Truth Must Exist

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32

Does Truth exist?  This question is fundamental to all of life.  Our lives tell us pragmatically that truth must exist.  No one actually lives as if truth does not exist.  In order to think meaningfully, we must believe that it is possible to think properly.  That is to say, we can think in accordance with reality.  In order to define reality, truth must exist.  Remember truth is that which defines reality. ¹   When we define something, we are telling what is true of that thing.  Once we define it, we can begin to manipulate the object in our thoughts.  However, imagine if everyone defined everything randomly.  Consider even a state where the same person defined the same thing differently each time they thought about it.  Or consider a state where every time you thought of something you found it did not reflect reality, but then you would not know what reality was because that would assume truth existed.  In such a state, we could never come to meaningful communication. 

In order to communicate with each other, truth must exist.  To communicate, we must believe that there are words and words mean something (the words are true to their meaning and true in defining their object).  Imagine trying to communicate when the words have a different meaning every time (not just to separate people, but the same person using the same word yet meaning something completely random each time).  Meaningful communication would be impossible.  So fundamentally truth must exist for meaning to exist.  Truth must reflect reality.  Truth allows us the privilege of putting things in order and relating them to each other.  Without truth all is meaningless chaos.

So if truth must exist, then what should we expect truth to be like?  Truth must be universal.  It must be everywhere and it must mean the same thing.  Truth must not be influenced or forced to change by any power.  Truth must understand and know all that is so that it can define all that is and make judgments and comparisons between all that is.  It must understand the origin of all things.  It must have a single source so as not to conflict with itself.  It must be able to judge properly between certain courses of action to determine if they are good or bad.  It must acknowledge pain, evil, and suffering to exist – as we find these in our experience (what we would call reality).  It must have an answer for why they exist (remember truth is responsible for defining all things).

Now let’s consider what life would be like if truth did not exist.  All would be meaningless, including us and our existence.  Communication would be impossible.  Right and wrong would categorically cease to exist.  We should expect to find meaningless chaos everywhere.  Do these observations line up with what we experience daily?  Can you live with these parameters?  A resounding “NO” is the answer.  People may claim truth does not exist to meet their purposes, but no one actually lives out the ramifications of truth not existing.  They do not want you to steal from them or hurt their loved ones.  They want to communicate (even if it is to try to convince you that truth does not exist). 

C. S. Lewis points out that men cannot argue or convince each other their point is right with out assuming there is right and wrong.²  How could there be right and wrong unless the truth exists?  What does truth have to say about our actions?  Where does truth come from?  If we look back at what we expect truth to look like, we find that it looks exactly like the Scripture tells us God looks like.  God is universally present.  God does not change.  God has all power and is sovereign.  God knows all there is to know.  God knows why all things exist (He created them).  God is able to judge properly all actions.  God acknowledges evil exists (and gives remedy for it – both in creation and in mankind).

Now if we assume God does not exist, we have a problem of gigantic proportions to solve in the question, what is the proper source of truth?  Some suggest truth is relative that each man or woman makes their own truth, but then how do we define truth where these ideas clash?  Does might make right (Hitler, Stalin, etc)?  Does majority make right (if the majority decides you should be killed and that is right – are you OK with that)?  It makes sense that there must be some absolutes, some rules, some truth that must govern they way we act.  Where do we find such absolutes?  The Christian finds them in God and in His Word, by which a sustainable society can be formed.  If we assume God does not exist and truth is relative then how do we arrive at a meaningful discussion of ethics (what should be right and wrong)?  Aren’t all things acceptable?  Can’t someone just kill you because it is survival of the fittest?  Or can’t someone just kill you because they want to and it seems to them to be the right thing to do?  C. S. Lewis again points out that no society is known where the ultimate goal is to deceive everyone you can. ³  How could friendships and meaningful relationships thrive if one is always in fear of deception or worse, physical harm, just because someone else thought it was the right thing to do?  Clearly ethics must be founded on some absolute truth.

