Can't add a single thing to what dear Tams shared (peace to you, ALL!), but I do need to respond to your understanding, dear LQ (peace to you, luv!):
Unfortunately, even the Bible is a bit vague about the definition of the good news.
Not really, dear one. Let me show you:
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There's:
- the good news of the kingdom
The good news of the kingdom... is Christ.
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- the good news about the Christ
Yes, the GOOD news OF the kingdom... eye-ee... LIFE... eye-ee... CHRIST ("I am... the Life")...
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- the good news declared to Abraham ("By means of you all the nations will be blessed") (Gal 3:8)
That by means of CHRIST... who came to Israel THROUGH Abraham, and so by MEANS of Abraham... people of EVERY nation, tribe, and tongue would be kings and priests WITH Christ...
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- the good news of peace (Eph 2:17)
"The fruits of the spirit are... peace" (that spirit comes THROUGH and FROM Christ)...
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- the good news about the unfathomable riches of the Christ (Eph 3:9)
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can seeQuote:
- the good news of God
Again, Christ:
"For [b]God SO loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten SON that whoever exercises faith in HIM (that Son) shall not be DESTROYED but have everlasting life."[/b]"... but the gift God GIVES is EVERLASTING life" (by MEANS of Christ)...
"I... AM the resurrection... AND the life. He who exercises faith IN me and has DIED (when I return)
will be brought back to life (in the FIRST resurrection)...
and he who exercises faith in me and has NOT died (when I return)...
will NEVER die (but be changed)."
Is that not GOOD news, dear one? Indeed, GREAT... shoot, FANTASTIC... news??
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When Christ was in the flesh, he went preaching the good news, and I can't imagine that what he preached that he died (or would die), was buried (or would be buried) and could forgive sins.
But it WAS. He told the people the TRUTH: that HE was the provision SENT BY GOD... to SAVE mankind! And not only could he forgive sins, he DID ("Your sin HAS BEEN FORGIVEN!"). AND he not only told them that he would, that they would KILL him... but that he would not STAY buried ("Tear this temple down, and I will RAISE IT UP in three days!").
The good news that he preached was that the Kingdom of God was near (or even in their midst).
YES! That HE... was NEAR. RIGHT THERE! AMONG them! And that once he poured out the Father's (holy) spirit UPON and INTO them... HE... AND the Father... and thus the KINGDOM... would be IN them ("the kingdom is INSIDE you!"):
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home/dwelling/abide IN them."
"God does not dwell in HANDMADE temples."
"YOU are the TEMPLE of God."
"You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through [Jesus] Christ."
"... you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ [Jesus] himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to God. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."He literally TOLD them:
"I... AM THE DOOR. ENTER THROUGH ME. NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT... THROUGH... ME. HERE I AM. STANDING RIGHT HERE. COME!!!"Most notably, the Bible does not tell us in-depth what it was that Christ preached.
Sure it does, dear one! In GREAT depth! Perhaps not WIDE (and shallow, like most religious teachings)... but VERY deep and in-depth! Even so, we don't have to go to the BIBLE to know what he preached: we can just ASK him. Even better, we can just LISTEN:
“To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold..."Quote:
Nor does it go into a whole lot of detail about what Paul, Peter or anyone else actually preached, other than about the Christ.
But what else WAS there FOR them to preach ABOUT? He was... and is... IT. As I've shared many times before, it is not about US. It was and is not about PAUL. It was and is not about PETER. Or James. Or John. Or Moses. Or Abraham. Or Isaac. Or Israel. Or Adham. Or Noah. it is ALL ABOUT HIM. Christ. The Son of GOD. EVERYTHING. ALL things (good and wise and prudent and excellent and beneficial and truthful).
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We don't know what was said to the jailer to convince him and have him baptized that very night. We don't know what was preached to Cornelius and his family. All we know is that they were preached to for a very short period of time before they were baptized. With the Ethiopian Eunuch, all we know is that the man was reading a passage from Isaiah and asked who it applied to. From there Philip preached "the good news about Jesus." (Acts 8:35).
