What Is Truth?

What Is Truth? by Romans 

Over the course of the past two weeks, I have asked, and I hope to your satisfaction, I have answered the question, “Is Christ Divided?” There are some 500 different Christian Denominations. In spite of the fact that there is nearly unanimous agreement on the Essentials, there is much disagreement and contention, and in too many cases disowning by some Congregations of all other Congregations who do not agree on non-essentials. For those who may be confused regarding the Essential / non-essentials I refer to, let me be clear. The Essentials include the facts that:

1.) We are all sinners (Romans 3:23)
2.) The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
3.) We are in need of a Savior
4.) God sent Jesus to be that Savior
5.) Jesus was God in the flesh
6.) We trust that the Sacrificial Death of Jesus Christ, applied to our accounts, grants us forgiveness, Salvation and Eternal Life. 
7.) The above Essentials of Salvation are summarized in the statement, “Faith alone in Christ alone.”

The non-essentials that Congregations have divided over are those teachings and beliefs that do not impact our Salvation. Read Romans 14 to clearly see that Scripture does not require us to all agree on the non-essentials. There should be no division and/or condemnation among us based on variant non-essentials because God accepts us, and accepts our worship, and calls us His children even though there are cultural variations, worship variations, individual levels Spiritual maturity, and individual preferences in regard to, the use or non-use of musical instruments during worship services, and even the day of the week on which we worship. Without naming them, some of the individual Congregations that I am aware of have elevated their own pet non-essentials to the level of "inspired Truth” (with a capital”T”) that must be universally believed, and accepted and practiced. They teach that any and all who dare to disagree with them are not true Christians, have no Salvation, and are bound for Hell. 

Tonight, I plan to fine-tune the question of the past two weeks, “Is Christ Divided” and ask, “What Is Truth?”

Let me introduce tonight's Discussion with this: There are two particular, inter-related questions that are asked in Scripture that are of monumental importance. One is in the Old Testament and the other is in the New Testament. Tonight, I am going to ask the first, and answer it very briefly, and put it on hold. Then I am going to ask the second question and focus on its answer for the rest of the Discussion. In both cases, and in response to both questions, the answers I will provide this evening are exclusively out of the Word of God.

The first question appears in the Book of Genesis. Let's begin in Genesis 22:2: “And he (God) said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning... and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off... And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 

That is the first of the two monumental questions I am asking, tonight: "Where is the lamb?"

One commentator noted that the entirety of the Old Testament echoes Isaac's question: "Where is the lamb... ?”

Many centuries later, a Prophet gave us a brief prophetic glimpse of where we could find the lamb: We read in Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

In the New Testament, John the Baptist looks up from the banks of the Jordan River, and sees Jesus coming to him. He declares in John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

The second monumental question was asked by Pilate when Jesus was on trial before him. We read in John 18:37: "Pilate therefore said unto him, 'Art thou a king then?' Jesus answered, 'Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.'” Pilate asks in Verse 38: “What is truth?”

This is the monumental question that I want to focus on for the remainder of the Discussion: What is Truth? 

Or, more specifically, Can we know it?

Jesus, and His disciples and Apostles after Him warn us repeatedly not to be deceived. When there is more than one understanding regarding the meaning of a Verse, what it is to be a Christian, what is acceptable to God, and which commands are binding, how can we know the Truth? As I said earlier, there are some 500 Denominations with a wide variety of understandings, practices, lists of prohibitions and commands which they tell us we must accept and obey in order to be saved. This can be disconcerting, especially to the new believer in Christ. There is little to no agreement on these "necessary" beliefs, yet our Salvation "hangs in the balance," or so we are told, if we do not conform to them. 

