"As he was saying these things, many
believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you
abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free." - John 8:30-32 ESV
If there is
one thing that I heard over and over in my 8 years of teaching in a private Christian
school, it is that all truth is God’s Truth.
I also heard over and over that Truth (with a capital T) has nothing to
fear from investigation. Both of these
axioms come from a quote from Augustine of Hippo, “A person who is a good and
true Christian should realize that truth belongs to his Lord, wherever it is
found, gathering and acknowledging it even in pagan literature, but rejecting
superstitious vanities and deploring and avoiding those who 'though they knew
God did not glorify him as God.” So I
get that God’s is seen in everything that is true, but how is that going to set
me free? The Greek word here that has
been translated as truth is ἀλήθεια (alētheia) which has several
meanings both for subjective and objective truth. I believe that the word is meant to mean the
truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of
his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike
to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the
corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians. All of that to say that what Christ came to
earth to accomplish is the Truth (with a capital T.) His atoning work, which we reflect on in this
season of Lent, is that which will set us free from the separation and bondage
of sin, and opens us up to the give of eternal life through Christ.
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