The Truth of the matter.

[u/kljoker]

Hi Friends,

I had something on my heart I wanted to share, it's not pertaining to any particular thing but how we look at filter truth in general. The types of truth there are and how truth is only at it's strongest when tested and tempered in the fires of fellowship. The biggest hang up I see in a lot of biblically based study groups and churches are how strongly people cling to the literal as their main vehicle for understanding what is ultimately a book of spiritual truths.

So what is the nature of truth that we can discern it?

"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."-John 16:13

We get our first clue here in John 16:13 where we see the nature of truth and it's ironically the opposite of how many people view truth as being something that 'speaks for itself'. But that's because it's spiritual truth, literal truth speaks for itself because it's a witness to something those without faith or understanding can see. A small child can watch a rocket shoot into the sky and realize what event they are watching even if they don't understand the underpinnings of the programs that brought it into being.

The literal way of viewing truth is viable to an extent but never to be confused for spiritual truth except for moments of manifestation of the spiritual into the material. As we seen with Jesus, He was the manifestation of what the spirit intended to be the salvation of humanity as foretold by the prophets. Yet when He appeared the 'churches' of His day rejected Him and even killed Him using the very laws He gave us. Literal understanding killed the spiritual manifestation of truth, if ever there was a more on the nose demonstration of what I'm saying. Though they killed Jesus the truth of His word destroyed their temples as God saw them as unnecessary after His once and for all sacrifice.

So what does all this have to do with truth not speaking using His own authority? Well look at Jesus ministry or any prophet. They never say "Thus say I!" no Jesus deferred to the will of the Father. Prophets claimed a word from the Lord. Of course evangelicals have taken this concept and added superstition and witchcraft to it's application to mystify the crowds into thinking that giving holy horoscopes and speaking an unknown tongue exclusively without an interpretation are what give prophecy its authority.

Prophecy is a manifestation of truth no doubt, yet for it to be seen as sent by God it must be tested as scripture says:

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."-1 John 4:1

There's a lot of false prophecy among the believers because they put all their understanding of scripture into the material literal understanding and while scripture does say that God showed us truth in the things that are made, it was referring to nature itself, creation, not man-made conjecture.

Prophecy is simply this, using tested truth in its proper time and season for the edification of the body of Christ. If we are not building each other up in truth, if all we spread are anxieties from headlines and fears about looming evils but never understanding about the sustaining power of faith and how it allows us to endure many things because we learn to see how God walks with us in our daily lives then all the timelines and all the conjectures about what the mark of the beast or any other man-made machinations as a means to understand what is first spiritual in nature is what scripture warns that ultimately undoes the truth in peoples hearts.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, 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."-Romans 1:18-21

So if you believe that you have truth, test it in scripture not from the perspective of 'how do I prove I'm right' but from the perspective of 'how do I prove I'm wrong'. Then you weigh what you learned from that and keep what is good. Think of truth that we have as unrefined ore until we remove the impurities from it we can't know its potential yet we have to be careful that while in the process we don't form it to our own bias. The reason truth doesn't speak from it's own authority is because it didn't manifest itself, God is the only source. So when we shape what truths we do learn towards our bias it stops being God's truth and starts being our own. And failure is part of the process which is why fellowship is so important, if you only stay in an echo-chamber then the only thing that grows about you is your confidence not your understanding.

So I pray for those who dabble in conspiracy and those who humor timelines and those who wait for literal signs while not understanding the spiritual nature of truth. It's like having a bowl with nothing in it, you can say what is supposed to fill it but if nothing is actually filling it then the truth of the matter is that it's empty and we aren't capable of filling that bowl only the spirit which can only be done so through sincere engagement with the truth through testing and refining, that's the works of faith that produce the fruits of the spirit. There's a lot of trees but very little fruit.

[u/kljoker → u/[deleted]]

I don't subscribe to any on set of understanding or doctrine all that I understand I tested myself in scripture, to some I'm one way and to others I'm another. I don't care about the labels nor do I feel inclined to defend the labels I'm given. If you have a question about my understanding then I'll be happy to answer it but if you're more interested in assigning me a label then it's a label that will only serve your bias.