CHRIST’S CLARITY

By Joneil Alcock

 

There’s a challenging era upon us as men have bowed to the intellectual mislead of pluralism. In a pluralistic society anything goes, we wrap ourselves in our own delights, build our faith on our own morals and thinking and throw the truth out the window.

 

THE CHALLENGE

The truth, the real truth, the absolute truth is a term many disbelieve. However, if we were to really think philosophically about it, in any situation or circumstance there is always one thing that stands clear and firm. A man must admit and know the laws of gravity or jump off a building thinking he can fly unassisted and fall to his death. A man must know and realize that he cannot rob and kill someone or face prosecution if caught in a just society. A man must realize and believe that he has a day destined for his death or live out his days falsely thinking he has many days on Earth and that he is invincible.

A man must believe and trust that Christ sets the standard, is the Creator and Sustainer of life, and saves all those who put faith in Him or live his life in a subdued state with no total understanding of his origin, meaning, purpose or destiny.

As a man comes to believe these things a few changes happen inside of him. In fact, many times before any real changes happen in a situation of consequence, stages of transition occur. First, a man comes to the dilemma of who Christ is and that He presents Himself as the absolute truth.

 

CHRIST’S DILEMMA OF TRUTH (STAGE 1)

More than two millennia ago, as Christ was brought to the praetorium of Pilate’s court, this argument of truth played out. He was accused by the chief priests as a blasphemer and they brought Him to Pilate and tried to put Him to death. Pilate contended with Christ and asked Him if He is the KING OF THE JEWS. Christ in His brilliant style of communication asked Pilate a question: “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” (John 18:34)

Pilate then said that he wouldn’t know since it is the chief priests who had brought the accusation.To which Christ replied that “my kingship is not from the world.” (John 18:36).

Pilate then said to Him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “you say that I am a King. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.”

To which Pilate then responded with a critical question, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

Indeed! Of course, we know what followed next, Pilate washed his hands of the whole affair and sent the Saviour off to be crucified. It is ironic that the very embodiment of truth was before Pilate and he didn’t realize it. That he continued to wrestle with the chief priests and crowd of accusers until the deed was accomplished. Even to release the robber Barabbas in Christ’s place.

 

CRUCIFIXION (STAGE 2)

So we had not only a conflict in the Roman leader’s mind but the people of the day. Then the Saviour of the whole world took His place on the Roman cross and faced the ultimate form of capital punishment in His day.

The whole process of crucifixion was one part humiliation of being exposed and killed publicly and two parts an excruciating method of torture until death. It was even triply deflating because they had decided to kill an innocent person. In fact, someone who knew no sin (from birth)
(2nd Corinthians 5:21).

 

CONVERSION (STAGE 3)

However what the chief priests and people in the first century thought was the end of the great teacher and miracle worker was just a pause to a higher revelation. Three days later Christ is resurrected! He defeated the devil, hell and the grave so much that later the Apostle Paul would exclaim: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55. Reference: Isaiah 25:8 AND Hosea 13:14)

For those who were not yet believers in Jerusalem, a day came called Pentecost when the Spirit of the Lord came unto the first church assembled in one accord. They began to speak in other tongues such that all tribes in Jerusalem from Parthians to Arabians could understand the word of God. This miraculous sign was puzzling to some until Peter explained to them that the prophecy of Joel was revealed before their very eyes. Additionally he mentioned the prophecies of King David and that Christ who they had “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men,” was resurrected and the very Messiah who they had been waiting on for generations. (Acts 2:23)

It is said that after Peter’s great sermon about “three thousand souls” were added to the believers. (Acts 2:41) However, what sparked it was not just the words of the apostle but the sacrifice that Christ had made, knowing He was to be the Lamb that was slain from the foundations of the world.

 

THE STANDARD

Christ provides a sobering truth in a world drunk on their own perceptions of self and morality – an interplay of people thinking they can rule themselves without consequences and that anything their eyes see they should partake in and anything their minds think they should say and do. A world devoid of rational meaning and purpose and couched comfortably in sin is the world without Christ.

It is the stages of realizing the absolute truth of Christ that will cause a personal and public conversion to a greater destiny. A man who believes that Christ is the answer to his life will live it with a clearer understanding of who he is and where he is going.  A nation that knows that Christ is the standard can fulfill a nobler cause. The world moving in faith to Christ’s teachings can solve all the poverty, crime, violence, disunity, racial discrimination, sexual prejudice and rampant abuse problems of our day.

Christ sacrificed Himself for this very reason! So that we can (1) arrive at a glaring clarity of self, (2) kill our selfish desires, (3) and become all that we were meant to be and live out our lives with compassion, peace and harmony.

 

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