Philosophy calls the answers to these kind of questions the universals.   Universals tackle the big questions of life.  Why are we here? What is the meaning of life?  What is right and wrong?  We cannot clearly answer what is right or wrong unless we understand the meaning of life.  Once we understand the meaning of life we can then define what kind of actions are right or wrong.  If we are just here by some accident of genetic mutation (evolution), then life has no meaning and right and wrong cannot be meaningfully established.  If God exists and created us then He defines meaning of life and what is right and wrong.

Ravi Zacharius proves this point in his Foundations of Apologics: God, Evil, and Suffering video:

“When you say there’s such a thing as evil, you’re assuming there’s such a thing as good.  When you say there’s such a thing as good, you’re assuming there’s such a thing as a moral law on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil.  But when you say there’s such a thing as a moral law, you must posit a moral lawgiver.  Objective moral values only exist if God exists.  Objective moral values exist, hence God exists.  Objective moral values hold true at all times, for all people, in all circumstances.  Just like gravity is true whether you believe in it or not, so moral law is true whether you believe in it or not.  This delivers us from subjectivity.  Objective moral values transcend us.  They affect us whether we believe in them or not.  They exist independently of our agreement.  How can there be incontrovertible values of worth, if you yourself are worthless?  Questions of evil and good [right and wrong] come from a person.  Personhood is essential to the raising of the question.  You cannot raise this question apart from personal worth and personal value.  You assume in the question that the questioner is worthy of raising the question.  People are of essential worth and that’s what makes the question of good and evil worth asking.  If values are intrinsic to personhood, how can there be an ultimate objective moral value without a person from whom that value comes?  It is not possible to raise the question of value and worth, without finding implicit in that question the value of personhood itself, and if the personhood has come from time plus matter plus chance [evolution], there is no essential value and worth of that person.  It [the person] has to be the created entity of a valuable person himself or an entity that is intrinsically valuable.” ⁴

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6

“By claiming to be the truth, Jesus implies that all He affirms is true and that nothing He says is false.  If it is true that the foundational pursuit of life is meaning, then that meaning must be within the confines of truth, and that truth cannot be found apart from Jesus.” ⁵

“In the beginning God…” – Genesis 1:1

Lord Jesus Christ, we know You are the answer to all of life’s questions on meaning, truth, origins, morality, and destiny.  Help us to trust fully in You.  Help us understand the logical consistency, empirical adequacy, and experiential relevance we have in You as the object of our faith.  Help us to know You better and experience the truth in our relationship with You.  Transform us into Your likeness.  We love You, Lord!  Amen!

Footnotes

1 Webster, Noah. American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 ed.

2 Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity (1952).

3 Lewis.

4 Zacharias, Ravi. Foundations of Apologetics: God, Evil, and Suffering (Norcross, GA: RZIM), 1 DVD.

5 Zacharias, Ravi. Can Man Live Without God (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1994), 103.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from the NIV. New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003.

God is Truth

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.

  No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6

Truth is one of the great questions of our day.  What is truth?  Can truth be known?  How do we define truth?  Is it absolute or relative?  How can we know?  First, let’s answer the question, “What is truth?”  Truth means, “Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been or shall be.”¹   This definition assumes a couple of things: reality exists and it can be known.  Most reasonable people would agree with these assumptions. 

“For anyone to take seriously the statement that there is no truth that corresponds to reality defeats the statement itself by implying that it is not reflective of reality.  If a statement is not reflective of reality, why take it seriously?  Truth as a category must exist even while one is denying its existence and must also afford the possibility of being known.”²

If truth cannot be known then reality cannot be defined and all is meaningless chaos.  So to say “Absolute truth does not exist,” (and all truth is absolute or it is not truth), is to assume the statement that “there is no absolute truth” is a truth.  You cannot even deny that truth exists without assuming that it does exist.  So our question becomes “How do we define truth?”  Stuart McAllister points us in the right direction with the following statements about truth.

Truth by nature is:

Non-contradictory – It does not violate the laws of logic (it cannot be sometimes the truth).

Absolute – It does not depend on any time, place or conditions (it cannot be relative).

Discovered – It exists independently of our minds (it cannot exist only for one person).