Can we know the Truth? Well... I am here to tell you that we can! And, tonight, I am going to present that Truth to you, not as any man, or commentary or denomination that I am aware of has ever presented it. I fully acknowledge 2 Peter 1:20 which says that, 
"... no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation," and I ask you to consider that: 1.) I am not prophesying about anything. 2.) As you will see before this is over, I am not claiming any private interpretation, here. What I will do, instead, and from a perspective I have never heard or read before, is allow the Word of God to answer the question: Can we know the Truth? Here me out. And then, if you still think that what I am saying is without Scriptural merit or support, then, by all means, please reply to this Post, and tell me. All I ask is that you hear me out first. 

The whole notion of there being variant understandings of what God meant to say, or what He requires in His Word is certainly not new. Even before Jesus walked the earth, there were divisions among the Jews as to how to best understand and/or worship God. There were the familiar divisions of the Pharisees and the Sadducees mentioned in the pages of the New Testament. 

Then there was the Jewish Sect of the Essenes. From the website http://www.centuryone.com, we get the following information about them: “The Dead Sea Scrolls were most likely written by the Essenes during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 C.E./A.D. The Essenes are mentioned by Josephus and in a few other sources, but not in the New testament. The Essenes were a strict Torah observant, Messianic, apocalyptic, baptist, wilderness, new covenant Jewish sect. They were led by a priest they called the "Teacher of Righteousness," who was opposed and possibly killed by the establishment priesthood in Jerusalem.” 

Then there were the Zealots. According to http://www.answers.com, “The Zealots were the Jewish revolutionaries of Jesus day, now they would be considered urban guerilla fighters, paramilitary religious fanatics and fierce nationalists... engaging in sporadic guerrilla warfare... in the Galilean Hills.” One of Jesus' disciples was a former member of this group. He is referred to in the Gospels when naming the disciples in Luke 6:15: “... Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes.” Fromhttp://www.truthbook.com we read of him, “Simon Zelotes, the eleventh apostle, was chosen by Simon Peter. He was an able man of good ancestry and lived with his family at Capernaum, He was twenty-eight years old when he became attached to the apostles. He was a fiery agitator and was also a man who spoke much without thinking. He had been a merchant in Capernaum before he turned his entire attention to the patriotic organization of the Zealots.”

The last variant group we will discuss is the Samaritans. According to http://wiki.answers.com, they “were residents of Samaria and may have been descended partly from the remnant Israelites allowed by the Assyrians to remain in Samaria and partly from the various peoples who were brought in to replace the Israelites taken into exile. They became implacable enemies of the Jews since the Jews overran Samaria during the second century BCE. Samaritans had become monotheistic, worshipping one God but with many differences compared to the religion of their southern Jewish neighbours.” John 4 highlights some of their specific agreements and variations from the Jews. Notice verse 20: “Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye {Jews} say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” And also this startling statement in verse 25: “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” The Samaritans were also waiting for the coming of the Messiah, but in spite of that common Messianic expectation, there was no harmony between them and the Jews, or acceptance of the Samaritans by the Jews.

After the Resurrection, and after the Day of Pentecost when the Church was born, how long did it takes before there were contentions and doctrinal dividing lines set up among the members of the Christian Church? I don't know how many months or years it took for these divisions to arise. But we know that it happened within the lifetimes of the New Testament Apostles and writers. The sectarian fine-tunings of interpretations of Scripture and preferences of one teacher over another were addressed in various epistles. Paul addressed this situation in his Epistle to the Corinthians. Notice, right out of the gate, Paul says, beginning in 1 Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”

Let me repeat and answer Paul's question from the last two weeks: Is Christ divided? The answer is a resounding, "No!" Yet there were and continue to be divisions to this very day... hundreds of denominations, making literally thousands of variant claims, all pontificating that we must all believe and practice their definition of Christianity. After all, their definition, or so they assure us, is the only one that is "based on the authority of the inspired Word of God." 

Can we possibly hope to know the Truth under these circumstances? I repeat that I have good news for you: we can!

