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It is not enough to know that we need to be spiritually disciplined, we then need to apply that discipline to every area of our lives so that we can effectively, joyfully, and lovingly accomplish what God desires. We do not pursue discipline in order to drag an approving glace from our dour Father, but in order to exercise the fullness of our relationship as those who are dearly loved and eternally secure.

1.     Bible Intake

The pursuit of all discipline is necessarily driven by the truth of Scripture and thus the queen of disciplines is the intake of Scripture in every possible form. The foundational discipline is that of partaking of Scripture in all the different avenues available to us. However, the pursuit of discipline will be unfruitful if not properly motivated.

Motivation – desperate desire to know God and His will for your life

The motivation for immersing ourselves in the Word of God is manifest, Scripture is the only means by which we can truly know Him and His will for our life. The Bible contain everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-5) and it is only in its pages that we are taught, reproved, corrected, and trained in righteous.

Furthermore, e are commanded by God to:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Ti 2:15

We will only present ourselves approved when we deny ourselves in the following ways:

(1)  Deny the natural tendency to “lean on your own understanding.”

To neglect Scripture is to effectively live according to our own understanding and to deny the wisdom found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

We must replace our understanding with the wisdom of the Ancient of Days – lovingly and carefully communicated through His inerrant, authoritative, sufficient Word. Not too shabby a trade if we would just take the time to think through the issue carefully.

(2)  Deny the natural tendency toward sluggardliness and procrastination

If the Word is so desirable, then why do we experience such difficulty in actually feasting upon it. In a word, sluggardliness. In order to be effective and diligent in our pursuit of God’s Word we will have to overcome our inherent laziness. The following verses paint an unpleasant picture that strikes uncomfortably close to home:

Pr 26:14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed. (Snooze button anyone?)

Pr 21:25 The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work; (I want to be godly but why is is always so hard . . .)

Pr 26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer. (I know the Word is important but I can’t because – ______(fill in the excuse))

(3)  Deny the natural tendency to let the urgent things squeeze out the important things (When things slow down)

The third denial is to set aside our procrastination – as Kris Lungaard (The Enemy Within) so bitingly states, “every season we offer up the cheer of the perennial loser, ‘We’ll get ‘em next year’.”  We consistently tell ourselves that we will get to the Word after just “one more” blog is read, diaper is changed, house project is completed . . .

If, however, we will set our hearts on denying ourselves, taking up our Bibles, and following after Jesus, then the following practical suggestions will be helpful.

Consider time early in the morning

Consider taking time early in the morning. The Bible does not command this, but our Savior modeled it, and so did most of the godly men and women about whom stories are told and biographies written. Your worries are waiting for you the moment you wake up, what better time to set our minds on things above through the pursuit of the Word. If you wait till the end of the day your time is too easily claimed by others and by the fatigue of the previous hours.

Consider reading through the entire Bible

Over the years, I have heard every reason as to why reading through the entire Bible is undesirable (too much to read at one time, I want to really take time to study individual passages, etc..). These usually end up just being excuses and the Bible is neglected to the spiritual detriment of the excuser. A Christian who isn’t familiar with the whole Bible is like an engineer who doesn’t know the basic laws of physics!

Fortunately, we live in an age in which every kind of “One Year” Bible plan is available. The YouVersion app alone has hundreds of plans to choose from (with just the click of a button), and the ease of having the exact portion of Scripture conveniently awaiting each morning (and yes, reading electronically still counts as reading the Bible – it is the words not the medium that counts). Consider the following approaches: breaking the reading into two or three years, reading through just the New Testament this year and the Old Testament next year, read chronologically, read various genre’s of Scripture in one sitting, and read a different version (NASB, ESV, NIV, NKJV, HSB are good choices). My favorite plans include: The McCheyne Plan (various genres, fair amount of reading), The Horner Plan (really intense – 10 chapters a day), The One Year Chronological Plan, ESV Study Bible, the McArthur One Year Bible, and the Five Day Bible Reading Plan (allows two days a week for rest or “catch-up.”

Be sure to study smaller portions of Scripture in a more in-depth way

The in-depth study of smaller portions of Scripture is also important. This can be done in a variety of ways. Choose a smaller book of the Bible (or break a bigger book into small chunks) and read through it each day, pausing to underline key words and phrases and/or summarizing important themes and concepts. Use commentaries to help with understanding difficult concepts. Keep a journal to record your thoughts. Pick one verse or concept to meditate on throughout the day.

Perhaps the most effective way to study is to join a Bible study group through your church and use that for your “study” time. This can help keep you motivated and focused long after your personal efforts would have died out. There is no need to view “personal” study and “church” study as separate!

Reading books on biblical topics

Another way to immerse yourself in Scripture is to read good books that explain and apply Biblical truth. There is much benefit to reading history, science, etc. (as you have time), but godly men and women down throughout the ages have left a legacy of excellent material that is extremely beneficial in spurring spiritual growth. One aspect of motivation in this area is the desire to know what others have learned about God so that we can grow and be challenged beyond our personal prejudices and pet doctrines.

So, consider the following ideas: search for a series of “top ten” best Christian books from 2023 and try to read a book a month, check out the book list I provided on this blog (earlier in January) and pick one book from each major section to begin plowing through, download several audio books and listen in the car on the way to or from work (or maybe while you mop the floor and clean the kitchen!), or try the Tim Challies reading challenge – a really fun way to read more productively.

Read several blogs

Another way to get a lot of great Christian content in a short period of time is to subscribe to several internet blogs that present spiritual topics in encouraging and helpful ways. Perhaps the best way to do this is to use the app, “Feedly” (or some other “blog collecting” app) to consolidate all your favorite internet material in one place. My favorite blogs include: Tim Challies “A La Carte” (Tim peruses over 100 blogs and presents 6 to 8 of the best ones each day), The Cripplegate, Canon Fodder (Michael Kruger), Desiring God (John Piper Ministries), Denny Burk, and Reformation 21. I don’t agree with everything all these guys say – but they probably don’t agree with me on everything either!

Listen to sermons

Finally (for now), enhance your Bible intake by listening to lots of sermons. This is one of the best ways to get the most bang for your buck. Consider spending the majority of your listening time on solid, expository preaching. This format allows you to get Scripture reading, Bible study, and application all in one setting. I have been in ministry for over thirty-five years, and preach at least three times a week, yet I find myself in need of much greater input from God’s Word. I try to listen to five or six podcast length (30 minutes or so) sermons each week and always find myself longing for more.

The internet age provides an embarrassment of riches in this regard. You can go to the media portion of the GCC website and listen to (or download) any message preached the previous week (or previous years!).

Sermons

We have five podcasts to chose from that put the messages in your earbuds at a moments notice (Sunday School, Sunday Sermon, Youth Messages, Women’s Ministry, and All of These Combined).

It is important to pick your teachers wisely. The downside of the internet is that there are heretics, wolves, and just really bad preachers lurking just a click of a button away. Some of my favorite reliable podcasts are: The Word Unleashed – Tom Pennington; Grace to You – John MacArthur, Truth for Life – Alistair Begg, Focal Point – Mike Fabarez, Ligonier Ministries – R.C. Sproul and others.

My prayer is that you will not be overwhelmed by the amount of resources and ideas presented in this post, but that you will be encouraged to move forward from whatever level of Bible intake you have had in the past to a greater level of “letting the Word of Christ dwell richly within you” (Col 3:16) in the coming year.

