This infamous, and universal question, was asked by Pontius Pilate at the trial of Jesus. In some form or another, it is a question that has probably been asked by virutally every human being on the planet. What is truth for me? How do I find it? Where do I look? How do I know the difference in what is real and what is false?
Truth is not just an abstract principle, nor is it just knowing all the facts. We can have all the facts available and still come to the wrong conclusion. Nor is something true because we merely believe it is, based upon our opinions or the opinions of others, for human beings did not establish truth. God did. As Christians, our basis for truth needs to begin and end with Him, since he is the Alpha and the Omega.
“For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it): he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain’. I, the Lord, speak the truth, I declare what is right.”
(Isaiah 45:18-19)
So we see that the truth is not some deep, dark unknowable secret, but is always found in the Lord, who established it. And His divine truth, which is freely available for all, does not change with the times, as we human beings do.
“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying ” My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isaiah 46:8-9)
God’s divine truth came to earth in Jesus Christ, the fulfilment of all the prophecies. “And the Word was made flesh,and walked among us.” (John 1:14 ) This the greatest gift of truth ever given to mankind, Jesus Christ, who became living proof that all God has said is real. Jesus exemplified God’s grace and His truth combined.
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”(John 1:17)
Even though Jesus was the only begotten son of God, and our redeemer, in his earthly body He was subject to the same temptations we are. Yet He lived by God’s truth, not those of the times He was born into. Nor, when faced with a difficult choice, did he let His own feelings override God’s ulitmate purpose for Him. Yet, so many times we Christians get off track with God because what we think and feel becomes more important to us than what is really true.
Friends, we must learn that truth isn’t just something subjective we believe and act upon, based upon cultural or personal opinions. It was established by God before the foundations of the world:
“In the beginning , there was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3)
So we see that truth cannot exist apart from God.
Notice that even though He said, ” I am the Way , the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6, Christ, even as our Savior and redeemer, did not separate Himself from the truth of God’s written word, as some in our religious culture seem to do. Instead He said in His prayer for us to the Father:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)
The word “sanctify” is used in several ways in the Bible:
1. To set apart for sacred use; consecrate.
2. To make holy; purify.
3. To give religious sanction to, as with an oath or vow: sanctify a marriage.
4. To give social or moral sanction to.
5. To make productive of holiness or spiritual blessing.
Those are valid reasons for basing our truth on scripture. Without being sanctified through God’s truth, we’ll be lost or confused when it comes to making wise life choices, and determining the difference between right and wrong. Because truth is so important to God, therefore it should be a priority for all Christians. No child of God, who has a complete set of lifestyle instructions instantly available in the Bible, should ever have to ask, as Pontius Pilate did, ” What is truth?”
I agree that there must be factual truth in the doctrine, practice and general outworking of our christian lives. But truth is deeper than that.
How?
I can put it no better than Arthur Katz, who is (as you all know) my hero in the faith. I strongly recommend his book “The Spirit of Truth”. It will forever ruin you in the best of ways. Here’s a link to his online version of the book…I recommend getting your own copy so you can underline, draw asterisk’s and use highlighters and make notations. That’s the best (and only IMO) way to read.
http://www.benisrael.org/writings/online_books/spirit_of_truth/sot_contents.html
So, beyond having truth based on scripture is the realm of having our very be-ing based on the Spirit of Truth. Truthful be-ing, speaking, even our tones, facial expressions and body language. No pretense, no manipulation, no hype of a human/sentimental kind that is only a device of achieving a desired end.
If we don’t have truth in the inward parts, all our doctrine will kill no matter how correct. I hate saying that, but it is so true.
I hope you can take time to read that book. I promise, it will bless you eternally.
mark jr.
By: iseeitdifferently on September 30, 2007
at 10:32 pm
Thanks, mark jr. I’ll check that out. As you know, I admired Art very much myself.
