The Battle For The Truth [Update 2]

My blogging friend Bill Muehlenberg who writes at the blog Culture Watch has a very thought provoking post up called The Attempted Eradication of Christianity.

Excerpt:

The secular jihadists have declared war against Christianity, and are working overtime to ensure that it is eradicated in the Western world. This site has documented many dozens of examples of this, and each new week provides further case studies in this.

The secular crusaders think all would be sweetness and light in this world if we could only get rid of those pesky Christians and their awful religion. They somehow expect us to believe that utopia will arrive on planet earth when Christianity is gone and secularism reigns supreme.

Yeah right. More people were killed last century in the name of secular humanism than all the world’s religious conflicts put together. The bloody side of secularism is unfortunately a historical reality. And the overwhelming good which Christianity has done for the world is also a matter of historical fact, as I discuss elsewhere: A Review of How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin Schmidt.

Personally, I think that the secular jihadists are hell-bent on attacking Christianity because deep down they know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth. Such people war against the truth because it hurts to face the facts contained within the truth of the Gospel. The rebellious nature of unrepentant, sinful men causes them to refuse to give up their soul-destroying error(s). This occurs mostly because they are entrenched in the pride of life and have faith only in themselves. No wonder the world is such a mess!

What I think is ironic is that secular jihadists who hate Christianity find themselves willing to compromise the truth of Christian faith, yet embrace false religions/teachers such as Islam. Thus, they form a kind of unholy alliance with them. Who would have thought that liberal leftist, atheistic progressives could compromise their secular beliefs with Islamists who want to impose Shariah law here in the U.S.? But it's happening! Why? Because both agree on at least one thing - the desire to be persistent viruses attacking Biblical Christianity. You know the old phrase, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." But don't you wonder why they would submit to compromise in order to commit such dastardly deeds?

I think that it has to do with lies. The lies that atheists/agnostics/skeptics believe against the God of the Bible and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, can work in alliance with the lies of the Islamic religion; as long as they are in agreement about one or more humanistic ideas/principles.

For example, recall in a previous post where I shared that the secular atheist billionaire, George Soros, once approached Qaddafi (leader of Libya) regarding some sort of "deal" that Soros wanted done. I think that it had to do with a green Socialist initiative. When Qaddafi backed out, he became an enemy of Soros. As we know, Soros is the puppeteer (at least one of them) behind the puppet pResidency of Barack Hussein Obama. So it is likely that Soros was the one behind getting the U.S. and NATO involved with bombing Libya during the Arab Spring uprisings. (When I find links to previous blog posts about this I will add them here).

So you see, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" can quickly devolve into a new kind of enemy.

In John MacArthur's book, The Truth War several of his quotes can easily be applied here:

Uncertainty is the new truth. Doubt and skepticism have been canonized as a form of humility. Right and wrong have been redefined in terms of subjective feelings and personal perspectives.

We have witnessed the appeasement of Islamists by the secularist New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who gave approval to a mosque being built near Ground Zero. Yet, at the same time, Bloomberg and others are fighting to refuse to allow the display of the cross at the almost completed memorial - which was formed by girders in the 9/11/01 terrorist attack wreckage. Why? Why was one religious request granted and the other denied? I think that it is because Islam and secular atheism are like two peas in a pod. Both are in error of what God's Word teaches and both are involved with evil.

John MacArthur writes:

The arrogant rationalism that dominated the modern era is already in its death throes. Most of the world is caught up in disillusionment and confusion. People are unsure about virtually everything and do not know where to turn for truth.

BINGO!! MacArthur hits the nail right on the head with that quote! In fact, he mentions Islamic jihad on page 29:

We live in an era when religious fanatics routinely blow themselves up, fly planes into buildings, or commit unthinkable evil acts of barbaric terrorism in the name of religion. The biblical strategy for spiritual warfare has nothing whatsoever in common with the tactics of Islamic jihad.

Scripture is clear that physical force is not a legitimate tool for the advancement of the kingdom of God.

You see, radical Islam is intent on warring against and conquering other religious faiths and nations in order to achieve their end times goals.

As far as Christianity goes, the Truth War has nothing to do with carnal warfare or physical violence. There are, however, times when evil makes warfare absolutely necessary.

John MacArthur notes:

Of course, believers who are policemen, soldiers, or otherwise agents duly authorized by the government must be willing to use deadly force when necessary as part of their duty to the civil government. Scripture nowhere endorses any kind of absolute pacifism.

In fact, Romans 13:1-4 expressly grants governments the authority to wield the sword in order to punish evildoers, defend their national security, and maintain civil peace.

Going to war against those who attacked us on 9/11/2001 was necessary in order to protect our nation and people from further attacks by radical Islam. Unfortunately, the creeping Sharia infiltrating our nation through liberal court judge decisions is making it easier for the false religion of Islam to take hold here in America. We would learn a good lesson if we would heed the warnings from Great Britain where unrestricted Muslim immigration created fierce cultural battles within their nation. They are now seeing that the multiculturalism they embraced over the last few decades is turning against them in cities where Muslim dominance reigns. But that's another subject for another blog post.

In conclusion, John MacArthur instructs us:

The Truth War is not a carnal war. It is not about territory and nations. It is not a battle for lands and cities. It is not a clan war or a personality conflict between individuals. It is not a fight for clout between religious denominations. It is not a skirmish over material possessions. It is a battle for the truth. (emphasis mine).

Paul makes this clear in 2 Corinthians 10:5, where he spells out the ultimate objective of the Truth War: "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." The battlefield is the mind; the goal is the absolute triumph of truth; the priceless spoils of conquest are souls won out of the bondage of sin; the outcome is our willing submission to Christ; the highest prize is the honor given to Him as Lord; and the ultimate victory is completely His.

Hat Tips:

Culture Watch

John MacArthur: The Truth War (Note: Excerpt of book at this link. Scroll down to "Read Excerpt PDF.")

*******
Update:

Bill Muehlenberg has written a new blog post about multiculturalism:

Force-Fed Multiculturalism

*******

9/4/11 Update

Be sure to read Noisy Room: The Hate That Never Ended.