In the summer 1991 I read the biography of Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators and a man of intense and effective spiritual discipline. Later, in the fall of 1992, I read the book Holiness by J.C. Ryle which was given to me as a gift by a man named Mike Edmunds, one of the elders of the church where I was working as a youth pastor. As I read Holiness, while still under the influence of the Trotman biography, I was completely overcome by the fact that there was only one thing keeping me from being a more godly man on more deeply intimate terms with my Savior. Me! Or more specifically, my sinful lack of spiritual discipline. The question in my mind wasn’t how I could look more spiritual or add more rules to my life. The issue was how much did I want to delight the heart of my Savior and bring glory to my heavenly Father – by deepening in my knowledge of, pursuit of, and satisfaction in, Him. And what was I willing to give up in order to gain it.

Since we are all called to glorify God by conforming to His image, building His church, and leading our families (or others) in a God-honoring fashion, we must learn the duty and delight of spiritual discipline. In order for this to happen we must find greater delight in bringing God glory and doing what is best for others, than in satisfying our carnal nature. No man consistently disciplines himself unless it is for something that brings him great pleasure. Thus, only the Spirit-filled man or woman can be truly disciplined, for only he can delight in spiritual things.

Spiritual discipline is the practical side of the call to discipleship – to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Effective denial requires intense discipline.

The thesis of this series of posts is:

The command by God to be spiritually disciplined is fundamentally a call to do the hard work of delighting ourselves in Him in greatest measure and thus impact the eternal destiny of all whom God has placed in our sphere of influence.

Discipline is a duty and delight which results in effective service

A.    The Foundation of Spiritual Discipline

First, lets consider the foundation of spiritual discipline laid by the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 4:7-8:

But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Paul authoritatively states the call for discipline, as a command, not a suggestion. The Greek word , translated “discipline” is gymnazo and carries the connotation of rigorous training to the the point of exhaustion. It was often used for the regimen undergone by athletes preparing for the Olympics and indicates intense effort for a carefully considered goal.

Spiritual Discipline Thwarts “Old Wives Tales.”

One of the primary benefits of spiritual disciple, as commanded by Paul, is that it enables the Christian to supplant the “worldly fables” of the world. These “old wives tales” consist of everything the world believes about life, meaning, purpose, and value. These beliefs are all tainted with the effects of sin on the hearts of the men who base their lives upon them. Myths such as: man is inherently good; you can determine your own reality; you can only be fulfilled if you follow your own dreams and desire; there is no God; changing your circumstances will make you happy; and many, many more. In fact, every one of the worlds religions and “anti-religions” amount to nothing more than foolish vanity.

Spiritual Discipline is for the purpose of godliness

There is only one thing standing between us and the depth of intimacy with Christ – ourselves. Paul urges Timothy to focus his efforts on vigorous training for genuine godliness. John MacArthur defines godliness as: the right attitude and response toward the true Creator God; a preoccupation from the heart with holy and sacred realities. It is respect for what is due to God, and is thus the highest of all virtues. Oswald Sanders states, “Without this essential quality, all other gifts remain as dwarfs:  they cannot grow.  So discipline appears first on our list.  Before we can conquer the world, we must first conquer self.”

Spiritual Discipline is a fruit of the Spirit

Spiritual discipline, however, is just that, spiritual. It is not the effort of the “type A” personality driven to dominate others by the force of his will. True discipline has nothing to do with personality. The discipline that results is godliness is a fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Ga 5:22-23

This means that in order to be spiritually disciplined, a person must be regenerated by the Spirit of God, indwelt by the Spirit of God (facts that are true of every believer), but also increasingly filled with (i.e. controlled by) the Spirit as Paul commands in Ephesians 5:8.

Spiritual Discipline is an Eternal Benefit

The beauty of Spirit produced discipline is that, unlike bodily discipline, which only produces earthly benefits, spiritual discipline produces godliness – which is profitable both for this life and the life to come. It is literally beneficial for “all things,” that is, no part of our life, both now and in eternity, is left unimproved by the exercise of spiritual discipline.

In this present world, godliness brings effective service, joy, hope, peaceful relationships, and a host of other benefits; while at the same time preparing us for eternity spent with Christ by storing up reward in heaven. Later in this same epistle, Paul challenges Timothy to instruct the “rich” (a title applicable to nearly every American Christian):

 . . . to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Timothy 6:18-19 – emphasis added )

Once the foundation of Spiritual discipline is understood, we must practice the spiritual disciplines with wisdom and diligence. More on that in tomorrow’s blog. For today, my primary exhortation is to carefully consider the benefits of discipline, not just its difficulties, and then begin to humbly seek the Lord for a deeper desire and greater motivation to pursue the godliness which enables us to bring Him glory now, and fits us for heaven later!

Bible reading, Bible study, Bible memorization, and Bible sermons are the best ways to deepen your knowledge of Scripture. However, the next step is to read books which will explain and apply Biblical principles in powerful, winsome, and enduring ways. My prayer is that you will make it your ambition to read “just a bit more” in 2023. For some that may mean reading one book this year, for others one book a month or week! Regardless, the benefit of reading can hardly be overstated. You would do well to turn off Netflix, wait to download the next video game, even silence your music for a little while, and indulge in a few good Christian books.

To that end, I have a few suggestions! Below are a list of books that I have compiled over the years – broken up, vaguely, into various categories to help direct your attention to areas of interest. This is certainly not a comprehensive list, but these are some of the best books I have read in these different areas and I pray that they will be of benefit and blessing to you. I you have questions or other suggestions, please feel free to email me at the church and I will respond as I can!

Chris’ Book List

If I could pick ten books for you to read in your lifetime they would be:

1. Holiness – J.C. Ryle
2. Mortification of Sin – John Owen
3. Knowing God – J.I. Packer
4. The Holiness of God – R.C. Sproul
5. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment – Jeremiah Burroughs
6. George Whitefield – Arnold Dallimore (2 Volume Set)
7. Trusting God – Jerry Bridges
8. The Joy of Fearing God – Jerry Bridges
9. Spiritual Disciplines – Don Whitney
10. Don’t Waste Your Life – John Piper

General Book List

B. Christian Living

1. Holiness – J.C. Ryle
2. Knowing God – J.I. Packer
3. Trusting God – Jerry Bridges
4. The Joy of Fearing God – Jerry Bridges
5. The Pursuit of Holiness – Jerry Bridges
6. The Hole in our Holiness – Kevin DeYoung
7. Respectable Sins – Jerry Bridges
8. Spiritual Disciplines – Donald Whitney
9. Habits of Grace – David Mathis
10. Killing Sin Habits – Stuart Scott
11. The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis
12. Desiring God – John Piper
13. Don’t Waste Your Life – John Piper
14. Pleasing People – Lou Priolo
15. Spiritual Leadership – Oswald Sanders
16. The Enemy Within – Kris Lungaard
17. Idols of the Heart – Elyse Fitzpatrick
18. When People are Big and God is Small – Ed Welch
19. The Gospel Primer – Milton Vincent
20. The Treasure Principle (Money/Finances) – Randy Alcorn
21. Humility – True Greatness – C.J. Maheny
22. Prayer
    a) Alone with God – MacArthur
    b) A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Prayer) – D.A. Carson
    c) A Call to Prayer – J.C. Ryle
23. Decision Making
    a) Decisions, Decisions – Dave Swavely
    b) Just Do Something – Kevin DeYoung
    c) Is That You God – Gary Gilley
24. Purity
    a) The Purity Principle – Randy Alcorn
    b) Finally Free – Heath Lambert
    c) From Passion to Purity – Elizabeth Elliott
25. Marriage
    a) Not Yet Married – Marshall Segal
    b) I Still Do – Dave Harvey
    c) What Did You Expect – Paul Tripp
    d) Sex and the Supremacy of Christ – John Piper
26. Parenting
    a) Instructing a Child’s Heart – Paul Tripp
    b) Shepherding a Child’s Heart – Ted Tripp
    c) Gospel Powered Parenting – William Farley
    d) Age of Opportunity (Teens) – Paul Tripp
    e) The Heart of Anger – Lou Priolo
    f) Growing Up Christian – Karl Graustein
27. Discipling Your Teens
    *Contains repeats from above lists
    a) Growing up Christian – Karl Graustein
    b) The Enemy Within – Kris Lungaard
    c) The Purity Principle – Randy Alcorn
    d) The Treasure Principle – Randy Alcorn
    e) Thoughts for Young Men – J.C. Ryle
    f) The Masuline Mandate – Richard Philips
    C. Church Ministry
28. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hand – Paul Tripp
29. The Peacemaker – Ken Sande
30. The Master’s Plan for the Church – MacArthur
31. Why We Love the Church – Kevin DeYoung
32. Nine Marks of a Healthy Church – Mark Dever
33. Let the Nations be Glad (Missions) – John Piper

