What the word 'gospel' (good news) actually claims — its earliest summary and its core movements.
'Gospel' translates euangelion — 'good news.' Its earliest summary is the creed Paul received and passed on: 'Christ died for our sins ... was buried ... was raised on the third day ... and appeared' (1 Cor 15:3–5), datable to within a few years of the events. The message has a recognizable shape: God is holy and good; humanity is estranged by sin (Romans 3:23); God, in love, sends the Son (John 3:16); Christ dies in our place and rises bodily, defeating death; and this is received by grace through faith, not earned (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8–9), issuing in a transformed life and mission (the Great Commission). This is the central Christian confession — a theological claim, not a neutral historical report. We state it at full strength, label it as theological, and distinguish the historically anchored core (an early creed, a real crucifixion, sincere resurrection belief) from the faith it proclaims.
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