We have this word truth brought to our
attention, I think, in a proper setting, in
the words of Pilate, where Pilate says to
Jesus, Pilate says unto him, What is truth?
What is truth?
A constant question that man has asked through
the years.
I would say that there are three views
of truth, which in general have held the
mind of men.
One might break it up differently, but it
will do for this morning.
The first would be the modern man's view
of truth, which is really not modern at
all, as we find traces of it way
back, and especially in the Eastern world, a
truth that is without negation, a truth that
does not mean to say no to something.
It seems to me a very fine illustration
of this is Carl Gustav Jung in Zurich,
the country in which we are, who would
tell us that God is that which cuts
across our will from the collective unconscious inwardly,
or the things that cut across our will
outwardly.
And consequently, when they call this God, with
no real thought of whether anything really exists.
Here we have a view of truth, a
dialectical view of truth, synthetic view of truth,
in which truth does not mean saying no
to the opposite.
The second view of truth, it would seem
to me, to be generally seen in men's
thinking, would be the good view of truth.
The view of truth, the truth is possible
as an intellectual balance in opposition to what
is false.
It is more a logic, it is an
abstraction in a real sense, it has an
advantage over the other of seeing that something
is true, something is false, but nevertheless that
it stands rather as an intellectual thing of
balance.
The third view of truth is especially to
be seen in the Jewish view of truth,
which is also the view of truth in
the New Testament.
That truth constitutes two things.
First of all, that it is an intellectual
rational balance, and it has a negation to
the opposite.
But secondly, that it is rooted objectively in
history, which adds, of course, an entirely different
note to the group.
Not at the point of, the difference is
not at the point that one is rational
and one is only experiential, that one is
intellectual and the other is only existential.
This is not the difference.
The difference being rather that it is the
same thing that carries farther, that which is
intellectual in its balance, in its rationality, and
yet rooted in history so that we can
see it as objectively true.
And this immediately brings with it a very
sharp feeling of contrast to that then which
is false.
Now, this is the Jewish view.
It is the New Testament view.
In Mark, the twelfth chapter, 14 and 32,
we find this Jewish view of truth set
forth very strongly.
Mark 12, 14, and 32.
And when they were come, they said unto
him, that is to Jesus, Master, we know
that thou art true, and prayest for no
man.
For thou regardest not the person of men,
but teachest the way of God in truth.
Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar
or not?
Here is the question of truth, objective truth,
absolute truth, in the area of the most
practical of things, political living.
There is something viewed here which is true
in contrast to that which is false.
Something that is objectively true to that which
is objectively, which would be false.
And more than this, you will notice, is
that it can be known.
This is a very important step here.
Here we have a view of objective truth
and absolute truth which is knowable.
You will notice in the 32nd verse, this
is augmented and made stronger.
And the scribes said unto him, well, Master,
thou hast said the truth.
For there is one God, and there is
none other but him.
These are in two different realms, but with
the same mentality.
That it is possible to speak of the
objective truth as opposed to that which is
wrong.
Whether it is in the very mundane world
of the political world, political action, or whether
it is the action concerning the existence of
God.
These are not separated.
It is truth in both cases, one kind
of truth in both cases.
A truth that can be known.
In Daniel 8.12, the Bible presents a
very strong statement of the fact that it
speaks in antithesis.
It speaks in negation.
If there is that which is true, there
is that which is wrong.
And speaking of the coming Antichrist, it says
about him, And a host was given him
against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression,
and it cast down the truth to the
ground, and it practiced and prospered.
There is that which is opposite from the
truth.
Truth does not encompass everything.
There is that which hates truth.
There is that which is contrary to truth.
There is that wherein there is a war
between truth and the other.
But, of course, we have this presented not
only in this very short case of the
Antichrist, but we have it in the whole
of life in the book of Romans, in
the first chapter, 1.25. Speaking of man.
Speaking of man.
Who changed the truth of God into a
lie, and worshiped instead of the creature more
than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.
Who changed the truth.
And the Greek there is a sense of
exchange.
It is possible to know the truth and
deliberately exchange it for a lie.
It is possible to know the truth and
exchange it for a lie.
Once we see this, we understand, therefore, that
the Bible indeed, and these are only very
short illustrations through text which fit into the
whole of the scripture, the Old and the
New Testament outlook.
The Bible sees truth as objective and in
contrast to what is false.
