"What is truth" is the most important question we can ask - and many of us do.
What is the truth?
Last week, I taught our first session of the 13 week biblical world-and-life-view class The Truth Project for the interested women at our church. What a thrill! What a privilege!
So last Thursday, the first topic in the curriculum was the issue of Veritology. Veritas is Latin for 'Truth", and 'ology' indicates the study of something. Biology. Zoology. Embryology. Theology.
VERITOLOGY. What is Truth?
We scoured Old Testament and New Testament and I came away with two key points to ponder:
1.) In Jesus' own words, stating why it is He came to earth: "Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (John 18:37 niv)
I'd like to make a couple observations here in this seemingly simple statement.
a.) From Christ's lips Himself, He stated the reason He came to earth was to TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH.
Evidently, truth is critical. Evidently, truth is important. We, as Christians, should care what truth is; and as we, as Christians, are ultimately called to become Christ-like - shouldn't we be duty-bound and obligated to do the same - namely, to testify to the truth.
With so many different 'truth'-claims floating around professing Christian communities, shouldn't we be more concerned to flush them out, research them, and studiously investigate, and then articulate which ones are legitimate? I have come to the conviction that the answer to this question is a hearty YES!
I'm going to list a couple I tend to tangle with on a regular basis.
- "What's right for you may not be right for me."
- "God is sovereign, but man still has to choose to be 'saved'."
- "The Kingdom of God is in the near-but-not-yet future."
- "There is a difference between Israel and the Church."
- "God allows, but does not decree bad things to happen to good people."
- "Jesus died for all the sins of all men."
- "The lordship of Jesus Christ is optional, but not required for the Christian." (Put another way, "You can accept Jesus as your personal savior without bending knee to Him as LORD of all.")
- "God wills all people go to Heaven."
- "Our kids are salt and light in public schools."
- "We live under the New Covenant... Old Covenant law does not apply."
- "There is a difference between secular and sacred."
- "Times have changed, to be successful in this day and age, this (a college degree, a six-figure income, separate bedrooms for each child, etc...) is required."
b.) Further, and what I find to be most profound in this claim, Jesus adds, 'Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." This implies there are SIDES. A right side (Jesus'), and a wrong side (opposed to Jesus). Now that's quite a statement!
So I wonder, if we read the same Bible and come to different conclusions - for example, as in God's sovereignty + Man's 'free will' = heaven or hell destination - isn't at least one of the conclusions wrong? Both obviously can't be 'right'. Both can be wrong, but both cannot be right!
Arminians claim coming to Christ is a free-will choice; that God bids everyone 'come' and Jesus died for all the sins for all men - with the exception of unbelief and gospel rebelion. if one is intellectually honest and logical, they would see this claim as making man ultimately and finally sovereign - hence, negating the notion of 'the sovereignty of God.'
Calvinists claim coming to Christ is a spiritual-state resurrection. A 100% doing of God. As in the word-picture of Lazarus, when Christ bid him 'arise' and he appeared, after being stinky-dead all wrapped up in his burial cloths. Lazarus did not 'choose' to be brought back to life. He did not 'seek' Christ while in his state of corruption, death, and decay. HE WAS DEAD. DEAD MEN DON'T REFUSE OR CHOOSE LIFE. THEY ARE ... D-E-A-D! When the Holy Spirit resurrects our 'dead in transgressions' spirit and breathes life into it and quickens us unto spiritual life, we will come. We are only so thankful to come to life. Satan's truth-claim in the garden to Eve, 'You will not surely die', was a half-truth presented as a whole truth --- which is a lie! She did not die physically or cognitively, but indeed she and Adam partook of the forbidden fruit and did die spiritually. (Hence, regeneration is literally a spiritual resurrection.)
Isn't stake on truth-claims within the professing body of Christ worthy of a wrestle?!
Jesus, in His own words said 'Everyone on the side of truth listen to me.'
Do we second-guess or manipulate the Word of God to fit our presuppositional impressions and beliefs? Do we BELIEVE GOD, or just believe in God? There is a big difference! Do we fall into moral relativism when we come against a professing Sister or Brother who disagrees with biblical truth, and copout by saying 'what's right for you may not be right for me.'? I wonder....
The second key point to ponder after listening to the Truth Project lesson on Veritology is this:
2.) God equates lies with idols!
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 44 it states that work can be an idol (v.12), people can be an idol (v.13), and a lie can be an idol (v. 15-20). Let's focus on Isaiah 44:15-20.
"He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or he planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.
It is man's fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
but he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.
Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
'Ah! I am warm; I see the fire."
From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
"Save me; you are my god."
They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds are closed so they cannot understand.
No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
"Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"
He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
he cannot save himself, or say,
"It not this thing in my right hand a lie?"
Is this not remarkable! Scripture equates a lie with an idol! If we are living a lie - because we believe a lie, and we indeed live what we truly believe - we are idol worshippers. God has quite a judgement for idol worshippers! Read the book of Galatians!
"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:16-21 niv)
So here we can see: God equates idol worship with intentionally and naively living out lies - whether we are cognisant of the lie or not. Evidently, the issue of true Truth and salvation are connected. Truth has eternal consequences!
We ar wise to do the hard work to discover and bend knee to the truth of Scripture. Polar 'opinions' don't jive in the Body of Christ!
Whew! This is just the first week of study in the Truth Project!
Next week - philosophy and ethics. Can't wait!
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