Excerpt:

If you are a Jew, they kill you. If you are a Christian, you convert, pay the Jizya tax or they execute you. If you are gay, you will be put to death. Women are property and slaves. Sexual abuse is legal and rampant. Beheading is the preferred method of execution. And the list goes on and on… Imagine a worldwide Caliphate where this is the norm, where a fascist theocracy rules the day and freedom no longer exists. This is what these people bring. They bring evil, slavery, darkness and death.

We are at war with millions of Islamic radicals who believe this. These are the radical Islamists and their hate never ended after 9-11.
It has been going on since Islam began and we are fighting for our lives and our way of life. We better start acting like it if we don’t want something much worse than 9-11 to play out on the lawn of the White House or in some mall in middle America.

The Jihadists need to understand this… We will never submit. We will never forget. We will fight you and the other enemies America faces within and without and we will win. That’s what good does – it wins, it overcomes. We will put an end to your hatred that never ended one way or the other. Evil is stupid and cowardly and in the end – it always loses.

*******

Update 2:

Bloomberg isn't the only one promoting Islamic mosques and Sharia law in New York. Take a look at this blogpost, 2 videos, and startling article about the New York Times support for Sharia law!

We The People: New York Times is Now Promoting Shariah Law

Excerpt:

The NY Times puts for its drivel following the startling predictions of Avi Lipkin seen in the video below.  Take it for what it is worth my friends, but Sharia hasn’t been creeping through America, it’s been galloping.  Readers of this column are already aware that Sharia Law has been used in Court Cases in 23 States of our United States. 

As the man in the Of Mosques and Men: Reflections of the Ground Zero Mosque video over at Answering Muslims says at the end of the Youtube video:

"Come out of the cave America - it's dark in there."

Urgency and Necessity of The Truth War

Chapter Three of John MacArthur's book, The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception is entitled "Constrained Into Conflict: Why We Must Fight for the Faith."

I have had this book for a long time. Every so often, I go back and read some of the chapters. If you do a search on this blog, you will find at least four blog posts about the book. Recently, I ran across a link to several John MacArthur Videos. Many of them are excerpts from his book The Truth War.

Years ago, I bookmarked the final three pages of chapter three. It is subtitled, "When It's Time To Go To War." I found it very interesting that the verse in Jude 3, which contains the phrase "contend earnestly for the faith" is actually stronger in meaning when translated from the Greek. MacArthur writes:

The expression "contend earnestly" is translated from a strong Greek verb epagonizomai,literally meaning "agonize against." The word describes an intensive, arduous, drawn-out fight. There is nothing passive, peaceful, or easy about it. Jude "exhorted" them - meaning he urged and commanded them - to wage a mighty battle on behalf of the true faith.

So then literally, we are to "agonize against" the falsehoods that creep up into Christianity that often, quite frankly, turn Christian truth into something unrecognizable. I could cite dozens of examples. But two of the most contentious moral problems of our time are the acceptance of homosexual behavior and abortion of children in the womb.

There will always be people who try and twist the truth to their own advantage. Many times it is used as an excuse to cover their sins. But there is only One Provision for the forgiveness of sins - and that is Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. Christ is the only way to be reconciled unto the Father.

MacArthur continues:

Jude himself says he felt the necessity to write this command. He employs a verb that speaks of pressure. In other words, he sensed a strong, God-given compulsion to write these things. He was not writing them because he took some kind of perverse glee in being militant. He was not responding to a momentary whimsy or personal anger. This was critical, and since the writers of Scripture never wrote by human self-will, but only as they were moved by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), the extreme urgency of Jude reflects the sovereign influence of the Holy Spirit, and therefore also the mind of Christ.

I love that last line - "This was critical, and since the writers of Scripture never wrote by human self-will, but only as they were moved by the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), the extreme urgency of Jude reflects the sovereign influence of the Holy Spirit, and therefore also the mind of Christ."

I don't know about you, but in my lifetime I have NEVER seen so many liars getting away with their sin and corruption than over the past two and a half years. It seems that ever since the Obama administration got into office, any semblance of a reasonable government was out the window. As one example, we only need to turn on the T.V. each day and hear the bad news about the current debt crisis to understand how fallen man has gotten us into such a mess. Then, in the next news segment we find out that Obama has raised 86 million dollars for his re-election campaign. Why would anyone in their right mind want to re-elect this monster?? Answer: money, power, influence, and the desire to "fundamentally transform America" which is code word for collapsing our Constitutional Republic Capitalist system and bringing in a cesspool combination of communism, socialism, Islamo-fascism and sharia law. What could go wrong? But all of that is for another blog post.

MacArthur continues:

We thus have an urgent mandate from God Himself to do our part in the Truth War. The Holy Spirit, through the pen of Jude, is urging Christians to exercise caution, discernment, courage, and the will to contend earnestly for the truth.

Notice what we are supposed to be fighting for. It is not anything petty, personal, mundane, or ego related. This warfare has a very narrow objective. What we are called to defend is no less than "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

Jude is speaking of apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:42) - objective Christian truth - the faith, as delivered from Jesus through the agency of the Holy Spirit by the apostles to the church. As he says in verse 17: "Remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Notice: no one discovered or invented the Christian faith. It was delivered to us. It was not as if someone mystically ascended into the transcendental realm and drew down an understanding of the truth. We don't need an enlightened guru to open the mysteries of the faith for us (cf. 1 John 2:27). The truth was entrusted by God to the whole church - intact and "once for all." It came by revelation, through the teaching of the apostles as preserved for us in Scripture. Jude speaks of "the faith" as a complete body of truth already delivered - so there is no need to seek additional revelation or to embellish the substance of "the faith" in any way. Our task is simply to interpret, understand, publish, and defend the truth God has once and for all delivered to the church.

The fact that the Bible is the Written Word of God, Jesus is the Living Word of God, and the Holy Spirit of God guides us into all truth allows born again believers in Jesus Christ to "interpret, understand, publish, and defend the truth God has once and for all delivered to the church." How can we spot untruths, heresy, apostasy and lies? By making sure that what is being espoused by any preacher, teacher, or layperson is not contradictory to what the Bible teaches!

