In our post-enlightenment and post-modern world, people flatter themselves to think we are progressing in our views of truth and philosophy. But in reality, the further we get away from the Garden, the more distorted man’s view of everything becomes. We think we are so advanced, we think we are more intelligent and more refined. But simply watch an evening news broadcast and you will see the very same barbarism, ignorance, and foolishness still pervades the hearts and minds of men. You can dress a man up with all the nicest clothing, give him the best education in the world, and he will still yet be a man. On his own, fallen man’s philosophies will never lead him to freedom from his nature.
And such is the great tragedy that men reject the one thing that can set them free. Jesus declared, “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31b-32) It is THE truth that sets a man free from his fallen perspectives, his fallen nature, and his bondage to his fallen sins. But notice where that liberating truth is found: “In My word” – Jesus said. Sadly, most people don’t turn to that Word to discern what is true. In our day, the majority of people might actually say that there is no such thing as “Truth.” To them, everything is relative. Everything is up to “the eye of the beholder.” Like Pilate, in Jesus’ day, they declare: “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38)
Fallen man, in our day, considers themselves to be so smart that we even have a philosophical term for the study and determination of what is true. “Epistemology” is the study of knowledge. And philosophers in that field banter back and forth about what the definition of “truth” is, and what “belief” is, and what “knowledge” is, and whether any of it can actually be known with any degree of certainty at all. But all of it is like a dog chasing its own tail – It’s interesting to watch, but it actually accomplishes nothing. The fallen man just doesn’t have the eyes to see reality. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1Cor. 2:14)
Truth is not merely something that can be arrived at through the intellect. Truth is something only perceived through minds that are enlightened spiritually. And so, it shouldn’t surprise us when fallen men say that the Word of God is unknowable, or that it is not comprehendible, or that it is “open to interpretation.” They can’t see the real nature of the Word of God because it is on a different level than they are. “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1Cor. 2:13) The world of fallen men will always come short in their understanding of truth, this has been the case since the Fall, and will be until the final judgment.
The tragedy comes in when supposed “Christians” begin to adopt the world’s philosophies about truth. When “Christians” who want to seem modest say things like, “It is arrogant to believe in absolute truths,” or “The truth is beyond our comprehension” they reveal themselves to be lacking the Holy Spirit just like the rest of the world. They might call themselves Christians, they might even have theology degrees that declare them to be experts in Bible matters, but if they can’t see the nature of truth then, they are just as hopeless as the heathen. For a Christian to say the truth is “unknowable” or that the Bible is “not understandable” is heresy! And you would be wise to steer far clear of those supposedly “humble-minded” men who speak that way. 1Cor. 2:12 declares – “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” The Spirit of God is given to believers so we can “know” the truth. Don’t be deceived by those who pretend to be more advanced, and humble, and educated that tell you any different. Instead, abide in the Word of Christ – And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free!
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