To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 25)
Without a proper source of light, we all stumble in the dark. Whether it is a flashlight in a dark room or a full moon on a hiking trail, light exposes the obstacles in our way and shows the right direction to go. Without it, we would consistently hit obstacles and be forced to move at an extremely reduced speed. No one takes credit for producing the light, though whoever remembered to bring their flashlight on the camping trip might gloat a bit as they save the day. We may flip a switch, but the light does all of the work. Think how odd it would be for someone to walk around claiming to be the source of light that kept everyone from stumbling.
Jude finished his short, complex letter by properly giving all praise and glory to God. Like a flashlight on a dark night, only God can keep us from stumbling. God alone is our Savior and is solely worthy of glory, majesty, and power and authority. It is easy for us to subtly take the credit for any moral or spiritual advancement that occurs in our lives. We can far too easily move from reliance on the righteousness of God to a righteousness of self-reliance. Jude calls us back to giving all glory to God alone, because Christ alone is the light of the world.
Christ alone is the light of the world.
Mark Moore PhD is an associate professor of theology at William Jessup University and the spiritual formation pastor at Faith Legacy Church in Sacramento, California.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