Now Christ acted on this concept of truth.
Christ acted on this concept of truth.
If you'll turn back to the book of
John.
The book of John, the 18th chapter, verse
37, which is immediately before Pilate's question in
the second part of this verse.
To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world, that
I should be a witness unto the truth.
That I should be a witness unto the
truth.
Here is a truth that is in contrast
to that which is false.
It is a truth in contrast to that
which is false.
And this is the setting for Pilate to
say what is true.
But Jesus has already said a great deal.
Pilate in his question, if it is a
totally serious question, has already negated in a
sense what Jesus has said.
Because Jesus has claimed to say, and he
says, this is the reason I came.
This cause, for this cause, came and I
was to the world, that I should bear
witness of the truth.
Before Christ's priestly work comes his prophetic work.
Before he dies as priest, he is the
prophet.
And his work as priest has no meaning
whatsoever, except on the background of his work
as prophet in this framework, this mentality of
truth.
It has no meaning otherwise.
It becomes merely gobbledygook.
Notice here that what Jesus says indicates that
this truth can be imparted.
It's a truth that can be known.
It can be imparted from one to another.
This would be his prophetic work.
And specifically, it indicates here that it deals
with content and not just with a vague
emotional reaction to truth.
By this time, we are in conflict, of
course, with all the thinking of the twentieth
century's view of truth.
We are now at war, far more at
war than if we merely used the word
God against materialism.
Far more at war.
A truth that is objective, absolute, deals with
content, and can be imparted.
Notice in the next phrase, you have the
sense of antithesis.
Everyone that is of the truth heareth my
voice.
It is quite obvious.
This says, some do not hear my voice
and are not of the truth and do
not accept the truth.
Consequently now, it is not everything or everyone
who is within the circle of truth.
It is not everything or everyone who is
within the circle of truth.
There is that which is within the circle
of truth and there is that which is
against it.
There are those who are within the circle
of truth and those who are outside of
it.
A total concept of antithesis.
Notice further in 17.17 and the eighth
verse that there is a strong emphasis on
the fact that this is communicable in verbalized
form.
Truth is communicable in verbalized form.
In the seventeenth verse, sanctify them through thy
truth.
Thy word is truth.
Set them apart.
That's what the word sanctify means here.
Set them apart.
By what?
Through thy truth.
But what?
What is this speaking of?
Thy word is truth.
But knowing the sophistication of our own generation
and the deliberate contortion that one finds in
such a thing, we can be glad for
the eighth verse which makes it very plain.
For I have given unto them the words
that thou gavest me and they have received
them.
Here then we find that the word is
not a vague word such as the neo
-orthodox word of God as apart from the
words of scripture but something quite different.
That the word of God is related to
and is with the words.
And this makes it something much stronger and
different.
Truth is communicable and it is communicable in
verbalized form.
As a matter of fact, I would say
it is quite contrary to the new thought,
the neo-orthodox thought, and that is that
the scripture never gives us any reason to
think that it is knowable except in verbalized
form as a thought.
It doesn't say it has to end there,
but as a thought.
Now therefore, if I would sit down this
morning and say this is the end of
the sermon which, knowing me, you know I'm
not going to do.
If I had done this, it would already
be a tremendous statement into the twentieth century.
Already we have drawn a chasm which is
greater than any other chasm that can be
drawn in twentieth century thinking.
Already the scripture is pitted against the whole
modern man's view of truth and knowing.
And this I believe, as some of you
know, is the place where the real battle
is fought.
It must be fought in this area that
technically would be called epistemology, the theory of
knowing.
What is truth?
Does it exist?
Is there such a thing as objective truth?
Does truth mean that you have to then
follow the law of contradictions and say that
the opposite is false?
Is it possible that this truth can be
communicated and specifically communicated in verbalized form?
In the Bible there's a very strong testimony
throughout its whole works and works and not
just these few proof verses which I've chosen
almost at random as to the fact that
this is truth and the biblical view of
truth, the Christian view of truth.
The contrary is non-Christian.
It is a blasphemy against the God who
has given us truth.
One does not have to use Jesus' name
as a swear word in order to blaspheme.
It is a blasphemy to deny what Christ
says is possible and that is that one
can know truth.
