Was the gospel just a ticket to heaven—or something far more powerful? In this third installment of our What Is the Gospel? series on Whiskey and the Writings, we take a deep dive into what the earliest Christians—those who actually wrote the New Testament—believed the gospel was. Spoiler: it’s not a sales pitch for the afterlife. Joe Oliver (M.A. in Biblical Theology, 24 years in ministry) explores how the gospel meant the enthronement of Jesus as King, the fulfillment of long-awaited promises, and an invitation into a new kind of life—right now. We walk through ancient context, early Christian sermons in Acts, and one of the earliest gospel summaries in 1 Corinthians 15. If you’ve ever questioned what the gospel really is—or if the message you grew up hearing still holds up—this episode is for you.