D. Men’s/Women’s

1. The Masculine Mandate – Richard Philips
2. Thoughts for Young Men – J.C. Ryle
3. The Exemplary Husband – Stuart Scott
4. The Complete Husband – Lou Priolo
5. A Woman After God’s Own Heart – Elizabeth George
6. The Excellent Wife – Martha Peace

E. Knowing the Gospel

1. What is the Gospel – Greg Gilbert
2. The Gospel According to Jesus – MacArthur
3. The Cross of Christ – Stott
4. Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis

F. Dealing With Culture

1. Not Ashamed of the Gospel – John MacArthur
2. The Vanishing Conscience – John MacArthur
3. Why We are Not Emergent – Kevin DeYoung
4. What is the Mission of the Church – Kevin DeYoung
5. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert (Homosexuality) – Rosaria Butterfield
6. What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality – Kevin DeYoung
7. Christianity and Wokeness – Owen Strachan
8. Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice – Scott David Allen

G. Theological Topics

1. The Holiness of God – R.C. Sproul
2. The God Who Loves – MacArthur
3. The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness – MacArthur
4. What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace – Richard Philips
5. The Battle for the Beginning – John MacArthur
6. The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God – D.A. Carson
7. Evangelicalism Divided – Ian Murray
8. Delighting in the Trinity – Michael Reeves
9. Taking God at His Word – Kevin DeYoung
10. The God Who Justifies – James White
11. Satisfied by the Spirit – Thomas Edgar
12. Sinners in the Hands of a Good God (Calvinism) – David Clotfelter

H. Theological Study

1. Systematic Theology – John MacArthur
2. Systematic Theology – Wayne Grudem
3. Calvin’s Institutes – John Calvin
4. The Existence and Attributes of God – Charnock

I. Classic/Puritan

1. Pilgrims Progress – Bunyan
2. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment – Jeremiah Burroughs
3. Mortification of Sin – John Owen
4. The Glory of Christ – John Owen
5. The Doctrine of Repentance – Thomas Watson
6. A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness – Jeremiah Burroughs
7. The Life if God in the Soul of Man – Henry Scougal
8. The Rent Veil – Horatius Bonar
9. The Mystery of Providence – John Flavel
10. The Godly Man’s Picture – Thomas Watson
11. An Alarm to the Unconverted – Joseph Alleine

J. Church History

1. Evangelicalism Divided – Ian Murray
2. The Unquenchable Flame (Reformation) – Michael Reeves
3. Church History in Plain Language – Bruce Shelley

K. Apologetics

1. Nothing But the Truth – Brian Edwards
2. Apologetics to the Glory of God – John Frame
3. Total Truth – Nancy Pearcy
4. Finding Truth – Nancy Pearcy
5. Tactics – Greg Koukl

L. Bible Study

1. Living By the Book – Howard Hendricks
2. Knowing Scripture – R.C. Sproul
3. How to Get the Most from God’s Word – MacArthur
4. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – Fee and Stuart

M. Christian Philosophy

1. Francis Schaeffer
   a) The God Who is There
   b) Escape From Reason
   c) He is There and He Is Not Silent
2. C.S. Lewis
   a) Mere Christianity
   b) The Great Divorce
   c) The Problem of Pain
   d) The Abolition of Man
3. David Wells
   a) God in the Wasteland
   b) Losing Our Virtue
   c) Above all Earthly Powers
4. When Choice Becomes God – F. Lagard Smith

N. Biography

1. Athanasius of Alexandria – Peter Barnes
2. Augustine of Hippo – Peter Brown
3. Martin Luther – Roland Bainton or Eric Metaxas
4. John Calvin – Alister McGrath
5. William Tyndale – David Daniel
6. John Bunyan – Faith Cook
7. Jonathan Edwards – George Marsden
8. George Whitfield – Arnold Dallimore (2 Volumes)
9. John Wesley – Ian Murray
10. Spurgeon – Arnold Dallimore or Lewis Drummond
11. Susie (Spurgeon’s Wife) – Ray Rhodes
12. William Wilberforce – Eric Metaxas
13. J.C. Ryle – Ian Murray
14. Amy Carmichael – Ian Murray
15. William Carey – S. Pearce Carey
16. Hudson Taylor – Vance Christie
17. George Mueller – A.T. Pierson
18. Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Eric Metaxas
19. David Brainerd – Life and Diary of David Brainerd – Jonathan Edwards
20. Adoniram Judson – To the Golden Shore – Courtney Anderson
21. C.S. Lewis – Surprised by Joy – C.S. Lewis
22. C.S. Lewis – A Life Observed – Devin Brown
23. Jim Elliott – Through Gates of Splendor – Elizabeth Elliott
24. Martin Lloyd-Jones – Ian Murray (2 Volumes)
25. Eric Liddell – Pure Gold – David McCasland
26. Eric Liddell – For the Glory – Duncan Hamilton
27. Agape Leadership – Life of R.C. Chapman – Alexander Strauch
28. R.C. Sproul – Stephen J. Nichols

What better way to begin 2023 then by asking a question, the most important question of your life – “who do you worship?” There are really only two answers – either you worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the Creator God of Universe who sent His Son to die for our sins – or you worship yourself. There are no other options. Every other so-called god, idol, religion, or worldly pursuit is simply a manifestation of your desire to please yourself.

Thus, the greatest need in this new year is not political stability, economic security, or even family harmony, as encouraging as those things would be. No, our greatest need is to stop worshipping ourselves and, instead, worship the King of Kings whose birth we have just finished celebrating.

The key idea of this post then is that Jesus is the King of Kings whose worship is the wisest use of our lives and must be our consuming focus in this new year, and for all eternity. In fact, to understand life is to worship Jesus

To briefly explore this essential theme of worship, I will use the outline of the message I had the privilege of preaching on Christmas morning – to my joyful, yet slightly distracted congregation! We will fly over the text of Matthew 1:1-12, and the story of the Magi, to see that worship takes commitment, worship takes perseverance, worship brings opposition, worship inspires passion, and worship requires sacrifice.

A.   Worship Takes Commitment

The Magi made a journey, most likely over 900 miles, to pursue their commitment to worship at the feet of Jesus. These wise men were not kings (although from Orient, they were), but more likely were astronomers (okay, astrologers, but they did study the heavenly bodies) and intellectuals from Persia or Babylon. There were almost certainly more than three of them, probably a large company, most likely with many soldiers to offer protection for the valuable treasures they carried. Also, they arrived after Jesus was born – in the days of Herod the King, so you will need to remove them from your manger scene. Finally, the fact that they showed up in Jerusalem and not Bethlehem indicates that the “star” did not lead them during the journey.

Despite all these myth-busting realities, what an amazing event it must have been for these foreigners to arrive in a search of the King of the Jews – in the very city where the current (but completely phony) King of the Jews had his palace.

