Quid est Veritas

In the tremendous conversation between Pontious Pilate and Jesus we see the quintessential condition of the human heart. Allow me to give you the context to this story.

Jesus has been arrested, after many attempts, by the hand of one of His own. It took a betrayal of one that was closest to Him for Him to be brought into custody and sure death. Now that He was under arrest, He was sent back and forth between the Roman government and the Pharisees in order for ‘due process’.

Finally He is taken to the Roman governor, Pontious Pilate, to be questioned by the governor himself.

Now since this was a religious season for the Pharisees, in order to maintain cleanliness for the upcoming ceremonies they were not allowed to enter the house of a gentile. So they send Jesus in under Roman guard alone and is brought to Pilate.

“Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked, seeking confirmation in the accusations brought against Jesus.

“Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” Jesus replied.

“Am I a Jew? It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it that you have done?”

“My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would come to fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!”

“You are right in stating that I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Pilate looks down at the ground and shrugs his shoulders. He looks back at Jesus and says,
“What is truth?” he walks away and then allows Jesus to be crucified.

Are you the king of the Jews, Pilate asks at first. He’s looking for truth. There have been accusations brought to Him and the defendant is neither confirming nor denying this. Upon the answer that Jesus’ gives, Pilate can discern if Jesus is a liar, lunatic or Lord.

But always seeking the heart of men, Jesus responds by giving a question back to Pilate getting him to open up on his own personal assumptions.

Who’s asking that question? Do you really not believe me? Has someone else prompted to doubt what I say? Even when there is substantiated proof of my claims you reserve judgement. A man honestly seeking truth would see the evidence of people’s hearts and the actions it unfolds…not some accusation coming from a political force.

Pilate retorts by removing himself from the equation. Am I a Jew? What personal stake do I have in this issue? What consolation will I receive if I judge one way or another? Who are you and what have you really done to upset this many people who demand your death?

Humbly Jesus submits that He is a king, but a king that Pilate has not seen before. My kingdom, Jesus says, is not of this world.

You are a king? Pilate is now intrigued that this rational and calm man is providing an answer Pilate can ascertain. If Jesus really is a king of a earthly kingdom and is innocent of these charges, Pilate can release Him. If Jesus is not a king, a simple judgement will do.

Again causing Pilate to show his true motivation, Jesus appends by saying that His kingdom is not of this world. In fact, His kingdom is so powerful He could have prevent His arrest by the Jews. He could have overthrown the Jews, and quite possibly be a threat to the Empire. But that’s not why He came…He has come to testify to the truth that He is King.

Jesus is essentially bringing this conversation to an end, by forcing Pilate to conclude on his own assumptions, and not the persuasion of others.

Without God, Pilate could find no truth.

“What is truth?” He turns and walks away, as many of us do when faced with Christ.

Here was Christ the King before this man saying that He is the truth that Pilate has been searching for. When we think the question is more important in the answer, when we think that the answers cannot be obtained or when it’s easier to walk away from what’s in front of us; we miss the Christ standing before us offering truth.

“I am the way, the truth, the life. No man comes onto the Father except through Me.”
-Jesus

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-Andrew

When you ‘loose’ Christ

A quote from a recent debate I had…

…”However, I know for a fact you won’t recede your argument anytime soon. As someone who was in exactly the same position you are in 20 years ago, (your age, sir?) It’s very hard to let go of faith, especially when it’s reinforced by the family. In the end, we all have to decide for ourselves what is ‘real’ when it comes to faith. Personally, my faith in God went out the window on 911, and every excuse I’ve heard from religious types on the subject since that day has been woefully inadequate. 
Maybe you’ll get to the stage in your life when the phrase “God works in mysterious ways” just isn’t good enough anymore.”

The debate, which ironically didn’t start off as a debate, was about homosexuality. The original post on this message board was a youtube video of some family in the southern US that used the majority of it’s time executing ‘hate crimes’ in the name of God. I use the term hate crime loosely here, but for what it’s worth that’s what they were doing. Literally picketing anything imaginable with signs stating God’s hatred for those in a homosexual lifestyle, God’s hatred for America and where it’s going; and praising the death of soliders in Iraq because it’s a sign of God’s hand of justice on the US.

