Only Through Jesus

Jesus is the true Light of the World, the expression of God, and the only source of truth, life, and salvation. “Life” is found in the “Word” or ‘Logos’ of God, and this life is the “Light of men.” It “shines in the darkness,” and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. This ‘Logos’ became the Living Word of God manifested in the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The glory and life of God radiate through Christ for all men to behold - (John 1:1).

Presidents, kings, dictators, political ideologies, and messianic pretenders portray themselves as humanity’s best hope for peace and prosperity, the supposed sources of light and bulwarks of order against the darkness and chaos that threaten to overwhelm society.

[Photo by Vincent Ledvina on Unsplash]

Such claims are counterfeits of God’s truth. The arrogant pretensions of political leaders and false prophets are exposed when the true “Light of God” shines brightly through His Son. The God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” now gives us the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” There is “no other name under heaven whereby we may be saved”– (Acts 4:12, 2 Corinthians 4:6).

Contrary to the wisdom of this world, life, truth, peace, and salvation are found only in the lowly man of Nazareth who died on the Imperial Cross. Christ was condemned by his enemies and the State, and abandoned by his friends and followers.

Nevertheless, God raised Jesus from the dead and made him both “Lord and Messiah.” He reigns today from the Divine Throne. He is the “Faithful Witness,” in his death, and the “Firstborn of the Dead,” since God raised him, and therefore, Christ is now the “Sovereign over the Kings of the Earth” – (Acts 2:36, Revelation 1:4-6).

The proclamation of “Christ crucified” is “God’s power and wisdom.” True power does not come from the barrel of a gun or the Imperial Throne of Caesar, but through the “word of the Cross” - (1 Corinthians 1:17-24).

We are summoned to “testify” to this great light. This must be so since God sent him and God is “light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Therefore, the “darkness is passing away, and the true light is shining” through His Living Word, Jesus Christ, driving back the counterfeits and lies of Satan as we proclaim Christ's Good News to the world – (Matthew 24:14, 1 John 1:5, 2:8).

The false claims of this fallen age have failed time and again, and according to the Apostle John, there is only one source of the True Light that “illuminates every man coming into the World,” and this life is found only in God’s beloved Son.

We become his “lights in the world” when we let our “light shine before men so they may glorify our Father in heaven.”  The fullness of His light is manifested in His Son, and that light is reflected in us as we bear witness to Jesus, the Messiah who came to “save his people from their sins” – (Matthew 1:21, John 1:1-14).

Thus, Jesus is the “Light of the World,” and there is no other source of life but him. We become the shining “City on a Hill” when we let his light shine through us by carrying his cross and following him “wherever he leads.”

Our mission is to preach the Good News to all men without exception. Christ is the Savior of the world, not just of one nation, people, or tribe – (Matthew 16:24, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Revelation 14:4).

THE LOGOS

John’s Gospel begins by declaring that God created all things through His “Word,” the “Logos.” “Light” and “Life” are found only in this “Word made flesh.” The Creator of the Universe gave living form and expression to this ‘Logos’ in Jesus of Nazareth.

This same Jesus is the “Light of the World” because he is the full expression of God. This is why anyone who believes in him and his words no longer “abides in the darkness.” We have been rescued from the power of darkness and “transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” – (John 12:44-50, Colossians 1:13).

Jesus, the Crucified Messiah, is the “Word of Life” manifested to humanity as his Church proclaims the Gospel. Because this “Word of Life” has entered the world through him, the “darkness is passing away, and the true light already is shining.”

The darkness cannot smother the Light. It retreats wherever the light of Christ shines and his message is heard. Thus, the forms and institutions of this present age are retreating and “passing away” already even before the final day arrives. This includes the political ideologies and institutions of this world. In the end, only Christ’s kingdom will remain – (1 John 1:1-3, 2:8, 1 Corinthians 7:31, 15:24-28).

In a very dark world, Jesus is the bright light that radiates God’s life, truth, salvation, and hope to all men and women, and there is no other. He alone is the “Light of the World.” There are no substitutes, surrogates, or proxies. The other claimants to life, liberty, and light are liars who disguise themselves as “angels of light” to seduce us away from the True Light – (2 Corinthians 11:14).

The Nazarene declared to his disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” No one comes to God “except through me,” and, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” There is no other way to know or access God. Jesus is the full and final expression of the Father, the Creator of all things. Life and salvation can be found nowhere else except in Jesus Christ.

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SEE ALSO:

• Salvation for All - (The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to men and women of every nation and people)

• The Age of Salvation - (Jesus announced the salvation of God offered to men and women of every nation, marking the commencement of the Age of Salvation)

• Glad Tidings - (Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth)

• Seulement Par Jésus - (Jésus est la vraie Lumière du Monde, l'expression de Dieu et la seule source de vérité, de vie et de salut)