Of all people, these wise men seemingly had the least reason to be committed to worshipping Jesus. They were not part of God’s chosen ethnic people, did not live in Israel, and did not have access to the OT Scriptures (as evidenced by their confusion as to where the King would be born). Yet, as J.C. Ryle states in his commentary on Matthew:

These verses show us that there may be true servants of God in places where we should not expect to find them. The Lord Jesus has many “hidden ones,” like these wise men. Their story on earth may be as little known as that of Melchizedek, Jethro and Job. But their names are in the book of life, and they will be found with Christ on the day of his appearing. It is well to remember this. We must not look round the earth and say hastily, “All is barren.” The grace of God is not tied to places and families. The Holy Spirit can lead souls to Christ without the help of any outward means. Men may be born in dark places of the earth, like these wise men, and yet like them be made “wise for salvation.

What kind of commitment to worship will you carry out this year? We don’t have to travel to a temple or a city to worship. Will we take advantage of our open access to the throne room of our King? Even our corporate worship doesn’t require us to travel very far – certainly not from “the east” (although my precious congregation members from Sevierville, La Follette, etc. might feel like they have come from “afar”). Will we commit to worship individually and corporately this year?

B.   Worship Takes Perseverance

When the magi arrived in Jerusalem, they were most likely puzzled not to find the city in an uproar over their new king!  However, they did not give up, but began a search of the city, asking for information concerning this new King of the Jews. There was no doubt in their minds that a king had been born – after all, “they had seen His star in the east,” but nobody seemed to know what they were talking about.

More important than their desire to find this new King, however, was their stated reason for traveling nearly 1000 dangerous and wearying miles – “We have come to worship Him.” The magi were adamant about their purpose.  They were worshippers, desperately seeking the object of their worship! What is striking is the detail that Matthew leaves out in order to emphasize this one phrase. We know nothing about the magi’s appearance, numbers, background, or specific personalities – but we do know that they were intent on worship. And not just the worship of an earthly king. The text makes clear that they were seeking the Messiah, the true God-King. In fact, there is no object or person in this universe that is worthy of the word “worship”. We use it metaphorically for earthly trivialities, but only God should be, and must be, worshipped. Humility, thankfulness, obedience, can all be exercised toward another human being, but not worship!

The only thing of true importance about the Magi is that they desired to worship Jesus. This is the only thing of true importance in the world. Do we want to be known for other things (our skills, power, achievements) – or do we want to be known for the fact that we worshipped Jesus? And will we persevere in the pursuit of this worship – even as the Magi did? Or will we be easily distracted by the trial and temptations that 2023 will surely bring. Again Ryle is instructive:

It would be well for all professing Christians if they were more ready to follow the example of these good men. Where is our self-denial? What pains do we take about means of grace? What diligence do we show about following Christ? What does our religion cost us? These are serious questions. They deserve serious consideration. The truly “wise,” it may be feared, are very few.

C.   Worship Brings Opposition

Instead of joy and worship, the magi’s question brought confusion and fear. The text tells us that Herod was “troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod feared the rise of a new king and the people most likely feared the response of Herod.

What is fascinating here is that Herod clearly saw the quest of the Magi as a search for the Messiah, not some purely political usurper to the throne. In response to the news he heard of the Magi’s question about a king (he has not yet talked to the Magi themselves), he gathered his own “wise men” (chief priests and scribes) and asked them where the “Messiah” was to be born. He knew enough about Judiasm to know a Messiah was predicted, but not enough to know the clear prediction of His birthplace.

Equally fascinating is the complete indifference of the Israelite “magi” who immediately knew the answer to the question (“in Bethlehem of Judea” – of course!), but indicate zero desire to go and worship Him. We know from the rest of the Biblical narrative that this initial indifference soon gave way to open hostility, opposition, and eventually murder. Indifference towards God will always turn into hatred if it does not turn into true belief. Ryle insightfully notes:

How often the very people who live nearest to the means of grace are those who neglect them most! There is only too much truth in the old proverb, “The nearer the church the farther from God.” Familiarity with sacred things has an awful tendency to make men despise them. There are many who, from residence and convenience, ought to be first and foremost in the worship of God, and yet are always last. There are many who might well be expected to be last, who are always first.

Certainly, both Herod and the chief priests and scribes were far more interested in keeping their power than saving their souls. Herod is already planning to kill this perceived usurper as he questions the Magi about the exact time of the star’s appearance and feigns piety by asking them to return with news of the new king’s whereabouts. But what about us?  Are we troubled when we hear that Jesus is the King!? Are we willing to face the opposition that will certainly come when we pursue the worship of Jesus? True worship of God will always bring opposition from those who do not understand Him and from those who hate him as a threat to their rule of their own life.

D.   Worship Inspires Passion

This was no indifferent, intellectual pursuit for the magi. After leaving for Bethlehem the “star” reappeared and led them to the child’s house, they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”. Their passion had been ignited and their desire was about to be fulfilled. The text piles superlative upon superlative in order to communicate the overwhelming joy experienced by the magi in the success of their expedition. No passionless side quest from some boring video game was this. They understood that they were near the end of their quest and this caused them great joy – the privilege of worshipping the King of kings. They were being Divinely guided to their much longed for desire!

The question comes to us in this new year. How passionate are we about Jesus – the object of our supreme affection? One whom we do not travel to visit in a house made with hands, but who dwells with us, meets with us, empowers us, and rises like the morning star in our hearts.

E.   Worship Requires Sacrifice

The magi had traveled far to come to Bethlehem and brought gifts of great earthly value.  Yet the expenditure of energy and resources paled in comparison to the surrender of their intellect, will, and affections. The text culminates with the magi’s entrance into the house to find the Child with Mary and they fall to the ground and worship Him. This is the response of true faith, not earthly obeisance. Ryle agrees:

These wise men believed in Christ when they had never seen him; but that was not all. They believed in him when the scribes and Pharisees were unbelieving; but that again was not all. They believed in him when they saw him as a little infant on Mary’s knees, and worshiped him as a King. This was the crowning point of their faith. They saw no miracles to convince them. They heard no teaching to persuade them. They saw no signs of divinity and greatness to overawe them. They saw nothing but a newborn infant, helpless and weak, and needing a mother’s care like any of us. And yet when they saw that infant, they believed that they saw the divine Saviour of the world! “They bowed down and worshiped him”

Faith is the greatest sacrifice of all. Far from being mere mental assent to the reality of Christ’s person and work, faith is to set aside the all-consuming worship of ourselves, repent of our sin and worship the true King with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. No man truly worships Jesus unless he “denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows” (Luke 9:23).

This is completely stunning of course. The shepherds did not worship, Herod did not worship, and the chief priests and scribes did not worship. Total foreigners, Gentiles from a strange land and culture, are first to bend the knee. and Jews are the first to try to destroy Him.

Dignitaries from a foreign land come to worship Him, while the monarch of His own land tries to kill Him. This humble worship marks these magi as the shrewdest of men for it is the wisest action in the world to fall on our knees in worship of the King of Kings. In fact, they were not truly wise men until they prostrated themselves before the King of Kings.  Their humility demonstrated the depth of their wisdom – a wisdom that can come only from God.

Certainly, before returning to their land (by a different route as commanded by the Sovereign God who thwarts the plans of foolish kings), the Magi provided costly gifts to their newfound King. However, the gifts only serve to put an accent on the presentation of their bodies as living sacrifices to their Monarch.

So the question confronts us in this new year. Are we willing to stop worshipping ourselves? To lay down our pride and ego, our security and treasure, our dreams and plans – in order to join the Magi of long ago in worship of Jesus the Messiah? It is the wisest decision you could ever make.