What got me personally involved in this debate was not the fact that I am 1 of 2 Christians on this message board, nor was it that these people were bashing Christianity, but it was because this family on the video were homeschoolers. That’s right folks, homeschoolers.

This family of many children (I forget the exact number) also home churched with a few other people. In fact it was the grandfather of this family that started this church and the hate movement he started. So we’re even seeing the playing out of the multi-generational principle. I merely wished to show the rest of the members on the board that I am a Christian, unashamedly so, but I have no tolerance for attitudes like that. Naturally this went head long into the infamous “so why do you think homosexuality is wrong? isn’t it just love?” debate.

But the quote I placed up top really gripped me. You see the majority of the responses were either attempted one sentence debate smashers (which failed) or mindless profanity or the accusation of ignorance in Christians in general. This man had been a Christian once, is coming from a Christian heritage yet he has left without a doubt any trace of following God. In fact he’ll be the first to tell you he’s an Atheist.

In a sense, he lost Christ. Rather, he lost the Christ he assumed he was following. Circumstances and events took place that shattered his worldview and no one could give him an adequate answer besides, “God works in mysterious ways.” That phrase is a cop-out for non-believers cloaked as Christians to make other non-believers stay within Christianity.

There is nothing mysterious for God to tell us, “You’re slipping.” There is nothing we can’t comprehend behind a warning that we are as a whole removing God from our country and then wonder why He doesn’t protect us. We wonder why we can’t react unified or correctly when these bad things happen. Have we forgotten that is by a broken and contrite heart God will accept us?

I believe this man had ‘lost’ Christ because his Christ was not powerful enough to stop these things from happening, nor able to tell him why. He sought for an answer and he did not use 9/11 as an excuse to leave Christianity, it’s just that all he was left with was blind faith in a weak God that allows bad things to happen for no reason.

All of this I believe is summed up when Christ is talking with the 12 during the last supper, and He talks about Him leaving. Allow me write down John 14 (some verses omitted) for you and help create the scene:

“In My Father’s house there are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Philip said to Him, “Show us the Father, Lord.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

I can only imagine the sorrow, the eagerness and the suspense that Thomas and Philip had as they responded to Him. Here is their Master, their Lord, saying that He is going to go away and that’ they can’t come with Him. They ask Him where is He going, if they can’t find Him they can’t find the way, and Jesus responds by saying that He is the way! You follow Him you follow the way to God. They then go on to say show us the Father then, Lord. If you’re the way, show us God. Again Jesus tells them that He is God, He is in God and God is Him.

I can only imagine Jesus looking back into Philip’s eyes with an equal amount of eagerness by saying, “Philip have you not been with me all this time?! Haven’t I told you these years that if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father.”

When we loose our way, when we loose sight of things that keep us on the road with God, when that circumstance occurs in which we cannot understand or explain away why, look to Him.

My friend on this message board sought answers, but did not seek Jesus. Jesus is the answer, He is the way, He is the life. No man comes onto the Father except through Him.

And greater things than this shall he do.

I AM that I AM

“How on earth can a holy and righteous God know what I thought, did and said yesterday and not kill me in my sleep last night? Why is it that we are here today? Why is it that He has not consumed and devoured each and every one of us? Why, why O God, does your judgement and wrath tarry?”
-Voddie Baucham

There is a doctrine, a belief if you will, that is the most important but most overlooked doctrine of the entire Christian faith. That is, the doctrine of the Trinity.

Although Catholics, Protestants and the majority of the other sects of Christianity hardly ever deny the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity, it is hardly ever expounded. It is never taught, nor is it delved into by majority of people who still have big questions left about their faith; but fail to study the truth that will give them what they need.

Why is it then that the doctrine of the Trinity is so important but so easily overlooked? It’s because it’s basic conceptual nature is easy to understand. Any Christian with any amount of faith finds it easy to believe that God is 1-in-3. He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Simple.

But we never take it deeper than that. We never attribute more to this doctrine than numbers. Let me explain why it is so crucial to every other doctrine within Christianity.