Now, having said this, however, and stopping this
direction, assuming it's established in our minds, then
I would ask you the next question, that
if this is the view of truth which
is true, if we reject the modern view
and know that truth exists in contrast to
what is wrong and that it is possible
to know truth in verbalized form, where do
we begin to know truth?
What is the integrating point of truth?
As we look across the world, whether it's
the outward world, the scientific world, the historic
world, the artistic world, the internal world of
myself, I am confronted with a vast array
of facts and observations.
I am almost drowned by particulars.
And the question is, how do I begin?
What is the integrating point of truth?
Or to put it another way, what is
the end of the string that will lead
me through the labyrinth?
You all know the story in Greek mythology
of the man that is guided through the
labyrinth by leaving a trail of string so
he could escape from the labyrinth.
Well, we can visualize the particulars of life
as a labyrinth.
What is the end of the string that
will guide me safely through the twists and
the turns of the cavern?
Or to put it another way, if you
have a certain chemical solution and you drop
a piece of crystal into it, all that's
been liquid immediately before and was liquid suddenly
becomes solid.
Many of you have seen this reaction.
What is the piece of crystalline substance that
I can drop into the question of life,
the particulars of life, which will cause that
which seems in itself unstable suddenly to become
solid and fixed and sure and certain?
How do I begin?
I think the Bible as a whole makes
this claim, but I would point you to
one place that seems to me to be
that wherein Paul, dealing in the Greek-Roman
world, deals with this problem expressly.
It's in 1 Timothy 2, 4 through 6.
1 Timothy 2, 4 through 6.
Speaking of God, He will, that is God,
He will, have all men to be saved
and come to the knowledge of the truth.
The word unto in the King James translation
doesn't allow it to be quite as strong
for our modern ears as if you say
to, and it's just the word to, it's
nothing more, who will have all men to
be saved and come to the knowledge of
the truth.
For there is one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave himself a ransom for all to
be testified in the proper time, in due
time, whereunto I am ordained a preacher and
apostle, I speak the truth and lie not,
the word in Christ probably is not in
the best place, a teacher of the Gentiles
in faith, and the word that's there to
hear is simply the repetition of the word
truth.
Now when you put all this together, one
has a remarkably strong statement to the answer
of the question which I have posed, and
that is, if truth is objective and so
and so and so, where do you begin?
What is the end of the ball of
string that will lead me through the labyrinth
of the particulars in the whole area of
knowledge and observation of life?
The mass of particulars are arraigned upon us,
and all have been arraigned upon men, but
especially arraigned upon our generation.
What is the crystalline substance that will solidify
the whole?
And Paul says, this is it.
This is it.
Notice in verse 4, who will have all
men to be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth, there's a definite article
here, there is that which can be called
not a truth but the truth.
But notice something else, as is constantly so
in the Pauline writings and in the Scripture,
truth is never allowed to us to be
merely abstract or scholastic.
This is the other side of the coin.
While we insist that truth is objective and
can be considered rationally and intellectually, the Scripture
never allows me to do it in the
dead scholastic way.
I am always confronted by truth objectively and
personally and individually.
I must begin with understanding that if the
truth is true, it means something to me
and something which will be crucial to me.
So therefore, I am called to be saved,
not just abstractly then, but individually and personally.
Notice, however, having said this, that it is
not scholastic but personal and individual, yet nevertheless
Paul says that we can come, we can
come to the knowledge of the truth.
And the word knowledge here is what we
may mean by knowledge.
This means content, it means you can know
it, it is possible to come to it.
Not that you are automatically and instinctively already
there.
Not just because you are a man do
you know truth, but being outside of truth
and away from truth, it is possible to
come to truth.
It is possible to come to it in
content, reasonably, rationally, to come to it.
Now this is tremendous.
God would have us to be saved.
But in order to be saved, we must
come to the truth.
So immediately being saved is separated from merely
an emotional experience, a contentless experience.
But on the other hand, immediately truth is
separated from bare scholasticism.
Immediately truth is something which is personal to
me, meaningful to me, and can be acted
upon by me.
So this verse says no to two things,
but not just one.
In the fifth verse, in the first part
of the verse, now this is the key.
This is the end of the stream.
This is the crystalline substance that will turn
the whole of the particulars of life into
that which is sour.
For there is one God.
Then you can make a break, and the
second phrase.
And one mediator between God and man, the
man Christ Jesus.
Another possible translation here leaves out the and,
and the second phrase would read like this.
