“Why are there four gospels?”

Decemberber 2021 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: Why are there four gospels, and what happened to the gospel that was given to Christ?

ANSWER: The meaning of the word “gospel” is “good news” or “glad tidings.” While some may use this word to refer to the whole New Testament because it is full of good news, the word is usually used only for the four gospels. God desired that we have the life of Christ recorded for us in four gospels, which in no way contradict but rather verify one another. All four were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The main purpose of the gospel of Matthew is to prove to mankind in general and to the Jews in particular that Jesus, who was born of the virgin Mary and was killed by the Jews, was indeed the promised Messiah. He is the One of whom the prophets spoke hundreds of times. Therefore, we find in this gospel the expression “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” (ESV) or something similar many times. Also in this book we have the genealogy of Christ to Abraham and to David the king, to prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Promised One, the legal heir of the throne. But the Jews did not believe in Him, and they rejected their King and the Savior promised by God.

The gospel of Mark records primarily the many ministries, or the service, that Christ did. Although He was King, He said about Himself that He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). He is presented in this gospel mainly as the servant of God and man – the One who willingly gave Himself to death on the cross to pay the price for sin.

The gospel of Luke, written by a physician, proves that Christ, although He came to the Jews, came not just for them but for the whole world. Therefore we have the genealogy of Christ all the way back to Adam, the father of the whole human race (Lk. 3:23-28). Luke also tells us that Christ came to seek and save the lost. Christ Himself spoke about the great joy in heaven when one sinner repents. He showed us the joy of God at the return of a sinner by using the parable of the prodigal son, a story about the joy of a father at the return of his lost son (15:11-32).

The gospel of John, written by the disciple of Christ, proves that Christ came from heaven and became a man for our sakes. It tells us that God loved the whole human race and sent Christ to die for us, that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). It also shows us that Christ, even though He became Man, was from eternity.

The four gospels were not composed simply by men; all of them came by God. When we study them with reverence and a desire to know the truth, the Holy Spirit will give us a more perfect knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

Contrary to what some people may think, there was not another gospel given to Christ. Christ Himself is the good news – the Savior of sinners – presented in the four gospels by the Holy Spirit. The gospel referred to as the “gospel of Jesus Christ” in Mark 1:1 is the good news as told by Mark. Remember, “gospel” means “good news,” and the expression “gospel of Jesus Christ” is not another book that has been lost but the good news of salvation that can be found only in Him.

Do you want to know the good news of the Bible? Read the Gospels and ask the Holy Spirit to use them to reveal the Savior to you. In this way you will come to the knowledge of salvation. We can tell you how.

Answered by Rafique

People say to me, “You preachers want to keep us from having a good time in this world by dangling before us the idea that if we don’t, we will have a sweet by and by.” My friends, I want to tell to you about a sweet now and now. I am a Christian. I turned in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ and believed God and His Word. I saw how the mighty Son of God had entered this sinful world and offered Himself as the great sacrifice for sin. It was the only way of putting away the sin of all who believe in Him. There entered into my heart the knowledge that now I was justified, “being now justified by His blood” (Rom. 5:9 KJV). Through the Lord Jesus all Christians are justified. My soul had been troubled about my sins but now entered into the knowledge of peace with God because I was cleared, I was justified in His holy presence. “Now we have received the reconciliation” (v.11 JND). We were once the slaves of sin, but now – not when we get to heaven, although it will also be true when we do get there – we are set free. We are passed from under the domination of sin to become servants to God (6:22). These are some of the wonderful things that the gospel brings to those who believe it now. —Frank B. Hole (adapted)