The doctrine of the Trinity is the base for every other doctrine that exists within the truth. Before the foundations of the world were laid, before you and I were created, before time started, there was the Trinity. God eternally exists (eternally in this case also meaning without beginning) in complete glory, love and satisfaction within Himself. Since there are three person within the Trinity, there is relationship. Since there are three persons in relationship in all things good, there is glory. Henceforth since there is eternal glory within the Trinity there is nothing greater than Trinity itself.

God is not an idolator, He places nothing above Himself.

Let me define some of the attributes of Trinity to help explain this relationship:

God is omnipotent (all powerful). God is omniscient (all knowing). God is omnipresent (He is everywhere, including in, out and through time). God is omnibenevolent (all glorified and lovely). God is also sovereign.

You see if God was omnipotent but not sovereign, man could use God in His power (sovereignty of man). If God was omnibenevolent but not omniscient, He couldn’t express the beauty and love that lies within the Trinity. So on, and so forth.

Now you have a basic understanding of the nature of God and how He relates to Himself. But what’s the big deal? How does this change the rest of Christian doctrine and dogma?

God cannot love others if He does not love Himself.
God cannot extend mercy if He does not have authority.
God cannot give grace if He did not know how to go beyond Himself.
God cannot be the dictate of all things if He is not all powerful.

Everything you know that accummulativly impacts Christianity to it’s entirety is based upon the doctrine of the Trinity. God’s love, grace, knowledge, power, being, beauty, wrath, anger, wisdom and timing is all rooted in the doctrine of the Trinity.

The largest question to me in my mind, is not what God is, but how God is in relationship to man.

It’s not hard for me to believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. It’s hard for me to understand (but do so with God’s grace, ironically enough) that such a God with such a nature would turn His head to look upon me, justify me through the death of Himself on the cross, and accept me as I am into His eternal presence.

I do not have to move to the left or to the right for God to love me. And that’s because He is who He is. He does not need ANYTHING.

I am not anything without Him.

http://prayerfoundation.org/st_patricks_breastplate_prayer.htm

Your unknown God

“My King…is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  I wonder, do you know Him?”

-S.M. Lockridge

 

“We’re going to read from the 22nd verse of Acts 17…

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus* and said, ‘Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO AN UNKNOWN GOD

 

Now what you worship as something unknown, I’m going to proclaim to you.

 

The God who made the world and everything in it, is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  He’s not served by human hands as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives men all life and breath, and everything else.  From one man He made every nation of man, that they should inhabit the whole earth.  He determined the time set for them and the exact places where they should live.

 

God did this so they could seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him, and find Him, though He’s not far from each one of us.  For in Him we live and move and have our being, for even some of your poets of said, ‘We are His offspring.’

 

Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by man’s design and skill, in the past God overlooked such ignorance.  But now He commands all people everywhere to repent.  For He has set a day where He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.

 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered and other said, ‘we want to hear you again on this subject.’  At that, Paul left the council.”

 

At the turn of the century, the famous Methodist preacher, Sancster, once said, ‘Preaching is in the shadows, the world does not believe in it.’  We would have to say, ‘Preaching is in the shadows, the church does not believe in it.’

 

The great need of the hour is for those who have God’s hand lean upon them to respond to the oppurtunities of the moment in a way that gives their best to the task.  So that what you have is a divine encounter, an invasion of the supernatural, a waft of the supernatural taking place whereby in this monologue, there is actually a divine dialogue.  It is not the dialogue of a man with men and women, but it is the dialogue of the living God with the souls of men and women.  Who, quickly forgetting the one responsible for the monologue, find themselves saying ‘These are strange ideas!  These ideas seem to be impinging upon me in a way I cannot fully explain.”

 

You’ve been very investigative, Paul says, I applaud you for that.  You’re asking good questions and thinking down the right lines.  But what his listeners have been unable to to discover by investigation, he says this information is now disclosed by revelation.”

 

-Alistair Begg

 

Paul accomplishes several things here.  One, actually, being the point behind my last post.  Let me set up the stage for you again.