John MacArthur explains:

That is what the Truth War is ultimately all about. It is not mere wrangling between competing earthly ideologies. It is not simply a campaign to refine someones religious creed or win a denominational spitting contest. It is not a battle of wits over arcane theological fine points. It is not an argument for sport. It is not like a school debate, staged to see who is more skilled or more clever in the art of argumentation. It is not merely academic in any sense. And it is certainly not a game. It is a very serious struggle to safeguard the heart and soul of truth itself and to unleash that truth against the powers of darkness - in hopes of rescuing the eternal souls of men and women who have been unwittingly ensnared by the trap of devilish deception.

This is a battle we cannot wage effectively if we always try to come across to the world as merely nice, nonchalant, docile, agreeable, and fun-loving people. We must not take our cues from people who are perfectly happy to compromise the truth wherever possible "for harmony's sake." Friendly dialogue may sound affable and pleasant. But neither Christ or the apostles ever confronted serious, soul-destroying error by building collegial relationships with false teachers. In fact, we are expressly forbidden to do that (Romans 16:17; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10-11). Scripture is clear about how we are to respond when the very foundations of the Christian faith are under attack, and Jude states it succinctly: it is our bounden duty to contend earnestly for the faith.

I have to chuckle each time I see someones car with the bumper sticker that says "COEXIST" where each letter represents a different religion. It seems to me that the liberal/progressive advocates of such a symbol often hate those who adhere to true Christian faith and they tend not to hide their disdain. Just watch some of the alphabet soup news programs and commentary shows out there and you will see what I mean!

Why is there such hatred for Christians? I think that it is because of what Jesus told us in these verses:

Jhn 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you.

Jhn 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jhn 15:25 "But [this happened] that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

Read the entire chapter of John 15. It starts out Jhn 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." Jesus is speaking in these verses and He goes on to reveal that Jhn 15:5 "I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

John 15 is such a comfort these days. Why? Because Jesus has warned us that followers of him will be hated. It is part of the "turf" in the warfare we are in for the souls of men.

John MacArthur continues:

Notice carefully: Jude is not suggesting (nor am I) that Christians should contend among themselves over every petty disagreement or divide into factions over every personality conflict. In fact, that is the very thing the apostle Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 3:3-7. Divisiveness and sectarianism are terrible sins that hurt the church when major divisions are manufactured out of petty differences over trivial, doubtful, indifferent, or less-than-vital matter (Romans 14:1).

We cannot include differences over abortion or homosexual practice. They are not in the "petty disagreement" categories. Both of them break at least one, if not more of the Ten Commandments. However, a difference over whether a hard Christian rock band sings a Christmas song or a more traditional choir sings it better would be a petty argument. Such a thing is a matter of taste.

John MacArthur continues:

Now, you might think that the difference between a picayune disagreement and a serious threat to some core truth of Christianity would always be obvious and clear-cut. Usually, it is. Most of the time, it is easy enough to see the distinction between a peripheral issue and a matter of urgent and fundamental importance. But not always. And here is where mature wisdom and careful discernment become absolutely crucial for every Christian: sometimes serious threats to our faith come in subtle disguise so that they are barely noticeable. And false teachers like to surround their deadly error with some truth. Therein lies the seduction. We must never assume that things like the teacher's reputation, the warmth of his personality, or majority opinion about him are perfectly safe barometers of whether his teaching is really dangerous or not. We also shouldn't imagine that common sense, intuition, or first impressions are reliable ways of determining whether this or that error poses a serious threat or not. Scripture, and Scripture alone, is the only safe guide in this area.

As Dr. MacArthur states in that last paragraph sentence, "Scripture, and Scripture alone, is the only safe guide in this area."

Amen!!!

The term "Scripture" itself appears in the Bible 32 times!

This is a beautiful verse:

Gal 3:22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Hat Tips:

Grace To You.org - The Truth War pp. 74-77

Blue Letter Bible and all links.

Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?

Continuing on with my goal to apply chapter quotes from John MacArthur's book, "The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception," we move forward to Chapter One.

MacArthur's chapter title asks, "Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?"

Excerpt:

Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
- John 18:37-38

Considering who stood before him and the gravity of the issues he was being asked to decide, Pilate's attitude was astonishingly dismissive. But he did raise a vital question: What is truth?

Where, after all, does this concept come from, and why is it so basic to all human thought? Every idea we have, every relationship we cultivate, every belief we cherish, every fact we know, every argument we make, every conversation we engage in, and every thought we think presupposes that there is such a thing as "truth." The idea is an essential concept, without which the human mind could not function.

Even if you are one of those trendy thinkers who claims to be skeptical about whether "truth" is really a useful category anymore, to express that opinion you must presume that truth is meaningful on some fundamental level. One of the most basic, universal, and undeniable axioms of all human thought is the absolute necessity of truth. (And we might add that the necessity of absolute truth is its close corollary.)

I just loved how Mr. MacArthur begins this chapter. He utilizes the very words of Jesus Christ himself - who is not only the truth, but also the way and the life. This brings us right to the first bullet point quote which reveals the biblical definition of truth:

Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God.

MacArthur goes on to list dozens of Scripture verses that describes our God of truth. Jesus is the truth incarnate - the perfect expression of God - and therefore the absolute embodiment of all that is true. Jesus also stated the fact that the written Word of God is truth. It is described as pure and unchangeable - that which cannot be broken (see John 10:35).

MacArthur:

Praying to His heavenly Father on behalf of His disciples, Jesus said this: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17). Moreover, the Word of God is eternal truth "which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23).

Those who object to the biblical definition of truth find themselves rebelling against it at every turn. How could they not? If someone believes that "truth is relative" and elevates "my (his/her) truth" over the absolute truth as it is revealed in the Bible and in the Person of Jesus Christ, the undisputable evidence reveals deliberate and culpable unbelief.

The explicit revelation of Scripture is the only infallible interpreter of "what is truth!"