Descriptive – It is the agreement of the mind with reality (coherence).

Inescapable – To deny its existence is to affirm it (we are bound by it).

Unchanging – It is the firm standard by which truth claims are measured. ³

To sum up, truth cannot contradict itself.  It exists completely independent of what we think of it.  We can know the truth.  The truth agrees with reality.  Truth cannot be moved away from or escaped from.  It is constant and cannot change.  It does not depend on anything: time, place or any other condition. 

C. S. Lewis also points out that truth cannot have multiple sources.⁴  This makes sense in light of the point McAllister makes that truth cannot be contradictory.  If truth has more than one source, how can it not at some point be contradictory?  Duplicitous sources for truth break down as, at some point, these sources of truth conflict with each other.  Truth can ultimately only have one source. 

If you had to pick a source of truth, wouldn’t you want it to know everything, have all power, and be everywhere?  Wouldn’t you want it to be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, good, kind, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled?  Wouldn’t you want this source to be unchangeable?  Wouldn’t you want this source to never be wrong?  Wouldn’t you want this truth to be self-existent, self-sufficient, and sovereign?  Wouldn’t you want it to be humble?  Wouldn’t you want it to be gracious and merciful?  Wouldn’t you want it to have always existed and be eternal?  In short, wouldn’t you want it to look exactly like the Scripture describes Jesus?

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (emphasis mine)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (emphasis mine)

“‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate.  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 (emphasis mine)

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak 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 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 it known to you.” John 16:13-15 (emphasis mine)

Jesus claims to be the truth.  The Spirit is truth and the Spirit makes known the things of the Father so the Father is truth. The triune Godhead is the truth.  What one personality of the Godhead is all must be.  “God is the fountain-head of all truth.”⁵  He cannot lie (John 1:3, Heb 6:18; Titus 1:2 and 2 Tim 2:13).   God is at the center of all that is (Col 1:15-17; Heb 1:3).  His Word is truth (John  17:7; Col 1:5, John 1:14).  How can we know this definition of truth is the true one?

Truth can be tested in the following ways:

Logical Consistency – Does it not violate the laws of logic?  Does it contradict itself?

Empirical Adequacy – Does our experience line up with what is presented as truth?  Does it fit the facts?

Experiential Relevance – Does it apply meaningfully to my life?  Can I live it?

Undeniability – Can this fact be denied in anyway?  (I.E. I cannot deny my existence without affirming it at the same time.) ⁶

Does God make sense?  Is what the Bible reveals of God consistent?  Do the attributes of God make for a good source of truth?  I believe they do.  They make a source equal to no other.  Does your experience line up with what is presented in the Bible?  Does the Bible fit the facts?  It arrives on the scene of history as a unique document: historically accurate, scientifically stable, and logically consistent.  Can I apply the truths of God, the commands of the Bible, meaningfully to my life?  I can, and not only that, they seem to be the only meaningful explanation for all of life.  They create a sustainable society with complete freedom once I obey the 10 commandments and rest of Scripture.  They answer questions of Origin, Meaning, Morality, Destiny, Ethics (Good vs Evil), Significance, Hope, Security, Love, Wonder, Unity and Diversity.

If one believes in God and His Word then he has an answer for the Origin question (Gen 1-2, Col 1:15-17, Heb 1:3).  God gives us meaning through His love and letting us know we are significant (Rom 8:15-16, 26-28, 31-39; Eph 3:16-21), giving us the truth (John 16:13-15; 2 Tim 3:16-17) , giving us something to wonder over (Job 38-41; Isa 40-42), and by giving us security and hope both now and for the ever after (Matt 6:25-34; Phil 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7, Ps 23; Rom 10:9; John 17:3).   He gives us an answer for unity and diversity in the Godhead itself.  The hard questions of life are answered here, within the confines of Christianity.  For the believer, all things are measured to be true in relationship to the nature of God, who IS the truth.  How wonderful that we can have a living vibrant relationship with the truth.  We can get to know it by knowing Him.  No doubt some will argue that this is exclusive.  However, truth by definition is exclusive⁷, it cannot contain what is false or it would not be the truth.

