When Truth Gets Lost in Translation
Words are meant to clarify reality, but some of our most important ones have been hijacked, stretched, and overused. Adverbs like literally, actually, really, and honestly—once meant to reinforce truth—now often serve as exaggerations or sarcasm. Instead of clarifying, they confuse.
When someone says, “I literally can’t even,” do they mean they are physically incapable of continuing? When a headline claims, “This is actually the best way to lose weight,” is it stating a fact or just trying to sound convincing?
In a world where legit doesn’t necessarily mean legitimate, it’s getting harder to find words that nail down what’s true. But this shift isn’t just happening in everyday language. Some of our most foundational biblical terms have changed too.
The Good News Message
The Bible says the gospel is the good news message of the kingdom:
- “And this gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) of the kingdom will be preached…” – Matthew 24:14
And the Bible says the word of God is the good news message of the kingdom:
- “When anyone hears the word (λόγον) about the kingdom…” – Matthew 13:19
Gospel = Good News = The Message of the Kingdom = The Word of God
The Terms Got Redefined
- If you ask most Christians today, “What is the gospel?” the answer could be: “Jesus died for your sins so you can go to heaven.”
- If you ask, “What is the Word of God?” they would answer: “The Bible.”
But Jesus preached the gospel before He died for our sins. And the apostles preached the word of God before the New Testament was written.
Now We’re Inconsistent
If the gospel is a message, not just a book, then why do we treat the Bible differently?
- If you ask most Christians today, “Are the four Gospel books the gospel?” you would likely hear: “No.” Because the books aren’t the message.
- But if you ask, “Are the books of the Bible the Word of God?” the answer would likely be: “Yes.” But when it comes to the Bible, we say the books are the message.
How Did We Get Here?
Originally, both “gospel” (εὐαγγέλιον) and “word of God” (λόγος) meant the message about Jesus’ reign. But over time, both terms became associated with the books that recorded the message.
- Gospel came to mean the written accounts of Jesus’ life.
- The Word of God came to mean the Bible itself.
These terms used to be interchangeable ways of talking about the good news message of the kingdom. Now, they mean other things.
What Are We Missing?
The problem is that now we have no words to talk about the main point Jesus and the apostles spent all their time talking about: the good news of the kingdom.
- If we say gospel, now it means personal salvation, not the kingdom message.
- If we say the word of God, now it means the Bible, not the kingdom message.
We’ve blurred the words that once clarified reality. But Jesus didn’t leave us guessing—He told us exactly why He came: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God… because that is why I was sent.” – Luke 4:43
See also:
Odd Sense of Zero 
Leave a comment