Encounter the Truth

Jonathan Griffiths: The very idea of truth is scorned in our culture today. You and I need to be willing to be radically counter-cultural in affirming not just that there is a truth, but there is the truth—God's truth. We need to know it.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths. Jonathan, sounds like you're saying that we don't get to, unlike what culture tells us, define our own sense of truth. If we want to know the truth, there is one standard for that.

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, if we're under any illusions about Christianity just being absolutely in line with our culture and with the philosophies of our age and so on, this is one area, and indeed one passage of Scripture, that will really disabuse us of that notion. The Bible affirms that there is truth that has been made known by God, truth that has come down from heaven, and it's not up for negotiation. It is something for us to receive by faith, and that's really counter-cultural.

I'm so glad that we're able to cover this in the program today because if you're someone who's exploring the faith, this notion of revealed truth, God-given truth, it's something you've got to grapple with. We've all got to grapple with it, and it's so important.

Steve Hiller: Well, we're going to grapple with that today from the book of Titus. We're in chapter one, so if you have a Bible handy, hope you'll join us there as we continue a message called "Knowing the Truth." Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: The truth that drove Paul's apostolic mission, it accords with godliness. Next, it gives hope of eternal life. Paul's apostleship is for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, verse two, "in hope of eternal life."

Now, in these words, we find ourselves at the very heart of the Christian hope. For those of us familiar with Christian things, it's easy for this language and this concept to roll off the tongue. Oh yes, in the gospel, we've got hope of eternal life. We know that; familiar territory. But can we just pause for a moment and give this some real thought? Can we all just pause for a moment and make sure that our Christianity really has this focus and is really grounded in this very wonderful hope?

You see, death is the great crisis at the heart of human existence. It is the great tragedy at the core of human life. We all go through seasons of life when we can almost forget about death. Perhaps we go through some years where we never lose a family member or a loved one, and things are smooth and grief is a terror that stays firmly in the shadows, locked safely in an almost forgotten cupboard at the corner of our existence. We can put it away for a while.

But those seasons never last too long, do they? We can only avoid the problem of death, the crisis and tragedy of loss, for so long, and then it comes roaring back into our consciousness. And when it does, we remember again how wrong it seems, how agonizing it is to see loving relationships severed by the grave. To see the beauty and the complexity of a lifetime of experience of a loved one snuffed out, it seems, in a moment by the grave—it's all wrong.

And the Bible tells us this is wrong. This is all the result of sin. This is not how God made the world, and it's not the purpose for which He made it. The Bible makes it clear that He created us to live and not die. Now, I think our culture has been really quite good at ignoring the problem of death collectively for some time. We've extended lifespans through wealth and healthcare. We've largely hidden the agonies and the realities of death from public view, and we've sanitized the whole experience.

But I think the pandemic we've all been experiencing has maybe brought home the problem of death in a fresh way to a fresh generation—to a generation that never had to live through a world war or through a global pandemic before. I was reading just recently how, in the heart of the pandemic, life expectancy in the United States has dropped markedly, I think by a full year, even when we've become so accustomed to seeing life expectancy rise in wealthy nations year after year. And I think we're waking up to the fact we can't ignore death. We can't avoid death, and we can't sanitize it.

Now, Paul was sent out on a mission, a mission to proclaim a message that gives hope of eternal life. That's what drove him; that's what fired his passion. And this hope and this promise is at the core of all true, authentic gospel proclamation: the promise that those who hope in Jesus have eternal life. The promise that those who are saved by Him know victory beyond the grave.

Jesus Himself came and He entered into the mess of life in this world, and He submitted Himself to death so that He might conquer death. He faced death for us. He faced the judgment we deserve for the sin we have done. He went down into the grave, but He did not stay there. He rose again in victory over that grave.

And the promise of God is that all who believe in Jesus, all who trust in His gospel, will share that victory, will share in His resurrection, will be delivered from the grave and welcomed into life beyond it. Now, that is gospel hope. That is apostolic truth. That is Paul's message, and it's wonderful, isn't it? There's nothing more wonderful in all the world. What better thing could we possibly have to say than that very message?

