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The Great Teacher
Christ was the greatest teacher the world has ever known. He
came to this earth to shed abroad the bright beams of truth, that
men might gain a fitness for heaven. “For this cause came I into
the world,” He declared, “that I should bear witness unto the truth.”
John 18:37
. He came to reveal the character of the Father, that men
might be led to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Man’s need for a divine teacher was known in heaven. The pity
and sympathy of God were aroused in behalf of human beings, fallen
and bound to Satan’s chariot car; and when the fullness of time was
come, He sent forth His Son. The One appointed in the councils of
heaven came to this earth as man’s instructor. The rich benevolence
of God gave Him to our world, and to meet the necessities of human
nature He took humanity upon Himself. To the astonishment of
the heavenly host the eternal Word came to this world as a helpless
babe. Fully prepared, He left the royal courts and mysteriously allied
Himself with fallen human beings. “The Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us.”
John 1:14
.
When Christ left His high command, He might have taken upon
Him any condition in life that He chose. But greatness and rank
were nothing to Him, and He chose the most humble walk of life.
No luxury, ease, or self-gratification came into His experience. The
truth of heavenly origin was to be His theme; He was to sow the
world with truth, and He lived in such a way as to be accessible to
all.
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That during His childhood Christ should grow in wisdom and
in favor with God and man was not a matter of astonishment, for it
was according to the laws of His divine appointment that His talents
should develop and His faculties strengthen. He did not seek an
education in the schools of the rabbis, for God was His instructor.
As He grew older He continued to increase in wisdom. He applied
Himself diligently to a study of the Scriptures, for He knew them to
be full of invaluable instruction. He was faithful in the discharge of
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