 

Paul is meeting with the people of Mars Hill*, who are willing and interested to hear the gospel.  They know there is a possibility of something to be gained by listening to Paul.  Paul notices an altar that is to be used for an unknown god.  Essentially, if there’s something you don’t know intellectually or emotionally but neither can you deny it’s existence, you would offer up to that god using this altar.

 

He then goes to explain to them who God is in a way they can understand.  He uses simple terms and even their poetry to have them comprehend what he’s talking about.  They understand and accepted everything he was saying, even the part about God commanding every person and nation to repent; because His gospel is open to everyone.  But once Paul mentioned the resurrection of the dead, he lost their interest.  Why?

 

They were not seeking God.  They were seeking an emotional answer (the highest personality in literature) or an intellectual answer (the largest problem in higher criticism).  If Paul had expounded anymore on the poetry of being the children of God, he would have had a captive audience.  If he had talked more on the existence and physicality of God he would have had a captive audience.  But he chose to talk about the supernatural, the raising of the dead, a miracle that cannot be explained but by faith.  The emotional people sneered at him at the lack of self-centered existentialism in the resurrection of the dead, and the intellectual people do what intellectual people do best, “That’s an intriguing concept, let’s talk about this later and maybe consider it some more.  Maybe.”

 

God forbid we should have faith and the passion that drives us to it so that we may seek Him as He really is.  We determined that almighty God come down and meet us on our terms so that we may put Him in a box we can put our arms around.  I’m not sorry…but God is both omnipotent and sovereign.

 

If you haven’t found God yet, it’s because you’re not seeking Him as He is.  But you don’t know how?  You don’t know God?  Is He still an ‘unknown god’ to you?

 

What can you do?  Let His passion completely overtake you.  Give Him your broken and contrite heart, because these things He will not despise.  And THAT is a promise.  If you simply give up and come to Him as you are, He will explain much.  And what He doesn’t explain He will give you the faith to make it through.

 

Who better else to serve than than the only loving God who gives us faith to surpass all human understanding?

 

Unknown

Amidst all the blackness

“Follow me.”
-Jesus Christ

 

One of the things God has been placing on my heart (or rather slapping me upside the head) with recently is the mystery that He still holds in my life. The unexplainable yet undeniable truth and presence He has within me and life around me, and in fact to all creation.

Antinomies for example. An antinomy is when you have two truths that sit side by side, seemingly in direct opposition to each other but yet both undeniable. For instance I believe in both the Sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Man is predestined to his eternal salvation or damnation yet is still held accountable for the words and deeds of his life. This is an antinomy. I could try to explain but that’s entirely a whole different note

One of the simplest antinomies we all as Christians believe in and yet hardly realize is that God both loves Himself and loves the bride of Christ. You see when you have an infinitely beautiful, perfect and powerful God it is not wrong nor is it obscene for Him to say, “Look at me! I am all things good and beautiful. I am the epitome of all that is holy.” God does all things for His own glory. And He does so rightfully.

Yet He loves us. He still sent His son, Christ Jesus, the very personification of both God’s love and man’s complete and total depravity, to take on the burden that is ours and to bring us in communion with a holy God.

How can God, being all things infinitely good, take His eyes off of Himself to love us?

You see it’s easy to say God is all powerful because we serve Him, and we know if we serve Him and love Him by following His word, we are justified and so excused from eternal hell. It also just as easy to say that God loves us because His incredible and amazing work in our lives is evident and we are met with grace and mercy each day.

In what we perceive of logic and wisdom, these things cannot go together. You cannot have omnipotence and free will. You cannot have glory and love. God can’t become man and we can’t come to Him.

It is impossible, simply impossible to have a relationship with Christ and not see these things! You wouldn’t be any kind of Christian if you haven’t stepped back and said, “Now wait a minute, I don’t get this.” In your searching for God and His wisdom, in pursuit of sanctification you have come across things that you cannot explain, and at times feared believing because you could not properly defend it with doctrine or apologetics.

The only way you’re going to find the truth in these matters is by denying yourself which is the method of sanctification, and seek God. Just God! Only Him. Lock yourself in a closet and don’t come out till He’s spoken to you. Why would an atheist care if God is completely Sovereign or if He has some understanding for man’s own will? Why would an atheist care if it were both?

