Living in Absolutes

 

According to Martin Luther, leader of the Reformation, "I shall never be a heretic; I may err in dispute, but I do not wish to decide anything finally; on the other hand, I am not bound by the opinions of men." This means that if the truth is not absolute, it is not the truth at all. Aristotle states, “The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think.” According to him, if we consider ourselves to be wise individuals, our concern should be to find the truth, not to submit to opinions. Truth is objective, originating outside of oneself, and provides certainty since it can be applied to all people at all times. 

There are absolute realities and standards that define what is true and what is not. Actions can be determined to be either right or wrong by how they measure up to those absolute standards. If there are no absolutes, no reality, chaos ensues. If the law of gravity were not absolute, no one would have clarity about any dynamics of life. Laws of science and physics would be irrelevant, and commerce would be impossible. What a chaotic world it would be. Thankfully, two plus two does equal four. There is absolute truth, and it can be found and understood. 

In the Truth 

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word [logos – word as the expression of intelligent discourse] is truth [aletheia – reality clearly lying before our eyes as opposed to a mere appearance, without reality].            John 17:17 

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father for His disciples. He knew He would be leaving them behind after His ascension. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world but to keep them from the evil one (John 17:14-15). Truth would set them apart for their divine purpose: to populate the world with the truth of the Gospel. Truth is reality from God’s perspective without distortions or falsehoods. It is a concept beyond the Word of God since it includes the personification of the person of Christ (John 1:14, John 14:6). This means it goes beyond what became canon of Scripture but includes those things revealed by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who guides [hodegeo – leads the way] the believer 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 (John 16:13). 

The Mind of God

For the word [logos – divine revelation or declaration, revealed truth] of God is living and active [operative] and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.               Hebrews 4:12-13

Since the church had grown its roots in the Gentile world, the Jewish concepts and mindset that were a central theme of the New Testament writers did not deal with Hellenistic concepts of the Apostle John’s day, including the principle of Logos. It means word or reason in Greek, and the mind of the typical Greek saw life through the lens of the world as a place of order and reason. Logos created and managed this order, which was understood to be the mind of God. This same mind of God dwelling inside man allows him to think rationally. John addressed this mindset by defining that mind as Jesus Christ and that this mind has become a man. Also, the Greek mind (as defined by Plato) conceived of two worlds: the material world in which we live and the immaterial and unseen world. It was the unseen world, the real world, while the material realm was made up of shadows and copies, not real. Jesus is the incarnation of not only the mind of God but also reality! The life of Jesus is a window into the mind of God and His priorities and realities.

According to Hebrews 4:12, the logos, the revealed mind of God to man through what God says and who Jesus is, is living and operative and assists the believer in distinguishing that which is of the Spirit or spiritual from that which is of the soul and natural. It can even discern or judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No one is excluded from its reach. 

On the Last Day 

He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings [rhema – the doctrines and promises of God as revealed and taught in the Bible] has one who judges him; the word [logos – declaration] I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.                      John 12:48  

Jesus addressed both the rhema and the logos, saying they would be the judge on the last day, the great white throne judgment. What Jesus said and declared as truth would judge everyone. Deuteronomy 17:12 says, “The man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the Lord your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die; thus, you shall purge the evil from Israel. Man is fully accountable to what God says (logos) and what the Holy Spirit utters to the heart (rhema).

The rhema of God is also referred to as the sword of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17: And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. A Roman soldier would take his sword in hand, his only offensive weapon, hence it is "the sword given by the Spirit." Rhema refers to the preached Word or an utterance of God occasioned by the Holy Spirit in the heart. Vines Dictionary defines logos as reasoned speech and rhema as an utterance.

The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Eph 6:17; here, the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual Scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite.

Enoch and the Scriptures

Written more than 1,000 years before Abraham, the book of Enoch teaches that the righteous are to live their lives according to a series of books (the Scriptures) that will be given to them. Further, these books will judge them, the Book of Enoch not included. In Enoch 104:11-13:

But when they write down truthfully all my words in their languages and do not change or abridge anything from my words, but write them down truthfully, all that I first testified concerning them, then, I know another mystery, that books will be given to the righteous and the wise to become a cause of joy and uprightness and much wisdom. These books will be given to them, and they will believe and rejoice in them, and then all the righteous who have learned the paths of uprightness from them will be rewarded.

