Our Vision:
Ambassadors was started with one thing in mind; to create content that strengthens and emboldens Christians to be ambassadors for Christ with all their heart, soul and mind. The Gospel is at the heart of all we do, from t-shirt designs to devotionals, home decor to bible studies, and everything in between. Knowing our center, We must ask and respond to a critical question: What is the Gospel?
Jesus Christ:
We must begin with Jesus Christ, the founder of our faith. He is the one who brought the gospel of salvation to the world (Luke 4:17-19). But who is He, exactly? Is he an excellent teacher, a prophet, or something else entirely?
Fully God:
Christ is more than just a good teacher or prophet. He is, first and foremost, God the Son, the Trinity's second member. As John 1:1-3 clearly states,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Jesus is clearly identified as God, the one who created Heaven and Earth. This was no ordinary man who, like us, was sinful and born in sin. Other biblical references to Jesus' divinity include the following: (John 20:26-29, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13-14, Hebrews 1:8-10, I Peter 1:1, I John 5:20). These are just a few of the countless passages that demonstrate that Jesus Christ is God.
Fully Human:
Not only is He God, but Jesus then took on Himself human nature, as John 1:14 says,
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Also consider Philippians 2:6-11 which says,
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
The reason that Jesus had to take on human flesh is made clear from Hebrews 2:9-10, 14-18,
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings… Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”
Because mankind had sinned and offended a Holy God, Christ humbled himself, descended from Heaven, and took on human form, becoming the God-man Jesus Christ, who is both entirely God and entirely man.
Because He was born from the virgin Mary and had no earthly father, He was born without a sin nature and is thus the only one declared truly righteous for living a perfect and sinless life.
In love, He offered Himself as humanity’s perfect sacrifice and paid for our sins with His own blood. As the scripture says, “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.” He bore the punishment that we rightly deserved and instead, gave us His own righteousness.
The Gospel:
The Apostle Paul gives us the perfect definition in First Corinthians 15:1-8.
“MOREOVER, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Here Paul lays out the true facts of this glorious gospel! Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man, died for all of our sins and wrongdoings. He took our sin and guilt upon Himself and sacrificed His life to atone for our unrighteousness and rebellion against God. Finally, He proved Himself worthy by rising from the grave, defeating sin and death once and for all. God had accepted His sacrifice. Christ ascended to Heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.
Application of the Gospel:
Agreement with the facts of the gospel is not enough to save you, even the devils “believe” that is they know the facts are true and tremble (James 2:19). Though they have witnessed and understood its truth, they have no personal faith in Christ to save them, nor do they turn from their rebellion against God.
We must recognize that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. The scriptures call us to repentance and faith on the redemptive work of Christ, rather than in our own works. It is how Paul preached the message, and that is how we are to preach the gospel today. Take for example Acts 20:21,
“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Repentance means to change one's mind. This is when God grants someone the ability to see their sin for what it is, hate it, and turn from it. Faith is that which grabs onto Christ and trusts Him alone for salvation. It is trusting that He has taken away your sin, by giving himself as the perfect substitute, and rising again to secure your salvation. The Bible says once someone comes to true faith in Christ they are justified. This is a legal term which means to declare someone righteous, to look at them as if they have never committed the crime. When you trust in Jesus, God credits Jesus’ righteousness to your account and no longer sees you as a sinner and enemy, but perfect, as He sees Christ.
All who come to Him in faith are given the gift of eternal life. When we die physically, our spirit goes to live with God in Heaven until the final resurrection, when our bodies are reunited with our souls and we are given new bodies to live with God and enjoy Him forever. All of this is to praise His marvelous grace, which will be known throughout all eternity.
Soli Deo Gloria.
