The One Singular Gospel of Jesus Christ
The best biblical distinction is this: four canonical Gospel books contain one Gospel message—the good news of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The claim that there are “five gospels” usually refers to treating the Gospel of Thomas alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but Thomas is not part of the canonical New Testament and does not present the apostolic Gospel in the same way.
- Scripture explicitly says there is one Gospel
Paul does not present several competing messages. He gives the Gospel in a concise summary: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
—1 Corinthians 15:3–4
He then adds that Christ appeared to Peter, the Twelve, and other witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:5–8). This is the central Gospel: Christ’s atoning death and bodily resurrection for sinners.
Paul also warns against accepting another gospel: “Not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.”
—Galatians 1:7
And he states: “Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
—Galatians 1:8
That language makes sense only if the apostles recognized one authoritative Gospel, not five equally valid gospels.
- The four books are four witnesses to one Gospel
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called “the four Gospels” because they are four written accounts of the one Gospel concerning Jesus Christ. They differ in emphasis, arrangement, and selection of events, but they proclaim the same fundamental person and saving work:
- Jesus is the promised Messiah and Son of God.
- He lived a sinless life.
- He died by crucifixion.
- His death has saving significance.
- He rose bodily from the dead.
- He is Lord and the judge of humanity.
- Salvation requires repentance and faith in him.
Thus, “four Gospels” can be a shorthand for four Gospel accounts, but it should not be confused with four different plans of salvation.
- The New Testament calls the message singular
Jesus commanded his disciples to preach “the gospel” to all nations: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” —Mark 16:15
The apostolic preaching in Acts likewise has a consistent center. Peter proclaims that Jesus was crucified, raised by God, exalted as Lord and Christ, and that people must repent (Acts 2:22–24, 32–36, 38). Paul preaches the same Christ crucified and risen (Acts 13:26–39; 17:2–3).
The message is not five separate revelations. It is one proclamation delivered through different apostolic witnesses.
- Why the Gospel of Thomas is not a fifth canonical Gospel
The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus, but it is not one of the four canonical Gospels. It lacks the central narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and appearances—the very events Paul identifies as “of first importance” in 1 Corinthians 15:1–8.
Its theology also differs significantly from the apostolic writings. Instead of presenting salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection, it emphasizes discovering hidden sayings or secret knowledge. That makes it historically important for studying early religious movements, but it does not make it a fifth Gospel in the canonical or apostolic sense.
Early Christian writers such as Irenaeus recognized Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the Church’s authoritative four Gospel accounts, while other writings were treated as noncanonical. Historical sources also distinguish the four first-century canonical Gospels from later extracanonical works such as Thomas, Peter, and Judas.
There is only one Gospel Message.
“There is one Gospel, not five, six or seven: Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again, and is Lord. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are four canonical accounts of that one Gospel. The so-called Gospel of Thomas is a later noncanonical collection of sayings and does not proclaim the apostolic Gospel of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection. Paul says there is only one true Gospel and warns against any different one in Galatians 1:6–9.”
The careful wording is therefore:
- One Gospel message.
- Four canonical Gospel accounts.
- Other noncanonical writings called “gospels,” but not additional authoritative Gospels.
How were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chosen for the canon?
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were not selected by a single church council that suddenly decided which books belonged in the Bible. Their authority was recognized gradually because churches across the Christian world already received them as faithful, apostolic witnesses to Jesus.
No single church council selected Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and suddenly decided which books belonged in the Bible. Their authority was recognized gradually because churches across the Christian world already received them as faithful, apostolic witnesses to Jesus.
The Main Criteria
Early Christians especially considered three related questions:
- Apostolic connection
Was the writing written by an apostle or by someone closely associated with an apostle?- Matthew was traditionally linked to Matthew, one of the Twelve.
- Mark was associated with Peter’s preaching.
- Luke was a companion of Paul and author of Acts.
- John was identified with the apostle John and the apostolic witness.
- Agreement with the apostolic faith
Did the book agree with the teaching already received from the apostles—particularly concerning Jesus’ identity, death, resurrection, and salvation? - Widespread and continuous use
Was it read publicly and accepted by churches in different regions—not merely promoted by one isolated group?
These were not mechanical tests, but they explain why the four Gospels were accepted while many later writings were not.[rsc.byu][rsc.byu]
Recognition happened early
By the late second century, the four Gospels were already being treated as a settled collection.
The Muratorian Fragment, generally dated around the late second century, refers to the four-Gospel collection. Although the fragment’s beginning is missing, it identifies Luke as the third Gospel and John as the fourth, implying Matthew and Mark preceded them. It also distinguishes accepted writings from disputed or rejected ones.[rsc.byu][academic.oup]
Around AD 180, Irenaeus of Lyons explicitly spoke of the “fourfold Gospel” and named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He did not present them as newly chosen books; he defended the four against groups that either rejected some apostolic writings or promoted additional texts.[academic.oup][academic.oup]
By the time of Eusebius, writing in the early fourth century, the four Gospels were listed among the universally acknowledged Christian writings. Later, Athanasius’s Thirty-Ninth Festal Letter in AD 367 gave the same twenty-seven-book New Testament canon used by most Christians today.[rsc.byu]
Why not other “gospels”?
Other writings called “gospels” appeared, especially in the second century and afterward. Examples include the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Peter, and Gospel of Judas. They were rejected not simply because they had unusual names. They generally lacked one or more of the factors that supported Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John:
- They were too late to come from the apostolic generation.
- They lacked recognized apostolic authorship or connection.
- They were not used broadly across the churches.
- Their teaching often conflicted with the apostolic Gospel.
- They were not consistently received as Scripture in the earliest Christian communities.
For example, the canonical Gospels contain the coherent apostolic proclamation of Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and commissioned witnesses. By contrast, the Gospel of Thomas is primarily a sayings collection and does not narrate Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection as the central saving events.
A necessary qualification: The traditional authorship claims should be stated carefully. The four books themselves are formally anonymous—their titles, “according to Matthew,” “according to Mark,” and so forth, identify the Gospel tradition associated with each author. The historical question is therefore not merely, “Does the book sign its author’s name?” but, “How early and consistently did churches identify it with an apostolic witness?”
Also, the church did not make these books authoritative by voting them into existence. From a traditional Christian perspective, the church recognized books that already possessed divine and apostolic authority. Historically, that recognition occurred through reading, teaching, copying, debate, and broad ecclesial use over time.
A concise explanation
“Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were recognized because they were connected to the apostles, agreed with the apostolic teaching, and were widely and continuously used by the churches. They were already accepted as the fourfold Gospel by the late second century, as shown by the Muratorian Fragment and Irenaeus. Later councils and lists confirmed an existing consensus; they did not invent the four Gospels.”