel or for repentance and faith presented in Scripture. If you are outside of God’s Kingdom, his plan for you is not wonderful. However, if you see the true value of the Kingdom—you’ll sell all you have to get it (cf. Matt. 13:44). The trouble with this phrasing is that it centers around you. However, the Kingdom centers around Christ and his Lordship over all things.

Deficiencies and Dangers of Preaching a Truncated Gospel

Preaching a slimmed-down gospel breeds weak churches and false hope:

1. It Produces False Assurance and Nominal Christianity: Without the Kingdom’s call to repentance and lordship, people “believe” superficially, assuming their ticket to heaven is secured. But Jesus warns, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21). Notice again the focus on the Kingdom, and on doing God’s will. Pew surveys repeatedly show Evangelicals holding unbiblical views, like salvation without change—a recipe for judgment day shock.
2. It Undermines Sanctification and Discipleship: A “justification-only” message promises too much too soon, ignoring growth under God’s reign. Without Kingdom ethics (Matthew 5-7), believers stagnate, excuse sin, and lack a Biblical worldview on how their faith should impact every area of life including education, law, politics, entertainment, business, arts, etc. It also tends to have a low view of the importance of the Law of God for Christian life. No Kingdom exists without law, and the law is applied wherever the King reigns. Christ reigns over all, therefore, his law is to rule everything. Indeed, this is exactly the goal of the Great Commission, that we would disciple all nations and teach them to obey his commandments.
3. It Ignores the Cosmic Scope of Redemption: Focusing on souls alone misses creation’s renewal: “The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption” (Romans 8:21). Every area of life and reality must be renewed by the Gospel. The full Gospel empowers us to fulfill the cultural mandate (Genesis 1:28), as Ridderbos notes—the Kingdom transforms all.
4. It Weakens Evangelism and Mission: Reducing to personal salvation starves a truly expansive vision of the Kingdom: “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world” (Matthew 24:14). This leads to a pietistic inward focus, leading people to navel gaze rather than giving them a world-transforming mission.

So How do we Preach the Biblical Gospel?

OK, so what’s the alternative? How do we preach the Gospel Biblically?

Here are some core Biblical elements that should be present in our Gospel preaching:

1. The Kingdom—If it’s not been obvious as yet, this was the core of what Jesus and the Apostles preach, so it should be core to what we preach. The Kingdom encompasses every sphere of reality because Christ is LORD over all of it, and it all must brought into subjection to him. This means that our Gospel proclamation is not merely limited to “spiritual” things or about personal salvation and justification (which are important and true). The Gospel is about the renewal and redemption of all things in Christ—politics, education, sexuality, arts, music, ethics, business, etc. Thus, this widens the scope of our Gospel proclamation. We’re not limited to only talking about justification by faith alone and trying to figure out how to jam it into whatever topic. Instead, we show how God’s Kingdom rules over all areas of life, how He redeems and restores it, and how He calls people to be part of His redeemed Kingdom and of His work of reconciling all things to Christ. We say that this sphere of life—whatever it may be—belongs to Christ and must be brought into conformity to his will.
2. Lordship—Christ is LORD and every knee must bow and every tongue confess it. Christ’s Lordship means that he demands total obedience to his commands. We are now his slaves. The truth is not whether we’ll be slaves, but rather who will be our master? Either we will be slaves to sin and the Devil, or to righteousness and Christ. The latter is a far better Master. Our Gospel must make this clear—when we follow Christ, we are giving up our autonomy. We are recognizing that I no longer live, but Christ in me. In short, we declare that Christ is King—his resurrection and ascension was his enthronement and corronation—and he now commands total allegiance and submission to his Kingdom. We must be willing to openly confess Christ and not be ashamed of His words.
3. Repentance and Faith—These are 2 sides of the same coin. Repentance is turning away from sin and autonomy. Faith is turning to Christ and submission to his Lordship. There is no Gospel without a call to repentance and faith. Thus, this requires that we preach about sin and God’s righteous judgment. People must know and be shown through God’s Kingdom law that they are convicted criminals—worthy of judgment. But, the King has offered terms of peace with them—through repentance and faith, a change of allegiance and fidelity. We must call people to flee the wrath that is to come, lay down their arms, turn from their rebellion and surrender to Christ.
4. The Cost—Many churches and Christians are overly concerned about turning people away. Jesus and the apostles, however, seemed to actively try to turn people away. They told them that before they “made a decision” they should count the cost (Luke 14:28). Jesus’s “altar call” (so-to-speak) was to tell people that in order to follow him, they had to be willing to pick up an instrument of torture, shame and death every single day and die to their self (Luke 9:23). Numerous times, many turned away at his teachings (John 6:66). It seems like Jesus didn’t listen to a lot of today’s “Church Growth experts”. We shouldn’t either. The Gospel you win people with, is what you win them to. Preaching a “costless” gospel produces converts who turn out to be consumers. We must make it clear that there is a cost to following Christ and it is that you lose your life to gain it.
5. The Mission—It is not by accident that many of the people we see receive the Gospel in the New Testament immediately go tell everyone about it. But not only that, the Gospel when it takes root in a place transforms the society—idol vendors go out of business and start to riot (Acts 19:21—41). Historically, this is what the Biblical Gospel has done—it transformed entire societies and civilizations. The West was built largely upon this Gospel influence—adopting laws and a system of governance based upon Biblical law and principles. When we become a part of Christ’s Kingdom, we are called to seek His Kingdom first. We are taught to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” We don’t pray for something we don’t actively seek to see realized. So, a part of our proclamation of the Gospel is that God calls people to be a part of its expansion into all spheres of life and the world.

This is a Gospel that threatens the powers of this world and the present darkness. It’s not a truncated gospel of a purely heart-faith that lives comfortably in between your ears. It’s a Gospel that, quite literally, can turn the world upside down. It’s a hot Gospel, with hard preaching that breaks stoney hearts through the empowerment of the Spirit. It aims to tear down strongholds and take captive every thought and vain thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-6). It’s a Gospel message that will likely earn you persecution and enemies (Matt. 5:10-12) and lose you friends and family (Matt. 10:35). Thus, it’s a Gospel that requires we pray for courage to declare it boldly (Eph. 6:19) without shrinking back (Heb. 10:39). It’s a Gospel that the world will hate (John 15:18). But it’s the Gospel that it desperately needs!

So, enough with the watered-down versions—let’s proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom as Jesus and the apostles did: God’s reign through Christ’s death, resurrection, and return, calling all to repent, believe, and submit. Preach it fully, and watch the mustard seed grow (Matthew 13:31-32).

Your church—and the world—depends on it.

Footnotes

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  See my article for more on this.