The Alelyon (one another) passages in the New Testament:
Do not lie to each other but speak the truth to each other in love.
(Ephesians 4:14, 25; Colossians 3:9) – Part 3
In Book 7 of his Confessions, the early church writer Augustine speaks of discovering that all that is true in the world comes from God. Knowing that Jesus speaks of himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Augustine’s conclusion, as someone being led by the Spirit, was rather inescapable. After all, this is the experience of anyone being pursued by God: Inklings and glimpses of reality in our lives all come together when he captures us for his kingdom.
Mike Gladieux
August 26, 2018 7:01 pmTaking up with your statement: “I am, of course, asserting that the biblical claims and narratives about the universe – especially those related to the Lord’s attributes – are incontrovertible.” Here is another “truth statement” in the scriptures that people often overlook . . . or they don’t take into account its clear consequences: John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth.” So God’s truth (the truth of His word, when it is received by us and it forms us) sanctifies us, or sets us apart, for His special use and purposes. When Jesus spoke these words the only existing scriptures were what we now call the Old Testament, and pre-eminent among those were the books of Moses. Receiving and believing His word is vital to us today when deception is rampant on every front. It is especially important to receive the truth of Genesis and the creation account when the widely-disseminated theories of origins tell us otherwise. A few simple facts here: EVERY person in the history of the church believed the creation account was accurate history. There are no exceptions at all. This account determines our world-view . . . is it Biblical or from the world? The scriptures exhort us: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Why is this important? So that you might show forth the good and holy and acceptable will of God (see Romans 12:2). So it is vital to our witness to Him. Faith itself can elude us when we receive honor from one another but do not seek the honor that comes from God only” (John 5:44). If we “fear man” then we are caught in a snare (Proverbs 29:25), but if we fear God then we are on the road to wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). One final point: Three times in Romans 1:18ff Paul states that failing to acknowledge Him as Creator results in sexual perversion: (1:24, 1:26, 1:28). I say this just in case someone might imagine that belief in this part of scripture is not especially relevant to us today. ALL of God’s truth (all of His holy word) is important, else He would not have given it all to us.
Beliefs of the Heart
August 27, 2018 11:53 amReminds me of a quote I once heard: “No on disbelieved Christianity because it promises to little; we all disbelieve because it promises such goodness.”
But the goodness is true.