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            The Gospel is often sold short by saying it is just the “Good News” of Jesus Christ. That is not meant to say the Gospel is not good news, but it is so much more. If you asked 50 believers what the Gospel is, you would get a myriad of answers. Some would be short, and some would be lengthy. There are several places throughout the Bible that spell out the Gospel. One of those places is found in John 1. In this Christmas time of year, spelling out the Gospel based on the arrival of Jesus is timely and poignant. The chapter starts with, “In the beginning…” This is familiar to us because it is how the Genesis creation story begins. Verse 1 goes on to identify Jesus as the “Word” and reveals to us that Jesus was with God and was God.  Verse 2 goes further by telling us the Jesus was there in creation and in fact nothing that was ever created was not created by Jesus. He is creator and we also see Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness and that light will not be overcome. Our lives are full of darkness unless Jesus shines into our lives. We must receive the light and then we are to bear witness to the light within us. We do this so we can be called the children of God. There is so much power and promise in John 1:1-18. The Gospel is revealed for us to know and to share.

            So, what is the Gospel revealed in John 1? First, we see, that in the beginning God and Jesus created the world. When Jesus came into the world to shine light into the darkness, some did not receive Him as God and do not believe that He is the overcoming light that shines in the darkness. This is the light that John the Baptist foretold of and declared that Jesus was “born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the of the will of man, but of God.” This Jesus was God, and He came to shine light in the darkness in the world because of sin. Sin was the reason that some did not receive Him, and they chose their own way instead of God’s perfect plan. Choosing our own way is telling God that your way is better than His, and that is sin. So, God created the world, and His creation chose their own way bringing sin and darkness. God intervenes by sending Jesus to be the light in the darkness. Jesus came in the flesh and dwelt among us to show the glory of God and bring us grace. The G.R.A.C.E. acronym stands for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We get grace because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. Many people will stop there in defining the Gospel. There is future truth and responsibility for us in the Gospel as well. The truth is that by receiving the light, we get the right to become the children of God. There is no other way to gain access to God’s family without Jesus Christ dying for our sins on the cross. That truth also gives us responsibility. That responsibility is to be like John and bear witness to the light within us. Yes, the Gospel saves us, but the power of the Gospel must compel us to not keep it to ourselves. We get Jesus and we ought to share it with others. The grace of Jesus Christ is the greatest gift to give, and we should be sharing it all the time. The light of the Gospel shines in us and we have the responsibility to shine it for others to see.