God’s Truth
“It is true, Scripture is. It is perspicuous, meaning it is clear. The meaning is evident on the face of it. There are no puzzles hidden in Scripture. It is not truth concealed, it is truth revealed. Sure there are some things hard to understand. Sure you’ve got to dig a little to get those things. But it is revelation no obfuscation. The message of Scripture is clear and unambiguous and it is not existential.” – John MacArthur, Transcript from The Authoritative Nature of Truth Sermon from GTY.ORG.
Recently I read a “Christian” book by a popular “Christian” author. The book was an easy enough read as I got through it rather quickly. However the author continually questioned the foundational truths of the Christian faith. He questioned the virgin birth, the doctrine of the trinity and the authority of Scripture among other things as well. When I finished reading this book, I wondered what in the world he really believed and why he was so reluctant to accept the Bible as God’s truth.
The idea of not knowing any absolute truth is prominent in today’s postmodern culture. The philosophy of believing we cannot know what the Bible says with any certainty has become a central theme in many circles. Yet, God’s word affirms over and over again that we can know the truth. I finished the last page thinking this book presented an incredibly sad religion by which we could not in any way totally understand or know God’s truth.
In Nancy Leigh DeMoss’s book, Lies Women Believe, she says on page 40, “Every area of bondage in our lives can be traced back to a lie.” Not believing the truth leads to believing lies. Believing the lie leads to bondage and it all begins when we doubt God’s word. Here are just a few scriptures in which God’s word affirms its truth (all verses are from the English Standard Version):
Psalm 33:4 – For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
Psalm 51:6 – Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
John 8:32 – and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 17:17 – Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Praise God that He gave us truth! He did not give us a Bible that we have to question if anything in it is true. You know what? Yes, there will be disagreements along the way. Calvinism vs. Armenisim, Lordship Salvation vs. Free Grace Salvation, gifts ceased vs. gifts active, pre-trib, mid-trib, post-rib…and the list goes on and on. People are passionate about their views. Yet, God’s word never changes; it is always the same and is always relevant. As John MacArthur says, there are some things in Scripture that are hard to understand. Just because it may be hard to understand does not make it any less true. It doesn’t mean we cannot know that truth.
Bondage in our lives begins when we distrust the ultimate source of God’s Truth. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says (NIV),
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
God’s word confirms that if we believers are given the ability to understand God’s truth. We just need to spend the time reading, studying, properly interpreting and discerning what the passages mean. If anyone has a hard time with that, there is a wealth of good information available to help you study your Bible. There are excellent teachings in interpretation and ways that you can grow in your knowledge of God’s truth. Praise God today for the gift of His Word. Be blessed today.
Dear heavenly father, Lord we are so thankful that your word is truth. There is no doubt that you have given us your authoritative truth in the precious Word. Lord, give us your guidance through the Holy Spirit as we read and study. Keep doubt from entering our minds. Give us discernment as we hear popular teachings today that we cannot know or understand the Bible. Keep us from deception and let us live lives of integrity and bring glory and honor or You and You alone. In Jesus name, Amen.
Amen to this dear.
Sounds like that author was using his human wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:13-14
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
We need to be grounded in God’s Word.
Have a blessed day!
How thankful I am for the truth of God’s Word. I’m going through a difficult time of trust right now and knowing that I can go to his Word for absolute clarity and truth is my saving grace in this time. Thanks for the reminder. May God breathe his everlasting truth over your precious heart this day.
peace~elaine
Renee,
Wow, Powerful… I encounter these very arguments on an ongoing basis as I live with an unbeliever and maost of my friends are unbelievers. I feel so secure knowing that God’s word is truth.
I also agree with Joan. It must be discerned by the spirit. That is my daily prayer for my husband. Hugs.