Ro 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Does a mask reduce your chances of getting Covid? Will Covid vaccines cause damage to you cellular DNA? Did Covid-19 spread by animal contact or from an experimental lab? Each of these is an issue of truth – only one of two possible answers (yes or no) is correct and they cannot both be true at the same time. However, the truth is hard to discover because two opposing answers are being vehemently argued for, with evidence being produced for either possibility. And therein lies the rub – which source of truth do we believe? How can we discern what it true when we did not see it with our own eyes or don’t have the expertise/resources to make a determination on our own? This is no minor issue. In a world where information proliferates and nearly everyone can express their “informed” opinion (how many amateur epidemiologists appeared on Facebook in a matter of days after Covid hit), finding the truth can seem like the quest for the Holy Grail.

In this edition of Truth, Justice, and the American Way we will work our way through the issues involved in pursuing a “practical epistemology,” a method of finding truth in a world of lies. For the believer there are really two issues involved. How to draw the truth from our infallible source, the Bible, and how to discern truth through the fallible sources of nature, reason, science, and information.

How to Draw Truth from Our Infallible Source

Believers spend much of their time and resources answering this question and we will deal with it only briefly in this article. Although the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative, sufficient Word of God, the “big T” truth through which all other truth must be interpreted, it must still be deciphered and understood in order to be useful in determining the truth. This begins with being personally trained in effective methods of Bible study, becoming increasingly familiar with the truth in the Bible as a whole, and accessing good resources such as Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and language tools. A good church with godly elders gifted and active in teaching and training is another essential. Reading books about the Bible and listening to expository preachers teach the Bible are additional important means of getting the truth from the Bible (TFB) right.

The majority of our pursuit of truth should be spent in this arena. To know the truth of God’s Word is the key to all other knowledge. Each believer is to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who do not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15).”

One important word of caution. It is always a temptation for God’s people to pursue doctrinal or theological fads, rather than steadily deepening in their foundational understanding of Biblical truth. These whims produce a quick “thrill of the unknown” but are of no value in helping a person to be grounded in the truth. This is an increasingly pervasive problem with the proliferation of blogs, YouTube pastors, social media gurus and a host of theological “hokery” just a click or a swipe away. Ephesians 4 is clear, “ . . . we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.” Biblical truth is found by staying carefully within the “box” of Scripture and being taught by gifted men whom Christ has established for the edification of His church. When the truths in the Bible are properly understood, they can be used to guide the search for truth outside the Bible and in daily living.

How to Find Truth Outside the Bible

Biblical truth is not the only form of important knowledge. How can truth outside the Bible (TOB) be found? These are truths that do not come from an infallible source, but represent the reality of what God has ordained in the natural world and in the daily affairs of men

The reality of sense perception

The first means of acquiring TOB is through direct observation and experimentation. This is sometimes called the “reality of sense perception,” and forms the basis of our interaction with the world around us. Without this kind of “truth” there is no foundation for knowing anything at all. The Bible presupposes this reality by communicating in rational, propositional statements about the experiences of men in the real world in relationship to God.

In general, sense perception can be trusted, and the things we know most surely are those things we have personally seen, heard, and experimented with. The practical application of this reality is manifest. We are not to declare authoritatively that we know something is true unless we have seen or heard it ourselves. Even then we must be careful, for our perception can be skewed and our observation incomplete. Nevertheless, if the world would follow this simple rule, there would be a lot less heartache, misinformation, vitriol, slander, and disastrous decision making.

Using accurate sources

There are, however, many decisions we must make using information that does not come directly from our own sense perception. In fact, in our complicated, tech driven, world we are increasingly dependent on outside data.

We need, therefore, to learn to recognize and cultivate trustworthy sources of information. This has become frustratingly difficult now that nearly all information has become personalized (is it true for me?) and politicized (does it match my political ideology?). However, reliable resources can be found. We should work hard to cultivate trusted sources and learn from them, even as we always seek to verify the information we receive. Proverbes 1:5 states, “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.”

So, from whom do we acquire this counsel? First, Godly men who are applying Biblical principles as they compile information and give advice. Those whose character and actions can be observed personally are most valuable, such as a trusted doctor whose past decisions have been wise and helpful. People whose reputation has been built over time and tested in various levels of difficulty are often good sources of TOB.

Next, are men and women who may or may not acknowledge the God of the Bible, but whose education and experience make them true experts in their fields. These are not the quacks who magically appear on Facebook (and now, increasingly, on CNN or Fox News) with a lab coat and an agenda, but those whose books (not six months of personal blogging), peer reviews (not number of Instagram or Tic Tok followers), and longevity (not five minutes of fame) in their field identify them as truly knowledgeable. There are real specialists and experts – even though the ease with which anyone can create a profile and spin out a video have made them hard to discover. These should still be verified as carefully as possible by determining if their education and experience are sufficient for the level of truth they are dispensing.

We must not despair of finding actual facts and basing our lives on true principles. There is real science out there. Principles of mathematics and physics hold so we can build bridges and rockets. Principles of medicine can be discovered and practiced so that we can have medications, vaccines, and heart surgery.

A practical example of pursing important TOB is my decision to receive the Covid-19 vaccination. Regardless of which view a person takes – there is only one truth. Either the vaccine works or it doesn’t, either the vaccine is safe or it isn’t. So, I had to choose a course, and I did. This is clearly a conscience issue (not Biblical command or principle) and my receiving the vaccine does not mean that anyone else should or must. However, my reasoning (highly abbreviated) to find this “truth outside the Bible” was as follows:

I was not motivated by inordinate fear of catching the disease. I understand that it is 99% survivable and that my age demographic (53) is still within the “really pretty safe” zone. I amnot at all afraid to die. I was not driven by blind acceptance of all vaccines (I don’t ever get the flu shot). The science of the effectiveness of many vaccines seemed to indicate a high probability of the effectiveness of this vaccine. This included the personal experience of myself and all my family members having been vaccinated from various diseases and having suffered no ill side-effects (and having never contracted those diseases). Importantly, vaccines are not directly “political” in that they are an established science developed long before the current crisis. The information I studied revealed that although the Covid-19 vaccine production process was new in type and rapid in result, that the science was sound and the testing broad-based. The objections seemed mostly to have to do with possible problems, not documented ones. Additionally, the practical, real-world results indicated that millions of people had gotten the vaccine and that the vast majority had suffered no ill effects (and most hadn’t gotten Covid). Of great importance was that the medical professionals I trusted, and had observed to be correct in other situations, recommended it. There seemed to be value to other people to be vaccinated – both so that I could not infect them and that my risk of infection would be lower. Finally, there seemed to be several opportunities for ministry which would open up more quickly if I were vaccinated (regardless of whether I agreed with that approach or not!).

So, for better or worse, I pursued truth outside the Bible and made an important decision without fear or anxiety.

Where not to get information

Before leaving the topic of truth outside the Bible there are several further considerations. It is helpful to know where not to get information, bad sources to base important decisions on include:

1) Any form of social media

2) Internet Blogs (in general not as reliable as print sources)

3) General articles on the internet

4) So called experts with no credentials and no track record

5) Experts who are driven by political ideology

6) Reports full of buzzwords or click bait

How to determine if information is good

How can we determine if information is good? The Word of God helps us here: “The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him (Prov 18:17).” A summary of evaluating good sources includes:

1) Does it have sources that can be checked?

2) Does it present a balanced view of the situation?

3) Does it give evidence of knowledge of information and/or possible motive for opposing viewpoints?

4) Does it develop a line of reasoning that is logical, or does it just make statements of opinion?

5) Are possible misunderstandings or lack of information admitted (where it is appropriate)?

6) Does it seem to follow common sense?

What kind of truth is worth knowing

With so much information out there – which kinds of truth should we pursue knowing and verifying? Following is one paradigm for the pursuit of truth – ranked from most to least important:

1) Things which affect your spiritual health and future directly.

2) Things which affect your family church spiritual health and future directly.

3) Things which directly affect the spiritual health of the world around you.

4) Things which affect the physical and economic health of yourself and those around you.

5) Things which affect the physical and economic health of your city, state, country.