Let's go back to Paul's day, once again, to more fully examine Romans 14. There were springing up in the Church at Rome, the kinds of divisions and preferences we see all around us, today. Paul addressed this problem, with an inspired, inspiring and a definitive response. Let me recap for you what was happening: Some members of the Church at Rome were eating meat sacrificed to idols, which other members considered to be sin. There were also divisions and separations regarding which day or days were “better” on which to worship God. In the 14th Chapter of the Book of Romans, Paul dives head first into both debates, and, unlike some of the sectarian and divisive choosing of sides that we so often see today, which only reinforces and solidifies the division, Paul issued the following judgment beginning in verse 1 of Romans 14: I am going to read from the English Standard Version for clarity's sake: “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.”

Paul makes a judgment in the next verse, that we rarely (if ever!) see today in regard to the voluminous variant interpretations of what God commands or accepts as worship: He says in Verse 21: “ It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.”

We all have our individual understanding, leanings, and preferences established by our own separate denominations, cultures, families, societies and even in our own private and individual worship of God. And Paul next addresses what we each do: In Verse 22, he makes a startling proclamation. A proclamation that flies in the face of those who would carve in stone an exclusive and specific list of "approved do's and don'ts" regarding the worship of God. Paul concludes the matter with the words: “The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God.” 

Wow! Keep your faith between yourself and God. What is he saying? Don't share your faith? No. Then exactly what? Don't try to impose your conscience on your brother or sister, to worship God in a manner that satisfies you, but may violate their conscience. You have done them no good. The end of Romans 14 reads as follows: “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."

Am I saying there is never anything that we should bring to the attention of a fellow believer? No... In fact we are commanded in Galatians 6:1: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Along with the Essentials as I listed them, there are also Biblical and Christian absolutes. A man or woman who professes to be a Christian, is commanded to not commit fornication or adultery or lust after anyone in their hearts, we are commanded to not seek revenge against real or imagined wrongs, we are commanded to not steal or defraud anyone, we are commanded to not kill or hate a brother, we are commanded to not withhold forgiveness, we are commanded to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use and persecute us, we are commanded to turn the other cheek in the face of opposition, we are to commanded love God with all our heart and mind and soul and might, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, we are commanded to not profane the Name of God, and we are commanded to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. This is not a complete or comprehensive list, but I know of no denominations that vary on the understanding or agreement with these commands. But we live according to these commands not to obtain Salvation or Grace, but in but in response to, in recognition of, and out of respect for the love and mercy and forgiveness that God has poured out on us. And the commands and practices that we are to observe and live, that are endorsed by Scripture, lead us into a life that bears fruit which glorifies God. They guide us into a moral life. They are not the ritualistic inconsequential and non-essential points that congregations divide over. These controversies are the breeding ground for discord and sectarianism ignoring the principle that God accepts variations in worship, when the worshiper does so according to what their conscience allows them to do. 

We continue to be confronted with new splinter groups rising up all the time with a "new and improved" and “Divinely-inspired” worship system that they claim "must be fully accepted and strictly followed." But I need to be as clear as I can be, here. I am not saying that every last Church or Fellowship or Congregation is accepted by God, or is automatically part of the Body of Christ because they claim to have His Name in their title, or claim to follow Him. There are false prophets, false apostles, and wolves in sheep's clothing that we have to be aware of as well as wary of. As we read in 1 John 4:1: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." But we can only test them and identify their genuineness (or lack thereof) by becoming familiar enough with the Word of God, as I have urged in the Discussions for years, so that their tactics, claims, heresy and double-talk is immediately evident. Departing from heretical leadershipis a very different situation than when one Congregation becomes two, based on non-essential worship preferences. As I have shown you, Paul did not endorse or take sides where such worship preferences were concerned. We are commanded, however, as individual Christians to withdraw from leaders who become self-appointed wedges who divide a Congregation with blatant disregard to the harmony God wants us to enjoy. Notice this Command in Romans 16:17-18: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (18)  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”  

But where non-essentials are concerned, Jesus, as Paul did, also refused to take sides when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. The Samaritans claimed that a certain mountain was the "correct" place to worship God. We read her words in John 4:20 "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." 

Did you get that? 