But let me ask you simply: is this the gospel you believe? Is this the hope in which you share? And does that hope give you joy in the midst of these days of trial? The truth at the heart of Paul's mission, it accords with godliness. Next, it gives hope of eternal life. And next, it is grounded in the promises of God. Notice again verse two: Paul's apostleship is for the sake of the knowledge of the truth "in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."

One of the great challenges and inconveniences we face in this world is that people lie. In fact, people do that quite a lot. It's hard to know whom to trust and whom to believe. It's not like we're guiltless in this, as if we're the exception to the rule in every instance. We can be part of the problem when we compromise ourselves in speaking the truth. But we are living in an age where all confidence in truth, broadly speaking, seems just to have been lost.

We struggle to believe politicians much of the time. There's a very widespread distrust of the media of a kind that we've probably never seen in the modern world. In business and commerce, trust is at a markedly low ebb. You just don't take someone's word as their bond these days. You'd be seen as silly and naive if you did. Someone enters into an agreement to do something for you, to carry out a job, to fulfill a business obligation, and if you don't have a contract with some legal and financial penalties attached to it, it's anyone's guess as to whether or not that person's going to carry through. We all know the experience.

Lying has always been a problem, of course, ever since Adam and Eve tried to hide their sin from God in the garden. But I think the crisis of trust in our day has become particularly acute. Dishonesty has been normalized to an astonishing degree. And in that sense, we resonate with the situation of these early Christians at Crete. Remember what we know of their own context, chapter one and verse 12: one of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." That testimony, afraid to say, it's true.

Now, having learned to be skeptical about what others say, we now have a bit of a challenge on our hands when it comes to faith. We have a challenge because Christian faith is all about taking God at His word. He promises us eternal life: that when a day comes and we breathe our last and go down into the grave, if we are trusting in Jesus, God is going to carry us home. And in a day to come, He's going to raise our bodies to resurrection life. He promises us that. And we're called to believe Him.

But it's hard, isn't it? It's hard because we're used to people lying to us. It's hard because we can't see the outcome of that faith process with our eyes at this point. It's hard because, frankly, it involves a miracle, and we all struggle a little bit with miracles. But notice how Paul frames all this, how he grounds this commitment. Our hope of eternal life is a hope which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began. Paul grounds the promise and the hope in the character and the track record of God Himself.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths, and a message called "Knowing the Truth." We have to pause right here, but we'll continue in just a moment, so hope you'll stay with us. When you read the Bible's story, it doesn't take all that long until you get to Abraham. He's this foundational figure in the history of the church and in the storyline of the Bible. He was isolated in this unbelievable world, but his story shows us what it means for God to take hold of a sinner, to give him promises, and then to use him in God's service until the very end.

I think that's such a relevant story when you take a look at what is happening today. We see the central theme of Abraham's life being increasingly relevant in our culture. And ultimately, it speaks to a believer. It tells us that we need to keep looking to a city with eternal foundations. Abraham's story is one that speaks powerfully to us as strangers and aliens in this current world because heaven is our home. If you're a follower of Jesus, then you're going to identify with that concept, and Jonathan has written about that in his new book called "Strangers and Exiles."

It's all about pursuing faithfulness as pilgrims in a faithless world. We'd love to send you a copy of Jonathan's new book as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can find out more or give online at encounterthetruth.org, or call us at 1-833-99-TRUTH. That's 1-833-998-7884 or encounterthetruth.org. Back to the message. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Paul grounds the promise and the hope in the character and the track record of God Himself. We know that in any case when we are called to trust in someone—a parent, a spouse, a leader, a business partner—we make our decision of trust based on what we know of that person's character. And if they've shown themselves to be faithful, we're much more inclined to trust them. Of course we are.

