Opinion Versus Truth: July 2024
Table of Contents
Opinion Versus Truth
I remember many years ago one of the professors of the University, with whom I was very close and at whose house I was one evening, after a long conversation, turned and said to me, “Look here, doctor, I am earnestly seeking after the truth.” “I have got it, sir,” I replied. “What do you mean?” He asked. “I mean this: I have Christ, and He is the truth.”
Christ is the truth, and I want to draw your attention to these precious words of the Savior — uttered by Him when surrounded by everything that the enmity of man could bring against Him, when betrayed, denied, blindfolded, and passed on from one careless high priest to another, and then trundled away to the judgment-seat of Pilate, a godless man.
He said, “What is truth?” and then turns his back on Truth personified. Ah! my friends, there is many a man doing that today. Pilate is not the only man who has turned his back on the Truth.
W. T. P. Wolston (adapted)
Opinion Versus Truth
I attended the University of Toronto during the 1960s, and every week an issue of the student newspaper called “The Varsity” was published. It is still in circulation, and it has always been an independent paper, published totally by University of Toronto students since 1880. During my student days, I remember noticing that there was almost always a quotation at the top of the front page, related to our opinions. One of them went like this: “Suffer yourselves to be blamed, imprisoned, condemned—yourselves to be hanged—but publish your opinions.” Another line was, “Publish your opinions; it is not only a right: It is a duty.”
Sixty years later we see inquiries on the Internet such as, “Are there any platforms where I can write my opinion?” Or someone asks, “How do I get my op-ed published?” Going back a few years, long before the Internet, an act of parliament in England in 1872 set aside “speakers’ corner” in Hyde Park to be available from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., on Wednesdays and Sundays, for anyone to speak publicly on any subject. In a broader way, we now have large numbers of social media influencers who, because of their supposed knowledge and expertise in various areas, are able to create large followings of people who listen to their views. They give advice on raising children, managing finances, losing weight, and almost anything else that might catch your interest. All are their own opinions, of course! At the moment, large public protests are being held in major cities around the world, where people who feel strongly about a particular point of view are making their voices heard. Most of these protests concern the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. Prior to modern means of communication, it was more difficult to spread one’s thoughts widely, but all down through man’s history, people have wanted to make their opinions known.
Purposes of “Influencers”
For many so-called “influencers” today, we must admit that this is probably an “ego trip” for them, although they may give good advice. However, this advice may be mixed with a desire for personal gain, or it may espouse some particular idea that the influencer wishes to foist on society, in order (hopefully) to change public opinion. The questions that frequently arise are, Can I safely listen to this advice, or is it suspect? Is this individual reliable and telling me the truth? Or is the truth being distorted for ulterior motives? In the news media, we are all familiar with so-called “fake news” and with the distortion of the truth by those who slant their reporting of the news by emphasizing certain details while omitting others. As individuals living in a mixed-up world, we face these questions constantly, but as Christians we must also decide whom to listen to, and especially in moral and spiritual matters. The Internet is full of websites that promise Biblical teaching, but obviously all are not reliable.
The title of this article is “Opinion Versus Truth,” and I am reminded of a frequent saying of an older brother, now with the Lord. He said, “Whenever you say ‘I think’ on any moral or spiritual subject, you think wrong, unless your thinking is founded on the Word of God.” This is a good statement, for the Lord Jesus could say, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s Word gives us absolute truth on moral and spiritual matters, and all opinions on these subjects must be subjected to the light of God’s Word. It should be our desire to become so familiar with God’s Word that whenever a moral question is faced, we immediately think, What does the Bible say about this?
A Way Around the Truth
Even if we know what Scripture says, it is easy to rationalize our way around it and say, “Yes, I know the Bible says that, but my circumstances are different, and therefore that Scripture does not apply to me.” We must remember that we are never wiser than Scripture. God’s Word is for all time, for every culture, and for every circumstance. It is a wonderful thing to have it in our hands, to know that it is truth, and always points us to Christ, who is the truth.
However, there are those who use the Word of God, and yet corrupt the truth. Scriptures may be quoted out of context, or out of balance with other Scriptures. Paul calls this “systematized error” (Eph. 4:14 JND). This brings out the fact that the Spirit of God is the interpreter of Scripture and that there is what Paul calls “the unity of the Spirit,” into which the Spirit of God seeks to lead every Christian, according to the Word of God. Our natural minds can get working in spiritual things, and then our wills can be involved, so that we distort the meaning of God’s Word. It is only by the Spirit of God that we can interpret Scripture in a correct and balanced way.