I think truth works in us to the extent we’re open to receiving it, or even know we need it. I know in my earlier Christian life that was not a big deal to me at all. I just assumed anyone who spoke from the pulpit was telling God’s truth, and took it all at face value. Wrong!
I also assumed that the extent of my feelings indicated how much truth I was getting in, and getting out. Wrong again.
Thank God for the Holy Spirit’s prompting to make me realize that we can’t have truth in our inner man if we are feeding ourselves the wrong stuff.
So you are right in that we must have truth in the inward parts, as well, so much so that it can’t be hidden. Sometimes, I think people can tell when we do, or we don’t, far better than we can.
By: mbaker on October 1, 2007
at 1:03 am
Good post Maggie. It refreshing that truth is tangible and knowable in a day what the mantra is absolute truth is unknowable! Jesus is the truth and so is his Holy Word.
Ironically Pilate whom you mention asked what is truth when it was standing in front of his nose in the person of Jesus Christ! Today our society is doing the same thing while nearly every home in N.America has a bible somewhere collecting dust !
The words of Jesus come to mind, “Ask and it will be given unto you , seek and you shall find knock and the door will be opened unto you.”…
Keep up the good work sister.
By: judesplace on October 3, 2007
at 1:58 pm
I wanted to address what you wrote on Zacks blog, but I don’t want to offend, or do I want to speak “off topic” from this post.
As you are, I am very literal with the text of the Word, and look for the face value with in the context of what any given passage is speaking on. But in looking for heresy in the church, we must ask a couple of basic questions, the first what is my sphere of authority? And two, am I being moved genuinely in the spirit of meekness and love?
Love demanded that Jesus act the way He did in the temple, and being the fulfillment of what that temple represented would naturally give Him the authority to do what He did. “the Zeal of thine house has eatten me up.” As you had mentioned, He was God and reserved this right. But even beyond that, Jesus Only did that whcih He Saw His Father Do. He did in obedience to what He saw His Father wanted done.
Our whole take on what we are saying is are you really moving in the spirit of the Berean? They did not come from the perspective of “what’s wrong with this?” but conversely they were of a “noble character” and redily recieved the word Paul had spoken, even if it was so foriegn to thier natural ears. Because it was so different to them, they looked for the validation in the word, not to disprove, but to prove. And this is in strict keeping with the text about the Bereans.
Again, in keeping with the srtict context of teh passages were have been discussing, they are vastly differnt circumstances. You cannot use what the Lord did in the temple to moderate your interprtation of the attitude of the Berean. I of all people am agianst alot of this garbbage in the church that has been passed off as gospel, but I have learned that there is a better way to fight it than the tact your presntly taking.
Hope to hear back. Blessings!
John
By: haybark on December 21, 2007
at 7:29 am
John,
Appreciate your taking our discussion off Zack’s blog where it was distracting from the point of his post, which I believe I have said on several occasions that I thought was both courageous and well stated.
With that having been said, let’s get back to our discussion of the Bereans, which I believe is quite relevant to this post. Yes, the Bereans received Paul’s words with an open mind, but they still checked them out against scripture.
Now the next logical step when we do that as either Christians or skeptics is to make a decision based upon what we have found out. We either believe what was said or the evidence the other way points to another conclusion. The third alternative of course, is that some parts we may find to be true and some parts we don’t. In that case, as Christians we accept the part that agrees with the word of God, and reject or challenge the other, until any misunderstanding is either cleared up, or we can amicably agree to disagree. That’s how I do it. We have no real records of how the Bereans did it, but then that’s not the point. The verse was addressed to Christians as a comparitive warning to be knowledgable enough in the word of God that they recognized the difference between true and false teachings.
If you go back and read what I said, I believe you will see that I have replied very courteously to Zack’s posts although he knows that I don’t agree with Mike Bickle’s teachings for a variety of reasons. That’s well documented from other blogs. Yet, Zack knows that even so I will give a fair assessmentof what he writes, based upon both the love of God and the the truth of God.
