| | Okay, so in the last article we came to the conclusion that Jesus is the truth and that we need to seek him. Now, let's get into the Bible again and examine more about the nature of truth in the world.
Before I start, let me just say that light is a symbol for truth. I hope I don't need to defend this, as this is a pretty common thing in literature and culture.
Everyone is enlightened.
John 1:9 ESV The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
This verse struck me as interesting. "The true light" is Jesus in this passage, and it says that he enlightens everyone. So this says that there are different lights in the world, but there is only one "true light." We can find things that we think are truths, but if they're not rooted in Jesus then they are not truths at all. Another interesting point is that these truths enlighten everyone. This was a bit difficult for me to grasp, but the theologian John Wesley puts it well:
Which enlightens everyone - By what is vulgarly termed natural conscience, pointing out at least the general lines of good and evil. And this light, if man did not hinder, would shine more and more to the perfect day.
So Wesley affirms universal morality, and says that it comes from Jesus. He also says that if man didn't get in the way, then people would receive more and more of Jesus's truths. Where does he get that from? My guess is the following verses. I'm using a contemporary translation since it says the same thing and is a slightly longer passage.
Evil suppresses truth.
Romans 1:18-21 GNB God's anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. (19) God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain. (20) Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all! (21) They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness.
This is the beginning of Paul's letter to the Romans, and right away he affirms what John says. Truths about God are accessible, but Paul adds to it by saying that we "prevent the truth from being known" by our "evil ways." So, if we're living in sin, we can't know deep truths about at least spiritual things and perhaps not other things as well! Don't believe me? Check out what John has to say in one of his letters.
1 John 1:5-7 ESV This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Some of this stuff is repetition, but look at what new things John is saying. If we walk in darkness, or evil ways as the last passage said, we can't have fellowship, we can't be with God. But if we walk in the light, in the truths of God, then we can be forgiven of all of our sin.
One truth: salvation.
What is a big truth of God? Well, that he sent his son Jesus to die on a cross because we are sinners and we can't be near God any other way. Jesus's sacrifice was enough to take away the sins of everyone - past, present, and future - all we have to do is believe not only that he died for us but that he beat the power of death by raising himself up from the dead on the third day. He won! So now we play by his rules. And he says that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3)."
We all sin. We all fall short. No one deserves heaven because we all have something in our lives that separates us from God. You ever told a lie? That's enough. Have you had premarital sex? That's enough. We just can't be rescued from Hell unless Jesus picks us up and washes away the bad stuff in our lives.
But once he does that, then we can pursue truth passionately, and we can find it! Praise the Lord!
Accept Jesus, get out of the darkness, and then you can really start to know God's truths.
If you want to know more about salvation, please get in touch with me.
I think there's gonna be two more parts. Seven is a perfect number.
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| | Posted 4/4/2007 8:59 AM - 22 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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