Well, what is the character and the track record of God? What basis do we have for trusting in His word, of placing hope in His promises? Now, at this point as we ponder this question, we move to one of the great jewels of the Christian faith, one aspect of Christian truth that sets our faith apart from all other faiths, all other world religions. You see, what we have in the Bible is not the record of a single person's claim to divine revelation, as is the case in other faiths sometimes. What we have is not the record of one person who claims to have divine insight or prophetic wisdom, one person who purports to speak for God. No, not at all; that's not what we've got.

What we have here is a series of prophetic words spoken through different agents at different times in different places over the centuries, who give together a collective record of divine promise and fulfillment, promise and fulfillment, painted on the open and public pages of human history, there for all to see. The promises of God, they have their foundation in eternity past. That's what Paul is saying here: God determined His plan of salvation before the world began, and He committed Himself to it.

But God's spoken promises, both of judgment and of salvation, they began to be expressed to His people right back in the Garden of Eden. We had there, didn't we, the promise of judgment for sin, then the salvation promise of a descendant of Eve who would crush the head of the serpent. And ever since the garden, God has been speaking His promises to His people and bringing them to fulfillment.

The promises to Abraham of a land, a people, a blessing. Promises that the people would go down to Egypt in bondage but be delivered in mercy. Promises of a kingdom, of an exile to Babylon, of a return home, of a Messiah who would come, of His suffering, of His death, of His resurrection, of the gift of the Spirit, of the growth of the church, of the persecutions to come, of His glorious return.

Promise, fulfillment. Promise, fulfillment. All happening in the open pages of Scripture and on the public canvas of human history. You see, our God has a track record. We've seen what He has said and what He has done to fulfill His word, not once, not twice, but throughout salvation history, and not one of His promises has ever failed.

And so, knowing His track record, we then consider this promise of eternal life: life that begins now in the Spirit and extends beyond the grave, life in the world to come, spiritual life, resurrection life, life to the full. And we say, yes, I can trust that promise. I can trust that promise because God has proved Himself trustworthy. Yes, I've been let down in this world, I can tell you some stories. I've seen plenty of dishonesty, and my heart has been broken by the deceit and the corruption and the deception of others, but God is the God who never lies, and I can trust Him.

Now, I wonder: do you have that confidence today? I wonder: do you know this God of faithfulness? And I wonder if that hope, if it fires your heart and if it steadies you in unsteady times. The truth at the heart of Paul's mission, it is grounded in the promises of God. And finally, this truth has been revealed in the Word of God. This truth was promised by God before the ages began, verse three, "and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior."

From eternity past, God determined to save His people through the work of His Son. This wasn't a sort of spur-of-the-moment thing; this wasn't a kind of quick reaction to fix a surprise disaster. It was God's eternal plan. And as we just said, God spoke of that plan through His prophets in the Old Testament, revealing more and more as time went on.

But the full disclosure, the grand sweep of it, the true extent of it—that wasn't known until Jesus had come and lived and died and risen again and ascended on high and given His Spirit. It wasn't until then that the full plan in all its glory was made manifest. But with the coming of Jesus, we reached verse three: the proper time. And God's glorious plan was then made manifest. It then shone brightly and fully and clearly.

And so the apostles, and perhaps Paul most of all of the apostles, had this great privilege of declaring that salvation has come in its completeness in Christ. The twelve, the apostles, they were sent out to preach it and then to ensure that the message was written down for us. Paul had a divine commission to do that, and his declaration of the gospel of the truth was set down for us in the Scriptures so that we could have that full and final word for ourselves, so that we could read it and hear it and preach it afresh in our own day.

And so, friends, this actually all just takes us back to the Bible, to the Word of God, to the prophetic declaration of the gospel that is recorded for us here. And it reminds us that this Word, this book, it is truth. It reminds us that this book contains the words of eternal life. It calls us once again to center our hearts and center our minds on this book, on God's Word, on God's truth, to delight in what He has revealed to us and given to us, and to commit ourselves afresh to know it and to hold firmly to it.