This isn't entirely true, luv. We DO know what was said to Cornelius, at least what was IMPORTANT. And some of what was said to his family. And they received holy spirit which MOVED them to get baptized. And I believe I have shared here (or perhaps elsewhere but I believe here)... as to what transpired with the Ethiopian, and why. Because my Lord took me to that event and I watched it, which I shared with the Body.
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Studying "good news" really shows that there are several things that the good news can be, all inter-related.
I have to disagree. Studying ALL of several things, one can only RIGHTLY conclude that it can be... and is... one thing and one thing only: Christ, the Son of God. Without him... there is no good news of the kingdom. Because all that WOULD be good as to the kingdom is only BECAUSE of him. It CANNOT be GOOD news... WITHOUT him. Because then... it would be the LAW, which Law led to death and destruction, yes?
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Among them, however, was not that God's Kingdom was coming to solve all of man's problems. That is never stated in the scriptures. What is stated is that the good news has to do with God, the Kingdom, Christ and forgiveness of sins.
Which all lead to... everlasting lie. But NOT as THIS system of things is. Because THIS system belongs to the Adversary. And those who [want to] belong to IT... belong to HIM. God's kingdom... is no part of THIS world. As it's king is no part of it.
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I've struggled to put a definition to it myself. I would come up with something like:
God, through his grace, has set up a Kingdom and has made provision for the forgiveness of sins through this free gift for anyone willing to listen to and have faith in his son, the Christ. Christ died for all so that all could have forgiveness of sins, but not all will listen to and put faith in him. The good news for us is that salvation is possible and proof was furnished through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
If you have a better definition, please, do tell. Mine is simplistic, at best, I think.
That not only is simplistic, but VERY good, my dear brother! Excellent, actually! However, it falls short (but only slightly), for one reason. And I hope your heart didn't take offense at me stating so. But let me explain. It falls (slightly) short because... it can be used to take attention AWAY from Christ, and put on oneself. How do I mean? I mean, many, in reading your definition (and I have heard others state similar)... will believe that they can gain everlasting life merely by "listening" to and having "faith" in His Son. This is true, of course, to the extent such one understands what it means TO listen to and have faith in the Son.
Most.however, don't. Most... ga-millions, even... believe that listening means reading the Bible and "listening" to IT. Or to a priest, pastor, GB member... pope... NOT, though, to Christ LITERALLY. Because they don't believe he SPEAKS. They certainly don't believe they should keep their gaze on him ("How do you keep your gaze on someone you can't SEE??!").
And so they look... at the Bible, their priest, pastor, elder, GB member, pope... selves... to "see." And "listen."
There is a SURPASSING way, however, that will allow one to HEAR that Son when he speaks AND put faith in him... and so DO the things he says (as well as SEE him, if such one TRULY wishes to). That way... is love.
Love for the Father, and so because of the Father's love for him, for the Son. Love for the Son, and so, because of the Son's love for Him, for the Father. And love... for our own flesh (ourselves, our spouses, our children, our brothers)... our friends... our neighbors... strangers... and even our enemies... BECAUSE of the FATHER's and SON's love for such. While it does not cover to the extend of Christ's blood... it is love... that can put us in line to RECEIVE the benefits of Christ's cleansing... saving... blood: the holy spirit of God, which He granted TO Christ... to give to others and to save mankind.
Through LOVE, we can "see" someone... KNOW them... even if we've never laid eyes on them. Because we KNOW them. We know them... because we LOVE them.
And when we love someone... TRULY love them... we listen to them. Love is not only blind... but gives us AMAZING "sonar" capabilities. Like a mother or father who can hear their child's voice among all the kids on the playground. Or... a child... who can hear his father's call... among all of the other voices... in a crowd.
Hence, Christ said:
"MY sheep KNOW my voice, and THEY LISTEN to ME."They know his voice... and listen to him... because they KNOW and LOVE him.
And he knows and love them. Which is why he calls HIS sheep... by name.
John 10:1-5Peace to you and your dear household, dear, dear LQ!
YSSFS of Christ,
Shel