The Good News is about God, humankind, Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit, and the Church.
 

A. GOD

1. God, the all-powerful Creator of the universe, exists!

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

"The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship." (Psalm 19:1)

"From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God has made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God." (Romans 1:20)
 

2. God is the eternal Father who loves you and all He has made!

"The LORD is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love... The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him." (Psalm 103:8,13)

"The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. All of your works will thank you, LORD, and your faithful followers will bless you." (Psalms 145:9-10)

"Our Lord showed me a little thing, the size of hazel nut, in the palm of my hand, and it was round as a ball. I looked at it and thought, 'What may this be?' And I received the answer, 'It is all of creation.' I marveled how it might last, for I thought it might suddenly perish because of its small size. And I received the answer, 'It endures and shall endure forever because God loves it. And so creation has existence by the love of God.' In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it; the second is that God loves it; and the third is that God preserves it." (Dame Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love V)

B. HUMANKIND

1. Humankind has been created in the image of God.

"Then God said, 'Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life--the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.' So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27)
 

2. Humankind abused free will to reject the love of God and of neighbor and became slaves to sin.

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned." (Romans 5:12)

"Who has never sinned?" (1 Kings 9:46)

"For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard." (Romans 3:23)

"If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth." (1 John 1:8)

"Jesus [said], 'I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin.'" (John 8:34)
 

3. Humankind experiences the consequences of sin: alienation from God and death (both physical and spiritual).

"There is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore." (Isaiah 59:2)

"The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

"Those who don't know God...will be punished with everlasting destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power... they will be condemned for not believing the truth and for the evil they do." (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1:9, 2:12)

C. JESUS CHRIST

1. Jesus Christ is both the Son of God and the Son of Man--fully God and fully human in one Person.

"In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make... the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father... No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him." (John 1:1-3, 14, 18)

"Moses protested, 'If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, The God of your ancestors has sent me to you, they won't believe me. They will ask, Which god are you talking about? What is his name? Then what should I tell them?' God replied, 'I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS. Just tell them, I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13-14)

"Jesus [said], 'Truly, truly, before Abraham was, I AM.'" (John 8:58)

"The Father and I are one." (John 10:30)

"Though [Christ ] was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:6-11)

"A man who as merely a man and said the sorts of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to." (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

2. Jesus offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins to free us from sin, death, and the devil.

"You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

"He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among his people realized that he was dying for their sins--that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave." (Isaiah 53:3-9)

"God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them... For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:19, 21)

"Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying... Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:14-15,17)

3. Jesus rose again bodily from the dead in victory over the powers of evil.

"You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your godly one to rot in the grave." (Psalm 16:10)

"I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me--that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, although some have died by now. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, I saw him, too, longer after the others, as thought I had been born at the wrong time." (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

"Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again... When this happens--when our perishable bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die--then at last the Scriptures will come true, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives use victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (1 Corinthians 15:20, 54-57)

4. Jesus ascended into heaven and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

"Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we live. The same who came down is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe." (Ephesians 4:9-10)

"'Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!'" (Acts 1:11)

"'The Father has life in himself, and he has granted his Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge all mankind because he is the Son of Man. Don't be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God's Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to judgment.'" (John 6:26-29)

5. Jesus declared Himself to be the only Way to the Father.

"Jesus [said], 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)

"There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them!" (Acts 4:12)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already ben judged for not believing in the only Son of God." (John 3:16-18)

"Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us." (1 John 2:23-25)

D. THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. The Holy Spirit is truly God and the third Person of the Holy Trinity.

"You lied to the Holy Spirit...you weren't lying to us but to God." (Acts 5:3, 4)

"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:13)

2. The Holy Spirit was sent by God to convict us of sin and lead us to trust in Christ and be baptized.

"I [Jesus] will send you the Counselor--the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me... When he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment... When the Spirit of truth comes, we will guide you into all truth." (John 15:26, 16:8-9, 16:13)

"Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

"No one is able to say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3)

"Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slave, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ's body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)

"Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient.  We were misled by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures.  Our lives were full of evil and envy.  We hated others, and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love.  He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy.  He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.  He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did.  He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness.  And now we know that we will inherit eternal life.  These things I have told you are all true.  I want you to insist on them so that everyone who trusts in God will be careful to do good deeds all the time.  These things are good and beneficial for everyone."  (Titus 3:3-8)

3. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love God, fellow Christians, our neighbors, and even our enemies.