One mediator also between God and man, himself
man, Christ Jesus.
And this undoubtedly is what is involved here.
There are two phrases.
There is one God.
That's the first thing one needs to know
in order to have the end of the
stream.
The second thing is, there is a man,
himself truly a man, who is mediator between
God and man, who is Christ Jesus.
Now of course he was crucified, so he's
claiming to be God.
But this does not change the fact that
there is an emphasis here on the true
humanity.
Now therefore we have two things, two phrases,
which the Bible says is the end of
the string of knowledge.
That wherein all may be integrated of everything
I will ever know of the external world
or of myself.
One God, and this emphasis on the mediator.
In Hebrews 11.6, coming to the concept
of the one God, first of all thinking
of the phrase one God, in Hebrews 11
.6, that without faith it is impossible to
please him.
Without faith it is impossible to please him,
because he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that it is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Now in speaking of the one God, two
things are told about him.
First he is, and the second he is
a rewarder.
Now let's think first of all of the
phrase he is.
The statement that he is means that he
objectively exists.
In the beginning, God.
The Bible sets God up as the great
objective of truth.
He is objective in a sense that nothing
else is objective.
In the sense that he was before there
was a man, before there was a material
universe, before there was an angel.
He was there.
In contrast to the new phrase that raises
a question in something like Robertson's book and
would cast a discouraging remark upon the fact
that he is there, the Bible says he
is there.
And as a matter of fact, the Bible
says you do not have the beginning of
knowledge or truth until you understand that he
is there.
Now quickly we say this is not to
be paramated into a caricature as though the
Bible teaches a three-story universe and God
sits up there somewhere with a beard.
Nor one that you simply, if you could
go high enough with a space shot, you
would arrive to him.
This is again speaking about no such crass
framework.
But nevertheless, he is there.
And until I understand that he is there,
nothing, nothing else will ever give me an
integration point of knowledge.
I will forever be an enigma before the
particulars of the world until I understand that
the great starting point is he is there.
Without this men can have small areas of
integrated knowledge but can never have true integrated
knowledge.
He is there in the sense that if
all the angels were gone from the universe
and all men were gone from the universe,
he would still be there just as he
was there before there were any angels or
men.
He is not there because I think of
him or because others think of him.
He is there simply because he is there.
And you can't say this too strongly, too
simply, or too complexly.
You can say it in any language and
in any degree of strength you wish to
express it in from the most difficult language
to the simplest.
But when you're done you have nothing unless
you understand that he is there.
This is the beginning.
You notice the verb he is.
He is.
This is related to the statement I am.
I am.
The burning bush.
The Hebrew of the burning bush can be
translated I have been, I am, I will
be.
He is.
The proper tense for him is present.
This idea, therefore, is to be sharply contrasted
to all concepts of myths.
God is not to be talked about in
the terms of myths.
You do not need to demythologize the Scripture.
In fact, when you demythologize it you no
longer have the Scripture.
He is there.
This is not a myth.
It is not an oriental tale told to
speak of a truth that is unspeakable.
When the little child says Jesus loves me.
When the little child says he is there.
He is saying the most profound thing that
ever can be said anywhere.
This is not a myth.
It is not to be seen in terms
of myths.
It is to be spoken in the full
meaning of the words the same thing that
when I say I am here.
This is where I am here.
In the full sense, he exists.
It is not to be carried into another
framework of expression or knowledge.
Now, therefore, the first point of truth which
will be the integrating of this first thing
that is the integrating point of all truth
is his existence.
And it is impossible that he stays without
wrestling with his existence.
But the second thing in this Hebrew passage
is that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
And this means that he is personal.
He is not there in the sense of
being there in a deistic fashion.
He is being far off and not caring
about men nor caring about me.
He is a rewarder which means a personal
relationship which means he is personal in the
strongest possible sense.
This personal aspect is found also in the
emphasis in Timothy where in Timothy in the
first chapter in the 17th verse we find
the Holy Spirit leading Paul to say, Now
unto the King Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
-wise God.
Here is personal again, a personal aspect without
spending much time upon it for most of
us have wrestled with this question here.
He is personal in the sense that he
thinks, he acts, he feels.
He thinks, he acts, he feels.
These things are not child mumbling concerning God
but God says he does.
God thinks, God acts, God feels.
God is a personal God.
He exists and this is what he is.