Truth is at the root of all that is.  A proper understanding of truth as laid out in the Scriptures gives us a rock solid foundation, indeed the only solid foundation, upon which to build our lives, live our lives, and live eternally with Him.

Oh, Mighty Truthful One, you are the Truth.  You alone are perfect and know all things as the truth must.  You alone are the source of all things as the truth must be.  We are grateful truth is embodied in You, that You are full of grace and truth.  Teach us to rely upon Your truth.  When all else fails, You remain, You stand alone on the side of truth – You are the truth. Let us be found in You.  Oh Lord be the tea bag in the middle of our lives, flavoring all we do with Your nature and guiding us into all truth.  We have all our answers in You!  In Christ’s perfect name, Amen!

Footnotes

¹ Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 ed.

² Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1994), 125.

³ Stuart McAllister, Foundations of Apologetics (Norcross, GA: RZIM), 1 DVD

⁴ C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952)

⁵ R. C. Sproul, The Truth Project  (Colorado Springs, CO: Focus on the Family) Lesson 1: Veritology: What is Truth?, 1 DVD.

⁶ Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1994),  123-125.

⁷ Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 1994),  126.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

You are a Co-Laborer for His Kingdom

“For we are God’s fellow workers.” – 1 Cor 3:9

You are a co-laborer in the Kingdom of God.  What does that mean?  Let’s take a look at what a kingdom is.  A kingdom is a sphere of reign, the sum total of one's authority and power.  Merriam Webster puts it like this “a realm or region in which something is dominant, an area or sphere in which one holds a preeminent position.”¹   The Greek word for kingdom suggests royal power, dominion, rule.²  So in God’s Kingdom, also called the Kingdom of Heaven by the Jews (so as not to use the Lord’s name), God is the sovereign potentate, the preeminent ruler over all that is (Rom 11:36; 1 Cor 8:6; 1 Cor 11:12b; Col 1:16-17; Heb 2:10).  God rules over the universe and beyond; all that exists is under His control.  All authority is His. 

That means Satan has no authority except that which is given up by the believer who does not understand God’s rule.  Satan's authority over the Christian is given by the Christian by believing things about themselves and their environment that do not line up with what God has revealed in His Word (Scripture) about the believer and the Kingdom.  In order for Satan to have some authority over the Christian, the Christian must believe a lie of his.  When we accept Satan’s lies as truth then He has a hold over us.  But God has taken the law (the thing that makes us aware of how far short we fall) and nailed it to the cross.  He also nailed to the cross the power and authority that Satan has over you.

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  (Col 2:13-15)

God gives some of His authority to the believer.  He expects us to use His authority to work with Him and establish His Kingdom here on earth.  He tells us to pray His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven in the Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:10).  God’s will is perfectly executed in Heaven.  It is our job to participate with Him to see His will executed on earth.  Jesus modeled this lifestyle for us.  “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does’” (John 5:19). Jesus is our example.  Paul wrote “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). 

Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the gospel and cast out demons and heal the sick.  He was asking them to co-labor for the establishment of His Kingdom (Mt 10:1,7-8; Mk 3:13-14, 6:6-7; Lk 9:2, 10:1,9).  Now who are we?  We are His disciples (Matt 28:19).  “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’” (John 8:31).  “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26).  So, if you are a Christian, you are His disciple.  He has given you the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick.  The first Adam brought sin into the world.  The last Adam (Jesus Christ) nullified the results of sin and granted authority to all believers. We must remember our true identity.  We are citizens of heaven (Heb 11:13-16).  Or as Teilhard de Chardin put it, “We are not human beings having a temporary spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience.” 