"We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (Romans 5:5)

"When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

"Jesus [said], 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.'" (Matthew 22:37-40)

"I [Jesus] command you to love each other in the same way that I love you." (John 15:12)

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust, too. If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48)

E. THE CHURCH

1. The Church was established by Jesus Christ as His means of salvation and will continue forever.

"I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." (Matthew 16:18)

"This is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)

"Sarah, the free woman, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. And she is our mother." (Galatians 4:26)

"You cannot have God for your Father unless you have the Church for your Mother." (St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Unity of the Catholic Church, A.D. 251)

"I embrace the Church, the communion of saints, as my holy Mother, and in a conscious act of faith I make my own all the spiritual blessings that the Church represents." (Martin Luther)

"As it is now our purpose to discourse of the visible Church, let us learn, from her single title of Mother, how useful, nay, how necessary the knowledge of her is, since there is no other means of entering into life unless she conceive us in the womb and give us birth, unless she nourish us at her breasts, and, in short, keep us under her charge and government, until, divested of mortal flesh, we become like the angels." (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion IV 1:4, A.D. 1559)

"Our churches also teach that the one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the assembly of saints in which the Gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly." (Lutheran Augsburg Confession VII, A. D. 1530)

2. The Church includes all Christian communities united by the Holy Spirit in one Lord, one Faith, and one Baptism

"We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)

"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of [Christ's] coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:23-25)

3. The Church encourages believers to devote themselves to studying the apostolic teaching.

"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 199:11)

"The Scriptures cannot be altered." (John 10:35)

"Focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them." (1 Timothy 4:13)

"You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do." (2 Timothy 3:15-17)

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God." (2 Peter 1:20-21)

"I have learned to hold those books alone of the Scriptures that are now called canonical in such reverence and honor that I do most firmly believe that none of their authors has erred in anything that he has written therein. If I find anything in those writings which seems to be contrary to the truth, I presume that either the codex is inaccurate, or the translator has not followed what was said, or I have not properly understood it." (St. Augustine of Hippo)

"Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." (St. Jerome)

"I have always suggested, and will not stop suggesting, that you not only heed what is said in church, but also constantly occupy yourself in reading the Divine Scriptures at home." (St. John Chrysostom)

4. The Church worships God through the Breaking of the Bread (the Eucharist) and the prayers.

"Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church... They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer." (Acts 2:41,42)

"On the first day of the week, we gathered to observe the Lord's Supper." (Acts 20:7)

"When we bless the cup at the Lord's Table, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the blood of Christ? When we break the loaf of bread, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the body o f Christ? And we all eat from one loaf, showing that we are one body." (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

"Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'" (Matthew 6:9-13)

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

5. The Church seeks to help those in need or suffering injustice

"Give fair judgment to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people." (Psalm 82:3-4)

"You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD? No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who are working for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." (Isaiah 58:5-7)

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, 'I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us... Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless." (James 1:27, 2:17)

"Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters." (Galatians 6:10)

6. The Church proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ to people of every class, race, and nation.

"Then the LORD told Abram, 'Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

"May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you." (Psalm 67:2-3)

"Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach those disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

"With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem." (Luke 24:47)

"When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

"For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-Jews first and also Gentiles." (Romans 1:16)

"My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, 'Those who have never been told about him will see, and those who have never heard of him will understand.'" (Romans 15:20-21)

7. The Church looks forward to the Day when all human divisions will cease and God will be all in all.

"The walls of our earthly divisions do not extend to heaven." (Fr. Alexander Men)

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and had palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout: 'Salvation comes from our God on the throne and from the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:10)

"Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I have known now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now." (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)
 

"You didn't choose me.  I chose you.  I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name." (John 15:16)
 

Icon of the Resurrection--copyright Holy Protection Orthodox Monastery, Geneva, Nebraska.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
 

Who Put This Page Together?

I am a Christian who belongs to The Falls Church--Episcopal, a parish of the Anglican Communion.  I consider myself an evangelical catholic Christian. I am an evangelical Christian because I believe in the Good News or Gospel (Evangel) of Jesus Christ, as proclaimed in the Bible. I am a catholic Christian because I am committed to upholding the historic Christian Faith as it has been understood "everywhere, always, and by all", in the words of St. Vincent of Lerins, and because I believe that this Faith is for ALL people and is hence universal (catholic) in application. I seek to understand and communicate the message of the Bible in accordance with the historic consensus of the Church, as expressed in the ecumenical Creeds, the writings of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church, and the lives of the saints, God's holy people in every time and every place.

Questions or Comments? Email Jon Jacobson

Last Updated 15 January 2000