"True worshipers" do not stress over or succumb to the "this way / that way / this place / that place" boxes into which some try to place and limit God. No... Jesus said, "... they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth," which can take place anytime, anywhere and everywhere.

Jesus had something to say about another problem: the adding of rituals to Christian living and worship in order to be accepted. Notice Mark 7:6 “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.' Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do..." Focusing on and dividing over such trivial yokes of bondage do not honor or bring glory to God. They have no place in the life of a New Covenant Christian. Remember: Jesus said that "... they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The divisive and mandatory yokes of bondage that false prophets try to ram down our throats are neither spirit nor truth!

I told you in the introduction, that, in spite of all of our differences and squabbles and opposing claims and divisions, that we can know the Truth, and that I was going to present it to you. 

And I will do just that!

Jesus made several statements about the Truth. In just one Verse alone, He said in John 8:32: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Keep that in mind as we review His first public sermon, spoken in the Synagogue in Nazareth. Jesus read from a scroll that prophesied of His Ministry: We read in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

I would like to focus on four of the things He said His Ministry would accomplish: preaching the Gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, preaching deliverance to the captives and setting at liberty them that are bruised. Now let's go back and review what He said about the Truth: “the Truth shall make you free...” Is that not deliverance to a captive? Is that not a setting liberty to them that are bruised?

But what have we been delivered to, and a set at liberty to do? 

Let's see: Paul also addressed the same issue with meat sacrificed to idols in Corinth: We read in 1 Corinthians 8:9: “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”

Here, more than keeping your faith to yourself, Paul is saying that the imposition of your preference or comfort level of worship on your brother “wounds their weak conscience, and sins against Christ.” This is something that needs to be seriously considered before we act along these lines.

Paul also speaks of the liberty Christ provided us, in the Book of Galatians. We read in Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” What bondage were they free from, and what yoke was entangling the Galatians? Church members were being told by Jewish envoys from Jerusalem, that they had to keep Old Covenant laws and perform certain specific tasks in order to be saved: namely, circumcision, and observing particular days and seasons. He wrote them about this Galatians 5:12: “I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

There it is again: Liberty. The Freedom from salvation check-lists that Christ had made possible. Freedom from the added requirements that they were being told they had to follow. But there were and are are no added requirements that the Apostles or the New Testament endorses, and no obligatory ritual-based Old Covenant laws they had to obey, Paul continues, “... For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” 

The preferences, doctrinal revisions and salvation checklists that have divided us all into so many denominations has resulted in the very biting and devouring that Paul warned us about. And how are believers consumed? By those religious groups that claim an exclusive relationship with God. They believe and teach that God only approves of their understanding of His Word, and accepts worship only as they offer it. Everyone else is damned. Period.

Let's get back to my claim that we can know the Truth.

After telling His hearers that the Truth would make them free, four verses later, Jesus then added in 
John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

And He said in John 6:37: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

So Jesus said that if we see the Son, and believe on Him we would have everlasting life. On the Day of Pentecost, after the Resurrection, the Church was born. Peter delivered his first sermon. We read, beginning in Acts 2:36: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Did you notice what was not included in Peter's response? The list. You know, the salvation checklist of all the specific denominational attributes that distinguish and separate them, the privileged practices and exclusive commands that have been added down through the centuries, and which has divided and subdivided and sub-subdivided us into hundreds of denominations? 

Our members: worship on this day, no, on that day, pronounce God's Name like this,pronounce God's Name like that, they do dance, they don'tdance, they do drink wine, they don't drink wine, they do wear makeup, they don't wear makeup, they speak in tongues, they don't speak in tongues, they do see Doctors, they don't see Doctors, they do take medicine, they don't take medicine, they believe in soul sleep, they don't believe in soul sleep, they do wash feet, they don't wash feet... the list goes on and on and on.

But Peter has no knowledge of it! He does not mention even the remotest hint of it that his hearers had to also perform in order to be saved...