Pursuing conspiracy theories

One illustration of the prioritization of truth involves the multiple conspiracy theories (such as Q Anon, 9/11, etc.) that have proliferated in the past 20 years. The issue is not so much, is what this conspiracy saying true (there are real conspiracies out there)? But what does it matter if it is? Should you be pursuing it? What value will it be to figure out the truth of it? How much time will you waste? What priorities will be set aside? How does pursuing this theory change my attitudes and actions in Biblical ways?

Summary questions as you pursue truth

So here are a few final questions to ask yourself as you pursue truth outside the Bible:

1) Does this need to be known?

2) Do I have the time to know it?

3) Can this ever be verified to be true?

4) Do those I know and trust believe this?

5) How does knowing this or pursuing this knowledge make me a more affective member of the Kingdom of God as represented in my local church?

6) If this is true is there anything I could do about it?

7) Does knowing this make me more holy?

8) Is my pursing this particular knowledge hampering my witness or ability to maintain my God given priorities?

9) Given my unique position and responsibility as a Christian should I spend my time pursuing this knowledge?

10) Given my eternal perspective and true reward in eternity is this worthy of my time?

11) Does this demonstrate both intellectually, practically, and spiritually the supremacy of Christ in my life?

The Danger of Believing, Living, and Spreading Lies

Truth matters. We are called to know the truth of Scripture, but also to be able to apply those truths in discovering and living according to the truth in world around us. When Christians live according to lies or When Christians repeat or spread information that is false, they make it much more difficult for people to believe them when they tell the truth about Christ. Might we make it our commitment to know and live the truth that it might set us and others free.

Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, The Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Cabrillo Point, Great Sequoia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands – what do all these places have in common? Well, first, they are national parks or monuments, set aside by our nation’s leaders in a time when foresight and equality of opportunity were still qualities inherent in our governmental system. Second, and more importantly for this article, these are places our family visited in our recent, three week, Wild West Tour. Yes, we drove over 7,000 miles and splatted about 7 million bugs on the grill of our faithful Toyota minivan.

During our trip we had a truly epic opportunity to experience the three “truth’s” we discussed in part one of this series. The natural truth of breathtaking waterfalls, massive sand dunes, towering mountains, and steaming geysers “spoke” (See Psalm 19:1-6 and the similar witness of the heavens) of the glory of God, the principles of God’s Word guided our thoughts and actions to enjoy and encourage one another as a family, and the reality of gospel truth having transformed each of our hearts enlivened us to do all this for the glory of God in Christ.

The concept of truth is tightly woven throughout the fabric of God’s Word, and in this second article we will focus on what the Scriptures directly teach about the nature and importance of truth. It is essential that we as believers engage in the battle for truth with all our energy and skill.

God as the Source of Truth

The Scriptures, from beginning to end, proclaim that God alone is the source of truth. Jeremiah 10:10 states, “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.”

1 Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

The God of the Bible is the only true God. He is the only one who is “true” and therefore His character and nature form the basis for all reality. Because He is the true God, it necessarily follows that His words are true (Num. 23:19), He is the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The words of God perfectly communicate His attributes and unerringly represent the reality of every past, present, and future situation. God is also true in all His works (Dan. 4:37), for everything God does is in perfect correspondence with the who He is and what He says. God is true in His judgments (Ez. 18:8), always rendering a just and holy verdict, perfectly suited to the truth of every situation.

Christ as the Display of Truth

God the Father cannot be seen, but the Scriptures reveal that God the Son flawlessly manifests the truth.

Jn 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Christ immaculately displays the character and nature of God (John 1:14), He perfectly accomplishes all that God in His truth has decreed (John 1:17), He always speaks and performs the truth (Matt. 22:16), and He Himself is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

The Word as the Avenue of Truth

The Word of God claims to be the sole avenue of everlasting truth – through which the truth about God as embodied in Christ is fully proclaimed. His judgments, laws, and commandments are all infallibly true and righteous. The sum of His Word is everlasting truth.

Ps 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

The Spirit as the Illuminator of Truth

Although the Word of God is, in and of itself, true, its truth cannot be known unless it is illuminated to the inner man of the believer by the Spirit of God. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit is specifically called the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17).

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to testify of the truth and guide the disciples, and now all believers, into the truth.

Jn 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

The Importance of the Truth

The search for the truth is more than an intellectual pursuit or religious exercise. Without the truth there can be no hope of eternal life or deliverance from sin, and death and hell. The Scriptures say that we have been brought forth by the word of truth:

Jas 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

And literally set free though the knowledge of the truth:

Jn 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The gospel truth is the very power of God as described by Paul in Romans 1:15-16.

Ro 1:15–16 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Additionally, without truth there can be no righteousness. We do what is right when we operate according to the truth in any given situation. For human beings there is not a perfect correlation between what is true and what is right because, even though we may know the truth about a certain situation, and have true principles to guide us, we do not always make the right decisions due to sin, inattention, foolishness or any number of variables. Additionally, any application of truth to situations involving people is fraught with difficulty for we do not fully know them, ourselves, or the ways they might change in the next moments. For God, however, there is a perfect correlation between truth and righteousness. He knows the full truth in any situation and applies it perfectly in doing what is right.

In fact, every aspect of commanded Christian living including: love, justice, and peace (concepts that the world demands but has no understanding of) are founded upon the truth.

There can be no love without truth – for a person’s highest good (to be conformed to the image of Christ) is always based on saying and doing what is true.

Eph 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

There is no true justice or peace unless truth is known and can be expressed in a given situation. Apart from truth, only power rules – the one with the most power determines the reality to which all others must bend.

Ps 85:10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

The Support of the Truth

Only one institution can properly know and support the truth – the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church then, becomes the bastion of truth in a world that is hopelessly deceived. To the extent that the institutions of the world allow the church to inform their knowledge of truth, there will be some level of justice, peace, and goodness. To the extent that they do not, there will injustice, war, and evil.

1 Ti 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

The church is called to be this pillar and support by worshipping in truth (John 4:23-24), proclaiming the word of God in truth (Jer. 23:28), accurately handing the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15), speaking truth in every situation (Eph 4:25), and walking only in the truth (Prov. 86:11). The Apostle Paul sums up his behavior as a Gods representative of the truth in 2 Corinthians 4:2, “but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. “

The Crisis of the Truth

The importance of the truth is perhaps best highlighted by the strength and depth of the opposition raised up against it. Satan hates the truth. He is the Father of lies and everything he says is a lie. As God’s very nature is to speak and live truth, so Satan’s very nature is to speak and live lies.

Jn 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Those who are under the power of the evil one are captivated by lies and incapable of knowing or expressing the truth. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18), they exchange the truth of God for lie (Romans 1:25), they actively oppose the truth (2 Tim 3:8) and they turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (2 Tim 4:4).

If all this weren’t bad enough, the church is constantly being threatened by false teachers who are deprived of the truth (1 Tim 6:5), who have gone away from the truth (2 Tim 2:18), and who disguise lies as truth (2 Cor 11:13-15).

The church cannot be ultimately destroyed by the lying schemes of the devil, but at any point where the truth is compromised the church becomes weak and ineffective.

Eph 4:14–15 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

Conclusion

This review of the comprehensive importance of the truth is sobering in the extreme when viewed in light of the current state of the evangelical church. Everywhere truth is downplayed and compromise is tolerated. As though half-truths can somehow be anything less than whole lies – bringing destruction and devastation upon the body of Christ. We must reverse this slide down the slippery slope of cultural conformity, by a robust pursuit of and proclamation of the truth. And yet, with the abundance of lies being told all around us – even by those we once trusted, it can be easy to throw up our hands in despair at ever being able to access true truth. Our next article will address the matter of practical epistemology, knowing and clinging to the truth in an age of lies.