Another point I want to make again, is that because we are warned throughout scripture to verify what we hear and challenge what is false, I make no apology for doing so. I try to be speak the truth in love but I will always refuse to dialogue with folks who get into that petulant you-aren’t loving-because you-are- picking-on my-pet-theology syndrome when they can’t prove a point any other way. That’s high school stuff in my opinion. Not to mention how unloving it is for someone to try to make themselves look superior by making someone else look inferior.
To address your last question, I was not meaning to moderate my stance by comparing what Jesus did in the temple. I was simply making a comparison to the smaltzy, frequently over indulgent brand of “love” that our American Christian culture believes in, with the the kind of less popular love which displays the integrity and real strength of character Jesus had. He was not a people pleaser, but a God pleaser.
Scripture says we are to live at peace with all men, as much as it up to us. I take that very seriously, but if it comes to a choice between being people pleasing and God pleasing, I’ll take a stand for God’s truth whether it’s popular or not.
I hope this helps you understand where I come from, whether you agree with it or not.
Thanks for your comment. I hope you understand that while we might have different styles, I respect well thought out comments which deal with the issues and avoid making a discussion into a battle of wills, which no one wins. Or the inference that someone is necessarily more loving than I am because they agree with a teaching, and I don’t. That’s a lose-lose situation. I like to provide a place here for calm and reasoned dialogue, so you are certainly always welcome to join any discussion here on that basis.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
God bless.
By: mbaker on December 21, 2007
at 3:52 pm
Would be interested in knowing your differences with Mike Bickle.
By: haybark on December 21, 2007
at 5:54 pm
I don’t have differences with Mike personally as I don’t know him on that basis. I do disagree with some of His teachings on the BP, the Harp and Bowl and the Tabernacle of David, however,
I’ve tried using the biblical guidelines for discussing this with him personally via e-mail, but as yet he has refused to answer my queries, or my invitation, and those of others to come on site and answer the questions directly. That’s unfortunate, but I do understand he is a busy man.
However, I have gone over Mike’s teaching line by line, (at least from what is available on the IHOP site itself) and compared them with the scriptures in extensive discussions with folks from IHOP, Fred, Brandon, and to a lesser degree with Zack, on other blogs.
If you like I can e-mail you the links to check out, since it is much too extensive a discussion to go into at length here.
By: mbaker on December 21, 2007
at 6:32 pm
so, basically you don’t agree with the 24/7 worship & prayer movement?
What is your stand on end time events, especially the tribulation, and where do you think we are in this moment?
By: haybark on December 21, 2007
at 6:53 pm
John,
Basically, I disagree with any teachings which I believe either distort scripture or abbreviate it so that it means what the writer wants it too , a tactic which is rampant in the journalism profession as well.
I should tell you that I am quite familiar with the teachings of the prophetic movement outside of IHOP as well. For many years I was leader of a national prayer ministry, part of which time I attended the Bob Jones, Shawn Bolz and Paul Cain prophetic conferences.
I am not against the 24-7 prayer movement per se, just some of the teachings and false prophets connected with it. I believe in prayer with all my heart, having spent the main bulk of my own ministry as a prayer warrior, over 25 years to be exact. For the last ten years I was head of a national urgent prayer hot-line before we retired. So I am a great believer in the power of prayer to change things. I just don’t agree with many of the teachings about it that claim certain methods are better/ more cutting edge/ more effective than the prayer guidelines God outlines in the bible. I have done extensive blogging on this particular subject on other sites as well, and as I said I will be glad to furnish you the links if you want to read them.
I don’t stand in any of the echastology camps, simply because Christ says no man knows the hour that he will come, not even Him. That’s good enough for me. I know my future is assured whether He comes today, or a hundred years from now, so I prefer to spend my ministry time contending for the faith, praying and evangelizing whenever the opportunity presents itself.
God bless.