We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) and God has placed His power within us – the same power He used to raise Christ from the dead and seat Him,

“in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Eph 1:20-23)

We are seated with Him in this place.  “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:6)  Do you see the authority we have in His name?  He has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3).  It is no wonder He tells the disciples (remember that includes us):

“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:11-14) 

Jesus expects His disciples to be doing the miraculous - even greater things than He had done!  Miracles are evidence that God is who He says He is.  Miracles are meant to validate God’s kingdom and force people to make a decision about who God is and what to do with Him.  “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.  He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” (John 2:11).  Look at this passage from John 10:24-26, “The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’  Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.’”  Here is another one (remember WE are His disciples),

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.  Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. (Mark 16:15-20)

Jesus expected the disciples to do the miraculous.  Notice also the Lord “confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”  The book of Acts lists many of these miracles: speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6; 1 Cor 12:30; 1 Cor 14), driving out demons (Acts 5:15-16; 16:18; 19:11-12), escaping snake bites (Acts 28:3-5), and healing the sick (Acts 3:1-7; 8:7; 9:33-34; 14:8-10; 28:7-8).³

Paul prays that we would understand His incomparably great power for the believer in Eph 1:19.  Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”  Clearly God’s power is supposed to be at work in us and through us to do the miraculous and allow people to be confronted with His Kingdom.  The Apostles prayed, “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant, Jesus.” (Acts 4:31).  Paul helps us remember its source, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Cor 4:7). 

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (1 Cor 4:20).  “‘Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’” (John 4:48).  Jesus continually preached and healed, healed and preached to convince people He was the Son of God and to confront them with the reality of His Kingdom.  Now remember God does not show favoritism (Rom 2:11, Acts 10:34) and He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8).  He is not a man that He should lie (Num 23:19) and all the promises of God are Yes and Amen in Christ (2 Cor 1:20).  Let us live like Abraham, “being fully persuaded that God had [has] power to do what he had promised.” (Rom 4:23).  Let us go forth into life confidently assured that God is who He says He is and does what He claims to do and join Him in it. 

Second Corinthians 6:1 states we are God’s fellow workers.  The phrase “fellow workers” is two Greek words “sun” and “ergos.”  “Sun” “conveys the ideas of partnership, cooperation, collaboration, teamwork, or a joint effort.”⁴   “Ergos” simply,

 “means work, but when the words sun and ergos are compounded together as in Second Corinthians 6:1, the new word describes coworkers or people who are partnered together as they work alongside each other on a common job.  These are workers who are connected and joined to each other in the pursuit of a shared goal.”

“You see, we are not working for the Lord by ourselves; rather, we are fellow workers with Him.  Thus, Second Corinthians 6:1 is a description of partnership with God and carries the idea of cooperating with Him in our work….  This is exactly what Paul means when he writes that we are ‘…workers together with him….’”5

Come on Saints, let us co-labor with Him.  Let us cooperate with Him in what He is doing.  Let us partner with Him. Let us work alongside Him.  The adventure awaits.  I am convinced there is nothing like working with Him.  Let us bring the heavenly Kingdom reality to earth.  Let us see things as He wants them to be, not how they are, and let us call them into being through our partnership with Him.  Let us sow to the Spirit and wait for the reaping.  “Let us not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:9)

Father help us to co-labor with You in the establishment of Your Kingdom.  Oh Sovereign Lord, do Your mighty acts, Your signs and wonders, and Your miracles, through us so that the world would be confronted with Your Kingdom and be required to decide what to do with You.  We seek not the signs themselves, but the One the signs point us to.  We want to partner with You and we understand that everything You do is supernatural from salvation to communion to fellowship to the miraculous – it’s all miraculous when you are involved.  “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.” (1 Tim 1:17)

Footnotes

¹ Http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingdom

² Http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=932&version=nas

³ “Signs of Believers.” Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

⁴ Renner, Rick. “A Partner To Help You When You Don’t Know How to Pray!.” Sparkling Gems from the Greek: 365 Greek Word Studies for Every Day of the Year to Sharpen Your Understanding of God's Word. Tulsa, OK: Teach All Nations, 2003. 490.

