Encounter the Truth

Jonathan Griffiths: Now, when we're aware of our sin, and we're aware of our failure, when we're discouraged, we're open to legalism, to harsh rule-keeping, to law that replaces gospel. It is a time of vulnerability. We can actually slip away from believing firmly in a gospel of justification by faith and slip into thinking again that our works play a part in our standing before God.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths. I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us as we continue a message we began last time called "Do Not Be Deluded."

Steve Hiller: And Jonathan, I think you've just hit on something that a lot of us have wrestled with at times over the years. And that is that temptation or that pull that we may feel that our works matter in such a way that if we behave a certain way, if we act a certain way, God may like us a little bit more, but that's not actually biblical truth, is it?

Jonathan Griffiths: It's not biblical truth, and in times of discouragement, in seasons of difficulty, we particularly need to be reminded of that. If our trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his saving work at Calvary, then God the Father sees us in and through the person of Christ, and our standing is based entirely on Jesus's standing. It's nothing of ourselves.

Jonathan Griffiths: So, whether I've taken time to read my Bible this morning or I haven't, whether I've stumbled in sin or I haven't, my standing before the Father, my judicial standing, is unchanged because of Jesus.

Jonathan Griffiths: But in times of discouragement, or at times where we feel we've done badly, in spiritually low seasons, we will be vulnerable to the suggestion that actually what counts is our works, what counts before the Father is our achievement in moral or spiritual terms. And we need to turn our eyes once again to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him entirely.

Steve Hiller: Well, let's continue to look at this from the book of Colossians. We're in chapter two, looking at the first four verses as we continue our message, "Do Not Be Deluded."

Steve Hiller: Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Now, protection number two, a unity in love. Paul struggles for them, verse two, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love.

Jonathan Griffiths: One question we have pondered is whether there are ways in which we could adapt our building here to make it an effective refuge center for times of emergency or disaster. Could we modify the building and its backup systems and so on to enable it to serve as a resource of that kind, a place where people could come for refuge and shelter and safety, a place of security in the face of threats.

Jonathan Griffiths: The storm that we experienced recently naturally raises that question for us once more. Now, I don't know if that's something we'll ever pursue, but I want to capture that image and that idea in our mind's eye just for a moment, because the reality is that the local church, the assembly, the fellowship of believers, this is a place of collective safety.

Jonathan Griffiths: We have a security together that we do not have apart. That's important for us to remember, living as we do in such an individualistic age.

Jonathan Griffiths: So often we think of ourselves as lone rangers traveling through this world, rugged individualists. So often in our society, people are tremendously isolated and do have to navigate the challenges of life more or less alone. But the very nature and the very design of the Christian life is for us to function together, to live together, and to face together the challenges and perils that may come our way.

Jonathan Griffiths: And nowhere is that more true than in the case of the integrity of our doctrine and our defense against error. We hold to the truth, not just individually, but collectively and together as a church family. We sit under the preaching of the Word of God. We have an eldership that gives us direction in our doctrine. We hold together to a shared understanding of the truth.

Jonathan Griffiths: We remind one another of the truth. We act as a form of accountability for one another in believing and teaching the truth. And that is a guard for us against error and drift.

Jonathan Griffiths: It's a well-worn thing to say that we're stronger together than we are apart, but it's really true, isn't it, when it comes to the church and when it comes to our collective hold on the truth. And all this, it is grounded in relationship, in care for one another. It is grounded in our love for one another within the Christian family.

Jonathan Griffiths: As we are knit together in love, to use Paul's own language here, we are bound together in a place of protection and a place of safety. And Paul sees that. Paul knows it. And he's urgent in his prayers that this knitting together in love, this unity in love, would be protected and would be preserved.

Jonathan Griffiths: He knows that if the love cools within the fellowship, if the relationships start to fray, if the community bonds start to break down, the people will become more and more vulnerable to those plausible arguments that come in. And we see what happens when relationships start to fray, don't we?

Jonathan Griffiths: If a church teaches the Bible pretty faithfully, but something goes wrong relationally and relationships deteriorate and people then start scattering to other places, what we'll find is that some of the displaced people will seek out churches with sound Bible teaching, with similar doctrine. But you know, others will associate their disappointment and their hurt with the doctrine that they received, and they'll end up either abandoning church altogether or seeking out a church with a different kind of theology.

Jonathan Griffiths: That's what happens, doesn't it? You've probably seen it. And suddenly they are vulnerable to plausible arguments that may come along. We know it with our children and our young people, don't we? We've seen it. The relationships are so important. And if they're here and being loved, and they see the truth, well, they'll be guarded within that.

Jonathan Griffiths: But if the bonds of love cool, and the young people drift away from the church family, over time, we know the danger, we know the vulnerability, and the plausible arguments of false teachers can easily find a hearing and then start to take root.

