THE GOOD NEWS

"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5b NIV). "Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So He subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains" (Ps. 107:10-14 NIV).

"'[When He did this, it was] to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified [that is, who are made holy] by faith in [Jesus]'" (Acts 26:18 NIV). "The blood of Jesus, His Son [that is, (one of the results of) the crucifixion of Jesus, His Son], purifies us from all sin. . . . If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. . . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 1:7b, 9; 3:8b NIV).

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23 NIV). "The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. . . . He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 4:14b-15; 5:12 NIV). "We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" (1 John 4:13 NIV). "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Rom. 8:16 NIV). "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. . . . And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you" (Rom. 8:9, 11 NIV).

"Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord" (Eph. 5:8b-10 NIV). "Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory" (Rom. 8:17 NIV). "'When the Son of Man [that is, when Jesus] comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. . . ." Then He will say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . . ." Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life'" (Matt. 25:31-34, 41, 46 NIV).

"'I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. . . For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,' declares the Sovereign LORD. 'Repent and live!'" (Ezek. 18:30b, 32 NIV).