The Good News

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Christian good news, told in four movements.

1 · Created for communion

God created every person in his image: for communion with him, with one another, and with the whole creation. Human life is a gift, called to grow in love and holiness.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (RSV)

A circular cosmos on gold: sun, moon and stars above green hills with a lion, a deer and an ox, fish in blue water, Adam and Eve beside a fruit tree in a walled garden, and the Hand of God reaching down from a cloud — The Creation · original digitally generated illustration in the tradition of Armenian manuscript illumination, commissioned for this siteAdam and Eve in the garden beneath the Hand of God — the manuscript convention for the Creator, not a depiction of God.

2 · Wounded by sin and death

We turn from God and wound ourselves, one another, and creation. Sin is more than a broken rule; it is a sickness and bondage that leads toward death. We cannot heal or restore ourselves by our own strength, yet God does not abandon us. See Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8–10.

… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God … Romans 3:23 (RSV)

3 · Healed and restored in Christ

For us and for our salvation, the eternal Son of God became truly human. Jesus entered our wounded condition, offered himself in love on the cross, forgave sin, and rose bodily from the dead. Scripture speaks of his saving work through several connected images: sacrifice and forgiveness, reconciliation, victory over death and the powers, healing, and participation in his life. No one image exhausts the mystery. See John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:18–19; Hebrews 2:14–15; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (RSV)

A broken loaf and a pewter cup of wine on a rough wooden table, lit by a single candle — The Bread and the Cup · symbolic digitally generated illustration commissioned for this siteA still-life meditation on the Eucharist, not a reconstruction of the Last Supper.

The risen Christ strides over broken gates and raises Adam and Eve by the wrists as prophets watch — The Anastasis · original digitally generated illustration in the tradition of Armenian manuscript illumination, commissioned for this site Devotional imagery in the Church's iconographic tradition, not a likeness.

4 · A new life in the Church

Salvation is God's grace, never a wage we earn. We receive and live that gift through faith and repentance, baptism and chrismation, Holy Communion, prayer, love of neighbor, and a lifelong turning toward Christ. The goal is not merely a cleared record, but healing, transformation, and communion with God. See Acts 2:38–42; Romans 6:3–4; James 2:14–18.

… if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (RSV)

A prayer to begin

No prayer is a magic formula. If you want to turn toward Christ, you may begin honestly:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. Forgive and heal me; teach me to follow you; fill me with your Holy Spirit; and draw me into the life of your Church. Amen.”

This is a site-written prayer, not a quotation from Scripture.

Then continue: read one of the Gospels, attend the Divine Liturgy, and speak with an Armenian Apostolic priest about baptism, confession, Communion, and the questions you carry. A trustworthy parish should make room for honest questions and should never demand secrecy about abuse, danger, or coercion.

Learn to pray