The Right Place for Opinions
All this then perhaps begs the question: “Are opinions in moral and spiritual matters always out of place?” No, for the Bible itself records those whose opinions were valuable and well worth listening to. We will cite two examples.
When David was king, he had a counsellor named Ahithophel. It is recorded that “the counsel of Ahithophel ... was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God” (2 Sam. 16:23). Note that it does not say that he had enquired of God; it merely says that it was “as if” he had done so. He had an unusual gift of looking at situations and giving good counsel. It was not always on a moral and spiritual matter, and it was not a substitute for seeking counsel from the Lord, but it was well worth David’s attention.
In the New Testament, God saw fit to include in His Word the opinion of the Apostle Paul, when the Corinthians asked him questions about marriage. Paul talks about “my judgment” (1 Cor. 7:25,40), and the word “judgment” has the thought of an opinion. As a godly man and an apostle, his opinion on a matter was very valuable. Some of what he told the Corinthians was from the Lord, while some was his opinion or judgment about a matter.
Thus the opinion of someone who walks with the Lord, and who perhaps has experience, can be most helpful when we face a difficult question. But the Lord must always be the final reference point. Whenever we get advice, it is good to take it to the Lord and ask Him if it is good advice. Only let us be careful not to reject good advice simply because it does not agree with our own thoughts.
The Truth Come From God
In summary, then, we must remember that the truth about everything must ultimately come from God. This is especially true in any moral and spiritual question. However, counsel from others who are equipped to give it can be very valuable, and we should not despise it. Sometimes our own thoughts can override God’s thoughts, and another who looks at the situation can see more clearly. But let us never seek counsel from someone simply because we think that he or she will agree with our point of view. Rather, let us look for someone who walks with the Lord and who knows the Word of God.
W. J. Prost
The Irrationality of Moral Relativism
During the past few years, moral relativism has become very fashionable, especially in the Western world. Although the view has permeated all of society, it is more prevalent among younger people, for a poll done in the United States a few years ago revealed that 83 percent of American teenagers claimed moral truth depends on circumstances; only 6 percent of teens said objective moral values exist. Further, 75 percent of adults (ages 18 to 35) claimed to embrace moral relativism. As the trend continues, older members of society are embracing the same outlook.
With the rejection of God, and Christianity in particular, absolute truth is being abandoned. It seems that Western society wants to avoid the idea that there really is a right and wrong. This is evidenced in our deteriorating judicial systems that have more and more trouble punishing criminals, in our entertainment media which continues to push the tolerance of immorality and indecency, and in our schools which teach evolution and “social tolerance.” Moral relativism is encouraging everyone to accept homosexuality, pornography, fornication, and a host of other “sins” that were once considered wrong but are now being accepted and even promoted in society. More serious, if you venture to speak out against this “anything goes” philosophy, you are labeled as an intolerant bigot, guilty of “hate” crime.
Examples of Relativism
Consider the following quotations, taken from popular books and Internet sites:
“Who are you to impose your moral values on someone else?”
“Western culture is imperialistic and must be stopped.”
“Who are you to say another’s values are wrong?”
“In today’s society, moral values are relative. Society constantly changes from what is acceptable and to what is not. Absolutes would not work because society is changing all the time. People tend to go against what they are told and what should be done. Absolutes simply won’t work. ... Deciding what is right or wrong depends on YOU and your beliefs. It is not something someone can answer simply.”
“Morality is always relative and never absolute. Within the framework of our society, we choose our own personal code of moral conduct.”
“If one believes that there is a global set of absolute morals which everyone must follow, then the immediate questions arise: What are those morals, and how do we know? Since no religion in history has ever agreed on a set of absolute morals, and even members of the same religion often disagree as well, we think that the concept of absolute morality is useless. Since anyone could declare that their particular moral beliefs are absolute (and many do), and no one can demonstrate the validity of those claims, the whole thing is arbitrary. Anything goes in that system of belief, for any rule can be declared absolute.”
“EVERYTHING in this life is relative, including truth!”
We could multiply quotations, but these will serve to show the kind of thinking that is gradually overtaking society, not only in Western countries, but also in other parts of the world. In this article we would like to show the irrationality of moral relativity.
Truth Is Not Relative
First of all, the term moral relativity is itself illogical, for morals, to be right and thus enforceable, must be true. Further, what is true must be absolute, or it is not truth. One of the quotations above represents a rather common outlook, namely, that “everything is this life is relative, including truth!” If this statement stands, then you may have “your” truth and I may have “my” truth, even if they contradict each other. If truth is reduced to being relative and subject to mere opinion, it ceases to be truth. Two contradictory propositions cannot both be true at the same time.