Jonathan Griffiths: And so friends, if we would be guarded from error, if we would stay grounded firmly in the truth, we need to invest not only in our sound theological understanding, we need to invest in our relationships as well within the church. We need to ensure that we stick together and function well together.

Jonathan Griffiths: We need to be careful, don't we, that we aren't people who prize truth in a vacuum, who just care about doctrine. We need to make sure that alongside doctrine we care about people, that we care about love and truth at the same time.

Jonathan Griffiths: The local church, the family of God, it is a place of refuge and protection for us. And so Paul strives, he strives in prayer, he strives in his teaching for the bonds of love of the believers to be strong, for the Colossians to be knit together.

Jonathan Griffiths: That's our second defense against being deluded, our second protection. And the third one is this, an assurance of understanding.

Jonathan Griffiths: Paul struggles prayerfully that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery which is Christ, in whom are hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Jonathan Griffiths: It's an awful thing, isn't it, to be in a perpetual state of being somewhat unsure, somewhat uncertain, somewhat unconvinced of key truth. It's like the experience of being in another country and navigating a new city or a new town. Got somewhere you've got to go and you're following the map, you've got the address, but everything's unfamiliar.

Jonathan Griffiths: You don't quite know the rules of the road, you don't know which lane to be in. Can you do a right turn on red here? I remember we were in Italy once. We rented a car and driving in Italy is another, it's another thing. And you go into these beautiful historic towns and you're driving into the town square this cobble place, no other cars, you think, are you even allowed to drive in here? This place feels like a museum, I've no idea. Am I breaking all the rules at once?

Jonathan Griffiths: The street signs seem vague, you've had that experience, or worse, they're in another language and with each turn, each junction, you're uncertain, you feel shaky, even if you've got the GPS chirping out the instructions at you.

Jonathan Griffiths: Many students among us have just come through exams or are just going through exams. It's an awful thing, isn't it, to go through an exam paper with a lack of assurance of your knowledge and understanding. You stare at those questions and you feel like a deer in the headlights. Ever had that experience? It's not a nice one.

Jonathan Griffiths: Stuff is coming at you, you're taken by surprise, you're in this state of numb shock. You sense that this is going to hurt in the end when the impact comes. And as you travel through that paper question by question, you have a profound lack of assurance that you're doing the right thing, saying the right thing, answering in the right kind of way.

Jonathan Griffiths: Being uncertain, unsure, unconvinced, is to be in a place of vulnerability. It's to be in a place of danger. It's true when traveling in an unfamiliar place. It's true in the exam room, and it's true in the church pew and in the spiritual realm.

Jonathan Griffiths: And that is why Paul is so concerned that the Colossians should come to a place of assurance in their understanding of the truth, a place of secure knowledge of the mystery of God, His great truth that has now been revealed, that is Christ.

Jonathan Griffiths: What's interesting here to me is that Paul knows that these believers have heard the truth and have received the truth. They've been converted to Christ. Remember again his opening words of thanksgiving in chapter one, "The word of truth," verse five, came to them, they understood it, verse six, and it is bearing fruit among them. They're real believers.

Jonathan Griffiths: So Paul is not saying here in chapter two, "I have this struggle in prayer and in my ministry of writing to you. I have this struggle and this burden for you to come to faith and to arrive at a basic understanding of the truth. I'm longing for you to be converted." No, that's not what he's saying.

Jonathan Griffiths: He's talking to a people who already know the truth, who already belong to Christ, and he is longing that they will have full assurance of understanding. It's their sense of assurance, we might say their sense of conviction that concerns him. That's what he's praying for. That's what he's longing for.

Jonathan Griffiths: Now, that that's striking, isn't it? That's interesting. Paul sees the real possibility here that people could know the truth and believe the truth, but have an insufficient assurance of the truth that won't carry them through challenges and preserve them from delusions.

Jonathan Griffiths: And as I reflect upon that dynamic, I have to say, I think he's really on to something here. I think he is perceiving a reality within the church, within the family of God, which is true today as it was then.

Jonathan Griffiths: And the reality is this. Many of us, perhaps, will have a true trust in Jesus, a belief in the gospel, which is genuine and which is saving, but is not sufficiently grounded and growing. It's not rooted in the scriptures as it could be. It's not as robust and as well thought through as it might be.

Jonathan Griffiths: And although the faith is genuine and the faith is real, when the next plausible-sounding idea rolls along, when the next misguided and misguiding book hits the Christian marketplace, when the next quirky podcast launches, they're taken in and they're deluded.

Jonathan Griffiths: Such people are real Christians, but they are at the same time easy targets. Easy targets for false teachers. And the problem is not that they have bad motives or a lack of love for the Lord. They simply don't have a firm enough grasp of the truth to have full assurance of understanding.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths, and we have to pause the message right here, but stay with us. We'll get back to this look at Colossians chapter two in just a moment.

