Thank you to Bud Hancock for another article tying the Bible to current affairs. Bud has had a very interesting life full of rich experiences, which he shares with outstanding humility and wisdom.

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley

Absolute Truth – Part One

By Bud Hancock

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who *hold* the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:16-25 KJV emphasis mine) *Hold down, or suppress

Introduction

Many years ago, I heard some people suggest that truth is a relative term, or concept.  They seemed to say that something may be true in one situation, but not in a different situation, and certainly not in every situation.  In our Christian circles, we referred to this as ‘situation ethics’.  Without fail, when they are asked if they actually believe that statement, being people who have no belief in absolutes, ironically, they respond, “Absolutely”.  

They seemingly want to establish a ‘pseudo-truth’ that would satisfy their needs rather than to actually search for real truth, or what could be called ‘Absolute Truth’.

What is meant by ‘absolute truth’?  From Dictionary.com, the word, ‘absolute’ is defined as, a) Free from imperfection; complete; perfect; b) Not mixed; unadulterated, pure; c) Complete, outright; d) Free from restriction or limitation, e) not limited in any way.

From that same source, ‘truth’ is defined as, a) the true or actual state of a matter; b) a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like; c) an obvious or accepted fact.

Is ‘Absolute’ a Good Thing?

Looking closely at the meaning of the word ‘absolute’, I find that living my life with a foundation based on, not just ‘truth’, but ‘absolute truth’, more than comforting; it is downright invigorating,  It provides a new and more permanent source of inner strength that will make confronting the lies of Satan and this world so much easier and more effective.  Since a Christian is supposed to live a life based on the truth of God’s word, knowing that His truth, His word, is ‘absolute’ (see the definition above, again), when fully understood, would be very desirable.  

Meaning ‘free from imperfection’ and complete, etc., absolute truth establishes a firm foundation on which a person could build a life that could/would have a great impact on the world.  But, as with all things pertaining to God, His word, His Son, this truth must be accepted by faith.  It requires a heart that has put the question of God and His character to rest forever.  If we truly believe that God is what He says He is, then the rest of our lives can be dedicated to taking that truth to a lost, unbelieving world with the confidence that His word is settled, complete, lacking nothing, without limitation and pure.

Why Does the World Reject the truth?

Basically, everyone in the world who is living a life without God is under the influence of Satan, the master of deception.  He manages to convince them that there is no such thing as absolute truth, that it is a changing, evolving precept that can never be proven; hence it is unworthy of belief and should not be accepted.

I have no problem accepting, or even understanding, why the unsaved world rejects the truth, and especially ‘absolute truth’.  If they admit that there is such a thing as absolute truth, they might feel compelled to accept the author of that truth.  It would mean they know that all truth comes from God and that would totally upset their applecart.  They prefer to deny truth in general and absolute truth particularly.  It fits their narrative more to simply say that all truth is ‘relative’, so acceptance of it is only a reasonable process on an individual case basis.  That way, they can, themselves, determine what is and is not true based on their own thoughts and experience and can then live lives based on lies, or THE lie and simply call it, the truth.  This approach eliminates the need to separate truth from untruth.  By so doing, they allow themselves the luxury of embracing their lawless lifestyles and announce that they see nothing wrong with it.  However, they must know inwardly, as the Apostle Paul clearly stated in Romans chapter one that they are not only delaying the inevitable, the fact that eventually, every person will give an account to the God of creation, the Being Who made it clear to all people, that what is easily seen is the result of the wisdom and knowledge of a God who alone is capable of not only speaking truth, but Who in essence IS absolute truth.

To accept that absolute truth exists and is a part of who and what God is, impels anyone who accepts it to shun anything that might contradict that truth.

I think they are inwardly hopeful that God will change His mind about His truth and somehow allow them to get away with their lying, godless, lawless, evil and abominable lifestyles.  However, we are told many times in God’s absolute truth, that He does not change, He WILL not change, ever (Malachi 3:6 KJV).  In short, they are deceived and continue to deceive themselves.

Why Do Christians Reject Truth?

Understanding the rejection of truth on the part of the lost world is rather easy compared to determining why so many Christians also refuse to accept ALL the truth of God and His word.

