The Good News
'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.' [Luke 2:10-11]
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him." [John 3:16-17]
"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.
[1 John 4:14]
"God our Saviour desires all people to be saved and to come to the to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all."
[1 Timothy 2:3b-6a]
"On the day of Pentecost Peter, standing with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: 'Men of Judaea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ears to my words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." [Acts 2:22-24]
"Brothers and sisters: God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show us the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepareed beforehand, that we should walk in them." [Ephesians 2:4-10]
"Christ has entered, not into the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." [Hebrews 9:24,27-28; 10:19-23]
"Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.'" [John 1:37]
'Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served by to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.' [Mark 10:43-45]
"By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice." [2 Peter 1:3-4]