Most Americans, and even American church-goers, believe in God, believe that Jesus is God and believe in an afterlife. But when you ask them how that works and how you can know, with any certainty, one's standing with God, they start using words and phrases like, I hope or I've tried to live a good life. The Gospel, the one, true Gospel flies in the face of that. And we see it clearly in the life of Mary as she is told that God is going to give her a son.