No human being can measure up to Jesus; no matter how righteous, none meet His standard. Jesus is the blueprint for eternal life. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Looking elsewhere for truth will never compare to following Him. As Jesus also said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Without Jesus, humanity remains in darkness. Faith in Jesus brings salvation.

The Light of the World

Condemning the world was not Jesus’s assignment. Jesus, the light of the world, came to save the lost. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Those who are lost remain blind; further, they are spiritually dead and separated from God. Scripture reveals that truth again and again. Light is what the world cannot comprehend, as stated in Scripture. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:4-5). That truth will never change.

Walking in the Light

Modern-day men and women have chosen to walk their own paths, creating their own gospel and walking in it. The fallen majority is teaching and following a totally contrary gospel to the word of God. Whatever makes them feel good, happy, and right is what they accept as truth, never mind what God says. The Gospel, although called the “Good News,” cuts through to the heart of man. It pierces the soul and reveals the true nature of every being. Because it does not lie to humanity about their fallen state, humans call it hate speech, or they turn it into a lie to fit their own corruptness.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). When we accept Jesus and walk in His ways, the darkness cannot overtake us. We can personally say to God, like the Psalmist,

Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. (Psalm 119:104-106)

By following God’s commands, we can distinguish between lies and truths. We can clearly see with spiritual eyes. We can discern between good and evil and avoid the evil way that leads to death. In this state of fallenness, the world has turned to another gospel—the gospel of man, a trumped-up, erroneous version of what Jesus actually taught. Remaining close to the Word will guide us in the ways of righteousness.

Fulfillment of the Law

Jesus’s coming into the world did not do away with the Father’s law or make void the prophecies of God’s chosen men. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). Humanity could not keep the laws God gave through Moses. Therefore, Jesus came so that, through Him, we can have a righteous relationship with God. Humanity cannot do this work on its own.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4)

The only way to avoid the pitfalls of this fallen world is for humanity to follow the path laid out by Jesus. Scripture says, “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind … [and] love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37, 39, 40). We must know that love is the main thing, for by love, we know we are in Christ.

The Way to Salvation

Jesus is the only way to salvation. “For by grace are [we] saved through faith; and that not of [ourselves]: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). We cannot save ourselves by good works alone. The carnal-minded remain at odds with God: “For to be carnally minded is death” (Romans 8:6a). We must fully submit to God, believing He sent Jesus to die for us and raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:9 says, “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” True belief must be heartfelt. We must accept that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Only then can we repent, as the Word says: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out …” (Acts 3:19).

All Scriptural references come from the King James Version.