⁵ Renner, Rick. “A Partner To Help You When You Don’t Know How to Pray!.” Sparkling Gems from the Greek: 365 Greek Word Studies for Every Day of the Year to Sharpen Your Understanding of God's Word. Tulsa, OK: Teach All Nations, 2003. 884-885.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

You Become Like What You Focus On

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Cor 4:18

I am convinced Christianity was never supposed to be a set of do’s and don’ts.  It was meant to be a loving relationship with God our Father, Christ our brother and the Holy Spirit our helper.  It was meant to be what Brother Lawrence calls “an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with God.”¹  We have the choice of what we decide to focus on.  We decide how we will relate to God.  Take a moment and ask yourself “Do I find myself trying get right before having time with God?  Be honest!  I think we all have that tendency.  We can focus on self-righteousness (trying to keep the law in our own strength).  Or we can focus on His Righteousness received through faith in Him.  You see the law was given so that we would be aware of our sin and understand how far short of His righteousness we fall (Rom 5:20-21, 7:5-7, Gal 3:17-19).  All sin is ultimately against Him, the Perfect One.  God’s covenant with Abraham came 430 years before the law.  Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.  “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham” Gal 3:6.  We are Abraham’s children (Gal 3:14).  The law was only added to the covenant to make us aware of our sin.  Here is the proof:

“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal 3:24-29. 

“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.  Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out ‘Abba, Father.’  So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you an heir.” Gal 4:4-7. 

So we were not created to study the law and focus on it (self-righteousness) but we are to have faith and focus on the Father and His righteousness.  Scripture also bears this out (See Romans chapters 7 & 8).  Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires and the law condemns them.  Those who live by the Spirit have their minds set on God and faith justifies them with the very righteousness of God.  So if we focus on the do’s and don’ts, we are missing the bigger picture of what God purchased for us.  He purchased freedom from the tyranny of the law (the list of do’s and don’ts), so that we could focus on Him.  His Spirit in us (Rom 8:9, John 14:17) calls out to the Father (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).  Let us focus on Him.  Remember where your heart is there your treasure will be (Matt 6:21).  Scripture shows us that if we focus on Him, He will make us like Him.  Here are some Scriptures to help you set your focus.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” – Heb 12:1-2

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” – Phil 3:7-9

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Phil 3:12-14

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” – Col 3:2

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Cor 4:18

“We live by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Cor 5:7

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.”  - 1 Cor 13:12

So the answer is not focusing in our inability to not sin or to focus in on the law (the list of do’s and don’ts) and how to keep it, but rather to focus ourselves on what He has promised us that we are and on His Nature (the thing we are trying to become like).  Remember you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.  Consider also a person reaps what they sow.  If you sow to the law you reap from the law and we know that the end of the law is death.  But if we sow to the Spirit, we have eternal life (Gal 6:7-8).  So, what does Scripture say about us?  I challenge you take time sit down and read through these verses, study them, memorize them, and appropriate them as your new identity.

We are a new creation – 2 Cor 5:17

We are Sons (and Daughters) of God – Rom 8:15, 1 John 3:1, Eph 1:5, Gal 4:4-7, John 1:12, Luk 20:35-36

We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God – 1 Pet 2:9

We are Partakers in the divine nature – 2 Pet 1:4

We are citizens of heaven – Phil 3:20

We are seated with Christ in the Heavenly realms – Eph 2:6

We are friends of Jesus – John 15:15

We are prosperous and have a hope and a future – Jer 29:11

We are loved – Jer 31:3, John 15, Ps 103

We cannot be separated from His love – Rom 8:39

We are to experience the fullness of Christ and His love Eph 3:14ff

We are loved by the Father as much as He loves Jesus – John 17:23

We are God’s workmanship and He has good works lined up in advance for us to do – Eph 2:10

We are to do what Jesus did and greater – John 14:12

We are called to experience the fullness of God – Eph 3:19

We have been given all things that are the Father’s – John 16:14-15

If we are to become mature in Christ, we must embrace the truth God tells us about ourselves.  We must acknowledge the truth about who we are now that we are adopted into His family.  We have a new identity as His children.  Unless we embrace that identity, we will never fully accomplish all He has setup for us to do.  We must become the reigning Princes and Princesses of His kingdom and co-labor with Him for the establishment of His kingdom.  We must appropriate (take as our own) all His great and precious promises through faith in Him and in His Word.  Let us rise up saints and get to work about His business!