MacArthur:

Since Scripture is also the one place where we are given the way of salvation, entrance into the kingdom of God, and an infallible account of Christ, the Bible is the touchstone to which all truth claims should be brought and by which all other truth must finally be measured.

I have spent a lot of time in today's post sharing what MacArthur has written in the beginning of this chapter because it is vitally important to understand not only the biblical definition of truth, but also the inadequacy of all other definitions. This leads us to the next bullet point quote:

The moment you begin to ponder the essence of truth, you are brought face-to-face with the requirement of a universal absolute - the eternal reality of God.

The next quote goes hand in hand with the previous one:

The one most valuable lesson humanity ought to have learned from philosophy is that it is impossible to make sense of truth without acknowledging God as the necessary starting point.

That quote must drive atheists, agnostics, and skeptics crazy!

I think that because of the certainty that most born-again Christians have in their faith - especially when they freely share their faith in Christ with others - it drives non-believers to anger, resentment, persecution against believers, scorn, rejection and even sometimes goes so far as to promote the harm and killing of Christians.

Why?

That's a topic for another discussion. But you may find a hint or two in the following examples I will share.

I have mentioned a discussion between Christian Apologist, Greg Koukl and Deepak Chopra before at this blog, but it bears repeating here. Notice how in my comment back then, I perceived and described Chopra's opinion of faith as "embracing his uncertainty":

This broadcast was absolutely fabulous! Greg Koukl pointed out the fact that people can have differing beliefs regarding faith, but that it is logically impossible for them all to be true at the same time. His trust in Jesus Christ and God's Word stood in direct contrast to Deepak Chopra's, who admitted "embracing his uncertainty." Koukl's view demonstrates a steadfast and true faith where Chopra's view can only lead to theological oblivion.

Now, in the "politically correct" cultural climate of today, along with the "ultra-tolerant" demand that no one claims absolute truth (which includes not embracing anything with certainty so as not to offend anyone), we can see how many non-believers might object to Mr. Koukl's certainty conclusion. At the same time, they may happily embrace Mr. Chopra's "tolerant" choice of uncertainty. Why? Because the position of theological oblivion is more desirable to the skeptic than holding to the truth as revealed through the Person of Jesus Christ.

Not to be redundant, but the truth is, one of these two has to be wrong!

Since Chopra is viewed as being more of a "New Age type Hindu" (labeled by a show commenter), his "uncertainty" is more appealing to postmodernists than someone who holds to certainty in their belief (like Mr. Koukl does) for the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

Another example. This morning I received a very timely email from my message board and blogging friend, Sosthenes. His email shares the positive side of what Brit Hume shared on a segment of Fox News Sunday in regards to how Tiger Woods can heal his soul. But of course, those who object to anyone expressing any Christian viewpoint (especially when on national T.V.) dove right in to disparage Hume (see Gateway Pundit: It Has Begun… Libs Attack Brit Hume For Promoting Christianity on Sunday Talk Show ) for sharing such advice.

Sosthenes' email shared the following:

Brit Hume turned evangelist on Fox New Sunday, in a segment with panelists predicting the future for Tiger Woods after Woods' notable "transgressions" (now a 2009 top euphemism, along with "Appalachian Trail," as a signifier for "mistress.")

Hume forecasts Woods will recover as a golfer but

...Whether he can recover as a person depends on "his faith. He's said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, "Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

This fits with the interview he had with The Hollywood Reporter when Hume retired from Fox News in 2008. Asked what he'd like to do in his free time, Hume said enjoying his family came first but then, he said:


I certainly want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I'm not claiming it's impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it's a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you're not really living it.

Woods got similar advice from A. Larry Ross, minus the slap to Buddhism, in a column recently at Huffington Post. Ross, spokesman for Rev. Billy Graham and Rev. Rick Warren, is a veteran of evangelism talk. It was a column on grace and the God of "second chances."

And Jews have advice, too. Rabbi Irwin Kula told the Jewish Journal that the Nike spokesman -- and the rest of us -- should learn from the patriarchs that you can't "just do it" when "it" is wrong.

Does Tiger Woods have to have a faith -- any faith or just your faith -- to be seen as good again?

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/01/fox-news-tiger-woods-brit-hume-forgiveness-evangelical/1

In true predictable form, many of the recent comments at that USA Today article link are negative (as of 9:20 a.m. PT). However, I did find one that was on point:

HisSon (0 friends, send message) wrote: 6m ago
If Buddhism and Christianity had been reversed in Brit's comment, the haters would still have been jumping up and down with joy trying to be the first to criticize Christianity. It doesn't matter any more. There used to be a time when Christianity and Biblical Principles were respected despite one's own personal religion. Now it's just find any reason to disparage Biblical Christianity. Brit was trying to share what has been a help to him. He was trying to be helpful not critical. What's so difficult to understand about that?

MacArthur writes about the great "paradigm shift" that has occurred. The world of human ideas is currently "in a serious state of flux" (to put it mildly!). Today, it is more like chaos! There has been a radical, wholesale overhaul in the way people think about truth itself.

MacArthur:

Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging what truth demands and yielding to the necessity of belief in the God of truth, contemporary Western thought has devised ways to rid human philosophy of any coherent notion of truth altogether. The concept of truth is therefore under heavy attack in the philosophical community, the academic world, and the realm of worldly religion. The way people think about truth is being totally revamped and the vocabulary of human knowledge completely redefined. The goal, clearly, is to usher every notion of truth off into oblivion.

Jesus told us the real reason for every denial of truth: "Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

MacArthur:

Here the Lord Jesus says people reject truth (light) for reasons that are fundamentally moral, not intellectual. Truth is clear -- too clear. It reveals and condemns sin. Therefore, "everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (v. 20). Sinners love their sin, so they flee from the light, denying that it even exists.

The war against truth is nothing new, of course. It began in the garden when the serpent said to the woman, "Has God indeed said...?" (Genesis 3:1). A relentless battle has raged ever since -- between truth and falsehood, good and evil, light and darkness, assurance and doubt, belief and skepticism, righteousness and sin. It is a savage spiritual conflict that literally spans all of human history. But the ferocity and irrationality of this present onslaught seems quite unprecedented.