Well, some might say, "Maybe it was just too early in Church history, and the list wasn't developed yet." Let's see... Let's fast forward twenty years and see how Paul answered essentially that same question. Let me set the scene: Paul and Silas were in prison. An earthquake interrupts their singing praises to God, and their jailor "sprang in" and asked them about salvation. “Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:29-31). Twenty years after Peter's sermon, Paul and Silas were still not aware of any list of added requirements that the jailor had to perform in order to be saved, any more than Peter required of those who asked him about being saved.

Some may ask, "Was this how Paul always preached?" Notice his words to the Church at Corinth reminding them of what he preached to them in regard to their Salvation. 1 Corinthians 2:2, Paul wrote, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

No Salvation checklist??? No!

No dubious, inconsequential and non-essential preferences??? No!! 

No exclusive, divisive and contradictory requirements? No!!

Rather, he said, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” in perfect and complete harmony with Jesus' statement: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

But now we have to sort through all the added requirements to perform, hurdles to clear, and hoops to jump through that go way beyond the simple declarations that Jesus and Peter and Paul made to their hearers. With all of the disagreement and discord that surrounds us regarding the Truth, can we know the Truth? Is it possible to know the way to Salvation, and how to receive the Gift of Eternal Life? I tell you that absolutely can know We can know the Way to Salvation, the Truth about acceptable worship, and how we can live forever. 

And I offer it to you in a single amazing Verse. 

We read in John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus is all that all of these incompatible denominations have in common. And, in the final analysis, Jesus is all they have ever needed to look to in order to obtain the very forgiveness, Grace, path to the Father and Eternal Life that they so feverishly try to obtain through all of their added requirements, supplemental commands, exclusive understandings, spiritual hoops and, in a word, works. But we are not saved by works... we are saved by Grace, which is free!

Romans 11:6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

Grace, forgiveness and Eternal Life are free Gifts made available by the Father through His Son. Again, in Jesus own words, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40.)

Can we know the Way to the Father? Yes, because the Way is not any specific denominational path, or series of spiritual hurdles to be cleared. The Way is a Person, and His Name is Jesus.

Can we know the Truth? Yes, because the Truth is not a list of doctrines or beliefs or commands or creeds... The Truth is a Person, and His Name is Jesus.

And, the Life is not something we attain by performing anyone's set of requirements. The Life is a Person, and His Name is Jesus.

In this one Verse, He makes a claim about Himself, that no other sane and honest human being could ever hope to make of himself. Jesus said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.”

We can know the Truth that Leads to Salvation because we can know Jesus.

He told us He came to set at liberty the captives (Luke 4:18).

He told us “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Then He said “I am the Truth” (John 14:6).

Conclusion: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” ( John 8:36).

We are free because we can know the Truth in the Person of Jesus.

We all believe that God sent His Son to this earth to die on a cross for us. We do not need to fabricate checkpoints, and checklists and hurdles and hoops in order to earn or prove our Salvation, and we should not use them in order to identify, separate, judge and reject fellow believers and fellow servants. 

The disciples came to Jesus one day and said in Mark 9:38: “... Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.” 

Do we know and embrace and obey that Truth, today?

Is Christ divided? No.

Is the Truth divided? No. 

In closing, allow me to quote the Apostle Peter, in a wider excerpt of a verse I already quoted. 
From 1 Peter 2:1-5: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Where is the Lamb? Jesus is the Lamb.

What is truth? Jesus is the Truth, and the Way and the Life.

This concludes our Discussion this Evening, “What Is Truth?”

2 PETER 3:8 – STILL WAITING

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8 ESV)

To distract myself from the tedium of doing laundry the other day, I decided to bring my “write it down” book. I just write stuff in it whenever the mood hits me. The thoughts which compelled me to tuck the book into my laundry bag, along with the mountain of laundry, had been with me for a couple days and were thoughts I knew very well.

“How do you continue to wait on God, with expectancy, as the days drag on with no answer or reprieve?”

