More Evangelicals Join Lent Observance

Interesting article here.

The Truth and The Law

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year.   Heb. 10:1  

A recent discussion on how the Old Testament Law relates with the New Covenant, prompted me to present the teaching here, as part of the “What is Truth?” series.

When we look at statements about the Law, we must be careful to understand their context and their purpose.

 As God established the Mosaic Covenant (the Law) He instituted a sacrificial system. Different sins (breaking the Law) carried with them different sacrifices. The people would bring their sacrifices to the priest at the Temple, where it was offered to the Lord. On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the High Priest, would go into the Holy of Holies with a sacrifice for the whole nation.

In this interpretation, what we see is that,  Jesus is the “once for all sin offering”. In other words, today when I stumble and break the Law of God, I have a “perfect sacrifice” in Jesus Christ, to cleanse me of my sin. This is done in faith, through the blood of The Lamb, not by the blood of bulls and goats (Heb. 10:4).

Do not think I have come to destroy the law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.   Matt. 5:17  

What could Jesus mean by this? Exactly what He says! He is God the Father’s Law keeper. Being fully Divine, He could keep the Law. Being fully human, He suffered the temptations that you and I do, only He overcame all the temptations, we rarely do! So, not only is He the “perfect sacrifice”, He is the perfect “High Priest”!

The Law is still in effect. Jesus taught that all His life. That is what the “sermon on the mount” is, an explanation of the law and how to live it out (Matt.7:24-27). Particularly, in our day to day lives. What we try to do as human beings is, make God in our image instead of letting Him conform us to the image of His Son.

God’s standard has not changed and, will never change. I must cooperate with His grace, by faith and live a life worthy of the call of Christ.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the law was He answered: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second on is like it: You must love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commands.”   Matt. 22:37-40 

Now, let us go and do likewise!

Amen.

Accepting The Deuterocanonical Books

Click here to read a great article about the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament.

Speak the Truth

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members of one another.    Eph. 4:25    (NAB)

So far in our study, we have confirmed that God is truth, Jesus (being God) is truth, His Church is truth and His Word is truth. In fact, we even looked at the rules for interpreting His word to find His truth.

Now, let’s look at speaking the truth.

In God’s covenant with Israel, He gave them certain rules to live by. The most famous of these rules are The Ten Commandments. The Eighth Commandment states: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Ex. 20:16) When we, as children of God, speak or act contrary to the truth, we lie. “Since God is “true” the members of His people are called to live in truth,”(CCC 2465).

” Truth as uprightness in human action or speech is called truthfulness, sincerity or candor. Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists of showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy,” (CCC 2468).

“Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that they were being truthful to one another. The virtue of truth gives another his just due. Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what ought to be expressed and what ought to be kept secret; it entails honesty and discretion. In justice,” as a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth”, St. Thomas Aquinas, Sth II-II, 109,3, corp.art.” (CCC 2469).

As a follower of Christ, I am not only obligated, but commanded to be truthful with my fellow man. In my words and my actions. That is my witness. My witness reveals who my “Lord” is, who my “God” is, and it reveals who “I” am. A true believer or a hypocrite.

As it is written; If we say,”We have fellowship with Him,” while we continue to walk in darkness we lie and do not act in truth.”   I Jn 1:6  (NAB)

Interpreting the Truth Part II: The Senses of Scripture

These things happened to them as an example and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of all ages has come.   I Cor. 10:11   (NAB)

What are the senses of Scripture?  ”According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual with the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical.” (CCC 115)

“The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation,”( CCC 116). (see previous post, Interpreting the Truth Part I, for the “rules of sound interpretation”)

What is exegesis? It’s the critical explanation or analysis of a text. (American Heritage Dictionary)

“The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God’s plan, not only the text of scripture, but, also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs.

1. The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ’s victory and also of Christian Baptism, (1 Cor.10:2).

2. The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says they were written for our instruction, (1Cor. 10:11, Heb. 3:1-4:11).

3.The anagogical sense. (Greek: anagoge,”leading”) We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us to our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem, (Rev.21:1-22:5).” (CCC 117)

 To summarize;” The Letter (literal) speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith; The Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny,” Augustine of Dacia, (CCC 188)

One of the biggest misconceptions I had about the Catholic Church, as a Protestant, was  their interpretation of Scripture. I thought you had to see it their way or hit the highway, and we see clearly, that is not the case. There is still room for my personal application along side the Church’s interpretation and they should never contradict each other. If they do, then someone is wrong. But for true students of the Word, you’ll find you line up with Church teaching.

God uses rules and structure to protect His children. He wants us to be safe and secure in His love and fellowship. The way He has chosen to do this, is through the Church He established.

Interpreting the Truth Part I

The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name- He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.   Jn.14:26  (NAB) 

After the last post, “Our Guide to All Truth”, we came to understand that the Holy Spirit reveals God’s Word as truth, Jesus as truth and the Church as truth. But the question still remains; How do we interpret the Scriptures?!