Go read the comments at the USA Today article link. You will see glaring examples of the "war against truth" in all its postmodernist confusion and blame. And, as MacArthur states, the onslaught of "ferocity and irrationality" that skeptics use to discredit biblical Christian faith. Notice that I didn't write "Christian faith." This is because the definition of "Christian faith" has been so skewed by post moderns who may claim to be "Christians," but haven't taken the step to be genuinely born again in Christ (see John 3).

MacArthur:

Postmodernism suggests that if objective truth exists, it cannot be known objectively or with any degree of certainty. That is because (according to postmodernists), the subjectivity of the human mind makes knowledge of objective truth impossible.

What's more:

The postmodernist recoils from absolutes and does not want to concede any truths that might seem axiomatic or self-evident. Instead, truth, is acknowledged at all, becomes something infinitely pliable and ultimately unknowable in any objective sense.

That's a mouthful! Basically, what postmodernists are saying is that they despise truth claims! They are guilty of rejecting truth and embrace skepticism. Recall Deepak Chopra's statement that he is comfortable "embracing his uncertainty?" That is a relativistic statement that pleases those who enshrine skepticism and doubt, but reject absolutes and truth such as the kind that is revealed in the Bible and in the Person of Jesus Christ.

MacArthur:

Uncertainty is the new truth. Doubt and skepticism have been canonized as a form of humility. Right and wrong have been redefined in terms of subjective feelings and personal perspectives.

This paradigm has been taken so far today that there are many who dispute whether anything is "evil." Make a list of all the evils that this far leftist administration's actions have promoted and you will see that this is (unfortunately) very true.

You might ask, why do postmodernists think that way?

MacArthur:

The Emerging Postmodernists have blurred the line between certainty and omniscience. They seem to presume that if we cannot know everything perfectly, we really cannot know anything with any degree of certainty.

MacArthur goes on to say that the ages-old war against truth has moved right into Christian community. This has happened in every major era of church history. That is why the apostle Paul was constantly engaged in battle against the lies of "false apostles [and] deceitful workers [who transformed] themselves into apostles of Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:13).

It is our duty to pass the truth on to the next generation (see 1 Timothy 6:20-21). We are under obligation to join the battle and "contend for the faith which has been forever delivered unto the saints."

Despite the fact that this battle rages all around us today (i.e. radical Islam, atheism/skepticism, false religions, apostate Christianity etc.), there is STILL a lot of reasons for being filled with joy!

MacArthur:

The current climate of postmodernism does represent a wonderful window of opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ. The arrogant rationalism that dominated the modern era is already in its death throes [Note from Christine: more so after what we have endured in America in 2009 than ever before!]. Most of the world is caught up in disillusionment and confusion. People are unsure about virtually everything and do not know where to turn for truth.

Jude certainly understood this! He urges believers to earnestly contend for the faith against all falsehood, going so far as to encourage us to do everything possible to deliver souls from destruction: "pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jude 23).

MacArthur:

So we are ambassador-soldiers, reaching out to sinners with the truth even as we make every effort to destroy the lies and other forms of evil that hold them in deadly bondage. That is a perfect summary for every Christian's duty in the Truth War.

Reference:

The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception by John MacArthur, Nashville, TN, by Thomas Nelson, 2007, pp. 1-26.

Hat Tips:

Sosthenes via email.

USA Today

GateWay Pundit

Why Truth is Worth Fighting For

Happy New Year everyone! It is my sincere hope and fervent prayer that 2010 will bring us towards Godly guidance in our hearts and lives as we share the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with this chaotic world and culture in which we currently live.

In my previous post, I included a wonderful quote by C.H. Spurgeon. There is something very special about the preachers of previous centuries. Their preaching is not muddled with "politically correct" jargon that waters down the message of God from the Bible. In fact, commentaries from yesteryear are more often accurate than today's Christian preachers and writers. Some (not all, of course) tend to add their own ideas to what the Scriptures are actually saying. I have spotted such tendencies in several books that I have read. They are good books from very good Christian authors. However, just one misinterpretation of a Scripture passage (or misapplication of certain verses) can skew the true meaning of what God's Word is genuinely revealing to the reader. We are human after all and make mistakes! But we need to be discerning and on the lookout for such errors. It is good and necessary to correct our fellow believers (including me!) when we do make errors. We can do this in a loving way, of course. Unfortunately, even "loving way" corrections are not always welcomed. We must correct each other (and accept correction from others) whenever it is necessary.

The Introduction in John MacArthur's book, "The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception" is very fitting for my first post of the New Year. It is entitled, "Why Truth Is Worth Fighting For."

MacArthur writes:

Who would have thought that people claiming to be Christians -- even pastors-- would attack the very notion of truth?

But they are.

I get emails all the time from fellow Christian believers who tell me that they got "kicked off" of a web site, blog, or discussion forum because the Christian host did not like what was being shared. That's truly a shame! It is an opportunity lost. Some Christians think that arguing against each other is a waste of time. Sometimes it is - especially when it involves a petty discussion topic. But other times, answering and/or correcting a misguided, misinformed or incorrect posting can be a very valuable lesson for all readers. That is one goal that I strive to achieve here at this blog.

Since there are visitors who comment here but reject Christianity, the discussions often revolve around politics or the current culture climate. For such people, I would change MacArthur's quote to read, "Who would have thought that people claiming to be the arbiters of truth in politics, the culture, science, education, or even when it comes to the knowledge and application of our founding documents; would attack the very notion of truth?"

Americans today are sensing a strong pull (especially when it comes from our current government, media, and Hollywood) away from truth into the realm of lies, corruption, sin, evil and death. Almost every person that I have had discussion with over the past 12 months says that they can't believe how seriously corrupt the three branches of our government have become! They shake their heads and sigh at the complacency of the media to go along with it!! Many people are relying on the Internet blogs to find out the truth about what is really going on.

The following quote can be applied as one big reason why Obama got elected:

The idea that the Christian message should be kept pliable and ambiguous seems especially attractive to young people who are in tune with the culture and in love with the spirit of the age.