Now it must be understood, however, that as
I come toward this knowledge that will integrate
all knowledge that it is more than merely
abstract knowledge.
Perhaps the most strong passage is in James
2.19. James 2.19 Thou believest that
there is one God?
Thou doest well.
The demons also believe and tremble.
And as I've pointed out before the Greek
word here means their hair stands on end.
They are frightened.
They are cast into consternation.
They are terrified because they know he exists.
The demons are not demons because they do
not know he exists.
You will never find an atheistic demon.
The demons know and are terrified but that
does not mean they are not demons.
So I am sharply reminded here that in
order to have the crystalline substance that will
integrate back the end of the string that
will lead me through the labyrinth there is
more to it than merely knowing objectively even
if I know this truly that he is
there and is personal.
There is something else I find in my
nature which casts up problems at this point
which I look at myself and I see
there's something else I must know in order
to have the end of the string that
will guide me through the labyrinth of the
particulars of life and the particulars of my
own life.
And so coming back to 1 Timothy again
second chapter Paul doesn't stop here.
There is one God and one mediator between
God and man himself man Christ Jesus.
In order to have knowledge which will lead
me through the dilemma of life I must
understand the need of a mediator which means
I must understand the need of lostness in
men.
I must understand that man's dilemma rests not
in the way God has made him but
because he is a rabble.
And to understand the solution therefore is knowledge
but not just bare knowledge but something to
be added to the bare knowledge.
Otherwise I look at the world and it
won't go.
It isn't enough to know there's one God
he is personal.
I look at what is beautiful but as
the snows melt and I begin to climb
higher I'll find also that which is ugly.
I look at myself and I see that
which is amazing in its beauty and in
all mankind and yet I look at myself
and all mankind and I find that which
is heinous and horrible and more depraved than
anything one can ever find in the animal
world.
So consequently the end of the string must
be a second factor as well as the
knowledge that there is one God and he
is personal.
I must know concerning this mediator he was
as I said he was crucified proclaiming to
be God but nevertheless he was truly man.
This phrase here one mediator between God and
man the man Christ Jesus has two sides
again to this claim.
The one is there is only one mediator
any religion that would add something else to
his mediatorship is false to the truth.
It will not only lead man away from
salvation but away from truth.
Any religion that adds anything to the work
of the only mediator is false and will
lead us into the latterness beyond what mere
materialism may lead us but the string will
stop and I will be lost in the
cavern and in the darkness not just for
personal salvation but understanding the world and understanding
man's needs and myself.
If I want to know something of knowledge
I must know something beyond only the fact
that this is not to be seen only
as a materialistic world.
So the first thing is there is only
one mediator.
And remember what I'm stressing this morning is
not first of all salvation though I am
but I'm stressing knowledge and what one must
need to know in order to integrate the
particulars of life.
And the Old Testament and the New Testament
stresses firmly there's one mediator and only one
mediator only one mediator only one mediator.
And those who would claim to God claim
to come to God on any basis except
the work of this mediator have led us
not just to lostness for eternity but to
ignorance.
Ignorance of my needs and ignorance of the
needs of the dilemma of man.
Christ will be the judge.
Christ will be the judge and will judge.
There is only one mediator.
But while there is only one mediator praise
God the chief emphasis is not just there
is only one mediator but there is a
mediator.
So therefore we must say none to more
than one mediator but the wonder is there
is a mediator.
This immediately tells me what is wrong with
man.
I am tasked for the next one to
understand here that what is wrong with man
is not his smallness his limitedness but his
sin and his guilt.
The man as with a capital M and
me as an individual that my dilemma is
guilt.
There is a mediator.
There is a way to be in personal
relationship with God.
How?
In 2 6.
First in verse 6.
Who gave himself a ransom for all.
Now this is the only place where this
particular word is used anywhere in the New
Testament.
And it simply means a corresponding price which
is very, very beautiful in the biblical concept
of what salvation rests upon.
Christ came to give a corresponding price.
Christ came to bear my sins and my
guilt.
I have offended the character of God and
I am judicially guilty.
Christ died in space and time upon the
cross and the guilt was met the victory
was won the word can be said it
is finished.
He gave himself freely he gave himself.
There is only one mediator but there is
a mediator.
As soon as I've said this let us
see that I not only know the way
to salvation but I have knowledge.
I have knowledge that leads me in the
latterness of mankind.
I can understand man.