All Scripture is given to man through men moved by the Holy Spirit for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Paul understood that the church would be set apart by the washing of water with the word [rhema] (Ephesians 5:26). As the Holy Spirit reveals the deeper truths and meaning of God’s doctrines and promises, the church experiences spiritual cleansing. He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).

Treasure His Words 

My son, if you will receive my words [emer – what God says] and treasure [sapan – conceal something of great value] my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom [chokmah – wisdom, skill, shrewdness]; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [tom – integrity, completeness], Guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way [derek – the path traveled] of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course [every course of action of which goodness is the characteristic].

             Proverbs 2:1-9 

Solomon was given a clear insight into the role and purpose of what God says and how each should receive them as something to be treasured and, therefore, concealed and hidden. When the believer comes to appreciate the fear (reverence) of the Lord, he is given wisdom that God has stored up for the upright. Wisdom keeps company with all the other virtues: prudence, knowledge, and discretion (Proverbs 8:12). It is expressed as a technical capability (Exodus 28:3; 31:3,6; 1 Kings 7:14). It becomes evident in a wise woman (2 Samuel 20:22) who fears the Lord or in a wise king (1 Kings 2:6). Wisdom is also personified as a woman who seeks whoever will come and listen to her, thus receiving a blessing (Proverbs 1:20; 2:2; 3:13,19). The Holy Spirit gives men of good reputation His wisdom (Acts 6:3). 

Handling Change

Learning to handle change and diversity are key ingredients in living a godly life. I was a teenager during the 1960s, a decade of major social change in America. The traditional approach to most aspects of society, including religion and government, was being questioned. It appears we are in a similar place today. The rate of change is increasing significantly as well. For the believer, God ordains change in his life as a means of being conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed [metamorphoo – transfigured, change one’s form] into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). In this context, welcoming change is a good thing. The believer is being transfigured, made into a different form. It is the evidence that God is at work.

"The Times They Are a-Changin'" is a song written by Bob Dylan and released as the title track of his 1964 album of the same name. Dylan wrote the song as a deliberate attempt to create an anthem of change for the time; it was influenced by the Irish and Scottish ballads: ' Come All Ye Bold Highway Men' and 'Come All Ye Tender Hearted Maidens.' He once said, "This was definitely a song with a purpose. I wanted to write a big song with short, concise verses that piled up on each other in a hypnotic way.

For the Times, they are a-Changin

Come gather 'round, people, wherever you roam

And admit that the waters around you have grown

And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you is worth saving

And you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone

For the times, they are a-changin'

 

Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon, for the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'

For the loser now will be later to win

For the times, they are a-changin'

 

Come, senators, congressmen, please heed the call

Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall

For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled

The battle outside ragin'

Will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls

For the times, they are a-changin'

 

Come mothers and fathers throughout the land

And don't criticize what you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command

Your old road is rapidly agin'

Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand

For the times, they are a-changin'

 

The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast

The slow one now will later be fast

As the present now will later be past

The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now will later be last

For the times, they are a-changin'

God warned the Northern and Southern Kingdoms that the words of My mouth would judge them: "O Ephraim [Northern Kingdom], what shall I do to you? O Judah [Southern Kingdom], what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew, it goes away. Therefore, I have hewn [hasab - cut down by blows] them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge [data – learning, insight] of God more than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:4-6). He was teaching them that their religious activities did not accomplish God’s work in their lives, but His words spoken through the prophets were His agents of change in their lives. Change can be a scary thing, but when it is the byproduct of one's pursuit of God, it is a great thing.

Luther’s Psalm

God is our refuge [mahseh – shelter from danger] and strength [oz – power], a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar; the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold [misgab – a naturally fortified place]. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth? He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.                    Psalm 46:1-11 

This psalm has been called Luther's Psalm. He was accustomed to singing it in times of trouble. When the times were dark, when the enemies of truth appeared to triumph, when disaster seemed to come over the cause in which he was engaged. The friends of the Reformation were dispirited, disheartened, and sad; he was accustomed to saying to his fellow laborers, "Come, let us sing the 46th Psalm." The essence of the psalm's message: no matter what happens, the believer is safe. The God who brings peace to His people while destroying the enemy's weapons is in total charge. That is the absolute truth.

Steve Green wrote a wonderful song entitled “The Mission.” The chorus of that song is profound:

To love the Lord thy God is the heartbeat of our mission

The spring from which our service overflows

Across the street or around the world, the mission’s still the same

Proclaim and live the truth in Jesus's name