Word studies · Greek · Strong's G2098
εὐαγγέλιον · euangélion · appears 75 times in the New Testament
In one line: The announcement that God has acted in Jesus.
“The time is fulfilled, He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!
Mark 1:15
Euangelion is good news announced — the royal message that God has acted in Jesus, not advice about what to do.
In the New Testament euangelion names the message of what God has done in the death and resurrection of Christ, the arrival of His kingdom, and the call to repent and believe. Paul can speak of it as something to be preached, obeyed, defended, and lived worthy of.
Euangelion combines eu, “good,” with a root meaning “message,” and in the Greek world it was the word for news worth a herald — a battle won, an heir born, an emperor's accession. Roman inscriptions used it for imperial announcements, so calling the story of a crucified Galilean the euangelion was a pointed choice of word.
“Gospel” in English has become a religious category; the Greek is journalistic. It reports an event that has already happened rather than proposing a philosophy — which is why the New Testament's usual verb for it is “announce,” the work of a herald rather than a debater.
Euangelion (G2098) appears 75 times in the New Testament — and Old English rendered it godspel, “good story,” which is where “gospel” comes from.
Making the message an announcement rather than an instruction sets the shape of Christian faith: the response asked for is belief in what God has done, not a plan to secure His favor. Paul stakes everything on this, insisting there is no other gospel.
When you explain your faith, lead with what God has done rather than what people should do. Practice saying the good news in three sentences that are all about Him.
a good message, i.e. the gospel
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 4:23This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark 1:1After much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.
Acts 15:7Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—
Romans 1:1Even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
1 Corinthians 4:15Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,
2 Corinthians 2:12Press and hold gospel in any chapter and this study opens on the verse you are reading, with the lexicons, every occurrence and the commentaries beside it. The Bible is free to read.
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Strong's definitions are public domain. Counts come from The Pillar's own tagged text.