Charles Spurgeon famously said, “If you want the truth to go round the world, you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go round the world it will fly; it is as light as a feather, and a breath will carry it on. It is well said in the old proverb, ‘a lie will go round the world while truth is putting its boots on.’”

Perhaps we could update Spurgeon’s quote to say, “if you want a lie to go round the world it will fly; it is light as a feather; and a tweet will carry it on.” Regardless of the relative transportation methods of truth and falsehood, it is manifestly true that it is easier for lies to spread then for truth to take root.

In a far more sinister quote, Hitler’s chief propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is reputed to have said, “A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.”

We live in an age in which a thousand lies are being repeated a thousand times a thousand and becoming “truth” at an epidemic rate.

This is where the church comes in. 1 Timothy 3:15 states, “but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the loving God, the pillar and support of the truth.” The people of God are, and always have been the, people of truth. We must be increasingly active in upholding the truth even as the Father of Lies births children of falsehood at an alarming rate. We have become lackadaisical in our approach to truth, too often willing to compromise truthfulness for effectiveness – with disastrous results.

And so it seems good to start a series on the blog called “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” in which we will explore the nature of truth; delve into issues of social justice, and critical race theory; and flesh out a Biblical response to American government and culture.

We must begin with a biblical understanding of truth – the most valuable commodity in the universe. It is more precious than gold, more constant than light, more necessary than breath itself. Everything of value is grounded in the truth. Christians are birthed in, and sustained by, the truth as they enter into a right relationship with the only absolute source of truth, God Himself.

In these first two articles we will flesh out the following thesis:

All truth is grounded in the character, nature, word, and work of God and must be passionately pursued and properly displayed in every aspect of a believer’s life.

We must know the truth and the truth will set us free!

Basic Assumptions

Some basic assumptions or pre-suppositions must be in place before this article will be of much value. You must believe that the God of the Bible exists. You must believe in the inspiration, inerrancy, and sufficiency of the Word of God contained in the sixty-six books of the Protestant canon. You must believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in the person of Christ alone. There are good and profitable ways to demonstrate the validity (truth!) of these pre-suppositions, but that is for another series. Our discussion of truth will proceed upon this foundation.

Basic Definition

At the core, truth is simply that which has a 100% correlation with reality 100% of the time i.e. that which always corresponds exactly with what is real. Additionally, truth necessarily carries with it the idea of faithfulness and reliability. Truth is consistent, it can be trusted, it stays the same. This assumes, of course, that there are things that are real in an essential, unchangeable way. This also presumes that we have some way to verify what reality actually is. Our pre-suppositions kick in at this point. If the God of the Bible exists and has spoken to us in His Word, then reality is tangible and it can be known.

Theological Definitions

There are just over 200 references in the Old and New Testaments to the word truth and closely related concepts. These can be broken down into various senses, three of which are most important – truth as a quality or concept – that which is intrinsically or propositionally true; truth as a statement – something true that is written or spoken; and truth as the gospel – the revelation of the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Three definitions arise from these usages of truth.

Biblical Truth

First, there is truth in the Word of God. The Bible is inspired (the very Words of God) and inerrant (without error in regard to everything it reveals – history, principle, prophecy) thus everything in it is perfectly and unchangeably true. The corollary to this reality is that for anything to be true in the lives of people it must be evaluated in relationship to God’s character and principles as revealed in His Word. This kind of truth may be defined as: Any belief, motive, affection, attitude, thought, word, or deed which corresponds perfectly with the will, character, and nature of God as revealed in the Word of God.

This standard of truth cannot change, because the word, will, character and nature of God cannot change. It is reliable, faithful, perfectly consistent. The Bible speaks of this kind of truth in the Psalms:

Ps 119:160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

Jesus summarized this understanding of the truth in His prayer to the Father:

Jn 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

Natural truth

Next there is truth in relationship to nature. Although this truth is not found exclusively in the Word of God, it is still grounded completely in the work and character of God. This concept of truth can be defined as:  Anything in nature or information about the natural world which perfectly corresponds to the reality of what God has decreed.

That is, all nature exists and acts according to the decree of God, so, to the extent that our physical senses can determine this reality, we can discern truth in the natural world. The Bible speaks of this kind of truth in Romans:

Ro 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Again, this truth is not separate from God and it, also, reveals His character. For example, when we observe the sun rise in the sky, we are seeing something true about the world – something God is doing. Or, when we observe the law of gravity, and then discover how and why it operates, we have learned a truth about how God has designed the natural order.

So, natural things are true, but not in exactly the same way the Bible is true. Our sense perception can be flawed so that we do not see things comprehensively. Our information is limited so we do not fully understand why things take place. Finally, unlike Biblical truth (which we will call big “T” truth) natural truth can change, because the physical realities of the world change. God changes natural “reality” when He enacts miracles or perhaps brings about a change in dispensation such as the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Thankfully, physical truth does not change rapidly or regularly because God is a God of order and stability. He oversees his creation in such a way that its operation can be referred to as “laws of nature” – because they function so consistently.

Gospel truth

There is third use of the word “truth” in Scripture which dominates the New Testament discussion. This is the specific truth which relates to the person and work of Jesus Christ in salvation. The summation of gospel truth is as follows:

The perfect, holy, loving Creator God sent His Son, Jesus – fully God and fully man – to live a perfect life and die on a cross as a substitute for men who were born tainted with sin and under the wrath of God, yet who may be saved from eternal hell if they repent of sin and trust in the person and work of Christ alone.

Colossians 1:5-6 describes this aspect of Biblical truth

Col 1:5–6 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

Conclusion

So, there is truth inside and outside the Bible. Truth inside the Bible is completely reliable as it corresponds exactly and unfailingly to the will and character of God. Truth outside the Bible is directly connected to the person and work of God, and is important and necessary, but can never be known as reliably as the truth contained in the Word of God. Christians must uphold and promote all forms of truth, with Biblical and natural truth being used to give testimony to, priority for, and explanation of, gospel truth.

With our pre-suppositions and definitions stated, we are now ready to dig deeply into Scripture to mine out the rich nuggets of the truth that must be vigorously supported for our gospel work to be effective. We will do this in the coming articles, but for now the question we need to ask is, “how committed are we to the truth?” What safeguards to we have in place to so that evil one will not subtly twist our thinking and thus render our witness ineffective? We must purpose with all our heart and effort to know and guard the truth so that we will remain truly free.

People have a lot of fears.  Here’s the top ten list of our favorite phobias from polls taken over the years:

1. Arachnophobia: The fear of spiders.

2. Ophidiophobia: The fear of snakes.

3. Acrophobia: The fear of heights.

4. Agoraphobia: The fear of situations in which escape is difficult (ya think?).

5. Cynophobia: The fear of dogs.

6. Astraphobia: The fear of thunder and lightning.

7. Trypanophobia: The fear of injections (so much for getting a vaccination to cure this phobia . . .)

8. Social Phobias: The fear of social situations. In many cases, these phobias can become so severe that people avoid events, places, and people that are likely to trigger an anxiety attack.

9. Pteromerhanophobia: The fear of flying. (or perhaps the fear of unpronounceable words?)

10. Mysophobia: The fear of germs or dirt (not a good phobia to have in 2021).

That’s not even to mention things like:

Drillophobia – fear of going to the dentist

Twitophobia – the fear of having your life destroyed by one stupid twitter post (selfie from the Capitol anyone?)

Textophobia – the fear that you might miss a really important text in the 1.37 nano seconds since the last time you checked you phone

There is, however, one phobia that did not break the top ten, but should stand at #1 – Theophobia!  The Fear of God.