To a person who isn’t regenerate would think of these things as scandals. And that’s what the Gospel is to a person who does not seek God…a scandal. Are you ashamed of the scandal of Jesus Christ? Are you one of God’s own fools? Would you take up your own cross or present yourself a living sacrifice upon a fiery alter?

I cannot stand, keep dry-eyed or hold myself up when I am in fullest realization my mortal body can carry me when I realize that God has saved me. When I give Him my broken and contrite heart, that’s the only time I see things with heavenly wisdom. He saved me just as I was, He came down from the Throne and spilled His blood to cover my iniquities.

That’s where passion comes from. The fuel of my eternal passion for God is that He saved me. Isn’t salvation enough

“Here you may suppose the Father to say, when driving his bargain with Christ for you: 

Father: My Son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls?

And thus Christ returns:

Son: Oh my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their surety; bring in all thy bills, that I may see what they owe thee; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after-reckonings with them; at my hand shalt thou require it. I will rather choose to suffer thy wrath than they should suffer it. Upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt.

Father: But, my Son, if thou undertake for them, thou must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare thee.

Son: Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, yet I am content to undertake it.”

-John Flavel

Lazarus

Have you ever wondered what you would do to frighten Lazarus after he’d been raised from the dead?

What would you do to threaten him? “Lazarus, I’m gonna kill you?”

Caligula* said, “I’m gonna kill you!” He says, “Ha ha ha!”

Caligula says, “Stop ha ha ha-ing I’m gonna kill you as I’m killing all the Christians!”

He doubles over in uncontrollable laughter comes up for air and says, “Caligula haven’t you heard? Death is dead! Death is dead!”

How do you frighten someone who’s already been there, and knows the one who’s going to let him out?

But just think. . .of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven. . .of touching a hand and finding it God’s hand. . .of breathing new air and finding it celestial. . .of waking up in glory and finding it home.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your hope and mine in Christ is that one day we will be with God. One day we will be with Him. We look back upon history and what do we see?

Empires falling and rising.

Revolutions and Counter Revolutions, both accumulated and both dispersed.

Shakespeare has spoken of the rise and fall of great ones that ebb and flow with the moon. I’ve heard a crazed cracked Austrian announce to the world the establishment of the German Reich that would last a thousand years, I’ve seen an Italian clown saying he was going to stop and restart the calendar with his own ascension to power, I have seen America more wealthy and in terms of military weaponry more powerful that the rest of the world put together so that if the American people had so desired they could have outdone a Cesaer or an Alexander in the range and scale of it’s conquest.

Hitler and Mussolini dead remembered only in infamy. Stalin is now a forbidden name in the regime he helped found and dominate for some 3 decades, America is haunted by fears of running out of the precious fluids that keep the motorways roaring and the smog settling, all in one lifetime.

All in one lifetime, all gone with the wind.

Behind the debris of the fallings of our solemn supermen and imperial diplomatists, is the gigantic figure one person, because of whom, by whom, in whom and through whom mankind may still survive.

The person of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah calls Him, ‘Wonderful Counselor’, Peter looks at Him and says, ‘You are the Christ the Son of the Living God’, the Apostle Paul; Saul at that time in Acts chapter 9 says, ‘What shall you have me to do, Lord?’, Thomas raised his hand and touched His side and said, ‘Thee my Lord and my God’, when Pilate looked at Him said ‘Are you the Christ?’ He said, ‘You have said it’. When the priest looked at Him and said, ‘Are you the Son of God?’, He said ‘You are right in stating that I am the Son of God’. In John chapter 14 He says, ‘In my Father’s house there are many mansions, if it were so not so I would tell you, I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am you may be also.’

Lord where are you going? If we don’t know where you are going how are to find the way?

“I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.”

Show us the Father, Lord!

“If you have seen me you have seen the Father…I and my Father are one.”

-Ravi Zacharias
http://www.relevantrevolution.com/mp3/ravi-lord.mp3

*Caligula was a first century Roman Emperor who was deeply insane, and started killing Jews and Christians alike for not worshipping him.