Burk Parsons: The Search for Truth

Around The Web-November 4, 2016

The complete 5 volume set of Reformed Dogmatics by Geerhardus Vos is now available and on sale

6 Marks of a Faithful Ministry by Tim Challies

A Few Brief Thoughts on the Hatmaker Hermeneutic by Kevin DeYoung

Love Your Neighbor Enough to Speak Truth by Rosaria Butterfield

Our Impoverished Imaginations: The World of Jen Hatmaker by Jake Meador

Is evangelical Christianity becoming more open to gay marriage? by Denny Burk

How to Practice Christian Encouragement by Jared Musgrove

Set Free by the Gospel: Navigating Between License and Legalism by Jonah Sage

If you are regular visitor to the blog, you know that I have shared Matt Redman videos time and time again during "Music Monday," which includes one of his most popular songs, "10,000 Reasons." This video is Matt leading people in that song which took place at Times Square.

God is Truth

"God is truth." When we make such a statement, we mean to say that truth is one of the attributes of God. We do not say that God has truth, but that God is truth, that truth is a part of his very being. The Bible ascribes such truth to each member of the Trinity. Praying to the Father, Jesus said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God" (John 17:3). Jesus declared himself "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) and said the Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of Truth" (John 16:13). Clearly truth-a moral truth, a trustworthiness and faithfulness that underlies all that is real and verifiable in the world-is at the very heart of the divine. It is a trait shared equally by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And if truth is one of God's attributes, it follows that he is also its source. As God is the starting point for all love and all justice, so, too, he is the source of all truth. (Tim Challies, The Next Story)

The Truth Is Offensive

After Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes their hearts are far from God and they worship in vain, he said, "it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person" (Matthew 15:11, ESV). Then the disciples told Jesus, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying" (Matthew 15:12, ESV). The Pharisees were offended because their religion was being trashed by Jesus. They were offended because Jesus took their own interpretation of the Law and tossed it like trash.

In today's culture, the truth is offensive. We tell people about Jesus and they get offended because it is not what they want to hear. One way to really get people offended is start talking about sin. Tell them you are a sinner and they are a sinner. See how they react. Tell people who think they are good enough to get to heaven, that they are not good enough. You might lose them. Greg Gilbert wrote in his book, What Is The Gospel?:

The gospel of Jesus is full of stumbling blocks and this is the largest. To human hearts that stubbornly think of themselves as basically good and self-sufficient this idea that human beings are fundamentally sinful and rebellious is not merely scandalous, it is revolting.

Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) and the Truth is offensive to those who do not believe.