Truth has taken a lot of abuse, especially over the last century and a half. Beginning with Hegel’s musings and progressing through the relativism and tolerance of our age, truth is under fire.

Scientific methodology has progressed to a sophistication that renders man’s understanding truly astounding. In fact, man’s capability has such momentum—knowledge doubles every year…and IBM says knowledge will soon double every twelve hours—that truth derived via scientific methodology seems inevitable, and therefore dependable given enough time.

And that begs the question: What of truth can be known, and is there any such thing as absolute truth, that is, truth without doubt or question? Interject theology, and the question becomes: Can the absolute truth of God be known?

These are fair questions, and ones we should ponder. But asking the right question is only the beginning. Analyzing the question correctly is also essential, and this is where many stumble.

It will not consistently work to apply scientific methodology in our quest to determine the truth—or not—of God. To believe otherwise is an error in logic. God will not allow Himself to be figured out by man’s intellect. The Bible speaks of it this way: “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rm. 1:22).

Let’s be clear about our definitions. Science produces hypotheses, which in time progress to theories, and if proven predictable become laws. So, you have the laws of gravity and thermodynamics, and you have the theory of evolution, the theory of strings within quantum theory, and then you have the study of fields like archeology, medicine, and zoology.

But I asked at the beginning of my letter, “Are you a lover of the truth?” If you think about it, it would seem odd to ask, “Are you a lover of scientific methodology?” While there may be those who genuinely love methodologies, you generally appreciate or value a method and you love a person.

And that is precisely my point: Truth is a person, not a system, not facts or figures; not tenets, not methods, not results, and not the science of anything, including the science of religious study and methodology. Truth is an individual who was God but took on the form of a man. And who even though he was God, did not cling to that identity but humbled Himself to become one of us and thus render for us an accurate portrait of God’s true character (ref. Jn. 1, Phil. 2).

The person of Jesus Christ was not a law, a theory, or a hypothesis. He was truth incarnate.

Therefore, truth is not discerned in a test tube or a methodology such that it can be documented and repeated. Truth must be known in the heart through life in the same way marriage is known in the heart through living life together. Truth is not necessarily an experiment with predictable outcomes. By definition, truth is the heart of God continually demonstrating His determination to do what is right and best for those whom He loves.

I am a unique individual, as you are. God loves me differently in my uniqueness than He loves you in yours, but He loves us both absolutely and with unflinching love. This is the truth, the absolute truth applied.

In the same way you can cover your eyes and claim the sun did not rise, you can willfully blind yourself to the truth of Jesus Christ and claim He was other than what He claimed. However, this doesn’t change the fact of the sun rising nor the truth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised us an assistant to help us understand truth, that is, help us understand Him. He said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (Jn. 16:13a).

Here is a fact, i.e. a law, that goes hand-in-hand with truth: Enmeshed in the fabric of our spiritual DNA is the Spirit that Jesus promised and commissioned with one, sole task: to tell us each and every one about the infinite scope of the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Notice the passage says, “He will guide you.” In other words, He will instruct, tutor, nurture, form, illuminate, and direct us in knowing the Truth. It is truth anchored in fact, or conversely, a law that points to truth.

As I consider these things, I am determined to pay attention to the teaching of the Spirit. How about you? After all, methodology is only as good as the mind behind it. Truth is as reliable as the person’s character who is synonymous with truth.

In the case of Christ, this truth is absolute.

The passage above from John goes ahead to say that the Spirit of truth will not speak a word on His own initiative, and that is a great standard for us as well. To live in utter, unreserved, and unblushing dependence upon Christ, who is the truth, means that in so doing I accurately represent Him to all who observe.

Herein is the method of our faith and relationship with Jesus—and herein is the similarity between the scientific method and Christianity. To be convinced of either, observation and consistency is key.

In the same way you can cover your eyes and claim the sun did not rise, you can willfully blind yourself to the truth of Jesus Christ and claim He was other than what He claimed. However, this doesn’t change the fact of the sun rising nor the truth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised us an assistant to help us understand truth, that is, help us understand Him. He said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (Jn. 16:13a).

Here is a fact, i.e. a law, that goes hand-in-hand with truth: Enmeshed in the fabric of our spiritual DNA is the Spirit that Jesus promised and commissioned with one, sole task: to tell us each and every one about the infinite scope of the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Notice the passage says, “He will guide you.” In other words, He will instruct, tutor, nurture, form, illuminate, and direct us in knowing the Truth. It is truth anchored in fact, or conversely, a law that points to truth.

As I consider these things, I am determined to pay attention to the teaching of the Spirit. How about you? After all, methodology is only as good as the mind behind it. Truth is as reliable as the person’s character who is synonymous with truth.