Oh Great and Mighty Father, Lover of our Souls, help us to believe in Your incredible gifts! You have given us a new identity; help us to embrace it as our own.  You give us all that you have; help us to take You at Your Word.  Help us to do the good works you have prepared in advanced for us to do.  Help us to become the people of God You want us to be.  Help us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds into the Holy Nation You have declared us to be.  Help us to co-labor with you for the establishment of Your Kingdom!  Amen!

Footnotes

1 Lawrence, Brother. The Practice of the Presence of God (Second Letter). From Meyers, Rick. E-Sword. Computer software. E-SWORD the Sword of the LORD with an Electronic Edge. Vers. 9.0.3. Web. <http://www.e-sword.net/>.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

We Have an Inheritance

“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may

be filled  to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Eph 3:19

I believe that far too many of us live our Christian lives in pauperism.  We live as homeless street people, but the Father has reserved a place for us at His table.  Yes, we know Christ died for us.  Yes, we know our sins are forgiven.  But too often this is the stopping point.  Christianity is not meant to merely bring the Christian back to even on the scales of justice.  It is meant to save the world.  We have incredible resources available to us though our inheritance. Have we forgotten that the God who spoke the universe into existence is the same God we pray to daily? Have we forgotten that He is all powerful and can do anything as easily as anything else?  Have we forgotten that He knows everything, including where you left your car keys and the solution to that problem that has been hanging over your head for months at work?  Have we forgotten that He is always with us, in fact, he lives right inside us?  Have we forgotten He is infinite, kind, good, just, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love?  Have we forgotten He who rules the universe, to whom all power and authority owe there origins, is our Father? 

What if we started going to God and asking for our inheritance?  We are all billionaires in His Kingdom.  We have a huge sum vested in our kingdom account.  Jesus died to give it to us.  The Father did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all.  How will He not also along with Him graciously give us ALL THINGS? (Rom 8:31-32).  Now Christ is interceding for us and promises nothing in all creation can separate us from His love (Rom 8:34, 37-39).  Remember, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6). God promised Abraham, “I am your shield your very great reward” (Gen 15:1).  God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34-35).  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8) and all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ (2 Cor 1:20).  We have now become Abraham’s seed (See Gal 3 and 4).  So we know He is our very great reward.  It is Him and all His resources we are inheriting.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph 1:3).  Paul prays that we would understand the hope to which He has called us and His incomparably great power for us who believe.  Paul also prays that we might know of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints.  That’s right God counts you as HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE! (Eph 1:18-19)  I believe this is because God knows the value of the lives He has redeemed.  He knows the exact sum in their spiritual bank accounts, because it is the same balance that is in His own – infinite! 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Pet 1:3-4)  Did you see it?  God wants us to participate in His divine nature!  Why?  He is our inheritance!  Paul prays that we may “…know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!   Amen.” (Eph 3:19-21)  The fullness of God is our destiny.  “And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18)  “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Heb 1:3)   “He [the Holy Spirit] will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it know 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 it known to you.” (John 16:14)  God wants to give us Himself as our inheritance!  He has nothing better to offer, because there is nothing better than that to offer.  He is all that is true, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8)!  He is good, all good, all the time!  He is inviting us to participate in His nature!  He is inviting us to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!  He has sent us His Spirit to live in us and His Spirit is to take all that is God’s and make it known to us!

Yet we often live as beggars in the street, just trying to find our next spiritual meal.  He has so much more for us!  We have a place reserved for us at the Father’s table!  What if we started thinking more like, “God because You are good, I want to experience your goodness and give it to those around me.  God because You are always and everywhere presence, I want to experience Your manifest presence.  I want to walk in continual awareness of Your great presence living in me.  I want to make others aware of Your great presence always around them and ready to be in them.  God because You know everything, and you delight in sharing with Your children, I want to know what only you could know and declare it to the world.  God because You are loving, I want to know Your love and give it away to all those I meet.  God because You are all-powerful, I want to experience Your power flowing through me to heal the dying world around me, to call things that are not as though they are and see them come into being, to proclaim the greatness of You and Your Kingdom and see signs and wonders following.  I want to see Your signs and wonders not to seek the gifts, but because the gifts are the nature of the Giver and I want to participate in Your Nature.  God I want to see You and Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven!”

