All Truth is God's Truth 5.2.2024

    We are midway through the year's second quarter as we consider broadly what it means for a disciple of Jesus to think critically. At the heart of critical thinking about the Bible, History, and Theology is a personal and communal quest for truth. We want to know what the Bible “truly says”. This implies a concern for what is accurate. We want to understand the truth of “history”. This implies a desire to know what really happened in the past and the ability to sort out whose story about that past is most accurate. We want to understand and articulate a “true” theology. This implies a desire to connect what the Bible says, and what History discloses with the beliefs and teachings of the Church. 

    If the Church is to be well served by such critical thinking, we need to begin with a broad appreciation for truth. For the sake of discussion, we need to assume what some would prefer that we prove. Specifically, if the God we worship is accurately disclosed in scripture and understood through both Theology and History, then all truth(s) even those which we don’t like, or which are not explicitly or implicitly taught in scripture is/are His truth(s). That is a very complex sentence and dissecting it will be the first test of how committed we are to discerning the truth. 

    The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, and His will for us. He tells us that He is responsible for creation and consummation. He has worked in our history in a preliminary, preparatory fashion through the story of Israel, and finally and fully in the incarnation of Jesus. In the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Bible teaches that God extends His salvation to those who will have it. That is a quick summary, but it pretty much covers everything. This is where Christians sometimes lose focus. The Bible does not address everything that we might find interesting. It is not predicated on our curiosity. It is blissfully unaware of human developments in the arts, sciences, philosophy, technology, or even aesthetics. Not that God does not care—far from it! Rather, He has determined that His revelation of Himself and His will for us is enough for faithful people of goodwill and faithful intent to work the rest out on our own. For far too many Christians this is like performing without a net. It is nerve-wracking, exhausting, and terrifying. 

    Even those with no deep interest or investment in the content of Scripture assume (wish really) that it contained no gaps, that there was nothing left unsaid, and that it fully addressed every conceivable circumstance throughout the entire unfolding of the human drama. Sorry. This is not the case. Again, it is our job to connect the revealed truth of scripture to what is unfolding around us. This is not merely an intellectual commitment; it is a moral obligation. God communicated to Abraham. Abraham obeyed. God appeared to Moses. Moses obeyed. Jesus said, “Follow me”. The disciples followed. Jesus said to the Apostles “Go” and they went. Now, the way that we tell these stories, particularly in preaching, fills in many of the gaps that are there. We make connections and draw appropriate conclusions from what Scripture teaches. And by analogy, we contextualize and apply Scripture—extend its reach as it were, to those areas of human interest and inquiry where there is no “Word from the Lord.” In the absence of that He provided…us. Welcome to the work of being an image-bearer.