“To interpret the Scriptures correctly, the reader must be attentive to what the human authors truly wanted to affirm and to what God wanted to reveal to us by their words” (CCC 109). “ To truly discover the sacred authors intentions the reader must take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current”(CCC 110).” But since Sacred Scripture is inspired there is another, and no less important principal of correct interpretation, without which Scripture would remain a dead letter. It must be read and interpreted in light of the same Spirit by whom it was written. The second Vatican Council indicates three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Spirit who inspired it”(CCC 111).

The first is;” Be especially attentive to the content and unity of the whole scripture. Different as the books that comprise it may be, Scripture is a unity by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since His Passover”(CCC112).

Second; “Read the Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church. According to a saying of the Fathers, sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture(” according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church”, Origen, Hom. in Lev. 5,5: PG12, 454D”), (CCC113).

Thirdly; Be attentive to the analogy of faith(Rom.12:6). By “analogy of faith” we mean the coherence of the truths of the faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation” (CCC 114).

What does all this mean? Well ,what it means basically, is that there are rules to interpretation. It goes beyond just the Scripture itself, to the times and places and cultures long ago and far removed from us. We must step “back in time” as it were, to fully understand what was trying to be conveyed, and ask ourselves in the “here and now” what is God trying to show/teach me?

Next time, we will look at the senses of Scripture.

Our Guide to All Truth

But when He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.   John 16:13  (NAB)

In our attempt to understand “What is Truth” we’ve seen that; scripture says that God’s word and His laws and commandments are truth (Jn. 17:17, Ps. 119:142, 151), that Jesus Himself is the truth (Jn. 14:6), and the Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth (I Tim. 3:15) Now we will learn of the Spirit of truth.

The Holy Spirit is given to all true believers in Christ. In the brief description above, we see, one of the duties of the Holy Spirit, is to ” lead and guide us to all truth.” With so many denominations, preachers, faith- healers and teachers proclaiming ” truth” that differs from one to another, what’s one to believe?

When one only has partial truth, then truth becomes distorted. Though based on truth, it may retain some truth, but the fullness is laking. Truth has a four-fold purpose:

1.  structure
2.  direction
3.  purpose
4. information

If a truth lacks any of these four dimensions then it is most likely not to be true to the fullest extent.

Since most of us agree that Jesus and the Bible are truth, let’s look at the controversial subject of the Church as truth. What I’ve come to understand is this: The Catholic Church has been around a lot longer than the rest have, has taught the same thing from it’s beginning. Other denominations cling to the Catholic Church’s definition of the Holy Trinity and Christ being fully God and fully man (things not found in the Scripture) and denies the Eucharist and Holy Matrimony as Sacraments (things that are in the scripture!)

 What this all means is simple, and yet, complex. What we have is; Jesus as truth, revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Church as truth, lead by the Holy Spirit, and the Scripture as truth, interpreted by the Holy Spirit. These dynamics working together form  the triangle of truth. Each point is connected by the work of the Holy Spirit.

If there is only one God, then why so many different interpretations of scripture? Is it because what was established from the beginning, has been altered, ignored or worse yet, rejected?

 Take a look and study the history of the early Church, you will see that what the Church taught in years past, is what the Catholic Church still teaches today.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.  Heb.13:8   (NAB)  

Where Does The Bible Say We Can Find Truth?

I will reference 3 verses to this question.

1) Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.   John 17:17 

Just the fact that we are using the scriptures to tell us where we can find truth is an affirmation of this reference, Your word is truth.

2) Jesus said to him, ” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.   John 14:6 

Jesus is the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. Sent by the Father for the redemption of mankind. He is 100% God and 100% man. Well wait a minute, Jesus being 100% God and 100% man is not in the Bible (we’ll get to this in a minute). We are told in scripture that Jesus was born of a virgin, her name was Mary and she was engaged to a man named Joseph. She was told by the angel,“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”  Luke 1:35

So scripture states that God’s word is truth. Jesus is God’s Son and He is truth. This leads us to our third reference.

3) But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.  1 Tim. 3:15  

The church is “the pillar and foundation of truth.” I had never read that verse before! I can’t tell you how many times I had read 1 Timothy and had never seen that verse! What could this mean? Well we need to step back, turn to Matthew.

And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Matt. 16:18-19  

The church has been given authority by Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself, the Truth Himself.

Here are a few examples of the Church’s authority:

A.D. 49-50: The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) combated the heresy that Gentile converts had to observe the Mosaic Law completely.

A.D. 196: The Easter controversy, which day to celebrate the Resurrection, Sunday ,or linking it with the Jewish Passover regardless of the day of the week.

A.D. 325: Council of Nicaea; responds to numerous heresies, condemned Arianism which claimed Jesus Christ was a created being and not God by nature. Developed the Nicene Creed- a clear definition of the Trinity.

A.D. 367+: The Canon of the New Testament slowly collected and confirmed. Books recognized as authoritative by the Council of Carthage.