In the case of Christ, this truth is absolute.

The passage above from John goes ahead to say that the Spirit of truth will not speak a word on His own initiative, and that is a great standard for us as well. To live in utter, unreserved, and unblushing dependence upon Christ, who is the truth, means that in so doing I accurately represent Him to all who observe.

And that is precisely my point: Truth is a person, not a system, not facts or figures; not tenets, not methods, not results, and not the science of anything, including the science of religious study and methodology. Truth is an individual who was God but took on the form of a man. And who even though he was God, did not cling to that identity but humbled Himself to become one of us and thus render for us an accurate portrait of God’s true character (ref. Jn. 1, Phil. 2).

The person of Jesus Christ was not a law, a theory, or a hypothesis. He was truth incarnate.

Therefore, truth is not discerned in a test tube or a methodology such that it can be documented and repeated. Truth must be known in the heart through life in the same way marriage is known in the heart through living life together. Truth is not necessarily an experiment with predictable outcomes. By definition, truth is the heart of God continually demonstrating His determination to do what is right and best for those whom He loves.

How then, in truth, does He love you and me?

Truth has taken a lot of abuse, especially over the last century and a half. Beginning with Hegel’s musings and progressing through the relativism and tolerance of our age, truth is under fire.

Scientific methodology has progressed to a sophistication that renders man’s understanding truly astounding. In fact, man’s capability has such momentum—knowledge doubles every year…and IBM says knowledge will soon double every twelve hours—that truth derived via scientific methodology seems inevitable, and therefore dependable given enough time.

And that begs the question: What of truth can be known, and is there any such thing as absolute truth, that is, truth without doubt or question? Interject theology, and the question becomes: Can the absolute truth of God be known?

These are fair questions, and ones we should ponder. But asking the right question is only the beginning. Analyzing the question correctly is also essential, and this is where many stumble.

It will not consistently work to apply scientific methodology in our quest to determine the truth—or not—of God. To believe otherwise is an error in logic. God will not allow Himself to be figured out by man’s intellect. The Bible speaks of it this way: “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rm. 1:22).

Let’s be clear about our definitions. Science produces hypotheses, which in time progress to theories, and if proven predictable become laws. So, you have the laws of gravity and thermodynamics, and you have the theory of evolution, the theory of strings within quantum theory, and then you have the study of fields like archeology, medicine, and zoology.

But the question remains: What is truth and can you know truth? That’s coming up next.

“We all live in a yellow submarine, / a yellow submarine.” Or, “Under the board walk, / down by the sea.”

We sang a song in church recently that stuck in my head: “All of You [God] is more than enough for me.”

About eighteen months ago my Heavenly Father posed a question and then left me to ponder: Christ alone, Pres, or Christ plus? He did not offer a great deal of commentary. It wasn’t necessary.

This wasn’t a hard question for me to understand. But, it has been challenging to appropriate.

Understanding that Christ is the only means to God—sola Christos, or Christ alone—is clear. Sadly, what is not so clear—at least in my practice—is the fleshly belief that I can add to my life with something of my own ability, and in so doing, enhance the Kingdom of God and perhaps my standing in God’s eyes.

I know the truth of this matter, but knowing the truth is not the challenge. Practicing the truth is the hard part.

Believing that Christ is life and life is Christ makes perfect sense, and I readily quote, “For me to live is Christ.” However, the temptation to declare, “Christ and Christ alone,” and then add to this declaration my success, my abilities, my recognition, my reputation, my contacts, etc. is at times overwhelming. Before I know it, it is no longer, “Christ alone;” it is “Christ plus.”

Paul penned a famous passage of Scripture in Philippians where he discusses fame, recognition, and entitlement and points out that he has every reason to boast based upon these achievements. But then he says, “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ” (3:7-8).

Like Paul, I am tempted to think highly of my accomplishments, and when I succumb to this temptation—Christ plus my accomplishments—I embrace the enemy’s lie that I can enhance my worth to God beyond that achieved on my behalf through Jesus Christ. But interestingly, when I walk after the flesh in this fashion, instead of life’s inventory being filled with peace and contentment and joy, I find that discontent drops anchor.

Our English rendering, “rubbish” (v. 8), is nicely sanitized, perhaps so our sensibilities will not be offended, or the public reading of the Word will not leave us blushing. Brother Paul literally states that he considers those things he might contribute to Christ as, “the vilest of human excrement.” Somewhere along the way Paul’s word choice was translated, “rubbish.” Even though you may not know Greek, you grasp the accurate options. One word starts with the letter “s”, the other with the letter “d”.

