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Commentary on "The Fruit of the Spirit is Truth"

STEVE PITCHER

 

Day 2: Sunday, March 14, 2010

 

The first part of today’s lesson is a short summary of the commentary on yesterday’s lesson. The lesson author almost totally reverses himself. In reference to the passage from John 14:6, the lesson author states, “With these words, Jesus establishes the reality of objective truth. Here is Truth. Period. Few verses in the whole Bible are more contrary to the sentiment of relativism than this.” This is exactly what Jesus is saying; he is Truth, period. (Note the absence of any subjective element to this truth.)

The author then goes on to point out that, “We have to be careful, however, with this notion that all our religion means is having a relationship with God. Everyone lives in a relationship with God, one way or another.” Here he refers to John 17:3, which reads, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Following this he states, “The gospel is not a call to have a relationship with Jesus but to make a commitment to Him.

The statement that “We have to be careful … with this notion that all our religion means is having a relationship with God” comes from a misunderstanding of what Evangelicals mean when they talk about having a relationship with God. When Christians talk about having a relationship with God, it is never intended to mean that that is “all” that our religion means. Also, when Christians speak of having a relationship with God, we mean having a right relationship with God, not a wrong one. All Christians are in agreement with the lesson author that “[e]veryone lives in relationship with God, in one way or another.

The statement that “[t]he gospel is not a call to have a relationship with Jesus…” is in direct contradiction to Scripture. At this point we must come back to the objective truth of the word of God. Let’s see what the Bible teaches about what God in Christ has done for us, and what results from that.

 

The Gospel and the Reconciliation

First, what is the gospel message? As stated in 1 Cor. 15:3-5, the gospel is:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

This work having been done for us, we now enter into a new relationship with God. Not only this, but we enter into a new role of being reconcilers; helping others come into a right relationship with God. 2 Cor. 5:17-20 tells us:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

The Christian message for 2000 years has been that of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This gospel message leads us into a new relationship with God, who has reconciled us to himself, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In essence, the Gospel is about the real possibility of having a correct relationship with God. This is why it is good news.

The message of our Lord Jesus has never been one of understanding, but of believing; of having faith in (leaning totally on) God. Jesus even told the Pharisees that their searching of the Scriptures (the Old Testament) was not resulting in their accepting Messiah. John 5:39-40 reads:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Jesus then says, in verse 45, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.” We must leave the teachings of Moses and receive what Moses and the prophets were preparing us for. (We’ll discuss this further in the commentary for Thursday’s lesson.) It is time to leave the subjective elements of learning truth and come to the one objective truth of all time, Jesus.

Having come to Christ, we then enter into a relationship in which we are taught by God, his Holy Spirit, who brings us into all truth. Jesus made this a part of his prayer for us, found in John. In Jn. 16:13-14, Jesus prays,

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

It is essential that first we enter into a right relationship with him. After that, we will be taught by the Holy Spirit all that we need to know about God.

 

Summary

  1. In agreement with the lesson author, we can say Jesus “is Truth. Period.”
  2. The gospel message is summed up in a very simple statement from Corinthians. 1 Cor. 15:3-5 states “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
  3. The result is that God has reconciled us to himself and that we become ambassadors, bringing the message of reconciliation to the world. (2 Cor. 5:17-20)
  4. We must put our faith in Christ, leaning wholly on him. Being filled with his Spirit, we will then be led into all truth. (Jn. 16:13-14)

 

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