OLDING TO THE TEACHING OF CHRIST is holding to Christ himself, for

Christ does not speak from himself, but the Father speaks in him.1 This is why

holding to Christ is holding to God. The words of God give life. They are satisfying

food and drink, because they are truth, and truth is central to God. When a man has the

truth revealed to him he is no longer a slave to sin, evil or even the appearance of evil,

for truth breaks the bonds of a man’s nature, mind and will, so he is a new creation of

God. Christ takes him as a disciple, which means he is bound to him with the ties that

love and follow. He does not will or decide for himself, rather, the will of Christ is the

source of his thought and actions. His choice is not based on his own thinking or on

what he sees, but the Spirit of Christ in him leads him in the way of life and truth. For

him Christ enlightens hidden truths so that he grows in knowledge, light and revelation.

Such was the case with Paul the Apostle whose eyes and heart were enlightened by God.

He poured his Spirit in him, so that he who had been killing Christians now preached

Christ. Moreover, God raised him up to see and hear divine things, things that man is

not naturally capable of perceiving. All these things were gifts of God’s grace that

settled upon this blessed Apostle, despite the fact that Paul the Apostle was not one of

the disciples. What the Lord gave him made up for the fact that he did not see or hear

the Lord, and he became one of the greatest teachers of the Gospel. He learned all the

mysteries of eternal life, and all the hidden mysteries were revealed to him.

So then, the truth is revealed to him who becomes a disciple of Christ, and he knows

all that is hidden in the Gospel and all the mysteries of eternal life.

God inspired the disciples and apostles to write what they heard from Christ and his

commands which they kept, so the words of the Gospel are the words of Christ. At the

same time, it contains the divine truth living within the Word and reveals its mysteries

to God’s chosen ones. This is why all believers are the Lord’s disciples, and many of

them have distinguished themselves as trumpets of the Gospel heard throughout the

world. This does not come about through the skill of preaching and servants of the

Word, rather, it is a trumpet of truth heard in the hearts of holy ones. To them the words

are uncovered, and the truths of the Christian faith are revealed, to the extent that the

earth competes with heaven in the light that radiates from all corners of the world. So

Christ said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”2

Consider, dear reader, and see just how much the Word of life is heard throughout

the world, even as we today are 2000 years past when the Word was written and first

read. Is this not incredible! What scientist, what teacher, what wise man, what prophet

has caused his words to live 2000 years and increase in their light, brilliance and glory?

Is this not in itself a miracle of the Gospel, that it became a living word, equally for

children, the elderly, the blind and the deaf? The truth of Christ penetrates hearts before

minds. Look with me and see just how many people have been freed from slavery, the

dominance of the mighty and the oppression of leaders and guardians, so that the cry for

the rights of all men now rises even from the jungles. In the name of human rights

leaders of peoples fall, replaced by freedom, and the right of a human to live free is

exalted. Is not the source of this the Word of God which builds up the conscience?

July 29, 2005

2 Matt 28:20.

1 See John 12:49, 14:10.

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