Unlimited: The Gospel Writers Tell Us of Jesus
Jan 25, 2022 1319
It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead… Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:10,12, NIV).
We confess with Matthew that Jesus is the Christ, the son of David and Abraham, the Son of God, who is Immanuel (God with us), and that he fulfilled the law and the prophets and inaugurated the eschatological kingdom of heaven. As the perfectly obedient Messiah, Jesus made final atonement for sin by his death on the Cross.
We confess with Mark that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Son of God who was also the suffering Son of man, came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. By his ministry, death, and resurrection he inaugurated the kingdom of God and will, as Lord of history, soon effect its consummation.
The four Gospels tell us of Jesus.
We acknowledge with the writer of Luke-Acts that Christianity is a universal faith, embracing all without distinction, making them one in Jesus Christ. It is a faith that in love lifts the outcasts and underprivileged, assuring them of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humankind.
We affirm with John that the Word, who was God and with God in the beginning, became flesh and dwelt among us. We confess him to be the one who took away the sin of the world. That is how whoever believes in him will not perish but experience eternal life now. – Des Ford (adapted)
Reflection: This is a summary of Christian belief based on the four Gospels. It can often be very useful to crystalise your beliefs by writing them down in a summary form. This can help you share with others and have answers to questions ready. Why don’t you summarise your key beliefs as a Christian in a few paragraphs, and see what you come up with?
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