Second, those who claim to believe in moral relativity actually believe in absolute truth! For example, a “moral relativist” may well say, “All views are equally acceptable,” or “You ought not to impose your morality on others.” However, these statements, by definition, are absolutes, since the moral relativist claims that they are true for everyone, not simply him/her. On a different question, we frequently hear the statement, “You may do whatever you want, as long as you do not hurt anyone.” But then a true relativist may ask, “Why is it wrong to hurt someone?” And if it is wrong, then this is, in itself, making up an absolute moral standard. They are really trying to use absolute truth to support moral relativity.
A Belief of Convenience
Third, those who are proud to be “moral relativists” are often rather selective in choosing their subjects; their relativistic thinking usually concerns God, religion and issues of right and wrong. Why is this? Simply because bringing God into our lives threatens our basic wish to exercise our own will. Scripture says, “The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7). The moral relativist rarely questions everyday things that do not judge him, such as health issues, geography and traffic rules. It is moral issues that cause the problem. But then, even in moral issues, most relativists are selective. Most relativists would condemn such things as oppressing women, genocide or ethnic cleansing, denying certain races civil rights and terrorism. If one presumes to do this, he cannot claim to believe in moral relativity. It seems that relativity in moral issues is a belief of convenience. The reality is that absolute truth crosses man’s will and bothers his conscience. This is where man resorts to moral relativism.
Coupled with this selectivity is the fact that all relativists are inconsistent when their theories affect their own persons. Some time ago, a believer was speaking in the dormitory of an American university. After the speech, the student called the speaker to his room for further discussion and made the statement, “Whatever is true for you is true for you and whatever is true for me is true for me. If something works for you because you believe it, that’s great. But no one should force his or her views on other people, since everything is relative.” As the believer was leaving the room he casually unplugged the student’s stereo system and started out the door with it. When the student protested, the believer remarked, “Surely you are not going to force on me the belief that it is wrong to steal!” (As a result of this encounter, the student later accepted Christ.)
God and the Conscience
Finally, we cannot escape the truth. To ignore absolutes is to live in an unreal world; it is to deny what, to an unbiased mind, is obvious. Such entities in the world as AIDS, poverty and famine, to name a few, cannot be dismissed by saying that they may be a problem for you, but not for me. More than this, man’s conscience, even though defiled by sin, innately tells him that certain things are wrong. Finally, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handywork” (Psa. 19:1). Man cannot logically escape the fact that there is a God, and a God to whom he is responsible. The knowledge that there is a God makes moral relativity impossible.
W. J. Prost
The Treatment of Truth
The way that truth and opinions are being treated by men in these Laodicean times is preparing the way for the coming days of greater darkness and delusion. Scripture speaks of one whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of a lie, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. As the Christian revelation has surpassed in fullness and depth all others and the attitude of men to it has been one of utmost antagonism, so it is that the alternative error to which they have resigned themselves will be the darkest ever known. “For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess. 2:11-12). Involved in it also are the Jews who will be on the earth at that time — those who possessed a definite written revelation from God. They too will experience the retribution that their haughty refusal of the truth has merited. The lie is compounded of the elements suitable to each — Gentile and Jew—for they themselves supplied the ingredients for the cup of their delusion. All this is a terrible culmination to the history of error in the world. Truth, too, shall have its day, when its extension throughout the earth shall be such as to make good the simile “as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9). How grave and vital the issues of both judgment and blessing, which run where we cannot follow them now, but shall hereafter, into eternity itself!
The Sway of Truth and Error
Truth and error are two forces at work in the world, exercising their sway over the minds and hearts of men, their thoughts and words being constantly actuated and prompted by either of them. Each of them has a history behind it and a future before it. In the case of truth, those who have in simplicity received it from God have had light from and communion with Him. Their path is as “the path of the just ... that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18). Tampering with or turning from it, men have but laid themselves open to the deception of the enemy, whose error has easily supplanted the truth for which they have no heart. In all this, they are compassing themselves about with sparks of their own kindling.
In a day of such unparalleled activity of mind as the present, it becomes men to consider by which of these forces, truth or error, they are being controlled. How various the attitudes men have had, in taking up opinions towards His truth! Is not Pilate’s attitude common today (see John 18:38)? Have not Eve’s children followed their mother on many occasions? In the giddy godlessness of the world, how many seek a refuge where the voice of truth may be drowned! Thus the strange history of man goes on. If man disowns and disobeys, is it so strange that now he seeks to discredit a divine revelation? The Scriptures are now the sole repository of the truth, being the Word of God which lives and abides forever. It is inspired of Him, being absolutely infallible in every detail and worthy therefore of every confidence. It is to be heard and received, and through faith in God is the means, by the power of the Holy Spirit, of new birth and reconciliation. To saints it is the voice of God Himself, revealing His counsels and purposes concerning Christ, concerning themselves, and all else, and at the same time is the expression of His mind and will for them in their pathway here. May the truth be prized by His people and held forth. Let us remember that men are warned of their point of departure from it by the attitude we assume towards it!
