_______________________________________________________
For your information: Just a quick reminder as to what this “I BELIEVE . . .”
Series is all about – Earlier, we had done a 20-part series on “Goodness.”
There was an overwhelming response, along with requests for a deeper dive
into some of the concepts presented. I was requested to try to simply put
into the vernacular what my beliefs are regarding some of those concepts.
“I BEIEVE . . .” is my attempt to do just that. As C.S. Lewis once wrote: “If you
cannot turn your faith into the vernacular, either you do not understand it or
you do not believe it.”
O.K., let’s proceed with the project -- JWJ
_________________________________________________________
It is important to explore, understand, and embrace the idea of absolute truth in all areas of life – including faith and religion. The concept of truth is the golden thread that runs through and holds together the entirety of the holy scriptures:
Thy word is truth from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgements endureth forever. (Ps. 119:160 KJV)
I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6 NIV)
But when he, the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13 NIV)
Succinctly stated: God is absolute truth and truth apprehended is the knowledge of God. The way that we humans apprehend God is through revelation – or divine self-disclosure.
God has made accessible to us such truth about himself as is necessary for us to learn about his plan of redemption – his plan to bring us back to him – even though we had wandered off a very long way.
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. (2 Corinth. 5:19 KJV)
In other words: Revelation is the way God confronts us with his redeeming purpose. So, every revelation has a built-in demand for a response to that revelation.
Faith is the name we give to the response when we agree with the revelation.
Unbelief or Doubt is what we call it when we reject the revelation of truth.
Truth is embodied in the living word – the Lord Jesus Christ – and mediated by and through the written Word – the Holy Bible.
Mental and Emotional Assent has to do with reason, intellect and feelings. When we are confronted with a certain concept of truth, we may respond with acknowledgement and a nod of recognition, saying something like: “Oh, that’s cool” or “Oh, that sounds reasonable.”
Acceptance and Obedience is next in the process – it has to do with our positive, willful, or volitional response regarding values and choices. That’s where we might say, “Yes, I buy that!”
It becomes necessary for us to move through the revelation and faith process so that we choose now what will make sense forever, because the future is simply the result of what we do now.
Unbelief or Rejection – or even procrastination, complicates the experience of life and from that point, reality will begin to get “messy.”
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (Rom. 1:8 NIV)
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Rom. 2:8 NIV)
Our positive response to divine revelation includes our rational assent and our obedience – a faith and belief in the truth. Truth, of course, is of positive value only when it is believed:
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. (2Thess. 2:13 KJV)
The Holy Spirit, referred to above, is the Spirit of Truth in God who reveals and communicates truth. The Spirit works to maintain the truth that has once been accepted by the believers. The Spirit faithfully, and continually, guides the believers – and hates and punishes lies and falsehoods:
But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak Only on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me (Jesus) by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make known to you. (John 16:13-15 NIV)
God is perfect truth because His nature is pure love; and that pure love is the essence of the very character of God.
As we, the people created in the image of God, embrace truth, then our character becomes good because our character is the sum total of all we decided, by choice, to accept. As we move through our personal spiritual maturation, we will find that Christianity is not just a series of certain individual pieces of truth patched together, but truth is the TRUTH – about all reality!
One word of good advice: In your journey of TRUTH, don’t go fooling around, for goodness sake, with “half-truths.” Remember the little formula: ½ Truth + Anything = A Lie!
Next Week: Relationship between Truth and the Word of God