May 15, 2006 – TRUTH VS. ERROR

TRUTH VS. ERROR AND INTELLECTUALISM;
REALITY OF CHRIST VS. ANY OTHER “SO CALLED GODS”

The world is full of false doctrines and false Gods and there are many “so called” disclaimers about the word of God and Christ’s deity. God foretold that in the last days people would: 2Timothy 4:3  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. It is no wonder that many are twisting the word as the scripture says:  2Peter 3:16   …..His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.  17  Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.

Those who are not born of the Spirit of God do not understand the word of God; it is understood only by the spirit-filled believers. Mark 4:11  He (JESUS)  told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables    Mark 4:34  He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.  The word of God is called “the spirit of truth” and all truth is spiritually discerned. 1Corinthians 2:13  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  14  The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  ROM 8:6  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;  7  the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Christ is the living word and He indwells every true believer. ~The Deity of Jesus Christ  John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2  He was with God in the beginning.  John 1:4  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  5  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  All “born again” (born of the spirit of God) believers are children of the light.  All unbelievers are children of darkness. ~Jesus Is the Light of the World  John 8:12  When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  You can see from these scriptures there is a vast difference in the understanding of a Spirit-filled child of God and a person who is not born of God’s spirit.  The word of God is the children’s bread.  The world cannot understand the Word because it is foolishness to him.  1Corinthians 2:15  The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:  16  “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

God is a Spirit and you cannot know Him, much less understand His word, unless you are born of His Spirit. John 3:3  In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  John 3:6   Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  7   You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  John 4:23   Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24   God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”  Those who do not believe in Christ dwell in the darkness of their minds.  How can they judge the reality of Christ and His teachings when all that pertains to God is spiritually discerned?  John 14:16   And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever –  17   the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

1. God gives us proof of the inerrancy of his word: Mark 13:31   Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (WITHOUT BEING FULFILLED IN OUR LIFE.)
2. When we appropriate God’s word in our life it never fails to produce exactly what it promises. Isaiah 55:11  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
3. Jesus himself confirmed the word: Mark 16:20  Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. The lord is still confirming the word through miracles, signs, and wonders today.
4. Jesus said:  John 7:17   If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.  God will verify His word to us through faith, personal revelation, or tangible works that the Spirit produces in our lives.

The following scriptures may help you to discern truth from error:

1. To know and understand God, you must first become as a little child who knows little and is willing to learn and everything is a mystery to him. Basically a child must seek the source of all wisdom ( generally he goes to his father). Matthew 18:3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. The only source of “absolute truth” (the destiny of man, God’s plan for each life and what is ‘good and evil’ in God’s sight) is God and His wisdom is hidden from the wise of this world and given unto babes. Matthew 11: 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ~Parable of the Good Shepherd  John 10:1   “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. John 10:7  Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. John 10:9   I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

Again I say unto you: John 7:17   If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.  The only way you will know the truth is to give your life to Christ and he will give himself to you.  Walk in his word and the promises of God will be verified as he has promised. You will know Christ because he will reveal himself to you.  His spirit will bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God…..then you will positively know his word is truth and that Christ is a reality in your life. An experience with the reality of God will trump any argument to the contrary.

I would like to leave you with the following scriptures:

1Corinthians 2:5  so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.  6  We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  7  No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  8  None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  9  However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” –  10  but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

Isaiah 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  8  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.