So many Christians and Catholics believed the "spirit of the age" - the lies that the Obama campaign told in order to get elected. Many now regret their votes! But why were they so deceived?

We could list many, many reasons. The next two MacArthur quotes explain one big reason:

Much of the visible church nowadays seems to think Christians are supposed to be at play rather than at war. The idea of actually fighting for doctrinal truth is the furthest thing from most churchgoers' thoughts.

I witnessed a living example of this. During the Proposition 8 campaign, many churches in southern California chose to be absent from the fight to proclaim that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. One church where I previously attended a women's Bible study didn't do a thing to help educate people about what that proposition would mean for the God ordained definition of marriage as well as our free speech rights to proclaim God's Word. Our religious freedoms were at stake and some pastors didn't think it was necessary to fight for it? What were they busy doing instead?

MacArthur nails it:

Church leaders are obsessed with style and methodology, losing interest in the Glory of God and becoming grossly apathetic about truth and sound doctrine. for the moment at least, the battle appears to be turning in the enemy's favor.

Wow! Does that describe this past year or what??!!!

We The People came out in droves at TEA Party protests, Town Hall meetings, 1.5 million strong on the Washington Mall on September 12, 2009, and even on the steps of the Capital Building (on days notice) to let our voices be heard by those who are supposed to be representing us and our wishes. What did the leadership of the House call us for exercising our free speech rights to protest out of control government spending? Pelosi called us "AstroTurf." Left-wing media pundits called us various degrading names as well. Out of these two opposing forces, which was professing the truth and which was promoting lies?

MacArthur:

A biblical perspective of truth also necessarily entails the recognition that ultimate truth is an objective reality. Truth exists outside of us and remains the same regardless of how we may perceive it. Truth by definition is as fixed and constant as God is immutable.

The truth in the above instance is clear. The politicians and pundits were not representing what the people wanted - they were busy promoting their own self-interests as well as lining the pockets of lobbyists who will work to get them re-elected. That is not what our Constitution says that they should be doing!

Our Constitution and other founding documents were created by mostly Christian statesmen who took God's Word very seriously in the formation of our nation. The further that corrupt politicians take us from the words of the Constitution, the less free we become. We become slave labor to those who think they know better than we do about health care legislation, the cap and trade scam, government takeover of businesses like GM, and the list goes on and on.

How did we get here?

MacArthur:

People are experimenting with subjective, relativistic ideas of truth and labeling them "Christian." This trend signals a significant departure from biblical and historic Christianity.

The truth is under assault today, both in the culture and within some so-called "Christian" churches. We are told throughout the New Testament the importance of fighting for the truth. Second John contains the word truth five times in the first four verses alone. It ends with this sobering message (vs. 7-11):

2Jo 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.


2Jo 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.


2Jo 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.


2Jo 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:


2Jo 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

We have deceivers in and around the White House. We have deceivers in Congress, the courts, the media, education, and even in some Christian churches. We are being bombarded by lies and lured with deception! John MacArthur responds, "How faithful Christians MUST respond.

[Jude] was compelled by the Holy Spirit to exhort us with all passion "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

In MacArthur's book, he examines why defending the faith inevitably requires warfare, rather than the gullible sanguine stance many Christians today seem to favor. He points out why indifference, timidity, compromise, and nonresistance are all ruled out as options for Christians when the gospel is under attack. Jude's warning is particularly applicable for the times in which we live. Not only is the gospel under attack, but our very way of life - our Constitutional Republic - is also under heavy attack by those who have captured the minds of the unsuspecting with their "hoax and chains" mantra.

MacArthur concludes the introduction:

As vital as it is for us to enlist in the Truth War and do battle for our faith, it is even more important to remember why we are fighting -- not merely for the thrill of vanquishing some foe or winning some argument, but out of a genuine love for Christ, who is the living, breathing embodiment of all that we hold true and worth fighting for.

Reference:

The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception by John MacArthur, Nashville, TN, by Thomas Nelson, 2007, pp. ix - xxvii.

Purity Of Truth at War With Blackness of Lies [Update]

This morning, I picked up John MacArthur's book "The Truth War." I have read the book several times and have previously written two blog posts about it. Here are the links:

Truth Means Nothing Apart From God

Fighting For Certainty in an Age of Deception

This time, I want to list the highlighted points within each chapter of the book and expand upon them; particularly as it relates to what we, as Conservative Biblically-based Christian Americans have seen, faced, and dealt with over the course of this last year under the Obama administration.

Rather than working on one extremely long post, my plan is to write several blog posts over the course of the next few days.

Before I begin with the first chapter, I want to share that the quote by C.H. Spurgeon in the preface of the book has special meaning to me, personally. It kind of sums up my original goal when I created this blog over five years ago.

In 2004, I attended my first blog conference at Biola University. One of the speakers asked members of his class what each of our goals will be in writing Christian-based blog material. I stated that I wanted to write discernment articles that include the gospel of Christ while exposing how politics, culture, education, the media, and apostate churches battle against the Word of God and the message of the gospel. I recall that the professor told me, "that would be an impossible endeavor."

Yet, here I am, five years later including all of the above with the discussions here at Talk Wisdom. I don't quite know why the professor thought that way. Perhaps he thought that I should limit myself to apologetics and not include any criticism of the world around us. Or, maybe he worried that any "politically incorrect" approach might turn individuals away from the Gospel message. (Been there, heard that - MANY TIMES - even by some fellow Christian believers.) Perhaps I should have asked him why he thought such an endeavor was "impossible." I didn't get the chance to ask him. The session ended abruptly because we were out of time and he was surrounded by bloggers asking many questions.

The following is the Spurgeon quote:

The Church of Christ is continually represented under the figure of an army; yet its Captain is the Prince of Peace; its object is the establishment of peace, and its soldiers are men of a peaceful disposition. The spirit of war is at the extremely opposite point to the spirit of the gospel.

Yet nevertheless, the church on earth has, and until the second advent must be, the church militant, the church armed, the church warring, the church conquering. And how is this?

