SLBC Ministries

Evangelion (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word and signifies good, merry, glad, and joyful tidings, that make a man's heart glad, and make him sing, dance, and leap for joy. As when David had killed Goliath the giant came glad tidings unto the Jews that their fearful and cruel enemy was slain, and they delivered out of all danger. For gladness thereof they sang, danced, and were joyful. In like manner is the evan-gelion of God (which we call gospel and the New Testament) joyful tidings, and, as some say, a good hearing published by the apostles throughout all the world, of Christ the right David, how that He has fought with sin, with death, and the devil, and overcome them.
Whereby all men that were in bo***ge to sin, wounded with death, [and] overcome of the devil, are without their own merits or deservings, loosed, justified, restored to life, and saved, brought to liberty and reconciled unto the favor of God, and set at one with Him again. As many as believe [these] tidings laud, praise, and thank God; are glad, sing, land] dance for joy.

This evangelion or gospel (that is to say, such joyful tidings) is called the New Testament, because that, as a man, when he shall die, appoints his goods to be dealt and distributed after his death among them which he names to be his heirs, even so Christ before His death commanded and appointed that such evangelion, gospel or tidings, should be declared throughout all the world, and therewith to give unto all that repent and believe all His goods. That is to say, His life, wherewith He swallowed and devoured up death; His righteousness, wherewith He banished sin; His salvation, wherewith He overcame eternal damnation.

Now can the wretched man (that knows himself to be wrapped in sin, and in danger of death and hell) hear any more joyous a thing than such glad and comfortable tidings of Christ? So that he cannot but be glad and laugh from the low bottom of his heart, if he believes that the tidings are true.

To strengthen such faith withal [further], God promised this His evangelion in the Old Testament by the prophets, as Paul says (in the first chapter unto the Romans), how that he was chosen out to preach God's evangelion which He before had promised by the prophets in the holy Scriptures that treat of His Son, Who was born of the seed of David In Genesis 3:15, God says to the serpent: "I will put hatred between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed: that same seed shall tread thy head underfoot." Christ is the woman's seed. He it is that has trodden underfoot the devil's head: that is to say, sin, death, hell, and all his power. For without this seed can no man avoid sin, death, hell, and everlasting damnation.
🖋️ William Tyndale