Paul understood that anything he contributed to Christ was derived from his plethora of abilities to perform legalistically apart from Christ’s life. Stated again, he grasped, and stated emphatically, any gain based upon his credentials failed to endorse Christ and Christ alone as the source of life. As Paul considered this, he likened it to something our translators have determined is impermissible to write in a cultured letter written to mixed company including children.

And with that I am fixated upon this: Will it be Christ and Christ alone, in which He gives me all of Himself and His life, or will it be additional “rubbish” derived via my fleshly abilities to enhance life beyond Christ?

Sola Christos! Christ alone?

That Sunday—the ear worm stuck in my head, but I could not sing, “All of you is more than enough for all of me.” Instead, I stood entranced, listening to Father’s thorough voice, nurturing me toward understanding Christ’s absolute sufficiency and my absolute need. I sensed Him cutting through the intoxicating fog of my abilities, and somewhere in my inner recesses, His Spirit revealed my heart’s desire.

I realize this is a simple note in concept, but don’t stumble over it as I have for much of my life. If the enemy can entice us to endorse any supplement to the finished work of Christ, we thereby agree that Christ is less than sufficient.

The question stands. Christ alone, or Christ plus?

God has stated His terms. What are yours?

However, the temptation to declare, “Christ and Christ alone,” and then add to this declaration my success, my abilities, my recognition, my reputation, my contacts, etc. is at times overwhelming. Before I know it, it is no longer, “Christ alone;” it is “Christ plus.”

Paul penned a famous passage of Scripture in Philippians where he discusses fame, recognition, and entitlement and points out that he has every reason to boast based upon these achievements. But then he says, “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ” (3:7-8).

Like Paul, I am tempted to think highly of my accomplishments, and when I succumb to this temptation—Christ plus my accomplishments—I embrace the enemy’s lie that I can enhance my worth to God beyond that achieved on my behalf through Jesus Christ. But interestingly, when I walk after the flesh in this fashion, instead of life’s inventory being filled with peace and contentment and joy, I find that discontent drops anchor.

Our English rendering, “rubbish” (v. 8), is nicely sanitized, perhaps so our sensibilities will not be offended, or the public reading of the Word will not leave us blushing. Brother Paul literally states that he considers those things he might contribute to Christ as, “the vilest of human excrement.” Somewhere along the way Paul’s word choice was translated, “rubbish.” Even though you may not know Greek, you grasp the accurate options. One word starts with the letter “s”, the other with the letter “d”.

Paul understood that anything he contributed to Christ was derived from his plethora of abilities to perform legalistically apart from Christ’s life. Stated again, he grasped, and stated emphatically, any gain based upon his credentials failed to endorse Christ and Christ alone as the source of life. As Paul considered this, he likened it to something our translators have determined is impermissible to write in a cultured letter written to mixed company including children.

And with that I am fixated upon this: Will it be Christ and Christ alone, in which He gives me all of Himself and His life, or will it be additional “rubbish” derived via my fleshly abilities to enhance life beyond Christ?

Sola Christos! Christ alone?

That Sunday—the ear worm stuck in my head, but I could not sing, “All of you is more than enough for all of me.” Instead, I stood entranced, listening to Father’s thorough voice, nurturing me toward understanding Christ’s absolute sufficiency and my absolute need. I sensed Him cutting through the intoxicating fog of my abilities, and somewhere in my inner recesses, His Spirit revealed my heart’s desire.

I realize this is a simple note in concept, but don’t stumble over it as I have for much of my life. If the enemy can entice us to endorse any supplement to the finished work of Christ, we thereby agree that Christ is less than sufficient.

The question stands. Christ alone, or Christ plus?

God has stated His terms. What are yours?

“We all live in a yellow submarine, / a yellow submarine.” Or, “Under the board walk, / down by the sea.”

We sang a song in church recently that stuck in my head: “All of You [God] is more than enough for me.”

About eighteen months ago my Heavenly Father posed a question and then left me to ponder: Christ alone, Pres, or Christ plus? He did not offer a great deal of commentary. It wasn’t necessary.

This wasn’t a hard question for me to understand. But, it has been challenging to appropriate.

Understanding that Christ is the only means to God—sola Christos, or Christ alone—is clear. Sadly, what is not so clear—at least in my practice—is the fleshly belief that I can add to my life with something of my own ability, and in so doing, enhance the Kingdom of God and perhaps my standing in God’s eyes.

I know the truth of this matter, but knowing the truth is not the challenge. Practicing the truth is the hard part.

There is a healthy balance in TR’s words. Greatness is not hampered by difficult circumstances or tough issues. In fact, greatness would not be great unless there were monumental challenges to overcome. Victory would not be sweetly savored unless defeat had been stared in the eye.

Meeting challenges is inevitable. Jesus said so when He told the disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation.” But rather than launch into a discussion of how we are to deal with personal burdens, I want to spend the balance of this piece talking about our obligation to the greatest issue facing mankind.

