HONORING ALL TRUTH, PROCLAIMING ONE

Thesis: Christians ought to honor truth in other faith systems, while boldly proclaiming Jesus as the only true way to eternal life.

There is only one kind of truth. Knowledge, certainty, and belief vary. Truth does not. Truth can be defined as “The conformity of a proposition to the way things are”. As such, truth is true, regardless of context.

Truth can be categorized in several ways. For example, there are scientific, philosophical, sociological, etc categories. One category is “ultimate end.” Only one truth has eternal life as its ultimate end. Now, obviously, this statement has certain presuppositions. One such presupposition is the nature of eternal life.

In John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life as, “that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is understood here as eternal relationship with the persons of the Triune God. Jesus is the only source of this eternal life: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (John 17:1b-2).[1]

Given this definition of eternal life, it is clear that Jesus is the only way. This is a truth—a proposition that corresponds to the way things are—with eternal significance. It is a truth we must proclaim (Matt 28:16-20; Acts 4:8-12).

But, the eternal significance of this one truth offers no justification for dishonoring other truths. All truth, wherever it is found, can be honored and heard because Jesus is Lord of all. Other faith systems have much to say about the human condition and about living in the world as good persons. Such truths do no damage to our faith unless our faith is in something other than Jesus. Further, people in other faith systems may not be able to hear us until we have respectfully heard them.

Therefore, two practices are required of disciples of Jesus:

• Honor truth in other faith systems by listening to the hearts of those holding those faiths.
• Share your heart with all who will hear, boldly proclaiming Jesus as the only way to eternal life.

[1] I realize not all agree with this presupposition and, in that case, this argument will be unconvincing. About this I can do nothing, but I do invite you to join the conversation by posting your understanding on your blog and linking here.

Related
PAGITT and SLICE (the above short essay is the result of ponderings prompted by the second half of the interview)

Resources
Corresponding With Truth on Scriptorum
Bibliology on Theology Website
In Whose Image? in Books & Culture

Tag(s): searching for truth world religions discipleship evangelism

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“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/

WHAT ABOUT THE LOOSELY CONNECTED?

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:20-23 ESV

Thoughts after a short lectio on verse 22

1. There is one who hangs on by a thread. Disappointment and hurt have made trust too difficult and habit too easy. This one remains attached, but the connection is in constant danger of destruction. something must be done.
2. We are loved by the Father as the Son is loved by the Father. This love creates our oneness. This is a real, palpable thing. It is who we are.
3. Why does this one not know this truth? Why and how are we failing to communicate this? How must repentance and confession be accomplished?

Tag(s): ministry

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“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/

THE LINGUISTIC REVELATION OF GOD

The Sunday Collegium is studying through Playing With Fire by Walt Russell, Ph.D., Professor of Bible Exposition, Talbot School of Theology. I'll be posting short essays in response to each week's reading. This week we read the preface and general introduction.
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We make claims about the Bible. We claim it is God's Word. We claim it is true, powerful, useful, and correct. We make these claims with our lips. But we behave as if the Bible is a self-help book that we read when WE have needs or desires.

But the Bible is most certainly NOT a self-help book. It is, rather, God's linguistic revelation of himself. This is an amazing thing. This means the Bible is not under our control. We do not decide the Bible's meaning and significance. We do not decide its usefulness. We do not pick and choose according to our needs and desires.

Rather, we place ourselves in God's presence. I think this has implications for how we read and study the Bible. I think it means we read and study HUGE chunks--whole books, whole sections, and whole Testaments. It means we study, respecting the divine-human nature of the Bible.

Because the Bible is divine, we trust it and obey it. We submit to the shaping. Because it is divine, we discipline ourselves, setting aside our desires and excuses. There is not good reason not to read and study God's linguistic revelation of himself.

Because the bible is human, we read and study, respecting it as human literature. This means grammar, syntax, literary devices, genre, history, culture, etc., matter, and matter greatly. Because the Bible is human literature, we study deeply to discover (NOT decide) the original authors' intended meaning. Because the Bible is human literature, we understand it in the context of the human author's culture BEFORE trying to understand it in our culture. This means the our response to the Bible ALWAYS corresponds to the meaning and significance intended by the human and divine authors.

Bible reading is not a source of spiritual fuzzies. Bible reading and study is disciplined submission to the Sovereign Lord and Creator of the Universe. It is nothing less. We dare not make excuses.



Tag(s): hermenuetics spiritual formation bible study

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“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/

GETTING BACK TO FAITHFULNESS

There are complexities in studying a human-divine book that simply do not exist when studying a human book. Yet, form, redaction, composition, literary, rhetorical, and social science criticism enter out study of Matthew's Gospel, but there is surely more. God also wrote this book and thus, Matthew's writing has purposes that necessarily involve faith.

In fact, in my first one-sitting read of the book, I have seen a theme of faithfulness. This theme may well tie in to the notion of Torah as a document of faith (as presented by John Sailhamer in Pentateuch as Narrative and Introduction to Old Testament Theology). The contention is that Torah was written not as law but as faith. Jesus comes to restore this.

Tag(s): new testament gospel of matthew

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“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/