J. Timley (adapted)
God' s Truth
I believe Scripture to be the Word of God; it is a revelation from God of His mind, His thoughts, His purposes and His counsels. We have in the Scriptures the truth written, and in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ we have truth incarnate. The result is that the man who receives the truth of Scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit will invariably be brought into contact with Christ who is the Truth.
First then, you may ask me, “What is truth?” Truth is the exact, the perfect and the absolute expression and delineation of that which is. Scripture does not say that God is the Truth. God is true, but of the Lord Jesus Christ it is said, “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). He Himself has said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He was the Truth, and He was the truth about everything — the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth about the heart of God, the nature of God, and the claims of God, and the truth, moreover, about man in every possible relation of his being.
He was no mere man, for He was also truly God. Nevertheless, He was a real, true, perfect man, and as man He was in this world to declare God and to meet man divinely. “To this end,” He says, “was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth” (John 18:37). None could reveal God and none could unveil the love of God or declare the heart of God other than He who came from God. There was none who knew the claims of God and could meet those claims, except the One who came from God. He must come from God if He is to bring God to us, and He must be a man, a veritable man, to bring us to God, because we are men and sinners. Sin carries its consequences and merits judgment, and the truth as to this alone is seen fully in Christ.
The Absolute Truth
In the Lord Jesus Christ, the absolute truth about everything is beautifully blended. The perfect and whole truth about everything is seen in every part, and not one side of the truth more than another. We get the truth that “God is love,” for instance, and we see the reality of the truth of God’s love in Christ’s self-sacrifice, for He gave Himself that He might unveil the heart of God to us and bring us to God by His death.
Jesus said that He was the Son of God. Only the Son could make the Father known. Surely, as He Himself says, “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). This claim must either be accepted or rejected. I must either own what He says, I must acknowledge the truth that He came from heaven, or I must refuse absolutely to believe it and proclaim Christ to be One who knowingly spoke what was not true. If He said a single word which was not true, then He cannot be the Truth. I do not mince matters, for I must either own Him to be what He said He was or else deny Him every right to the allegiance of my heart and conscience.
He Is Who He Said He Was
Although I thus speak, I delight to acknowledge and heartily believe that He is who He said He was. I have proved Him to be what He said He was — a Savior. If you have never known Him as your Savior, but accept the truth of what He says concerning Himself, then you will find out that you need a Savior and that He is that Savior, and He alone. I know well that men would like to set aside His claim on the ground that they do not need saving. But we have to go into eternity! We have to meet God, and how are we going to meet Him? Are you fitted to meet Him? The Lord said, “Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.”
I come therefore to the question, an important one for you and for me: Have I got the truth? If I am not of the truth, I have not heard His voice. The man who has not heard the voice of the Son of God does not possess the truth. You can hear other voices, for there are plenty of voices these days. The voice of the truth is that of Him who could say, “I am the truth,” and who could say to the man who told Him he had power to put Him to death, “Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin” (John 19:11). He it is who says, “Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.” Have you heard His voice?
W. T. P. Wolston (adapted)
The Plenary (Absolute) Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures
Now, in pondering the path of our Lord, in considering His marvelous life, there is one point which demands our profound and reverent attention, and that is the way in which He ever used the Word of God — the place which He ever gave to the Holy Scriptures. This we consider to be a subject of great importance at the present moment. The Word of God gets its own paramount place as the only rule, the only standard, the only authority for man. It meets him in every position, in every relationship, in every sphere of action, and in every stage of his moral and spiritual history. It tells him what he ought to do and what he ought not. It furnishes him with ample guidance in every difficulty. It descends, as we shall see, to the most minute details — such details, indeed, as fill us with amazement to think that the high and mighty One that inhabits eternity could occupy Himself with them — to think that the omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the vast universe could stoop to legislate about a bird’s nest (Deut. 22:6).
Such is the Word of God, that peerless revelation, that perfect and inimitable volume which stands alone in the history of literature. And we may say that one special charm of the book of Deuteronomy is the way in which it exalts the Word of God and enforces upon us the holy and happy duty of unqualified and unhesitating obedience.