Someone close to my heart finds herself in such a state; waiting on God to fulfill His promise to her. It has been a long time coming. Over the years, she has endured much hurt and grief, lost her hope, been discouraged, grown weary and shed countless tears of despair and longing. She has asked countless silent questions in her heart. Voiced many “how long Lord?” questions while on her knees.

Sometimes the God of the Universe, yet still the personal God of her solitary heart, breaks into her waiting with his intimate voice, “I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME. I SEE AND I KNOW. I WILL DO WHAT I SAY I WILL DO. REMAIN FAITHFUL MY DAUGHTER.”

It isn’t a light thing when God speaks. His word is power and never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).

So what do you do after He speaks; when you know there will be yet more waiting? You open your Bible and read again the tear-stained pages of Habakkuk 2:3-4 and Lamentations 3:21-26. You focus on truth in the midst of the hurt (Phil 4:8). You talk to yourself to fight the discouragement, like David did (Psalm 42:5, 11).

Although at times she grows weary in the wait, she endeavors to not faint (Psalm 27:13).

She believes and knows two things about the Father and His heart:
-She knows He is faithful – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).
-She knows He does not lie – God is not human, that he should lie. (Numbers 23:19)

Despite the length of her wait, the ups/downs of her hope, she always returns to her expectant anticipation of God’s promise. She is an example, whether she knows it or not.

Waiting on God is a day-by-day thing; maybe, minute-by-minute! Either way, His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Joseph as a Type of Christ, Part 1

[u]Joseph as a Type of Christ, Part 1[/u], by Romans

The Book of Genesis concludes in 13 of the last 14 chapters with the story of the Patriarch Joseph.  We are pretty familiar with Joseph, and the events of his life. But did you know that Joseph was a type of Christ? A type is a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus! Incorporated within the events of the life of Joseph is a list of about 42 types. Many of the types that I will list tonight and next week are taken from “The World's Bible Handbook,” by Robert Boyd, but to his original list I have added many more types.

Consider:
[b]1.)[/b] [u]Joseph was loved by his father[/u]:
Genesis 37:3 “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.”

In the New Testament, we read of Jesus in Matthew 3:17 “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

John 3:35 adds to that: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.”

[b]2.)[/b] [u]Joseph was a shepherd[/u]:
Genesis 37:2 “These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren;”

John 10:11-14 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

[b]3.)[/b] [u]Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers[/u]:

Genesis 37:13-14 “And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14  And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

John 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

In a Parable about His being sent by His Father, Jesus said in
Luke 20:12-13 “And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
13  Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.”

[b]4.)[/b] [u]Joseph was hated by his brothers, and their hatred was fueled by their envy[/u]:

Genesis 37:4,5: “And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

Matthew 27:18  For he (Pilate) knew that for envy they (the Chief Priests and Rulers) had delivered him.

John 15:25 “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”

[b]5.)[/b] [u]Joseph's references to himself in a kingly role were resented and rejected by his brothers[/u]:

Genesis 37:8 “And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.”

Matthew 21:37-39 “But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

John 15:24-25 “If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

[b]6.)[/b] [u]Joseph's brothers plotted against his life[/u]:

Genesis 37:18 “And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.”

Matthew 26:3-4 “Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4  And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

John 11:53 “Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.”

[b]7.)[/b] [u]Joseph was stripped of his coat[/u]:

Genesis 37:23 “And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him...”

John 19:23 “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.”

[b]8.)[/b] [u]He was sold by a family member named Judah[/u]:

Genesis 37:26-27: “And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites...”

Jesus was betrayed by one of His inner circle named Judas, the Greek equivalent of Judah

Matthew 26:14: “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.”

[b]9.)[/b] [u]Joseph was sold for the price of a slave[/u]:

Genesis 37:28 “Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver.”

Matthew 26:15 “And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”

In each case, Joseph and Jesus were both sold for the going price of a slave in their day.

[b]10.)[/b] [u]Joseph was taken to Egypt[/u]:

Genesis 37:28b : “and they brought Joseph into Egypt”

Matthew 2:14-15 “When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15  And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

[b]11.)[/b] [u]Joseph suffered because of his brothers[/u]:

Genesis 39:1-- Genesis 40:13 tells us of all that he suffered because of his brothers' hatred of him.
The enslavement and the imprisonment that followed.

