Four months ago, (before our long segue into learning how to get our old worldly conditioning out of our heads, so that we can be more receptive of God), we looked at the Spiritual nature of the pre-incarnated Christ, His being the Creative Agent of Jehovah’s Designs, and that He was with His Father before time began. Then, we examined all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Him (see Introducing the Messiah). 

            Next, we defined Who our Savior was, first by examining why we needed one in the first place. Then, we used Scripture to prove that He was Jesus Christ, and looked at how He is related with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, within the Godhead (see Who Is the Savior?).

         Today, I am very excited to begin to share with you the Good News, (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ.

            The first 4 books of the New Testament are referred to as the ‘Gospels,’ which describe the life and teachings of Christ. Each book is named after the apostolic authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

            The word ‘gospel’ is derived from the Greek word euaggelion, meaning ‘a good message.’

            Many biblical scholars believe that the book of Mark was written first, and that Matthew and Luke borrowed heavily from it. Others believe Matthew was first. These 3 books are referred to as the ‘synoptic’ gospels, which means that they each share a similar point of view.

            The book of John was written last. It delves much deeper into the theology that surrounds Who Jesus is.

            It was 50 years or more after Jesus ascended to His Father, that the gospels were written, and they weren’t even circulated until after the remainder of the New Testament was completed.

         There is no chronological order to the gospels, but I will present them to you that way, as well as lay all four books before you, simultaneously.

            Let us begin:

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the Light of men. The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].  Jn. 1:1 – 5. AMP

            There is a treasure trove of information here: Christ existed prior to time, as He must have been, because time began with the creation of the universe. And we discover here that all things were created through Him.

“Now Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory and majesty that I had with You before the world existed.” Jn. 17:5 AMP

And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [He is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe. Col. 1:17 AMP

            We see that Christ is eternally immortal, and that He coexists with Jehovah, incorporated within His Father’s essence, even speaking for God as His Word. In that relationship, Christ is the visible representation of God – even God in the flesh when He was incarnated:

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. Col. 1:15 NLT

            Finally, we observe that the Father created all things through His Son. He also animated all people through Christ’s Light of life. That same Light has a Spiritual portion with which the Son of God desires to connect to all human beings. However, many do not choose to make that connection and remain in darkness. Yet His Divine Light still shines bright, unquenchable by any other power or person.

            The apostle John now shifts his viewpoint to Christ’s ministry:

…the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. He (Christ) was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own [that which belonged to Him – His world, His creation, His possession], and those who were His own [people – the Jewish nation] did not receive and welcome Him. Jn. 1:9 – 11. AMP

            Thus, God sent the image of Himself (Jesus), to facilitate our reconciliation to the Father, yet many rejected Him.

How did Christ show up?

 

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born a human being.

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Phil. 2:6 – 8. NLT

            Even so, there were some who came to Jesus and believed:

But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in [adhere to, trust in, and rely on] His name – who were born, not of blood [natural conception], or of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth – they are born of God only – spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified]. Jn. 1:12 – 13. AMP

         We can see then that there is no earthly path for becoming a child of God. The path is through Christ and Christ alone.

            Only when we receive Christ as our Savior can we be reborn through the Spirit of God to become His child. We are remade into how Jehovah intended us to be, so that we may cleave to Him throughout eternity.

            The apostle John also gives a glimpse of Jesus’ ministry in action:

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. Jn. 1:14 NLT

For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jn. 1:15 – 17. AMP

            Jehovah God sent His only Son, out of His great love for us. Jesus, the ever faithful and obedient Son, consented to allow His limitless Spiritual being to become housed in flesh, to have the full experience of being human, with all its concomitant sufferings:

For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every aspect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. Heb. 4:15 AMP

            Christ consented so that we could commiserate with God in the flesh, to be able to receive the ultimate opportunity – to make a free will choice to allow Jesus to elevate ourselves spiritually, to be cojoined to the Father through Him.

            Our heavenly Father gave His only Son, who had been at His side for eons, to cover all His children with His love. Jehovah sent Jesus to envelop us with the grace of God that we might be provided with forgiveness and reconciliation that the Law of Moses could not.

We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. Gal. 4:3 – 5. NLT

         Are you getting a feel for just how BIG our Savior is?

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.

For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father…

And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him (Jesus).

Regarding the angels he (Jehovah) says, “He sends his angels like the winds, his servant like flames of fire.”

But to the Son he says, “Your throne O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and you hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy more than on anyone else.

He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever…you are always the same; you will live forever.”

And God never said to any of the angels, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making then a footstool under your feet.” Heb. 1:1 – 13. NLT

            Have you heard the Good News? Gives you goosebumps, yes?

            Goodnight and God bless.