Knowing from whom you learned
“Where’d you hear that,” my wife asks whenever I retell some suspicious sounding bit of data. Generally not one for keeping an ongoing subconscious bibliography of all I’ve learned in my near 70 years I usually can’t recall. But knowing where or from whom you learned the facts you have come to believe is important – especially so when it involves matters of eternity… matters of one’s eternal soul.
Much if what is believed about spiritual things these days has to do with what is socially popular… what is “the latest thing.” The Greeks of Paul’s day were like that. Luke records of the people of Athens, “All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” (Acts 17:21).
I’ve always thought it odd that truth should be found in “the latest thing.” To believe that would mean truth had gone undiscovered from all previous generations. But truth has never been something hidden. Truth is shouting all around us in God’s creation and loving care of it. “The heavens declare the glory of God…” shouted the psalmist (Ps. 19:1). So clear was this revelation that Paul writes,
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:18-20).
You see, God desires that we know truth… that we know Him… that He is welcomed by us to be know by Him, deeply, intimately. He sent us His Son, Christ, to further demonstrate this truth to us, but we turned our backs on the revelations of nature and made every effort to destroy His gift of Son and Saviour!
Moreover He has now left us His Word, not only in Creation, not only in Son, but also in paper and ink. The Word of God, also called the Word of Truth, profitable to us for all things: “…teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Truth is neither hidden nor new. Truth is the Word of God. And when the Word of God is where you learn a thing, you can count on it – for ever!
More tomorrow…
To hear Pastor Andrew’s Sunday message, go to the Facebook page of Lincoln Baptist Church, or link to the livestream from the church website.
thebrokenrunner 