Though TR wasn’t talking about Christianity in his Chicago speech, his words apply. “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world.” Our individual relationships with Christ are intensely personal on the one hand, but on the other, we are to be beacons of light to those around us. We are to be actively intervening on behalf of people against the enemy as he tries his best to ramrod them into the destitution of his agenda.

All around us there are people struggling with challenges spanning the gamut from individual, to national, to societal. The effects of mankind’s consistent decision to live independently of God are evident even though we posture and pose and erect façade’s to hide our poor state of affairs.

It makes no difference what the fleshly tactic of independence is. All flesh is sin and ultimately it renders its consequence.

What calling is more noble than to understand the magnitude of God’s work in Christ at the cross and share that with others?

As TR said, “We cannot avoid meeting great issues.” Indeed! This one affects us all and is the greatest issue in all of history. If we consistently intervene in the lives of those close to us with a lifestyle that exemplifies Christ’s victory, and if we look for opportunities to verbally reinforce this when given the opportunity, we address this great issue and affect the world greatly.

Does this call for us to boldly confront everyone with the reality of Christ’s work?

For some a bold testimony is reasonable. But for most of us, we seize the challenge before us with a lifestyle that consistently demonstrates Christ’s life, and every now and then, God calls upon us to speak a word on His behalf. More often than not Father asks us to lead by example and encourage by word.

In other words, the ability to articulate your victory in Christ as though you were going to make a presentation is not necessary. Your life, and our faith, are not a show. You must demonstrate Christ far more than you talk about Him.

TR said, “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world.” Peter said we are to be prepared to give an accounting of our hope. Paul told Timothy to be ready in all seasons. Jesus said we were to go into the hedges and highways and compel people to join us. In Acts, we are simply told, “Go!”

I can hear it now: The devil is asserting that these thoughts are legalistic because I am talking with you about matters of greatness, influence, and action.

Hogwash! Resist the devil and send him packing!

Our Heavenly Father has privileged us to join Him in changing the world. In the power of the Spirit we should dare great things! Together, we play a great part in the world.

As TR said, “We cannot avoid meeting great issues.” Indeed! This one affects us all and is the greatest issue in all of history. If we consistently intervene in the lives of those close to us with a lifestyle that exemplifies Christ’s victory, and if we look for opportunities to verbally reinforce this when given the opportunity, we address this great issue and affect the world greatly.

Does this call for us to boldly confront everyone with the reality of Christ’s work?

For some a bold testimony is reasonable. But for most of us, we seize the challenge before us with a lifestyle that consistently demonstrates Christ’s life, and every now and then, God calls upon us to speak a word on His behalf. More often than not Father asks us to lead by example and encourage by word.

In other words, the ability to articulate your victory in Christ as though you were going to make a presentation is not necessary. Your life, and our faith, are not a show. You must demonstrate Christ far more than you talk about Him.

TR said, “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world.” Peter said we are to be prepared to give an accounting of our hope. Paul told Timothy to be ready in all seasons. Jesus said we were to go into the hedges and highways and compel people to join us. In Acts, we are simply told, “Go!”

I can hear it now: The devil is asserting that these thoughts are legalistic because I am talking with you about matters of greatness, influence, and action.

Hogwash! Resist the devil and send him packing!

Our Heavenly Father has privileged us to join Him in changing the world. In the power of the Spirit we should dare great things! Together, we play a great part in the world.

There is a healthy balance in TR’s words. Greatness is not hampered by difficult circumstances or tough issues. In fact, greatness would not be great unless there were monumental challenges to overcome. Victory would not be sweetly savored unless defeat had been stared in the eye.

Meeting challenges is inevitable. Jesus said so when He told the disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation.” But rather than launch into a discussion of how we are to deal with personal burdens, I want to spend the balance of this piece talking about our obligation to the greatest issue facing mankind.

Though TR wasn’t talking about Christianity in his Chicago speech, his words apply. “If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world.” Our individual relationships with Christ are intensely personal on the one hand, but on the other, we are to be beacons of light to those around us. We are to be actively intervening on behalf of people against the enemy as he tries his best to ramrod them into the destitution of his agenda.

All around us there are people struggling with challenges spanning the gamut from individual, to national, to societal. The effects of mankind’s consistent decision to live independently of God are evident even though we posture and pose and erect façade’s to hide our poor state of affairs.

It makes no difference what the fleshly tactic of independence is. All flesh is sin and ultimately it renders its consequence.

And into this milieu we have been inserted, endowed with power from on high, and entrusted to bear witness. But how does this work for the quiet among us, the introverted, and the shy? In the course of life, what does greatness truly entail? That’s next….