Mathew 27:33-50 tells us of all that Jesus suffered at the hands of the Jews, His brothers: the betrayal, arrest, beating, mocking, scourging and crucifixion.

[b]12.)[/b] [u]Joseph was sorely and repeatedly tempted[/u]:

Genesis 39:7  And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.”

Genesis 39:10  And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

Luke 4:1  ¶And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2  Being forty days tempted of the devil.

[b]13.)[/b] [u]Joseph resisted and overcame the temptation by his faith in, and willingness to obey, God[/u]:

Genesis 39:9 how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Matthew 4:10 “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

[b]14.)[/b] [u]After he resisted and overcame temptation, Joseph was falsely accused [/u]:

Genesis 39:16-18 “And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
17  And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
18  And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

Matthew 26:59-60 “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses...

[b]15.)[/b] [u]Joseph was bound[/u]:

Genesis 39:20 “And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.”

Matthew 27:2 “And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.”

[b]16.)[/b] [u]Joseph offered no defense[/u]:

Genesis 39:20 “And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.”

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

[b]17.)[/b] [u]In spite of all he had endured, Joseph experienced God's presence through his ordeal[/u]:

Genesis 39:21 “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

When Pilate had Jesus in custody, he repeatedly declared Him innocent, and diligently sought to release Him:

Luke 23:14-15: “Pilate Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.”

[b]18.)[/b] [u]Two other prisoners were with Joseph in prison[/u]:

Genesis 40:2-3 “And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.”

Luke 23:32-33 “And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”

[b]19.)[/b] [u]Only one of the two prisoners (the butler) with Joseph was given good news[/u]:

Genesis 40: 21-23 21: "And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Luke 23:39-43 “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41  And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

[b]20.)[/b] [u]Joseph was 30 years old when he began his ministry[/u]:

Genesis 41:46 “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Luke 3:22-23 "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age...

Luke 4:1-2: “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness... Being forty days tempted of the devil.”

After His temptation, Jesus began His Ministry:

Luke 4:14-15: “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.”

[b]21.)[/b] [u]Joseph was elevated to a place of Glory and Power after his suffering[/u]:

Genesis 41:14, 41 “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:41 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.”

On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus asked the two disciples in: Luke 24:26 “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”

Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Of this, Matthew Henry writes, “The exaltation was of Christ's human nature, in union with the Divine. At the name of Jesus, not the mere sound of the word, but the authority of Jesus, all should pay solemn homage. It is to the glory of God the Father, to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; for it is his will, that all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father, Joh 5:23. Here we see such motives to self-denying love as nothing else can supply. Do we thus love and obey the Son of God?”

The astounding foreshadows of Jesus Christ was lived by the Patriarch Joseph in the Book of Genesis. The Book of Genesis is not a humanly authored Book. It is not a Book of myths or legends. And, it is not a Book of superstitious tales, or homogenized pagan folklore. The Book of Genesis includes a foundation of historical events and Themes that set the tone for the rest of Scripture. The Book of Genesis is a Book that defies the imagination, but also defies the odds against such a Book being what our critics claim it is, namely, a written work unscientific folklore or highly imaginative, humanly-devised fables . It is none of these things.  The Book of Genesis was inspired to be written by the Holy Spirit, and committed to writing by Moses. Its existence is a miraculous Gift from God to His Creation, giving us a priceless window that would not be available any other way, into the mind, the heart and the Plans of our God.  There are clear, undeniable and unmistakable foreshadows of our Savior in the life  of the Patriarch Joseph presented within its pages. We covered 21 of  them, tonight. There are about 21 more for us to look at, and we will do just that... God willing... next week.

This concludes this Evening's Discussion, [u]Joseph as a Type of Christ, Part 1[/u]

This Discussion was presented "live" by Romans on August 11, 2016