Gospel, faith, and rest
Today's reading Hebrews 4:1-5
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Today’s blog
“The message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest.” (Hebrews 4:2b-3a)
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The word gospel means good news and in the Bible it refers particularly to Jesus and the salvation he brings (Eph.1:13). The Israelites in Egypt also heard a gospel message – the good news of deliverance from Egypt and of a return to Canaan, the Promised Land. But they failed to enter into that promised rest because though they had heard the message they “did not combine it with faith” (cf. 3:19).
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Faith is the essential response to the gospel message. Salvation is a free and unearned gift, but a response is needed – we must “repent and believe the good news” (Mk.1:15). We are saved by grace, “through faith” (Eph.2:8). “The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes... it is by faith from first to last” (Rom.1:16-17). Such faith is no mere mental assent – it’s a wholehearted response of repentance which leads to following Christ obediently (Rom.1:5).
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The word evangelism comes directly from the Greek word for gospel (euangel) – the first Christians went around “good-newsing” (euangelizo e.g. Acts 8:25,35,40; 14:15,21) – and the gospel message is summed up, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Without that response, the gospel is of “no value” to the hearers. But whenever people hear and believe the gospel invitation of Jesus, “Come to me and rest”, responding to it with faith, they find God’s promised rest for their souls (Mt.11:28-29).
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(To dig a bit deeper into Hebrews 4:1-5 click here for some commentary notes.)