A.D. 381: Council of Constantinople 1 finalizes the Nicene Creed and condemns heresies concerning the Holy Spirit.

A.D. 431: Council of Ephesus condemns Nestorianism which taught that there were two distinct Persons in Jesus Christ and Mary was the mother of the human part only, therefore, some of Jesus’  actions were human and some divine. (Remember reference #2). Condemned Pelagianism which claimed man could attain salvation by works. The Council defines Mary, Jesus’ mother, as Theotokos,“bearer of God” to show that Jesus has one nature that is fully human and fully divine.

So Jesus, through God the Father and the Power of the Holy Spirit, guides the Church in teaching and authority. The Church was led by the Holy Spirit in the development of the dogma (doctrine) of the Incarnation, of the Holy Trinity and, the Holy Spirit even led the Church, in gathering the collection of letters and gospels that make up the New Testament.

Let us ponder one last thought: If Jesus is the fullness of Deity (Col.1:19), why would the Church He founded, be devoid of the  fullness of truth?

Amen.

God: The Father

In Exodus, God speaks to Moses from a burning bush. He tells him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses asked, “Who do I tell them sent me”. God replies, “The God of your fathers sent you….I AM who am.”

God says, in effect, that He’s not like any of the many gods people worshiped. There is a great distance between Himself and human beings. Yet, at the same time, He is very personal. The “I AM” though distant, is near. He’s above all, yet among us. He doesn’t tell us what He is in Himself, but reveals who He is to you.

God has two main characteristics in His Old Testament revelation:

1. He is personally close to you and yet is beyond all time and space.

2. He is bound to nothing, but binds all things to Himself.

“I am the first and I am the last;/ there is no God but Me.”  Is. 44:6  

Centuries after these revelations to Moses and Isaiah, He reveals His name in Person; God’s Word, “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” John 1:14, shattering all human expectations and assumptions.

I AM revealed His name in His Son Jesus. Is the burning bush drawing you to it’s light?

That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And I have made known thy name to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them.  John 17:21, 26.

God [The Father] is love.

Tenets of the Faith: The Trinity

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matt. 28:18-20 

This is perhaps the the clearest expression in the New Testament of Trinitarian belief. Yet, before this doctrine could be fully developed, heresy arose.

How can we truly worship the “One true God” if we don’t know who “He” is?

The God of the Bible is a Trinity, as defined by the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.(Anno Domini – Latin for The Year Of Our Lord).

“The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life,” CCC 261. The “mystery” of God is not a puzzle to be solved, as in a detective novel. It is a truth to be reverenced for He is beyond all human comprehension. The doctrine of the Trinity includes three truths of faith:

1. The Trinity is One. Not three gods but One God. A unity of Persons in One Divine nature.
2. The Divine Persons are distinct from one another. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three appearances of modes of God, but three identifiable Persons, each fully God, yet distinct from the others.
3. The Divine Persons are in relation to each other. Their distinction is understood only in reference to the others. The Father cannot be the Father without the Son, nor can the Son be the Son without the Father. The Holy Spirit is related to the Father and the Son who both send Him forth.

All three Persons work together in the works of Creation, Redemption and Sanctification.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:13-17 

St. Augustine in his Sermon II [LII. BEN] concerning the Trinity, says this in these excerpts from paragraphs one and two;

“For we behold and see as it were in a Divine spectacle exhibited to us. The notice of our God in Trinity, conveyed to us at the river Jordan… when He was baptized then, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit came down upon Him in the form of a Dove: and then a voice from on High followed, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” Here then we have the Trinity in a certain sort distinguished. The Father in the Voice,- the Son in the Man,- the Holy Spirit in the Dove. It was only needful just to mention this, for most obvious is it to see. For the notice of the Trinity is here conveyed to us plainly and without leaving room for doubt or hesitation.”

“But one may say to me, “Show the Trinity to be inseparable rather. Remember that thou who art speaking art a Catholic, and to Catholics art thou speaking.” For thus doth our faith teach, that is, the true, the right, Catholic faith, gathered not by the opinion of private judgement, but by the witness of the scriptures, not subject to the fluctuations of heretical rashness, but grounded on Apostolic truth: this we know, this we believe. This though we see it not with our eyes, nor as yet with the heart, so long as we are being purified by faith, yet by this faith we most rightly and most strenuously maintain- that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a trinity inseparable; One God, not Three Gods. But yet so One God, as that the Son is not the Father, and the Father is not the Son, and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, but the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. This ineffable Divinity, abiding ever in itself, making all thins new, creating, creating anew, sending, recalling, judging, delivering, this Trinity, I say, we know to be at once ineffable and inseparable.”

So as we see through Sacred Scripture, the teaching of St. Augustine and the Catechism of the Catholic Church the proclamation of the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity. Defined by the Church as doctrine, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit,  in A.D. 325 it still stands true today.

Glory to God who has given His Church His authority to teach the faith!

                                         Act of Faith  

O my God, I firmly believe that You are one God in three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe that Your Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe that these and all truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.