«Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’ » (Mark 1:14, 15).
WHAT DO YOU THINK is the main difference between Christianity and every other religion?
I believe Timothy Keller is right when he writes that, while the essence of other religions is that they limit themselves to giving advice, the essence of Christianity is that it brings good news to the world.
Speaking of «good news» is of course equivalent to speaking of the «gospel.» That word comes from the Greek euaggélion, which basically means, «good news.» Although it may sound strange, the term was not conceived in the Christian church. According to the scholar William Barclay, in the classic Greek, «gospel» originally meant «the reward given to a messenger for bearing good news.» By the time Jesus Christ was born, a Roman inscription beginning with the words «The beginning of the gospel of Caesar Augustus . was already in circulation. It announced the birth of the Roman emperor «as the beginning of a series of good news to the world.»
In the secular field, gospel therefore meant an announcement of an important event that had taken place in history. Once again, God’s stroke of genius to communicate with us in terms we can understand comes into play. When Mark writes that «Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,» what he is basically saying is that something big has begun taking place in the history of humankind: the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand not to condemn us, but that through Him we might be saved (John 3:17). That is, the same news the angel proclaimed when he told the shepherds: «Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord» (Luke 2:10, 11).
Therefore, what makes Christs religion unique and peculiar? In Timothy Keller’s own words, while other religions tell us what we have to do to draw near to God; Christianity brings us the good news of what God has done to draw near to us. Thank You, Lord, for Your indescribable gift!
Thank You, Father, because before we loved You, You loved us; because before we sought You, You sought us; and because You found us through Your Son.