The very idea of truth is scorned in our culture today. It's often said that we live in a post-truth culture, and I think that's an apt description of where we are. And in such a culture that pours scorn on the very idea of truth, you and I need to be willing to be radically counter-cultural in affirming not just that there is a truth or our own personal version of the truth, but there is the truth. There is objective truth, God's truth—truth that has been revealed and set down for us in this book.

We need to know it. We need to hold to it. We need to stand upon it in a culture that rejects it. We need to teach it to our children. We need to read it, feed upon it, sustain our souls through it. We need to hear it preached. We need to study it for ourselves. We need to be a people of the Word. God has been so gracious to give us His truth, to make it manifest in His Son at the proper time, to commission the apostles to declare it and then record it in His Word. And having received that Word, we do need to be people of the Word.

You see, that's who Paul was. He was fired and driven by a passion for the truth. That's why he introduces himself as he does. And he wants the believers at Crete to be a people of the truth, and God calls us to be the very same today. So I ask the simple question: is that who we are? Is that who we long to be—a people of the truth who stand upon the truth and hold to the truth? I hope we are. I hope I am, and I hope you are too.

And if you're wanting to know the truth, if you're on that journey, if you're exploring, evaluating, seeking, or anything in between, can I simply urge you to do this: get hold of a Bible. We'll give you one, we'll send you one if you don't have one. Get hold of a Bible and read it for yourself. Engage with the truth yourself. Allow it to impact your heart and your mind.

What was the nature of the message that drove Paul, that compelled him to crisscross the Mediterranean at cost and danger to himself? It was the message of the gospel: the truth that accords with godliness, that gives hope of eternal life—hope in a dying world—that's grounded in the promises of God, the one who cannot lie, that has been revealed in the Word of God. Is Paul's gospel our gospel? Is his truth our truth? May God ground us in His truth, establish us in it, and keep us holding fast to it today and for all the days that are to come.

Steve Hiller: Jonathan Griffiths here on Encounter the Truth and a message called "Knowing the Truth." We're going to continue the series looking at truth on our next broadcast, so hope you make it a point to tune in. If you ever miss a program, come and listen online. Our website is encounterthetruth.org.

Encounter the Truth is listener-supported, and that means we're able to bring you Jonathan's teaching each day on this station because of your generosity. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a copy of Jonathan's newest book. It's called "Strangers and Exiles." It's a look at the life and the story of Abraham. Jonathan, who would you say that you wrote this book for?

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, I really had two sorts of reader in mind as I was putting this book together, Steve. On the one hand, I think this is for any disciple who wants to grow in their trust and develop their walk with Christ. The story of Abraham is the story of a believer in the promises of God who kept trusting through the ups and downs of life, through challenges of faith, through being an outsider really in the society and culture of his day. A believer who stumbled in sin and who failed, but who knew the grace of God and the forgiveness of God. And I think it's a wonderful story to learn and to study for the sake of our own discipleship, and I trust it will be an encouragement to many on that level.

I had in mind as well anyone who has the privilege of handling and teaching the Word of God and who would really like some help in thinking through how to teach and apply this section of the book of Genesis, this story of Abraham, and to do so as Christian Scripture—to see how this section of the Word of God from the Old Testament speaks to Christian believers and points us to Christ. And I hope there will be some helpful pointers and some guidance for the Bible teacher within this book as well. So I had that kind of dual readership in mind.

Steve Hiller: Well, the name of the book is "Strangers and Exiles." It's about pursuing faithfulness as pilgrims in a faithless world. And we'd love to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for your financial support. You can give a gift over the phone when you call us at 1-833-99-TRUTH. Or come to our website, encounterthetruth.org. Again, the phone number is 1-833-998-7884 or encounterthetruth.org.

You can also write us at Encounter the Truth, 2176 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2E 0A1. Or in the US at Encounter the Truth, 215 North Arlington Heights Road, number 102, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004. For Jonathan Griffiths and our producer Mark Brudda, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time.