Obedience
Yes, we repeat, and would fervently emphasize the words — unqualified and unhesitating obedience. We would have these words sounded in the ears of Christian professors throughout the length and breadth of the earth. We live in a day specially marked by the setting up of man’s reason, man’s judgment, man’s will. In short, we live in what the inspired Apostle calls “man’s day” (1 Cor. 4:3 JnD). On all hands we are encountered by lofty and boastful words about human reason and the right of every man to judge and reason and think for himself. The thought of being absolutely and completely governed by the authority of Holy Scripture is treated with sovereign contempt by many who are the religious guides and teachers of the professing church. For anyone to assert his reverent belief in the plenary inspiration, the all-sufficiency and the absolute authority of Scripture is quite sufficient to stamp him as an ignorant, narrow-minded man, in the judgment of some who occupy the very highest position in the professing church. In our universities, our colleges, and our schools, the moral glory of the divine volume is fast fading away, and instead our young people are led and taught to walk in the light of science and the light of human reason. The Word of God itself is impiously placed at the bar of man’s judgment and reduced to the level of the human understanding. Everything is rejected which soars beyond man’s feeble vision.
Human Judgment
Thus the Word of God is virtually set aside, for clearly, if Scripture is to be submitted to human judgment, it ceases to be the Word of God. It is the very height of folly to think of submitting a divine and therefore perfect revelation to any tribunal whatsoever. Either God has given us a revelation or He has not. If He has, that revelation must be paramount, supreme, above and beyond all question, absolutely unquestionable, unerring, divine. To its authority all must bow down without a single question. To suppose for a moment that man is competent to judge the Word of God, able to pronounce upon what is or what is not worthy of God to say or to write, is simply to put man in God’s place. And this is precisely what the devil is aiming at, although many of his instruments are not aware that they are helping on his designs.
But we feel persuaded that the most dignified and effective answer to infidelity, in its every phase, will be found in the calm repose of the heart that rests in the blessed assurance that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). And again, “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). The former of these precious quotations proves that Scripture has come from God; the latter, that it has come to us. Both together go to prove that we must neither add to nor take from the Word of God. There is nothing lacking and nothing superfluous. The Lord be praised for this solid foundation truth and for all the comfort and consolation that flows from it to every true believer.
C. H. Mackintosh
Truth
Truth cannot be separated from the Lord Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” This is objectively; subjectively the Spirit is the truth as having come from the glorified Christ.
Bible Dictionary, G. Morrish
Christ's Good Confession
Paul, in giving his son Timothy a solemn injunction to keep “this commandment without spot” (1 Tim. 6:14), charged him “in the sight of God” and of “Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession.” He links Christ Jesus with God in the wording of this solemn charge. God is spoken of as the quickener [or sustainer] of all things, and the one feature that marks the Lord Jesus Christ is the “good confession” He made before the Roman governor. No reference is made to His glorious resurrection or ascension, nor indeed to any of the miracles which He did, bearing, as each of them did, so rich a testimony to His power and grace; but special notice is taken of His conduct before the judge. “To this end,” He says, “was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice” (John 18:37). And now, assuredly, we reach the “good confession.”
The commandment that Paul enjoined so earnestly on Timothy was that he should keep the truth, and that Christianity in its pure and heavenly nature, in its close relation with the new creation, and in its unworldly source and character, should be strenuously maintained by him.
The Pillar and Ground of the Truth
The church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” — the witness to it — so that, if not found in her, it cannot be found anywhere. Timothy, too, had an individual part to bear in this sacred witness. Now, says the Lord, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.” That, amid a thousand other most gracious objects, was the one grand point in His birth and entrance into the world. It is quite true that He was “born King of the Jews,” but He was quite as truly born a witness to the truth.
Christ's Confession Before Pilate
To come into the world, He must have existed before that coming. And thus we have His Godhead stated as simply. We have the “I” who was born, and the “I” who came — the “I” of Bethlehem, and the “I” who was before Abraham (John 8:58). Yet, He it was who stood in human form and in lowly grace before Pontius Pilate. And had no one the eye to see, in that lowly form, One who was infinitely more than “the Man Christ Jesus,” who had been sent by the High Priest as a prisoner to the judge? An opened eye was assuredly needed.
To be “of the truth” is needed for this; then, and only then, is His voice heard.
“What is truth?” said Pilate, as he passed away from His presence who was the Truth.
The same quiet firmness marks our blessed Lord in bearing witness to the truth, as marked Him in acknowledging His kingship. His confession before Pilate was unfaltering; it was “good.”
