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Review: ►People seem to have (3) fundamental needs, all of which Jesus addresses in this very brief, yet profound and controversial statement in John 14:6… “I am the way, the truth and the life”. People are desperate for… WAY (journey; course) - we are confronted with this sense of inner-turmoil that is the result of disillusionment; it says, “Something’s missing.” A MEANS TO RECONCILE THE INNER-TURMOIL FROM DISILLUSIONMENT. TRUTH (meaning; significance) - Only something greater than pleasure could possibly offer our lives the purpose we seek and motivate us to abandon ourselves in order to find it. A VIABLE REPRESENTATION OF THE WAY THINGS REALLY ARE. LIFE- The need to possess a system of beliefs/values which gives us a proper perspective on life. AN APPROACH TO LIFE THAT ALLOWS ME TO CONNECT WITH GOD AND OTHERS IN SUCH A WAY THAT I BECOME MORE FULLY HUMAN (more fully the person that I was created to be). If there is no… WAY- life is confusing. Where do I go for answers when I can’t find them within myself? TRUTH- life is pointless; uncertainty leads to chaos. There’s no “story”; no “conclusion”. All that’s left is contradiction (there’s especially no explanation for evil). LIFE- life has no intrinsic value; there’s only existence (If this is all there is, what’s the point?) ►It seems to me that if there was a God who wanted to engage us, he would do so in a manner that was unique (since he’s God!), identifiable and accessible (open to all). It’s absurd to think that God would allow for such ambiguity; to leave such a pursuit to our own discretion. ►When I say that I am not willing to sacrifice truth for unity, I am also saying that I am not willing to allow such a position to foster an attitude of arrogance and divisiveness. In our “battle for truth”, I’ve discovered that truth is not to be used as a weapon to fight against people, but to fight for them. What is truth? It’s reality; the way things really are. * So, in seeking to discover the “truth”, we are merely attempting to get as close to the way things really are as possible. * But, admittedly, in life, we deal with “interpreted facts” (someone’s interpretation of life- your own or others)… BELIEVER- looks at creation and concludes that God is a Creator (“revelation”- God revealing truth). NON-BELIEVER- looks at creation and assumes that the world is derived from chance (reason- figuring it out for ourselves). * What I am suggesting is that both believers and non-believers are people of faith (i.e. Faith allows some to look to God for healing, or supernatural intervention; while faith allows others to pursue healing energy from a crystal). * I think we want there to be “absolutes”; something that is identifiable and available which can offer our lives direction, meaning and beauty. Some way of life which offers the best possible outcome in the midst of some pretty unsettling life-circumstances. But, it’s how we arrive at it that proves problematic. We want to decide; we want to be God, but that position has already been filled! (God has created us in such a way that truth is to be discovered outside of ourselves… specifically, in him). * Relativism has left us directionless and passionless. It’s so self-contradictory. Nobody who says that they think everything is relative wants to be treated that way! It offers vague responses and passionless opinions to issues which are far too serious and demand authentic, informed answers. It also stands as a great opponent to community. Contrary to what we assume, what I believe and how I live will have a direct impact on you! * Essentially, Christianity holds that the story is God’s, told by God and for his glory (not because God has an underdeveloped sense of self-worth, but because it’s what best for us!) It BEGINS with God. * The Bible comes to us as story, poetry, metaphor, personal letters all involving relationships and all in the context of the human dilemma in its most “raw” form (not sanitized, not scrutinized to take out all the controversial which might discourage belief). Reflections… ►Faith is about stepping into the story and learning to view life from ‘within’. * We don’t understand story by standing outside of it and analyzing it; we understand story by becoming part of it (one the characters). It’s the story that shapes our view. ►Our presentation of truth must always reflect the humility which it demands (John 1:14-17; 1 Cor.8:1). Jesus did not cling to his rights as God because something bigger was at stake (Phil.2:1-11) Romans 1:19-20 The “unknown” takes precedence over the “known” (what cannot be known is greater than what can be known). UNKNOWN>KNOWN * Humility doesn’t require that we present the truth “apologetically” (with hesitation), but it does require that we admit that we are “handicapped” when it comes to truth. That because we are ‘finite’, we don’t have the capacity to declare that we know ‘truth’. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 “The Spirit understands all things. He understands even the deep things of God. Who can know the thoughts of another person? Only a person’s own spirit can know them. In the same way, only the Spirit of God knows God’s thoughts. We have received the Spirit who is from God. The Spirit helps us understand what God has freely given us”. * If there’s no “story” (we’re left to our own conclusions as fallible humanity), then truth is merely my opinion versus yours. But, if God, who alone understands all things, has revealed truth to humanity (and there’s good reason to believe), then although we cannot know everything, we can know some things! Our desire to share the truth (Jesus) with others is to be motivated by our commitment to love, not our dedication to being right! ►Truth must be embodied to be understood. * In most of our conversations with others, people are not focused on asking, “What is true?” (assumption is that everyone’s version of truth is equally valid), but, “Do I want to be like you” (what kind of life has this ‘truth’ produced in you?) * So, instead of formulating a list of irrefutable facts and evidences, we offer a story that cannot be objectively proven, but is validated by the very lives of those who adhere to “truth” as embodied in Jesus. * Ironically, when I was attempting to develop my faith as a “system of beliefs” which offered proof, it failed to be compelling enough to secure devotion. Truth was about objective facts, not a personal God; truth was cold, not dynamic; truth was defensive, not humble. ►Maybe what our hearts have longed for is not proof, but love! I’m convinced that those who initially encountered Jesus could not clearly delineate every proposition about truth, but when they encountered it in Jesus… they followed! There is something about embodied truth that overcomes skepticism and appeals deeply to the human heart. Question: “Did Jesus anticipate that the world’s response to his followers would be… ‘Wow, what a convincing argument’, or ‘Wow, look how they love each other’?” * Our culture’s passion for experience is completely consistent with Jesus’ declaration of reality. That’s why truth is a person, and to know truth is to experience it for yourself, not to memorize it or observe it. Truth (Jesus) captures our heart in a way that cold, hard facts cannot. ►Life according to God actually works! * Although our approach to truth is not primarily “pragmatic” (will it work for me), we cannot deny that life according to God offers us the best life possible! (John 10:10 “full life”… the best life available!) * So, believing things that are true will result in the best possible life; conversely, believing things that are untrue will have its own certain consequences.
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