Reflection: What Is The Gospel But This

And what is the Gospel but this: that in the incarnation God united his divinity with our humanity that he might unite our humanity with his divinity, making us partakers of the divine nature, and adopting us as true sons and daughters of God; that in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, God revealed his fullness in bodily form so that, having seen the Son, we have seen the Father, full of grace and truth; that in the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world, abolishing the charges against us and reconciling man to God; that in his burial and descent to hell Christ our Champion harrowed hell and set free from Satan’s bondage the righteous of ages past and the righteous of ages yet to come; that in his glorious resurrection Christ our Victor led captivity captive and defeated death, opening the gates of paradise and life everlasting; that in his ascension Christ took his rightful place of glory at the right hand of the Father and began his reign as King of kings and Lord of lords over all creation; that in his coming again all men will stand before his judgment seat to receive what is due for the things done while in the body: eternal life for those who seek for glory, honor, and immortality, but indignation and wrath for those who do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness.

What is the gospel but this: the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes; the redemption in Christ Jesus – in whose name alone all men must be saved – whom God set forth as an offering for sin so that God might be just and be the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.