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col 3:23-24).

Oh Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, we humbly submit ourselves to Your plan.  Help us to fully avail ourselves of all You died to bring us.  Let our bank accounts in Your Kingdom not sit dormant, but help us to make heavenly withdrawals for deposit here on earth, that we might see Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.  We want to co-labor with You.  Help us understand our place in Your Kingdom that we might have full confidence in You and in Your abilities through us that you might receive through our works the glory, honor, and praise that You alone are so worthy of receiving as we co-labor with You for the establishment of Your Kingdom.  To You be all the glory forever and ever!  Amen.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants to Transform Us

“17For 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…” Galatians 5:17

There is a battle inside every believer.  There are two natures at war with each other.  The sinful nature is battling against the Spirit and the Spirit is battling against the sinful nature.  God has put you in charge of deciding which nature will win.  Paul shows us this battle in graphic detail in Romans, Ephesians and Galatians.  Let’s have a look. 

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness….13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  Romans 8:5-10, 13-14

See the sinful nature has its mind set on fleshly desires, even evil desires, but the spiritual person has their mind set on the things of the Spirit.  The sinful nature is opposed to God.  It is God’s enemy.  It does not consider Him or follow Him.  Indeed, it cannot.  The sinful nature lacks the ability to do good.  It is completely corrupted.  The Spirit IS good and cannot be anything but good.  So we must allow the Spirit to help us ‘put to death the misdeeds of the body.’  Let’s consider another insightful passage from Galatians.

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:7-9

Here is the scripture that is quoted so often, ‘A man reaps what he sows.’  Notice the context here.  This scripture is talking about sowing to the sinful nature or sowing to the Spirit.  Whichever one we chose to sow to we will reap a harvest from.  God forgives your sin when you ask Him but the consequences of your sin may still come to ‘find you out.’  Long after we have been forgiven we are still reaping the consequences of our sin.  However, long after we follow the Spirit, we can be reaping spiritual blessing.  Let’s continue to dive into this.

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  17For 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.  18But if you are lead by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 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. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25

God has given us His Spirit, living right inside us, to help us live according to the Spirit and not gratify the fleshly nature.  OK so how do we do this?  Let’s look at a few more scriptures.

 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature….9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator….16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom Colossians 3:1-5, 9-10, 16

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:4-5

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into the same image with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

God wants to transform us by the renewing of our minds.  Our mind decides whether to follow the sinful nature or the Spirit, and where the mind leads the body, will, and emotions follow.  The mind leads us into sin or into holiness.  God wants to transform us into His likeness.  This is what the Christian faith is all about, becoming more like Him.  So we need to ask the Spirit to help us renew our minds.  We need to set our focus on Him (Heb 12:1-2, Phil 3:7-9, 12-14, Col 2:6-17, 2 Cor 4:16-18, 2 Cor 5:7), and take every thought captive until it obeys Christ (2 Cor 10:-5 [above], Phil 4:4-8).  We need to allow His Spirit to strengthen us in our inner man and bring us to the full measure of Christ (Eph 314:21 ;1:17-22).  We need to fill our minds with what the Word of God says about us and Himself (Eph 2:1-10).  If we do these things God will transform us into His likeness.  

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  2 Corinthians 3:18

Remember He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6)!  Those who love Him and are faithful to Him will win His favor (Prov 3:3-6)!  We have as much of God as we want to have…He has made Himself fully available.

Oh, God who dwells in heaven and in the hearts of men, come and lead us into life everlasting.  Show us by your Spirit the paths we should walk in.  Help us be transformed in our minds that we would chose freely to follow you, for you are good!  Help us to rely upon your Spirit and to live according to your Spirit that we might reap the rewards of knowing you and being filled with your presence, purity, and power.  To your name alone be all the glory!   Amen!

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.