Steve Hiller: You know, we're looking at the Apostle Paul's writings, but have you ever wondered about the gospel writings? Those first four books of the New Testament that really present what Jesus taught and how he lived while he was here on earth among us some 2,000 years ago. Can we accept those books as historically accurate? Is there evidence to be able to do that?

Steve Hiller: Well, Peter Williams addresses that in his book, "Can We Trust the Gospel?" He looks at evidence from non-Christian sources. Addresses how accurately these four biblical accounts reflect the cultural context of their day. He compares the different accounts of these events and then he looks at how these texts were handed down throughout the centuries.

Steve Hiller: We'd love to send you a copy of this book, "Can We Trust the Gospels" as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can find out more or give online at encounterthetruth.org. That's encounterthetruth.org or call us at 1-833-99 Truth.

Steve Hiller: Back to the message. Here's Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: I mentioned last time a couple of nuclear disasters in my message and since I've got those on my mind, I hope you'll forgive one more illustration from the same theme, but you'll know that the greatest nuclear disaster in history was the explosion and then meltdown that occurred at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986, back in the news, of course, at the power station there.

Jonathan Griffiths: It was truly an unspeakable disaster, and like so many disasters, it was pretty avoidable, it seems. Various things, I understand, went wrong. There was a fundamental design flaw with the reactor. But I understand that those operating the reactor at the night of the accident, they made some key errors.

Jonathan Griffiths: And the bottom line was this. They had enough knowledge of the systems to press the right buttons to keep the reactor operating smoothly under normal circumstances. But when conditions changed, when some unexpected variables came along and they were called upon to respond to them, they simply did not know what to do.

Jonathan Griffiths: They didn't have a deep enough knowledge of the workings of the machinery to enable them to navigate a more complex set of variables, and the result, of course, unspeakable disaster.

Jonathan Griffiths: It is possible to have enough knowledge of the gospel to get by in the Christian life when there isn't a different version of the gospel circulating. When you aren't being confronted with false teaching, when there isn't theological division and confusion threatening the church. It's possible to have enough of an understanding to get by. But not to have enough assurance of that truth to face off against those who would distort it, to reject their claims, to see through their plausible arguments.

Jonathan Griffiths: You see, Paul wants the Colossians, he wants us to reach the riches of full assurance and understanding. He knows that this is what it'll take for us to avoid delusion and disaster.

Jonathan Griffiths: And at this point, we might read this and say, "Look Paul, you know, the gospel's pretty simple. I've been taught all my life that the gospel's simple, it's clear. I understand that I'm a sinner. I understand that Jesus died for me to purchase my forgiveness, to open the way to eternal life as I respond to Him in faith. I get all that. And Paul, frankly, I don't really see what else I need. I'm a practical sort of person. I don't like fuss, I don't like complication. I think I'm pretty good."

Jonathan Griffiths: But notice that word "riches." It's really key here. Paul is wanting us to see that there is more, far more to Jesus and the Gospel, more to the Word of God than we will ever grasp in one lifetime. The Gospel is simple, but the riches are profound.

Jonathan Griffiths: And digging into this, it's treasure. Notice it again. He wants us to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Jesus is the heart of the mystery of God, the mystery revealed. And knowing him, knowing Jesus, it's riches. And in him we find the treasure of God's wisdom and knowledge.

Jonathan Griffiths: And the point is simple, there's more to discover about Jesus. There's more to know, there's more to explore in the Word of God. We will keep digging the scriptures for treasure all our lives and we will never come to the end of that treasure.

Jonathan Griffiths: I often say to our Timothy course students that one of the things that convinces me of the divine inspiration of scripture is this question of depth. This reality of finding boundless treasure within it. If you take a great work of literature, I've said this before, in any language, and study it enough, Shakespeare, whatever it is, you will eventually come to the end of it.

Jonathan Griffiths: You will reach the point one day where you have uncovered every literary device, every metaphor and allusion and simile and alliteration. You will get there. But with the Bible, it's different. It's profoundly different. With the Bible, the journey of discovery never ends.

Jonathan Griffiths: And of course, that makes some sense when we remember that the core of God's wisdom and knowledge is not a concept, but a person. The Bible's about a person. It's all about Jesus Christ. And we can never expect to reach the end of our journey of discovery of Him.

Jonathan Griffiths: Now friends, the challenge we face is this. If we are to be serious about reaching the point of full assurance and understanding, how do we take some steps to get there? How do we move forward in earnestness?

Jonathan Griffiths: I would simply say this, we need to take seriously our growth, each one of us, in Christian understanding. We need to apply ourselves to it. I find it amazing how we are all becoming armchair experts in all kinds of things these days that we knew nothing about through watching YouTube.