By: mbaker on December 22, 2007
at 5:26 am
mbaker, I want to comment on a few things, but my time is limited right now. didn’t want to leave you hanging, Saturdays are a really busy day for me as well as Sunday. But I’ll get back with you soon.
looking forward to blogging with you later. I would like the links you were talking about to reveiw.
Thanks, ]
John
By: haybark on December 23, 2007
at 5:44 am
John,
You bet.
We can get back to this after Christmas if that’s okay with you. Hope you and yours have a very blessed one.
By: mbaker on December 23, 2007
at 6:28 am
Had some time after feeding our little one, waiting for him to go back to sleep. thanks for the reply on Zack’s blog, I had been sitting on that response and really wanted to get it out. I know you said that after Christmas was good, but I like to get to things as I can. While the fire is stiring, so to speak, hope that’s ok.
I’m not too typical as far as my veiw of the prophetic goes. I had my theology changed by the Lord several years ago. He began to shift my understanding as I read Matthew 24, and I realized that was popularly taught on end time events was not true. He has, since that time been opening up the word to me in profound ways and showing me some of the things He is doing in the earth today. Especially with our country.
One of the things that He has made clear to me is His desire to speak to us concerning His return.
Take a look at this passage; Matt 24:32-36
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
KJV
The disciples came to Jesus and asked three specific questions: “When shall these things be, what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus very candidly answers them adn gives them definite answers, and clear details concerning the time before the tribulation, the tribulation, and the great tribulation, and His second coming. In that order. He even answers the question of the sign of His coming in verse 30, saying that it will appear in the heaven’s, and all the tribes of the earth mourn at it’s appearance. This He says happens “immediatly after the tribulation of those days, v. 29″
Bear with me, I am setting up my explination of the passage I quoted above, but I want to set it in context of the rest of the chapter. And as you know, the Jews had taught that when Messiah would come, He would come to set up His earthly kingdom and restore the rule of the earth to Isreal in a time of great prosperity and freedom. Jesus repeatedly had to challenge this thinking as He explained His real mission was to rescue them from sin and purchess their adoption through His blood. they had this utopian concept of the kingdom that was in stark conflict with what He came both to do and teach about the kingdom of God and it’s restoration to man.
In the passage above, Jesus gives them a distinction that is paramount for us to understand about the end times. He told them that the signs that He had just told them would be for them to understand the season of His return, but that the Hour and the day, no one knew. god wants us to know the season of Jesus’s return.
Look here in the parallel passage in Luke;
Luke 21:28-36
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
KJV
Jesus here gives us the key to understanding the times, it’s in the place of watching and prayer. The apostles kept with this same theme as they wrote to the churches adominishing them to watch.
Jesus also gives strong warning here not to become distracted and miss that day because of our affairs in the world. the clear thing was that they were to go on with doing what they knew to do, the great commission, and not to just wait doing nothing thinking He was jsut going to come back the next week and set up shop. that is why He gave some of the other parables that He did about the master delaying his coming, adn the state that He would find the servants in at his return.
They really didn’t believe what He was telling them at the time He spoke it. Even the day He ascended up into heaven, they were still asking about, “will this be the time you set up your kingdom?” that is why He answered them the way He did, to redirect them to the commission that was before them. Not that they would not know the season of His return. Looking at what He taught earlier about His coming, and by what the apostles would write later, this is the only logical conclusion.
I’ll leave it there befoer I fill your page! I honestly believe that we are at the door step of things beginning to unfold in a most amazing fashion concerning the end times. And I believe He is preparing a church to walk through it and bring in a harvest.
By: haybark on December 24, 2007
at 7:32 am
Haybark,
I agree with your conclusions about the end times. Great points.
I have long preached that we need get our focus off trying to figure out what will happen and get back on task with the Great Commission that Christ gave us as a mandate to carry out until He comes.
