The Divine Mysteries Of Jesus Christ

The Divine Mysteries of Jesus Christ

Introduction

"Many people—particularly the young—have been persuaded that such a search is futile. They have been told from their preschool days on that one person’s opinion is as good as anothers, that each person can pick his or her own truth from a multicultural smorgasbord. If one choice proves unsavory, pick another, and so on, until, in a consumerist fashion, we pick the truth we like best. I think the despair of Generations X, Y, and now E comes from this fundamental notion that there’s no such thing as reality or the capital-T truth. Almost every new movie I see these days features a bright, good-looking, talented young man who is so downright sad, he can barely lift his head. I want to scream, “What’s wrong with this guy?” Then I feel a profound compassion because his generation has been forbidden the one thing that makes life such a breathtaking challenge: truth.”

? Charles W. Colson, The Good Life

The famous evangelical leader Charles Colson could see what was happening in our culture in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. His primary ministry was in the prisons of America. He was a great leader. Yet he also was a man with a deep need for the grace of God. Colson was part of the Nixon administration. He was sent to prison for his part in the Watergate scandal. Later on he found faith in Jesus Christ. And he became a missionary to the prisons that once housed him.

He was concerned about young people, and how young people were being told to abandon the greatest search of all: the search for the meaning of life. Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life? And of all life?

Truth, the great breathtaking challenge. What is the truth about life? As believers we know the truth is as follows:

John 1:1-5, 9-14: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life,and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

In Jesus Christ we find the answer to the overarching theme of life itself, a multipronged description of God. The word of God made the universe, the word of God became a man, the word of God became a son of God to enable the sons of God to become children of God. The truth there is rife with paradoxes and deep philosophical constructs.

But in any search for the truth, the search can be broken down into five categories. These categories are: Origin, identity, meaning, morality, and destiny. (These categories are defined by Dr. Norm Geisler in his book "I don't have enough Faith to be an Atheist.")

Origin – Where do I come from? Identity – Who am I? Meaning – What is meaningful in life? Morality – What is right and wrong? And destiny – what future do I have?

So in Jesus we find the answer to our origins: Our current predicament in the state of humanity: man has fallen from positive regard with God, and currently struggles in an attempt to create systems outside of a need for God.

In Jesus we find the answer to our identity: “we are made in the image of God” Genesis 1:27. The natural entailment is that all life has value, high value.

We find the answer regarding our understanding of the meaning of life: You are an eternal being designed to live in joyous connection to your maker.

We find the answer in understanding the proper allocations of morality; the teachings of how life ought to be lived. We see in Jesus the perfect union of contrasts between mercy, justice, love, truth, judgment and grace.

We find the answer in understanding our future destiny in glory: We are destined to know Jesus, to know peace, and live in a perfected state of existence.