The Light of God is Revealed through Jesus

A Word of Truth #064  

Pitch black darkness—the kind of darkness to which your eyes cannot adjust so you are able to see NOTHING. This is the picture God uses throughout Scripture to describe sin and a sinner’s life without Christ. Life apart from Christ is dark, without God, without hope in the world (cf. Ephesians 2:12).

The prophet Isaiah writes, “Arise! Shine! For your LIGHT has come! … Behold! Darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1-2).

Jesus, the Savior of sinners, shines the light of salvation into this world by redeeming us from our sin. Left to ourselves we are in darkness, not seeing Truth, stumbling our way to eternal judgment. But in the person of Jesus we see the true Son of God who became man and gave up His life so that we might have the Light.

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son…He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

Law or Grace—Moses or Jesus Christ (John 1:17)

A Word of Truth #065  

There are two chief teachings in the Bible—the law and the gospel. The law informs us of God’s will—what we are to do and not to do. It also reveals to us that we have broken that will, are sinners, and deserve God’s punishment. The gospel, on the other hand, tells us of God’s great love for us in Jesus, and how God through Jesus has worked out a plan for our salvation.

The evangelist John speaks of these two teachings when he says, “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). It is important for us to understand God’s law, so that we understand our problem with sin. It is even more important for us to understand His gospel, so that we know of His great love for us in Jesus and so that we might come to trust in Jesus and receive eternal salvation—an undeserved gift of His love.