In my last post I provided a theological definition of the Fear of the Lord, but spent the bulk of the time priming the pump for an appreciation of biblical fear by describing five essential Christian qualities that are produced by fearing God. I drew on a number of Biblical texts to demonstrate that the fear of the Lord is: the beginning of wisdom, the foundation of holiness, the origin of love, the essence of worship and the basis for security. More broadly, I am convinced that the fear of the Lord is the proper motivation for all other responses to God and His Word. Perhaps we could say that the fear of the Lord is a little like oil in your car.  Its presence is essential for the components of the engine to function together smoothly and efficiently. Remove the oil and everything starts to break down very quickly. 

With that in mind, lets dive into the definition of the fear of the Lord so that we might know how to cultivate this essential character quality. Remember, The Fear of the Lord is:

The delightful, dreadful, consuming, reverential awe of God which flows from an understanding of His majestic character and results in increasing submission and obedience for the purpose of bringing glory to His name.

Fear is an attitude of the heart that is produced by the Holy Spirit and cultivated by faith as we read the Word of God

Delight

To delight in the fear of the Lord is to derive utmost pleasure and joy in thinking about, and responding to the greatness, power, majesty, love, grace, and compassion of God.  This delight is not a visceral emotional response to God like the delight of consuming a triple chocolate fudge brownie Blizzard on a sweltering summer evening, but more like the settled, joyful, confident delight that comes from basking in the love of your spouse as you celebrate your 75 wedding anniversary. The delight of holy fear is an affection of the heart not a fluctuating emotion.

Lest delight seem like an inappropriate affection to combine with fear, the book of Isaiah tells us that the coming Messiah would Himself “delight in the fear of the Lord, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear” (Isaiah 11:2-3).

We delight in that which we value. The fear of the Lord is of greatest value to one who has partaken of His unsurpassed blessings. Like a piece of fine jewelry, or a vase inlaid with gold causes us pleasure and joy to look upon – so does the character and nature of God as He exerts his goodness on our behalf.

A true fear of the Lord causes us to delight in obeying His commands as well, Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments (Ps 112:1). Consider, if you were an engineer, how delighted you would be to have Elon Musk personally call you up and ask you to be part of his design team for the Mars spaceship. What if he then provided you an office next to his and daily called you in for a personal briefing on how the project was doing?  Every time he ordered you to do something, you would pinch yourself to make sure you were really getting the opportunity to participate in his work.

The fear of the Lord is the Christian’s highest delight.

Holy dread

Holy Dread combines an understanding of God’s great power, might, holiness and steadfast love, with a cognizance of His hatred of sin and willingness and power to judge it.  This leads to the fear of displeasing, failing to bring glory to, or incurring the discipline of one we love deeply. C.S. Lewis describes this kind of relationship with God in his allegorical presentation of Aslan the Lion in the Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan is strong, good, awesome, and powerful, yet also intimately relational. At one point in the book, Susan, when learning from Mr. Beaver that Aslan is a lion says, “Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” To which Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

This Holy dread does not cause us to recoil from the Lord in craven fear, but enables us to have absolute confidence and security in the power and presence of God – removing all fear of worldly powers or circumstances. This healthy, fear-reducing dread of God is described by Isaiah:

“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. “It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. “Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Is 8:12-14).

Although the world mocks this concept of God, we would be fools not to have a sense of overwhelming smallness as we enter into the presence of the greatest power in the universe – even if we know that power is well disposed toward us. A pounding waterfall is overwhelmingly beautiful at a distance, but as you draw closer, its power carries a sense of uneasiness, as though you could be instantly caught up and swept away in its deluge. Christians are fond of the image of believers as tiny infants being held in the strong arms of a loving father. However, the little baby knows nothing of the power, wisdom, or motivations of the father. We do, and this brings both delight and dread.

‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people, Who have eyes but do not see; Who have ears but do not hear. ‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it. ‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed. Je 5:21-23

Our God remains a consuming fire, even though we are protected from being consumed by the inferno. A volcano is still an awesome thing even when viewed from relative safety! Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:28-20).

Holy dread comes from an understanding of God’s hatred of sin and His love for His Son. Jerry Bridges states, “God has no favorite children whom He will allow to get away with disobedience. God is no indulgent grandfather who overlooks our sin. Some people . . . seem to think that suffering God’s fatherly displeasure and dishonoring His holy name is somehow viewed by God as less sinful or heinous because of Christ. In reality, it is the other way around.  How dare those who have partaken of Christ’s holy sacrifice choose to dishonor that sacrifice by indulging in wanton sin” (Bridges, The Joy of Fearing God). The apostle Peter puts this succinctly:

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.( 1 Pe 1:17-19).

The fear of the Lord produces a Holy dread that deepens and strengths our love for God and His character.

Consuming Passion

Fear is not an attitude we turn on or off depending on the situation.  It is an all-consuming passion.  Every aspect of our lives is to be lived out in the fear of the Lord.  This fear nullifies every other fear.  When we are consumed with the fear of the Lord, there is no time to be distracted by petty concerns, Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always” ( Pr 23:17).  King Solomon, at the end of a survey of every pleasure and vice that life had to offer states, The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil (Ec 12:13-14).

Being consumed with the fear of the Lord means living with the understanding that everything we do is scrutinized by our loving, gracious, Holy Lord and so we desire to bring greatest pleasure and honor to Him.

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences (2 Co 5:9-11)

What consumes you?  Is it politics, sports, conspiracies, exercise, morality, making money, finding popularity, having a boyfriend or girlfriend, gaining a spouse?  Each of those things can be a good pursuit (except, perhaps, conspiracies), but only as coming underneath a fear of the Lord, not in place of it.

Reverence

This fear-driven reverence entails deepest respect, admiration and devotion to God in response to His greatness and majesty. To revere someone is to give them the value they deserve. Thus,  reverent fear is not a favor we give to God, it is His due:

There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You (Je 10:6-7).

All men – believers and unbelievers alike will bow the knee before Jesus!  We reflect our true understanding of His worthiness through our attitude and actions of reverent fear.

Awe

True fear is “awe-ful”. It involves being completely overwhelmed and continually amazed at the infinite worth, dignity, power, glory, love and grace of God. This awe will never fade, for it is enhanced the closer we draw to God (we will have holy fear even in heaven!). One look at God’s creation should stir in us a fearful awe:

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast (Ps 33:6-9)

Fearful awe is also produced as we contemplate the work of God in redemption. We see, in the Word of God, the great power of God displayed in Christ who has conquered sin, death, hell, and Satan. Surely this is a greater deliverance than the escape of the Israelites from the finite powers of the Egyptian army:

When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.Ex 14:31

We stand in ever increasing awe of God as we take hold of the forgiveness He provides and begin to recognize the depth of the sacrifice made, the value of the price paid, and the lavishness of the love displayed to make our forgiveness possible. “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared (Ps 130:3-4).

Every time we seek forgiveness we should fear the Lord more, have a greater reverence and respect for Him, a greater delight in his provision for us, and greater dread of his holy, righteous character.

Conclusion

As we finish this discussion of the fear of the Lord, take some time to consider the following questions:

1.     In what kinds of things do you take greatest delight? Are you seeking, by faith, to be delighted in the Trinity?

2.     Is God increasingly weighty to you? Do you regularly bring before you mind His might, power, lavish love, hatred of sin, fatherly discipline, absolute holiness? 3. Do these character qualities produce a dread at displeasing him of falling under his fatherly hand of discipline?

4.     What things consume you? What pursuits characterize your life? What things do you pursue when you have free time? Do you dabble in the fear of the Lord or are you consumed with it?

5.     Who do you respect more than anyone else? Whose name and character would you never even think of impugning? Who do you hold in the highest esteem?  To whom do you bend the knee in respectful worship?

6.     For whom would you drop everything just for the chance to be in their presence?  Who takes your breath away at the thought of their wondrous works?

 There are a great many things to fear in this world, but only fear we are to cultivate – the fear of the Lord.  May you know fear, and know, no fear!