In an effort to begin to take on some of what I would consider the “difficulties” of The Bible and the Christian walk as a whole, I have spent a lot of time praying and thinking… asking God to guide me into a more complete knowledge of His workings in human history.
I have thought and prayed through several books of The Bible, Doctrines of the church, and even the common cultural perceptions of Christianity as a whole. In the end, I have seen that there are 3 Truths, essential to unlocking the whole of The Bible, understanding our place in God’s redepemtive story, and beginning to walk in the great Christian tension of “Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest” and “take up your cross and follow me.”
These 3 Essential Truths can be categorized as follows:
The Truth about Jesus
The Truth of the New Covenant
The Truth of the Indwelling Spirit
The Bible teaches each of these truths not only plainly, but continuously. What I mean by that is that each of these 3 truths are seen in Genesis, Revelation, and everywhere in between. They are there at the account of creation… they are there in the prophecies of conclusion… and they flow smoothly through past, present and future.
Now I want to be clear, that these truths are not greater than God, they are simply truths about God, and about the way in which He has chosen to work through humanity for His glory. I also want to warn you that these truths are controversial to say the least. I am not exaggerating when I saw that blood has literally been shed over these truths. Churches have split, persecutions have occurred, and wars have been fought… all because of the polarizing nature of these truths.
I say this for two reasons: first, to let you know that I do not take this study lightly. Secondly, to let you know ahead of time… you might not like what I present. You won’t be the first… You won’t be the last. I do, however, ask that you give me an ear. Take these truths, go to God with them, test them against the scriptures and ask The Lord to bring clarity to your heart and mind.
What will follow over the next year or so will be a series of “articles” in which I will expound upon these truths following and filling in the graphic below as I proceed.
I will begin with The Truth About Jesus, and work my way through the others from there. In some articles I will work linearly through one aspect of one of these truths. In others I will have to work across two or more of them at a time, as certain verses and topics blend two or more of these truths together. In every article I will exegete scripture.
I hope you enjoy what will follow. I pray that God will show you The Truth about who He is and how He has shaped all of history for His purposes.
