By Dr. Dencio Acop
‘But of course! He is God!’ This is the reaction we often say when we are unable to imitate Christ. It is a resignation to sin by a believer. It can also be a mockery by the unbeliever. And a cry for mercy by a penitent. The nominal faithful believe in Christ but do not follow him. The faithless belief in man more than God. And the practicing faithful increasingly suffer sustained only by the mercy of God. Jesus came down to bring truth to God’s favorite creature created in His own likeness and image. Those among His creatures who recognized Him as well as those He touched became His disciples and followers deep down inside. And His mystical body propagated the deposits of faith He left behind through best practice standards established by the Lamb.
Jesus is the revealed truth. He is the Son of God who became the Son of Man. So that God the Father can be revealed to man in his limited understanding through the Son. Who will effect the beginning of the redemption of man through His miracles, passion, death, and resurrection from death. That when He is finally lifted up, He will draw all of humanity unto Himself. Through the Holy Spirit and His mystical body until the end of this passing age. Jesus’ divinity was not meant to overshadow His humanity. Why He came as a poor carpenter’s foster son and died as an ordinary criminal. But He was and still is truth. That was and still is the mighty king in Him which was and still is extraordinary to this day. He made known what is truly important and meaningful in our lives — TRUTH.
Finally, the Truth we now know deep inside us has become the best practice standards worthy of follower-ship. While it is tempting to think that a personal relationship with Christ is all that is needed to be ‘saved’, being ‘saved’ is actually not what it is about. No one is ‘saved’ by being self-centered. ‘No greater love there is than one dying so his friends can live’ cannot be more clear. It is all over the Christian Bible. Only selflessness can merit finding God. The very act His Son modeled for all of us. The sacrifice of the Lamb. The shedding of blood by the innocent. The only kind of sacrifice acceptable to the Father. Unblemished and undefiled. Because it is pure. Purified by self-giving for others. The Christian best practice standard stares us in the face each day. Forget yourself. And you will live.