“Then the angel said to them, ‘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
The angel appeared to the shepherds and encouraged them not to be afraid—a recurring theme in the accounts surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus (Luke 1:13, 30, 74; Matthew 1:20). The angel then said, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” This could be translated, “I announce good news…” The word glad tidings or gospel literally means “good news” and appears about 100 times in the New Testament. It is one of Luke’s favorite expressions; he uses it more than any other New Testament writer. From this word we derive the English terms evangelist, evangelize, and evangelical.
The gospel is, broadly speaking, the message of all Scripture; more specifically, it is the good news concerning Christ and the way of salvation. The apostle Paul summarized it this way:
“I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved… For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
There is no one who would deny that we live in difficult times. One reporter recently said, “What this world needs is some good news.” I could not agree more. This is exactly what the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world brought! This good news is centered on the Savior who was born—Christ the Lord.
The good news of the gospel is that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17). The good news is that Christ died in our place on the cross—Christ died for sinful humanity. This good news brings great joy to the heart of anyone who receives the Lord Jesus; Peter calls it “inexpressible joy” (1 Peter 1:8).
Anchor For Today:
This time of year, focus less on your circumstances and more on Christ. Be reminded of the good news of the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you!