The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 5-8) 

Conclusion

What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The first Adam disobeyed the command of the covenant-keeping God and sinned, thus bringing sin into the world. Because all have sinned, everyone became guilty, spiritually dead, and also physically dead, facing eternal death in hell, where they could neither die nor live forever. That was who we were, destined for eternal destruction without hope. However, God loved us first and chose us before the foundation of the world. The Father, wishing to save us, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, as the atoning sacrifice and the peace offering for us. He sent Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned sin in Jesus, allowing Him—who was without sin—to bear the full price of our sins on the cross.

The last Adam, Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, took upon Himself all our sins while we were still weak, sinners, and enemies of God. He bore our sins (our sins were imputed to Him) and, as the propitiation, He obeyed the Father even to the point of shedding His blood on the cross. Therefore, God’s righteousness was imputed to us, and we were declared righteous, becoming justified, and receiving eternal life. We live in part experiencing the blessings of eternal life on this earth, and when we enter heaven, we will reign with Jesus forever and enjoy eternal life fully and abundantly.

The fact that God's righteousness was imputed to us and that we were declared "righteous" means that we were "justified" by God. Justification is a legal term in which the Judge, God, not only declares the guilty party innocent but also declares them "righteous." In other words, God's righteousness has been imputed to us. This justification is received solely by God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. By being justified by God's grace, we are now reconciled to God and enjoy peace with Him.

In other words, our relationship with God has been restored, and we are no longer His enemies but His children. Led by Jesus Christ, we can boldly approach the throne of God's grace and, through the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Jesus, call God "Abba Father," enjoying fellowship with Him. We now rejoice in God's glory.

With this assurance of salvation, we hold a certain hope in the glorious return of Jesus Christ. When He appears, we will be transformed to be like Him, and we will see His true form. The Lord will change our humble bodies to be like His glorious body.

Therefore, even in times of tribulation, we rejoice and hope in God's glory. This is because we know that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. With this firm hope, we must live on this earth as those who have received new life, enjoying eternal life as we live.

We must know the only true God and Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, who has shown us great love, we are made children of God by the Father, and we enjoy fellowship with Jesus Christ, the Word of Life from the beginning, who gave His life on the cross as a propitiation for our sins. As we obey the Lord’s commandments and bear the fruit of the Spirit, we must love our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbors as ourselves.

As we live on earth, we must enjoy a life full of love and joy, living a life worthy of the Kingdom of God, and striving to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even though we may be going through difficulties and tribulations that feel like the valley of the shadow of death, we are assured that our current sufferings cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. We are certain that God is for us, and nothing—neither death nor life, angels nor authorities, present things nor future things, powers, height, depth, or anything else in creation—can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us live for Jesus Christ and His Gospel with this victory assurance.