I just don’t agree that the IHOP approach is the correct way, because it stresses emotional experiences over the practical realities of the things the church needs to be doing to increase the amount of souls saved from what is to come. If there is to be a great harvest of souls as so many of the end times folks preach, I honestly don’t see how that can occur without the church focusing more on practical evangelistic outreach than on just catering to the desires of those they’ve already got.
What are your thoughts on that?
Also, I wanted to get your views on why you think IHOP’s way is more correct than the traditional approach. I just hate the he-said-she-said kind of controversy that seems to characterize most of the discussions I’ve had with folks from IHOP. I’d like to hear up front how you tie your views with theirs, and why, and also where you differ.
Many of us are really trying to understand why they believe what they believe. I definitely like to hear both sides of the story, before everybody gets so caught up in defending their respective positions, that the whole point is lost.
Is your little one old enough to enjoy Christmas yet? That is so fun having young children this time of year. I miss that because we both have family who are spread out in different parts of the country, so we don’t get to spend much time with any of the young ones.
God bless.
By: mbaker on December 24, 2007
at 5:44 pm
I really believe that the Lord is rasing up different streams of His Spirit that have seperate functions, yet are of the same body. As Paul told us so well;
1 Cor 12:11-25
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
KJV
I just as strongly believe that the enemy has done well to bring schisms into the Body of Christ through elevation of one aspect of the body over another. I believe this happens in theology, or doctrinal veiws as well. Because we may not be able to see a certain doctrinal stand, if it does not violate the essentials, we should keep our opinions limited. We need to examine the fruit of the ministry, it will speak of the type of tree it is from, wether it be from God or not.
I think we get too narrowly focused on the non-essentials and lose the context that we are the body of Christ. Not one of us have it all, none of us have every right theological stand. even so, we should learn how to best serve one another and honor one another, trusting God to strengthen what is weak in our brotehrs and sisters.
I do not know that I have heard Milke or anyone else elevate there method of things as the “superior way.” I have heard them repeatedly elevate the “fasted lifestyle,” and “fasting and prayer,” which are not exclusive IHOP doctrine, but biblical models. Both Daniel, and Anna were both people in times of great transition, and given to fasting and prayer. In my opinion, these are biblical modles and examples given to us from the scripture of how to transition with God.
You should understand this about me. I am fairly new to the whole IHOP thing. What I am telling you is not so much what I learned from IHOP per se, but what I am learning from the Lord for the most part. Only in the last six months have I really been looking at thier sight and downloading thier material. far as I can tell, it has been very scriptual, and I have been very impacted by it.
What I see as a modle also is the tabernacle of David and how He appointed singers and muscians to worship before the Lord. A thing that was restored after the return form exile. I truly believe, (this is what I have understood from my time with the Lord, and I have heard it with IHOP as well) that what David saw, ws wha is presently taking place in Heaven and what John wrote about in Revelation 4&5. It is also repeated again when you see the saints on the crystal sea, signing the song of Moses and of the Lamb (old and new testament saints) and declaring things, having all harps. So what he saw in heaven, they reproduced on earth, like jesus toaught the disciples to pray: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
By: haybark on December 24, 2007
at 7:03 pm
John,
I agree that is a schism existing in the body of Christ, but I believe it is because we are attempting to do a my-ministry-is-more-effective-in-its-methods-and-gets-more-results-than-yours type of thing that’s put Christians in competition with each other, rather than in co-operation. Pragmatism has replaced truth in many ministries inan effort to draw more people into the church.
I disagree that IHOP’s approach is entirely biblical, because of several reasons that have nothing to do with prayer. I will gather up all my resources and my own thoughts as to where and why after Christmas when we both have more time to explore this issue in depth.
In the meantime, please hold the thought. I believe this can be a very productive discussion.
There will probably be others who want to talk to you as well, so I hope you’re up for that.
Have a most blessed Christmas with your family. We wish you all God’s richest blessings.
By: mbaker on December 24, 2007
at 9:02 pm
We’ll see how it goes. I’ll check back later.
John
By: haybark on December 26, 2007
at 5:15 pm