I can understand a basic dilemma.
I can understand what it is not and
I can understand what it is.
I do not look at mankind now as
merely that which is caught in a chance
process or mankind that is caught in limitedness.
I have knowledge.
I have knowledge wherein to understand men and
understand myself but not an abstract knowledge but
a way to be released out of the
dilemma.
All right now, first of all, how?
We said how can I escape this?
Well, the knowledge of the base is the
ransom.
The knowledge of the base is the ransom.
This which can be given in knowledge.
The base is the ransom but it is
a knowledge as a ransom that can be
spoken about.
So it says not only he is a
ransom but it says something more in the
sixth verse.
It says to be testified in due time.
To be testified in due time.
Now undoubtedly the full testimony of who Christ
is and his work will come at the
second coming of Christ when Christ will be
testified in the open light of history and
all men will have to acknowledge so it
is.
But notice this is not Paul's emphasis here
because in the seventh verse he says wherefore
I am appointed a preacher, apostle, I speak
the truth and lie not a teacher of
the Gentiles in faith and truth.
So it is not something that is only
to be testified about at the second coming
of Christ though it will be but it
can be testified in our space time relationship
in words now.
It's amazing what one is brought to.
How thoroughly the Bible answers the questions of
the 20th century if I will listen.
I can speak the truth truly now.
You notice Paul insisting he is speaking the
truth truly.
I speak the truth and lie not.
As I say the word in Christ is
not in the original text apparently and it's
much stronger than it's out.
I don't know why anybody ever added this.
I speak the truth and lie not.
It is possible to speak this testimony in
my generation.
This is knowledge he's talking about.
It is not a projected experience.
It is knowledge first before there can be
any Christian experience.
Now then the second way to the second
thing that is needed in order to share
in the escape from man's dilemma and my
dilemma is the first being the ransom but
the second my acting upon it.
So I am led back to the fourth
verse.
Who will have all men to be saved?
As I say truth is not presented to
us in the scripture ever abstractly nor am
I allowed not to face it.
As I pointed out in Romans how clearly
Paul speaks O man!
It's never allowed to be a collective.
It is always first of all the singular.
It is that I must face this truth.
I must face this truth and I must
act on this truth if I'm to be
saved.
I am just not to know the truth
that there is one God He is there
and personal that there is a mediator but
I must act upon this if I am
to be saved.
But let us notice that while stressing this
we must equally stress the other side and
that is I cannot be saved by doing
anything else except by acting on this truth.
There is no other way.
The knowledge is needed prior to salvation.
It is not possible to be saved without
the knowledge.
One does not need a great deal of
knowledge but there must be knowledge.
The order of the scripture is the true
knowledge the truth then acted upon.
When I do this and this is the
second step the understanding of the death of
Christ or rather the death of Christ upon
the cross not my understanding but the fact
that it occurred the mediator died upon the
cross and then my acting on this knowledge
that the Bible says then I am saved
who will have all men to be saved.
Now the Bible stresses a heaven after death
but the Bible does not say my salvation
comes to death.
The Bible says very plainly that I am
saved at the moment when I act upon
this true knowledge.
When I act upon this true knowledge I
am as much saved as I will be
when I am in heaven and this salvation
is not only a return to fellowship with
God but now I understand the world which
we should only make Christians understand it.
To understand the Christianity as Liz once spoke
from Zurich is something to be proud of
but not just something to be proud of
because I escaped hell but something to be
proud of because I am an understander of
knowledge the knowledge of life the integrating point
of all the particulars of the universe that
man now knows and if knowledge continues to
increase ever in geometrical fashion as it has
been increasing if it increases for another thousand
years then Christ does not come back until
we are made the most primitive of people
in our knowledge who live in 1965 when
men arise at that point all that knowledge
will still be integrated at this point if
I will understand it.
