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4. The Light Shines in the Darkness
Christ is God’s wonderful light, which has come to our earth to illuminate all people. Before Him came prophets, philosophers, kings and sultans. Many have thought that one or another of these was the Savior of the world. But they all passed away. Only Jesus Christ has continued: the lighthouse shining in darkness. He will illuminate all who come within the reach of the rays of His love.
You will probably ask us: Why does Christ say that He is the light of the world? What are the new teachings and thoughts He brought, which were not proclaimed by other prophets and kings?
Christ came to us in the image of the incarnate God and in the essence of the creator. He declared to us that the Almighty is eternal love. For He is not a God, who is remote and unknown, indifferent to us, guiding whom He will and misleading whom He will. But He is the loving Father, who despises not nor rejects wretched man. Instead He offers everyone His compassion and His truth in Christ. This is the doctrinal revolution, which the Son of Mary brought. Since that time, we fear God not as a tyrant nor as a judge. The reason is that the great God is our heavenly Father, who has bestowed on us sonship. He cares for us, as a father cares for his children. He loves us, and offers us His free salvation from the bondage of sin and death.
Do you trust the message of Christ and believe that God is your spiritual father? Jesus Christ has descended to your level, because He desires to pour out His love into your thirsty heart.
Christ fulfilled His new teaching in His own life, for He is God's Incarnate Word. Through the power of His heavenly father He loved His enemies and blessed His cursers and lived a life of purity in word and deed. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He did not merely preach God’s word, but He lived it out. All the prophets before Him declared Gods will to man. But Christ was God’s Word itself. The Almighty became flesh in Him so He could say:
Christ has taught us who God is: Love which knows no end, mercy which is unsearchable and power which is limitless. Christ came not to destroy the hateful and exterminate the godless; rather He said:
How great is this witness of Christ to Himself! Our Lord is gentle and humble in heart, to such an extent that He laid down His life as a ransom for many. He did not appear as a master or a tyrant, but witnessed to Himself saying:
In this statement Christ announced the character of His new order, making it clear to His followers that:
Pride is not the slogan of Christianity, but humility and service, as well as self-sacrifice for the sake of others. This includes even those who refuse to accept the sacrifice. These virtues are the fruit of the teachings of Christ, who declared to us that God is a loving Father. He lived these principles before our eyes.