Jonathan Griffiths: I mean, it's remarkable what we are teaching ourselves to do. From home improvements, plumbing, wiring, be a little careful there, framing, flooring, matters of finance, learning new languages, hobbies, the arts. We are able to learn new stuff if we apply our minds to it, each one of us.

Jonathan Griffiths: And the simple fact of the matter is that we don't always apply ourselves to knowing Jesus and His Word better. We don't always really apply very much mental energy and prayer to our knowledge of Him. But we should, of course we should, we know that.

Jonathan Griffiths: And so let me leave us with the challenge. What steps can you take to grow in your knowledge and assurance of the truth? To protect yourself from delusion, from being taken in by false teaching when it comes along.

Jonathan Griffiths: Let me ask a really simple question. Are you reading the Bible for yourself? If you're not, why not start that? Why not start that today? If you have made a start in some way, what are you going to do now to develop your Bible reading plan and to take it that next step further?

Jonathan Griffiths: Do you ever read Christian books? Books that take you deeper into God's Word and help you grasp big truths from the scriptures? Are you part of a midweek Bible study group? Do you come to Sunday mornings ready to learn, applying mental energy to our times together in the Word?

Jonathan Griffiths: I remember a leading preacher in the UK who is an encouragement to me, a man who's well into his 90s now. I remember he used to remind younger preachers, "There is treasure in the text. There's treasure in the text." And his point was this, "Keep digging in your preparation because you will discover wonderful things. Keep digging because you are going to hit gold in the Bible."

Jonathan Griffiths: Now, that's a good encouragement for the preacher, "Dig for treasure." And it's a good encouragement actually for all of us. Don't settle for a superficial understanding of the Word of God. Go deeper.

Jonathan Griffiths: You'll remember how the Psalmist prayed in Psalm 119 and verse 18. It's a prayer that all of us could pray as we come to the scriptures, "Open Thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." There are wondrous things to behold, to find. There is Christ to be seen in His Word. Don't settle for superficialities.

Jonathan Griffiths: There are plenty of influences that would delude us theologically, that would lead us astray. What protections are available to us? A heart of encouragement, a unity in love, an assurance of understanding. Let's pray together as we finish.

Jonathan Griffiths: Our Father, we thank You for the heart of the apostle and his struggle for the believers then, and through the Word for us now. We pray, Lord, that You would be so kind as to protect us and deliver us from plausible arguments, from delusions that would draw us away from the Gospel of grace, that would draw us away from the Savior.

Jonathan Griffiths: We pray, Lord, that You would give us all the resources we need to resist those delusions and to walk faithfully before You, for we pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Steve Hiller: Jonathan Griffiths here on Encounter the Truth, wrapping up our message, "Do Not Be Deluded," part of our series, "Walking Worthy."

Steve Hiller: If you ever miss a broadcast in the series or you want to go back and listen to it again, or maybe just catch up on part of a broadcast you've missed on the radio, you can always come and listen through our website. That's encounterthetruth.org. Encounterthetruth.org.

Steve Hiller: Well, the podcast, the radio program, all that we do here in Encounter the Truth is supported by your generosity. So thank you for giving to this ministry. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a book called "Can We Trust the Gospels." And Jonathan, why did you pick this book?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, I think it's so important for us who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to know that our access to the truth of who He is and what He said is reliable. We look to the Gospels to give us the Word of Jesus and to show us the person of Jesus. But we've got to ask the question, are these documents reliable?

Jonathan Griffiths: And Peter Williams has done us such a great service in this book because he's not only answered the question in the affirmative and said, "Yes," he's given us arguments to bolster that case. And I believe we need to engage with those arguments carefully. I believe we need to think these things through. I believe we shouldn't be scared of examining evidence.

Jonathan Griffiths: And Williams has laid out the evidence very clearly, in a very accessible way and in a very helpful way. And I just feel so strongly that our listeners need to have access to these arguments, access to this evidence. And I think that engaging with it, reading it, is going to be a tremendous encouragement.

Jonathan Griffiths: I also want to say, if you're someone who's exploring the faith, you'll want to think these things through. You know, is the Bible reliable? Are the Gospels a true record? I'd encourage you to think that through and I'd love to get this book into your hands to help you think it through carefully and clearly.

Steve Hiller: Again, the name of the book is called "Can We Trust the Gospels," and it's our thank-you gift to you for financially supporting Encounter the Truth this month. You can find out more or give online at encounterthetruth.org or call us at 1-833-998-7884. That's 1-833-99 Truth or encounterthetruth.org.

Steve Hiller: You can also write to us at Encounter the Truth, PO Box 5513, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3M1, or in the US, at Encounter the Truth, 215 North Arlington Heights Road, Suite 102, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004.

Steve Hiller: For Jonathan Griffiths and our producer Mark Bruta, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time.