The second point of knowledge that man will
ever find true knowledge rests upon the existence
of this God and his being personal which
the dilemma is not in sin and there
is a mediator which I may act upon
this knowledge and when I act upon it
I not only am saved for eternity but
I am an understanding of the world an
understander of the world an understander not only
of man but of me I am an
understander not only of that which is unconscious
but the conscious and then the particular which
I know best Francis Schaeffer let us notice
there is an angel of strength there is
a crystalline substance there is that wherein a
truth that is objective which has a negation
which when you say this is true the
opposite is false not just
an abstraction I am to accept Christ as
my mediator as my savior in this framework
of truth no other way no other way
never if you are still unsaved accept Christ
as savior except in the framework of truth
because if you do you are not saved
you must understand it in the framework of
truth if you accept Christ as savior to
accept Christ as mediator as savior in this
sense of truth without works therefore to realize
that I must come to God in this
sense through the mediator of which there is
only one but thank God there is one
and I only need the one the man
Christ Jesus the son of God to realize
that this leads me not only into an
abstract comprehension of truth but leads me into
a personal fellowship with him who is the
truth because he is the origin of all
things to understand therefore in this sense of
truth I am returned to fellowship with him
who is the truth it is knowledge but
it isn't only their knowledge it is the
belief in God it is the acceptance of
Christ as savior it is the understanding now
I not only know truth but I am
in personal relationship with him who is the
ultimate truth the third point as I act
upon this in my present life existentially and
moment by moment because I can't do it
for two moments the way I am made
I can only act upon this this knowledge,
this truth and this relationship moment by moment
this is the way to begin to know
truth this is the only place for security
this is the only place for certainty not
only in the area of my study though
it will be there so I am never
afraid for what I will be told next
but also in the rough and tumble in
the sorrow of life in the grindingness of
life it is only as I act upon
his being there and then through the mediator
my being in contact with him who is
the truth in this existential moment that I
can have truth the reason for this is
as I do this existentially I step into
the real world and there is no other
world to live in anyway every other world
is false every other world is a contortion
every other world is a caricature there are
pieces that you recognize but it is a
caricature so consequently, the third point it is
only as I act upon this at this
existential moment that I am living in the
real world and I can expect to have
truth the fourth point God wants me to
do this God is not capricious God is
not a far off and does not care
he cares that I come to the true
knowledge and am saved that's what Paul says
here God who will have all men to
be saved this is not removed from fact
that they must come to the knowledge of
the truth but he has said I have
given man enough I have given you enough
reason to know that this is true the
external world, the internal world and my written
word these are enough God is not capricious
he is not cruel he is not a
monster he is not a tyrant he isn't
so far off in an abstraction a philosophic
other that he does not care he cares
a great deal that you come to the
truth and that I it is sufficient for
anyone who will listen believe God that is,
believe the truth that God has given the
propositional truth that God has given and thus
become a Christian in accepting Christ as Savior
the first point and the last once we
have this truth it is our task to
be steadfast of this truth this is something
can be known it is something that can
be taught in words and then in life
the two things together not to be separated
and after I have a knowledge of this
truth after I know this truth I am
to be a set of force of the
truth I am never to hold it for
myself I am not to be a miser
of this above all things of that of
which I am not to be a miser
it is wrong not to place myself in
the hands of God so that I know
my name, my individual calling as a set
of force of knowledge we must see our
task first as those who are a disperser
of knowledge we are not a disperser of
religious experience we are not a disperser of
other people's experience or my experience first the
first thing is I am to be a
disperser of knowledge and then let my life
and experience and putting into words as it
is possible my experience of the people's experience
but always in the framework of knowledge you
will notice Paul says this is his calling
in the seventh verse where unto I am
appointed a preacher, an apostle a teacher of
the Gentiles in faith and truth and this
is his calling our calling is not his
calling not everyone has the same calling but
nevertheless if I know this knowledge, this proper
truth this thing that opens not only personal
salvation but the world or you can say
it the other way opening the world that
is open to personal salvation how horrible not
to be a set of force of the
truth how absolutely horrible and I would close
with this other passage I've used and that
is John 17 the Simplification verses that speak
of the fact that men become Christians through
God's people being set as force of knowledge
in John 17 verse 8 for I have
given unto them the words that thou gavest
me and they have received them and have
known surely that I came out from they
and they have believed that thou didst send
me the fourteenth verse I have given them
thy words the world hath hated them because
they are not of the world even as
I am not of the world the seventeenth
verse sanctify them through thy truth thy words
is truth the eighteenth verse as thou hast
sent me into the world even so have
I also sent them into the world to
be a set of force of truth and
the twentieth verse neither pray I for these
alone but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word and connecting it
back to the previous part the word is
not to be separated from the word I
am to have the knowledge I am to
ask upon the knowledge and I would add
I am to be thankful for the knowledge
and I am to be a set of
force of the knowledge shall we say it
again