the real jesus (vi) jesus: man of truth the real jesus (vi) jesus: man of truth theme of john’s...

The Real Jesus (VI)

Jesus: Man of Truth

The Real Jesus (VI)

Jesus: Man of Truth• Theme of John’s Gospel: Truth– “Truth”/“true”/“truly”:• In the three Synoptics (Mt, Mk, Lk) combined: 10x• In John’s Gospel: 48x

Jesus’ Nature:Embodiment of Truth

• The Word Became Flesh:

John 1:1-3“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”


• The Word Became Flesh:

John 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…17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”


• Truth is an essential part of God’s nature: – “God is true”:

John 3:33“He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.”


• Truth is an essential part of God’s nature: – “God is true”• The Father is true:

John 17:3“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”


• Truth is an essential part of God’s nature: – “God is true”• The Son is the Truth:

John 14:6“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”


• Truth is an essential part of God’s nature: – “God is true”• The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth”:

John 14:16-17“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”


• Truth is an essential part of God’s nature: – “God is true”• The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth”:

John 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.”


• Truth is an essential part of God’s nature: – “God is true”• God’s word is truth:

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


• This is why Jesus is rejectedJohn 8:39-47

“They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father.’ They said to Him, ‘We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.’ Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 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. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”


• This is why Jesus is rejected– Because they recognized the truth, but

preferred a lie• Truth is hard• Truth exposes our sinful condition• Truth brings obligations and demands

Jesus’ Mission: To Testify to the Truth

• Jesus believed in discernable truth

John 3:31-33“He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.


• Jesus believed in discernable truth

John 8:12-18“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’ So the Pharisees said to Him, ‘You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me."


• Jesus believed in discernable truthJohn 18:33-37

“Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’”


• Jesus believed in discernable truth– Percentage of Americans who do not

believe in absolute truth:• 66% of all ages• 72% of people age 18-25• 53% of evangelicals


• Rejection of Propositional Truth:– “Emerging Church”• 21st century movement to reach out to post-

moderns by translating the gospel into postmodern language


• Rejection of Propositional Truth:– “Emerging Church”• Emergent Village leader Tony Jones:“We must

stop looking for some objective Truth that is available when we delve into the text of the Bible.”


• Rejection of Propositional Truth:– “Emerging Church”• Bible is only “true” insofar that the stories

(narratives) are true for you, as determined by your personal experience.


• Rejection of Propositional Truth:– “Emerging Church”• “Prop. truth” = a statement that can be affirmed

or denied:– For example:

» All snow is white» God is spirit» God consists of three persons, the Father, the Son, the

Holy Spirit» Jesus is God incarnate» Baptism is necessary for salvation


• Rejection of Propositional Truth:– “Emerging Church”• “There is no propositional truth”• Instead, “truth is relational”

– “I follow a person, not a system of bullet points (doctrinal propositions)”


• Rejection of truth is illogical– “There is no truth” is a self-contradictory

statement:• If it is true, then there is truth, therefore it is

false


• Rejection of truth is illogical– To deny the existence of truth is to deny

the existence of God


• Jesus believed in absolute, propositional truth– Corrected those in error, while teaching

absolute moral and spiritual truths:

Mt 5:21-22“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”


• Jesus believed in absolute, propositional truth– Corrected those in error, while teaching

absolute moral and spiritual truthsJohn 4:20-24

“‘Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’”


• Jesus believed in absolute, propositional truth–Made propositional arguments:

Mt 22:29-33“But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.’ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.”


• Jesus believed in absolute, propositional truth–Made propositional arguments:

Mt 22:41-46“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: ‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘Then how does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying, 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET"'? If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his son?’ No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.”


• Jesus believed in absolute, propositional truth– Sent the Spirit of Truth to guide the

apostles into all the truth:

John 16:12-13“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 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.”


• Jesus believed in absolute, propositional truth– Sent the Spirit of Truth to guide the

apostles into all the truth• If anyone ever appealed to propositional truth,

it was the apostles (cf. Romans, Galatians, Hebrews)

Jesus’ Demand: Decide to Be of the Truth

• Climax of John’s truth theme:

John 18:36-38“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’”


• Climax of John’s truth theme – Everyone who is of the truth hears his

voice (listens and makes a decision to obey it):• You cannot be neutral• The Truth stood before Pilate, and he had to

make a choice:– And so the “Truth” was crucified


• What is truth?– The question all must answer– It is the only way to be free:

John 8:31-32“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

the real jesus (vi) jesus: man of truth the real jesus (vi) jesus: man of truth theme of john’s...

Documents