It is the very order of things that so it must be. Truth could not be truth in this world if it were not a warring thing, and we should at once suspect that it were not true if error were friends with it. The spotless purity of truth must always be at war with the blackness of heresy and lies.
- C.H. Spurgeon 1

1. Spurgeon, Charles, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 5 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1879), 41.

As the picture at the top of this post implies - sometimes the truth hurts! However, secular society's love affair for diversity (even at the expense of causing harm) and tolerance (today's code word for never offending anyone!) doesn't WANT to know any kind of truth that may initially hurt anyone (emotionally speaking).

However, common sense tells us to grab the arm of a child and pull it hard to prevent that child from running in the street in front of a speeding bus! The truth of the need for rescue may hurt the child physically at that moment in time, but the lie of freedom to do what would harm him/her if he/she ran in front of the bus can end up killing the child!

Such an illustration is even important when considering spiritual truth. These days, telling someone that their religion is not truth may hurt a person's feelings (at first), but the end result of them finding Jesus Christ and becoming a child of God through the biblical Gospel message brings eternal life that they would not have had without Him!

Spurgeon's ending line is quite the keeper! It sums it all up in one brilliant sentence!


The spotless purity of truth must always be at war with the blackness of heresy and lies.


Readers, please feel free to share any thoughts, questions, comments, opinions, criticisms, or compliments in the comment section!

1/3/10 Update:

I just discovered that American Prophet has included this post in that website's "News" items!

American Prophet.org/News

Comment there:

Note This is an award winning site and one of our best choices as well.

Of course, the excellent quotes from John MacArthur's book made the post possible! I am truly humbled and honored to have that post recognized by American Prophet - one of the best Christian sites on the web!

Thank you Rev. Michael Bresciani!

Truth Means Nothing Apart From God

I have started reading John MacArthur's book "The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception" again. I read it back in 2007 when it first came out. It is such a great book that holds the kind of information that is most valuable to Christians everywhere. This is true no matter where you happen to be in your Christian walk. "Baby" Christians (who may not necessarily have read the Bible nor understand what their decision for Jesus Christ means just yet) will find themselves avoiding the pitfalls of heresy and apostasy which can often snatch them up because of their current lack of knowledge of God's Eternal Word. "Nominal" Christians (can be described briefly as those with one foot in the Word and the other in the world) can find much value in this book to get back on track following Jesus and obeying His Word. The book is valuable to learned believers who have studied the Bible for many years. It can help remind us of the traps, tribulation, errors, rebellion, and sins that often overtake the unregenerate non-believers. I'm sure that pastors, Bible scholars, and commentary writers would benefit as well. For example. I watch Dr. David Jeremiah's sermons on T.V. each week and I have heard him mention John MacArthur's books occasionally and share snippets of information from them.

Chapter one gets right down to the nitty-gritty. The title of the chapter asks the question, "Can Truth Survive in a Postmodern Society?"

The corruption going on in government circles today is a great example that makes us question if truth is really relevant anymore. Don't you feel the same way? The upcoming TEA parties that are scheduled to be held across the nation on April 15th will be a testament AGAINST the corruption in government. You will probably see signs that make statements of protest and truth:

"No Taxation Without Representation"
"Taxed Enough Already"
"We're TEAed Off"
"Get the Government Out of My Child's Piggy Bank"
etc.

People today often think that truth is relative. They assume the "my truth isn't your truth but it's just as valid." Well - is it? Can there be many "truths" out there? People like Deepak Chopra seem to believe so. He has made hundreds of thousands (if not millions?) of dollars telling people what they should or should not believe in his books. But we must ask the question, "where does he get his brand of truth from?"

In the past, I shared an exchange between Chopra and Christian Apologist, Greg Koukl that occurred on Lee Strobel's former T.V. show, "Faith Under Fire".

The following are some opinions of individuals who watched the show:

Messengers of an Impersonal God?
I watched Greg Koukl and Deepak Chopra discuss the future of faith on Lee Strobel's Faith Under Fire last night. Dr. Chopra has written numerous books on New Age spirituality that have sold millions of copies. Greg did a superb job of representing the gospel in content and character, modeling the qualities of an ambassador that he and the folks at Stand to Reason seek to instill in others. He repeatedly demonstrated the problems with religious relativism and exposed the fact that, contrary to his denial that he is dogmatic, Dr. Chopra adheres to a theological position of which he seeks to persuade others.

As a sign of respect for Jesus, Dr. Chopra said that his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is among his favorites and that he carries a copy of it with him. However, he considers Jesus only one among a number of God's messengers. Not only is this a contradiction of the biblical witness to Jesus' uniqueness, it's also unintelligible given Dr. Chopra's own concept of the nature of God. You see, Dr. Chopra emphatically denies that God is a personal being.

The concept of messenger presupposes two activities, both of which can only be performed by persons. The first is that of sending or commissioning. The summer before I went to college I worked as a messenger for a law firm in Manhattan. They sent me and my co-workers on various assignments to deliver important documents to other firms and businesses. I didn't decide what my destination was to be. Nor did I decide at what times I would go on these errands. All of that was dictated to me by my employer. A messenger is one who is sent by someone not something.

The second activity presupposed by the concept of messenger is communication. A messenger is one who conveys a what? That's right - a message. The task of a messenger is to convey some kind of communication from the one who sent him or her to the recipient. If I were to tell you that my toaster wanted me to tell you something, you'd think that I was either joking or something was seriously wrong with me. That's because we know that toasters and other impersonal entities don't communicate. So, how Dr. Chopra explains the concept of an impersonal God having messengers, I don't know. I don't think he can.

I wouldn't be surprised if Greg offers some more detailed analysis of the exchange at STR's blog so keep an eye out for it.

Posted by KP

Greg Koukl r0x0rz da hizzy
I only got to see from about 20 minutes after the hour, but Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason graciously, fairly, kindly, steamrolled Deepak Chopra on Faith Under Fire last night. I mean, it wasn't even fair. Wasn't even close. TKO first round, except the fight kept going. I have no idea how Greg managed to wrangle the whole hour---the biggest draw-back to Faith Under Fire has been that you have to address big issues in picoseconds, and sometimes you just can't do that very well. So, to get the whole hour with a single "opponent" was quite the coup, and resulted in a much better encounter with a much clearer result.

