Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.(John 20:30-31)
Christ as Personified Truth and Our Life in Truth
The Lord Jesus did not remain on the cross or in the tomb. He was the firstborn and the first-fruit of the resurrection. The first Christians attempted to convey these facts, namely that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, not of human origin but of eternal God. Secondly, that those who trust in the Lord Jesus and the salvation He provides, there is participation in His life, beginning with the new creation through His death, the continual sanctification of one’s life through His resurrection, and ending with the resurrection body in His Second Coming.
The proclamation of this message is the Gospel and central to Christian mission and evangelism. Yet, if the first Christians struggled to proclaim this message 2000 years ago, then what hope do we have today in the post-truth world? We can stand at the corner and yell at people, “Jesus Christ is the Messiah” but it means nothing to a majority of the people. Christians are called for the mission of truth; to proclaim the essence of our faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mission is not merely acts of charity and good works. Christian mission is integrated with proclaiming the Gospel through preaching and teaching. It need not be loud speeches or in-depth lectures. That is the open-ended question for us to ponder upon and apply in our smaller day-to-day contexts. How can I share this truth today in the post-truth world? We must be able to live out the truth in our life and this truth is Jesus Christ. This leads to the question: “What does Jesus Christ mean for me?” Every title we attribute to Jesus such as “master”, “Savior”, “Lord”, and so forth has implications for how we live. To accept the sovereignty of God in our life, or to call Jesus as “our King” implies that we submit to His will for us. The “king/subject” relation is foreign to us today because most of us live in democratic societies. The Biblical image of God and His people as “king and subjects” is ignored today in favor of the more palatable “father/child” image. Both are in the Bible but ignoring one of the other is once again picking out things we want to hear than those which we need to hear. We don’t live like we belong to a king. We prefer to do what we want rather than what God wants. Secondly, if we believe in Jesus Christ, we have the hope of the resurrection. However, the struggle in faith comes during times of tragedy and feelings of hopelessness. We struggle with trusting God when we don’t get what we want or when there is pain within us and around us. Dealing with faith during the challenges of life is the most difficult thing but if we trust in Jesus Christ, our outlook on life should be different. No matter what our age or situation in life, we need to evaluate the question, “Who is Jesus Christ in my life?” We need to understand how to live out the gospel and live out the truth about Jesus Christ in our life today. If we accept Jesus as our Messiah and King, we have a contentment knowing that all things are under His control and all things lead us to the greatest joy possible: life in God forever.
Deciphering the Truth
Christian faith ultimately rests on understanding the truth. Are the claims of Jesus of Nazareth true? The Gospel writers present different perspectives of the life and claims of Jesus. Christians acknowledge that there is a spiritual and supernatural background to the formation of the Bible. Even if that is not acknowledged, the text should speak for itself. The claims of the Bible are extraordinary and should be evaluated as part of the human search for truth. They cannot be ignored. The Bible shows that there is a deeper meaning to life then what is seen today. The Bible can be read and understood to find that deeper truth. If we know we can find the meaning of existence, We should seek to understand that with all our strength.