A Stimulus to Faith
And now, we may see, perhaps, why Paul emphasized to Timothy the instance of the Master’s confession before Pilate, as an incentive to his own testimony. The bright example of Jesus is ever the truest encouragement and stimulus to the faith of His followers. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life” says Paul. The fight is good, though stiff; and the life is true and precious and eternal, “whereunto,” he adds, “thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:12). These are words of comfort and cheer (not of flattery) for the oft-tried heart of this faithful young soldier.
It is important to remember that Christ Jesus witnessed a “good confession” before Pontius Pilate, as an example to ourselves that we should do the same. May we follow Him!
J. Wilson Smith (adapted)
As the truth Is in Jesus
“As the truth is in Jesus;” it is not doctrine, though doctrine is contained in it. The truth as it is in Jesus is the having put off the old man and put on the new —this having been done by faith. Then he adds, “and being renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The putting off and the putting on are not in the present tense, whereas being renewed in the spirit of your mind is. The truth is, that you have put off the old man, but you do want renewing. In Colossians (chap. 3) it is distinct: “Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new.”
In the epistle to the Ephesians he is not saying directly to them what they have done, but saying what the truth is in Jesus. So it is more abstract. The truth in Jesus is having put off and having put on. Being renewed is present — the renewing of the spirit of your mind is a thing that is always going on.
J. N. Darby
Toleration and Truth
There is a great cry today against intolerance and bigotry, and a proportionate pushing of tolerance and liberality. Progress in the search after what the world calls truth is said to be hindered by dogmatic opinions or teaching. What man believed in times past is quite unsuited to this more advanced age. We are told that it is presumption for any man to express conviction in a settled opinion upon any religious question or doctrine. Many, indeed, are asking, “What is Truth?” and “Who will show us any good?” but very few wait for an answer.
Toleration, then, is the order of the present day, and men may hold what they please provided they will not interfere with their neighbors’ opinions and limit the suitability of their own opinions to themselves. But it was not always so, neither will it always continue, but it is the cry of the moment.
What, then, is toleration, and why and what are we to tolerate? The very word implies a state of imperfection. If all were of one mind, there would be no toleration needed; if good universally prevailed, there would be nothing to tolerate.
Toleration in the Right Sense
In a sense and in degree toleration is right, for God himself tolerates—exhibits patience and long-suffering. His own Word and every man’s experience teaches this. But with God, toleration has a limit, and it must be so, for though in grace for a time He may “endure with much long-suffering,” He could not always do so without a denial of His character. A Being who eternally tolerated evil would not be good, holy or righteous, and a state in which toleration was eternally called for would not be a perfect one. Toleration, even on God’s part, must therefore be limited, both in its extent and its duration.
But there is another side to the question. Though in patience and grace a being who is perfectly good may, for a time and for an object, tolerate evil, toleration exercised by beings in themselves not good but evil assumes another and very different aspect. If a being who is perfectly good tolerates evil, it must be for a good end, or he would not be good, but if an imperfect being exercises toleration, we must suspect both the motive and the end. To speak of evil tolerating evil sounds paradoxical, yet as a matter of fact we meet it constantly in the world, and it is the spirit of that which people call “agreeing to differ.”
Toleration, then, on the part of fallible or imperfect beings springs from several motives: first, from such self-condemnation as to render the judgment of others in like doubtful circumstances impossible; second, from the inability to enforce one’s own views and opinions, owing to a balance of power in those opposed to them; or third, from the lack of certainty and conviction of the truth of what they do hold.
Now, while the first is true of man in his natural state (Rom. 1:31; 2:1) and the second undoubtedly underlies all forms of doctrinal error, whether infidel or superstitious, the third, we believe, is the motive of much that is called religious toleration. Men are uncertain in their opinions; they have no solid foundation for their belief.
The power of some who have claimed to be unerring in whatever they believe is gradually waning. Their assumptions no longer raise fear in men’s hearts, but rather a smile on their lips. Another spirit and a superior power has been slowly developing. Man’s reason is asserting its claim, and the charity and toleration of our day is mainly the fruit of the coexistence. We say mainly, for we do not deny but say that there is also a measure of true Christian forbearance also in exercise, and often it is in combination with less pure motives. The world will yet experience again the intolerance of an overbearing power of evil. As the influence of superstition still further wanes and the present necessity of mutual toleration ceases (for toleration will always lessen as the balance of power tends more and more in one direction, and will cease when such power can assert itself), so will the tyranny and selfishness of man uncontrolled by religion, whether false or true, be developed in the Antichrist—the man of sin, the lawless, the wicked one, spoken of in the Scriptures (Dan. 8:23; 11:36; 2 Thess. 2; Rev. 13).
