Heard and Knew (Colossians 1:6)

It is obvious, but worth pointing out, that people must hear the good news of Jesus Christ before they will believe and be reconciled to God. It is clear that "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" but "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:13-14) If people do not hear God's message of forgiveness from us then they will not believe because "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).

Fruit of the Gospel (Colossians 1:6)

Belief in the good news of Jesus Christ changes individuals and affects people around them. It produces in us new spiritual life that was not there before (Rom. 6:4). All living things are fruitful as they themselves grow and as they produce new life. The same is true for spiritual life. Individual growth results in the "fruit of the Spirit" which "is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control" (Gal. 5:22-23, NIV). New spiritual life is produced as spiritually living people reproduce themselves in the lives of others by sharing the good new of Jesus Christ.

All the World (Colossians 1:6)

The gospel is for the whole world. It is not bound by national, racial, ethnic or political boundaries. It was natural for the Jewish people to think the gospel was exclusive to them. To dispel this, Peter was given a vision revealing that the gospel was for all people (Acts 10:28-29, 34-35, 43; cf. Acts 10:9-43). Subsequently, Paul was sent as Christ's messenger to the non-Jewish world (Rom. 11:13). The blood of Christ will reconcile individuals to God from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9).

Gospel (Colossians 1:5)

The Colossians had placed their faith "in the word of the truth of the gospel." What truth or facts did they put their trust in? Paul, reminding the Corinthians of the truth they trusted, explains "Brethren, 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, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 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 Cor. 15:1-4) These facts are the basis of the gospel. Gospel means "good news" or "good message".

How sure are the facts of the gospel? There were literally hundreds of eye witnesses to these facts (1 Cor. 15:5-8).

Why is this such good news? It is good news because Christ's death for our sins, which make us enemies of God, made it possible for us to be reconciled with Him. His rising from the dead shows that he conquered death and we can have eternal life through Him.