I've heard from Faith Under Fire three times on three different topics. First program crashed and burned when my opponent backed out. Nothing came of the second two. Haven't heard anything in months now. I don't expect to, honestly (if you go over the guest list you'll see a few names that would explain my non-expectation), but as long as they get folks like Greg on there, they'll be doing well.

Posted by James R. White

My take on the debate:

This broadcast was absolutely fabulous! Greg Koukl pointed out the fact that people can have differing beliefs regarding faith, but that it is logically impossible for them all to be true at the same time. His trust in Jesus Christ and God's Word stood in direct contrast to Deepak Chopra who admitted "embracing his uncertainty." Koukl's view demonstrates a steadfast and true faith where Chopra's view can only lead to theological oblivion.

Christinewjc

*******

Love this quote from John MacArthur:

"The moment you begin to ponder the essence of truth, you are brought face-to-face with the requirement of a universal absolute - The eternal reality of God."

This is why Mr. Chopra didn't have a chance negating what Mr. Koukl was claiming. The truth is the truth! And, there is such a thing as absolute truth. Mr. Chopra demonstrated, and was made an example of this concept: "The Inadequacy of All Other Definitions." That is a sub-title in chapter one. However, before we get to that, I will share the biblical definition of truth:

"Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God."

Please see the following Bible verses that back up this claim:

Deuteronomy 32:4
Psalm 31:5
Isaiah 65:16
John 14:6
Hebrews 1:3
John 10:35
John 17:17
1 Peter 1:23

MacArthur writes:

In other words, the truth of Christ and the truth of the Bible are of the very same character. They are in perfect agreement in every respect. Both are equally true. God has revealed Himself to humanity through Scripture and through His Son. Both perfectly embody the essence of what truth is.

[S]ince Scripture is also the one place where we are given the way of salvation, entrance into the kingdom of God, and an infallible account of Christ, the Bible is the touchstone to which all truth claims should be brought and by which all other truth must finally be measured.

Now we can move on to the explanation of why there is inadequacy of all other definitions.

MacArthur:

An obvious corollary of what I am saying is that truth means nothing apart from God. Truth cannot be adequately explained, recognized, understood, or defined without God as the source. Since He alone is eternal and self-existent and He alone is the Creator of all else, He is the fountain of all truth.

If you don't believe that, try defining truth without reference to God, and see how quickly all such definitions fail. The moment you begin to ponder the essence of truth, you are brought face-to-face with the requirement of a universal absolute - the eternal reality of God. conversely, the whole concept of truth instantly becomes nonsense (and every imagination of the human heart therefore turns to sheer foolishness) as soon as people attempt to remove the thought of God from their minds.

I think that this is EXACTLY what happened to the minds of Christians and Catholics who voted for Obama. They had to have "removed the thought of God from their minds" to vote for someone who has such insane pro-death-to-babies-in-the-womb policies (not to mention all of the other corruption he was involved in) in order to cast that vote. I recently heard that 51% of Catholics voted for Obama! The Pope is one of the most outspoken of people for defense of the right to life for the unborn. How could so many people ignore their consciences and God's moral standards which are stamped on their hearts?

MacArthur:

Knowledge of Him (God) is inborn in the human heart (Romans 1:19), and a sense of the moral character and loftiness of His law is implicit in every human conscience (Romans 2:15). Those things are universally self-evident truths. According to Romans 1:20, denial of the spiritual truths we know innately always involves a deliberate and culpable unbelief. And for those who wonder whether basic truths about God and His moral standards really are stamped on the human heart, ample proof can be found in the long history of human law and religion. To suppress this truth is to dishonor God, displace His glory, and incur His wrath (vv. 19-20).

Do you see what some Christians and Catholics had to do in order to vote for Obama? No wonder I am seeing many Christian bloggers, commentators, and website forum articles comparing America today to the relentless decline of human ideas written in Romans 1:11-22:

"Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools."

MacArthur:

There are serious moral implications, too, whenever someone tries to disassociate truth from the knowledge of God. Paul went on to write, "Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Romans 1:28). Abandon a biblical definition of truth, and unrighteousness is the inescapable result. We see it happening before our eyes in every corner of contemporary society. In fact, the widespread acceptance of homosexuality, rebellion, [abortion], and all forms of iniquity that we see in our society today is a verbatim fulfillment of what Romans 1 says always happens when a society denies and suppresses the essential connection between God and truth.

If you reflect on the subject with any degree of sobriety, you will soon see that even the most fundamental moral distinctions - good and evil, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, or honor and dishonor - cannot possibly have any true or constant meaning apart from God. That is because truth and knowledge themselves simply have no coherent significance apart from a fixed source, namely, God. How could they? God embodies the very definition of truth. Every truth claim apart from Him is preposterous.

AMEN!!

Reference source:

"The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception" by John MacArthur. Published in Nashville, TN, by Thomas Nelson Inc. 2007, pp. 3-5

Fighting for Certainty In an Age of Deception

This morning, I noticed that Bill Muehlenberg had a post up reviewing John MacArthur's book, "The Truth War" over at his blog Culture Watch.

My comment there (might still be in moderation):

When John MacArthur wrote this book, little did he know how important the additional words on the book cover would be:

"Fighting for certainty in an age of deception."

Deception is all around us in the terrible lies that abound in our current political atmosphere here in the United States.

I loved this book. Thanks for your excellent review. You have inspired me to read it again!

Christine

P.S. Inside the book jacket, MacArthur writes, "this book is not friendly fire." That is certainly a literary shot across the bow of the liberal, seeker-sensitive "don't talk about the need to repent" churches that keep their congregations in bondage to sin - all the while making them think they are saved.

Hat Tip:
Culture Watch


*******

Additional related posts:

The Truth War

Countering Stealth-Like Apostasy

Compromise Veiled as Love

Problems of Uncertainty and Apathy about Truth

More on the biblical view of truth:

Beholding to Absolute Truth