Hitherto we have been speaking of the character and spirit of the toleration now common in the world, but we also desire to say a few words for the help of those who, desiring to know and do the will of God, are yet in difficulty as to what to allow and what to refuse.
On this subject, as on every other in which the professing people of God are concerned, we can go nowhere for instruction but to God and to His Word. His ways must be our example, His Word our precept. All will admit that if there be any revelation of God, there must also exist in connection with it a standard of right and of truth, if it only be apprehended. But, while this is admitted in a general way, there is the greatest hesitation on the part of men either to grasp this standard for themselves or to admit that others may have attained to it. Christendom acknowledges Christianity as God’s revelation, yet for the most part argues as if the arrival at a divine certainty of God’s truth were impossible—as if, in fact, God, who gave revelation, had not intended or was unable to bring it home to the hearts and understandings of those for whom it has been made. Hence dogmatism is deprecated, and strong convictions generally demurred to.
Confidence
Before we can venture to be tolerant or intolerant, the first point to be settled is the confidence and ground of the individual soul. Unless we know and are persuaded that we have the truth, it is certainly impossible for us with any decency or power to exhibit intolerance of the opinions of others. If, for instance, one knows not for himself salvation as a possession, one cannot honestly be intolerant of the views held by others on the subject. One may not agree with them, but one must tolerate them.
On the other hand, the soul that knows by divine faith that it has salvation from God solely on the ground of the death and resurrection of Christ, this soul has a positive confidence and a standard on this point, and it renders him necessarily intolerant of every opinion which may be advanced against it. “I know whom I have believed” is the language of such. There are certain things in which theory will not stand against possession, and this is one. Opinions and theories about salvation may be as clear as the day, but the one that has the thing itself alone can judge their value.
Where Toleration Is Wrong
Toleration of sin and of evil doctrine are denounced by God, such as 1 Corinthians 5; 1 Timothy 5:22; 3 John; and Revelation 2:14-16; 3:15-16. The warnings of Christ to the churches are solemn words in the present day, when men tolerate every form of evil under the common name of Christianity and deprecate the judgment of teachings that are most dishonoring to Christ and His work. How do the words of Malachi 2:17 apply to such: “Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delighteth in them.”
When the heart and mind are persuaded and pervaded by the truth of God, we do not speak of “my opinions,” and we do not, and ought not, to set up our opinions against those of others. It is not that “I think one thing and you another, and we shall never agree,” but it is that I believe God, that I have submitted to His Word, I have accepted and adopted His thoughts, He has answered every question of my heart, and He alone can answer truly any question of any heart. What may be advanced to the contrary is not against the believer’s opinions merely, but against the Word of God in whom he has believed, and thus false doctrine or opinions contrary to such an one’s faith cannot be tolerated or admitted as having any weight or claim whatever. In dealing with them, grace and wisdom are, however, needed, and the believer has to judge, and has the ability also to judge (1 Cor. 2:11-15) the spirit in which they may be advanced. He will make a difference between the teacher of evil doctrine and those taught and deceived thereby. While after admonition he will reject the former and tolerate neither the teacher nor the teaching, he will have compassion on the latter—the one who is ignorant and deceived, and while refusing and correcting the error, will in no wise reject the person. The believer will “have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way”; he will lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for the feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. In meekness also he will endeavor to instruct those that oppose themselves. Here, however, there is danger of failure. Often we lack patience with those whose hearts are truly upright, but who are unskillful in the word of righteousness, or have been deceived by false teaching. Or, again, in tolerating the person who is ignorant we go too far, and tolerate, or appear to tolerate, his opinions and ways, and thus are unfaithful to the person, and to God and His Word. “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity,” and if the believer sees one in ignorance, even linked with that which in any degree is contrary to the mind and truth of Christ, he must not touch the evil which he knows to be evil out of any consideration of love for the other. For instance, one dear to us may be linked with a false system of religious doctrine, which we know to be contrary to God. Are we to say that he believes it and therefore we must acknowledge his right to practice it and aid him in doing so? Surely not! We must no more acknowledge for another the right to believe and practice error than for ourselves.
Grace and Truth
In a sense there is nothing so intolerant as truth, yet the one who has truth knows that both “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” and he does not therefore separate what God has thus joined together in the revelation of Himself. On the other hand, error knows not grace, and cannot show it. When unchecked by a conflicting power, error propagates itself by force, fraud, and cruelty. To be persuaded in our own souls that so far as we have attained (for we only know in part; 1 Cor. 13:9; Phil. 3:12-13), we hold the truth as God Himself, who enables us, while unsparing towards error, we seek to manifest the toleration and long-suffering of God towards those who are deceived thereby.
With regard to toleration of the religious opinions of others, which is so strongly advocated today, we would observe that nothing is more resented by many professing Christians than to have their profession judged. There is in Scripture a distinct recognition of a “without” and a “within.” All who call themselves Christians take the inside place. “Do not ye judge them that are within?” Every professing Christian is, therefore, open to judgment, and all that such can require is that they may be judged by the Word of God, and not by the measure of another’s, or even of their own, conscience. If we can bear that test, we can say with the Apostle that with us it is a very small thing to be judged of man’s judgment.
Finally, we need to examine our own position and practice as to toleration and ascertain whether in our own hearts we are persuaded and satisfied with God’s revelation (we do not say with man’s interpretation of it, but with the revelation itself)—Christ, the Son of the living God. Is not He the One who has the words of eternal life, God manifest in flesh, crucified in weakness, declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection of the dead, and now by the right hand of God exalted? Is He so the ground of our peace and confidence? Has the Word which reveals Him so laid hold of our souls that we can say, “Let God be true, though (if need be) every man a liar?” Do we believe God rather than man, and know and recognize the immeasurable claim which He has, not only on our love, but on our obedience and life?
H. B., Present Testimony (adapted)
The Interpretation of Truth
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6)
Man, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, is only the interpreter of the heavenly oracles. Hence arises a limit in the service of truth. I must cease to interpret when I cease to understand. It may be the consequence of my negligence that I do not understand. Be it so. The acknowledgment of this may prove a spur to my diligence (especially if I bear in mind the word, “to him that hath shall be given”); but it is certainly no warrant to cover ignorance by the pretence of knowledge. How many expositions of Scripture are to be met with, whose contradictions among themselves show that it is not truth that is presented, but the uncertain and ever-varying notions of men. What, then, in writing, or in oral teaching, profits? The definiteness of truth; truth, doubtless applied by the Holy Spirit to the conscience and the heart — still, the definiteness of truth. That there may be an effect where this is absent, I do not deny. But what is it? The effect of making people think, if they think at all, that Scripture is as vague and pointless as any exposition of its declarations. Still, I affirm that truth is definite, or it is not truth. Boundless in its extent it is, and infinitely varied in its application, but always definite. Where this definiteness is not grasped, uncertainty and unpreparedness for action are the necessary result. An easy-going orthodox profession may be satisfied with vagueness and generality, nay, with vapidness and insipidity; but if the truth is to detach souls from the world, to bring into peace and liberty, and to direct to the just hope of a Christian, it must be definite.
Bible Treasury, Vol. 4
Weariness and Indifference as to Truth
There is especial danger of the mind becoming weary and indifferent in the search after what is vital, and so taking refuge in the question, “What is truth?” as if it allowed of no definite or sufficient answer. This state of mind, in degree, may infest the church, as well as become the prevalent folly of the world. The producing causes are to be found in the very constitution of the human mind, when acted upon by the peculiar influences of the present day.
Besides, there are many things short of the patent dislike of the truth that may tend to keep the mind in a state of hesitating equilibrium. The real solution of many a perplexing and doubtful case is to be found in the words of Christ, “How can ye believe who receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor which cometh from God only?” (John 5:44), or in the sterner declaration, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Luke 16:13). The world is in direct antagonism to the Father, and hence, to the degree that the world, in whatever form, has its hold unrelaxed upon my heart, I shall be indisposed to listen to the communications of the Father through the Son. I do not oppose; I do not disbelieve; I only doubt. I doubt the meaning here; I doubt the application there; I doubt the possibility of carrying it out in this place.
But we must recognize this, that truth will never be truth to our souls until it is translated into action! Truth may appeal to our conscience, to our affections, to our duty, with all the authority of the God of truth. At first it deals with us about ruin or redemption. It next claims to be formative of our motives, to be the guide of our actions, the director of our thoughts, the animator of our hopes, the overseer of our whole inner, as well as our outer, life. But truth does not exist for us, if we refuse it our obedience and our heart.
Bible Treasury, Vol. 4
The Spirit' s Light
The Spirit breathes upon the Word,
And brings the truth to light;
Precepts and promises afford
A sanctifying sight.
A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun;
It gives a light to every age …
It gives, but borrows none.
So reasoner, in this modern age,
To God’s own Word take heed;
Proclaiming truth from every page,
Its wisdom meets our need.
W. Cowper