There are certainly many passages of scripture that, when trying to understand them, challenge the human mind.  Success in accepting and meeting that challenge requires that one follow the advice of Paul, given to his disciple, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  

Notice that Paul calls God’s word, ‘the word of truth’, and any workman should be able to ‘rightly divide’, or ‘properly handle’ the word so that a life lived trusting the word is an effective life, producing much fruit and bringing approval from God Himself.  However, one must access the wisdom of God to fully understand much of His word and allow it to change one’s life.  Fortunately, God has promised to give that wisdom liberally to all who ask for it: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraided not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8 KJV).  The needed wisdom is available, from a generous, omniscient God who desires to share His wisdom with His children.  But, that little word, ‘faith’ in verse 6 causes many to trip up and doubt that God truly wants them to have wisdom.  A Christian who, by reason of time in the faith, should be ‘mature’, but who doubts this, is called ‘double-minded and in many cases is no better off than the rank unbeliever who doubts the very existence of truth at all.

God has told us that He does not change (Malachi 3:6 KJV), and since we are also told that God and His word ‘are one’ (John 1:1-2 KJV), so we also know that His word does not change.  Paul also tells us in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever”, so we know also that Jesus, the Son of God doesn’t change either.

We also know that the word ‘Christ’ is not Jesus’s last name, but is rather a description of Who and What He is, the Messiah, the One Anointed, and that His anointing is the very essence of the Holy Spirit Who is everywhere and is unlimited in power and presence.  That sounds a little like the definition of ‘absolute’, does it not?  Refer back to the third paragraph of the Introduction to this article and read the last two definitions of absolute: d) Free from restriction or limitation, e) not limited in any way.  

If then, Jesus is ‘the Word incarnate’, being the God-man anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure, anointed with an unlimited power and presence of the Holy Spirit of God, that makes Jesus and His word the Absolute Truth.  In fact, Jesus declared, “I am, the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6 KJV).

Understanding this, and accepting it as an absolute truth of God and His Word, becomes the foundation for accomplishing what Paul commanded Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  Making this ‘understanding’ a part of your belief system will facilitate the acceptance of the absolute truth of God’s word, ALL of His word, using the required faith to access the wisdom of God.

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Absolute Truth – Part Two

Accept the Truth, Believe the Truth, Live the Truth

I have spoken to numerous people through the years who are Christians and I have no reason to doubt their salvation or their sincerity.  Many of those were dear friends, brothers and sisters, who were suffering from one illness or another, some of them minor and some life-threatening.  Having myself experienced God’s healing power more than once during periods of sickness that should have required some major surgeries with long and painful rehabilitation, I always encouraged them to trust God and His healing power for their recovery and health.  I used the example of the life of Jesus when He went about all the cities and towns of Israel, ministering to the Jewish people.  Whenever He encountered any who were sick, lame, blind or deaf, He healed every one of them.  These were His brethren and sisters who, all their lives, had been looking for their Messiah.  Even though most of them did not recognize Who He truly was, Jesus healed every one of them.  He never turned any away.

Even though many of those who heard my encouragement to receive everything God has provided for them, including healing for physical sickness and disease, and listened politely and attentively, many, if not most responded with, “Yes but that was Jesus and it was during the time of ‘miracles’ when those events took place.  The time of miracles is over.”  Wow, I must have missed that portion of scripture where it is stated that God has now stopped doing miracles, that He no longer cares for the physical part of us and will no longer heal us.  In short, they believe that God ‘changed’.  If that were true, then God lied, He changed and once proven a liar, no one would have any reason to believe anything He said, and all would be lost.  I rebuked some of them for approaching heresy, but they remained unconvinced and, they also remained sick.

Remember back a few paragraphs where I stated, “God has told us that He does not change (Malachi 3:6 KJV) so we also know that His word does not change.  Paul also tells us in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever”, so we know also that the Son of God doesn’t change either.  I tried to reinforce that with those who were so desperately in need of a miracle, a healing, so that they could live, but, in most cases, they refused, and sadly, many of them died of their diseases.  If only they had a real understanding of what ‘absolute truth’ is and how powerful that understanding can be, they would have embraced the word and would likely still be living today.

When He was ministering in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus entered into the synagogue on the sabbath and was handed the Book of Isaiah.  This event is recorded in Luke 4:16-30.  After reading the portion which we know as Isaiah chapter 4, verses 18 and 19, which says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 4:18-19 KJV), He sat down and began to say: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”.  He then awaited the response of those who had known him most of His earthly life.  They questioned his identity, knowing that He had been raised among them in that city, and it clouded their judgment and their vision.  They obviously did not want to accept that the long awaited Messiah, the Son of God, the Servant of God, the Deliverer of Israel, The Good Shepherd, the Great Physician, was standing in their presence proclaiming His identity to all who would hear.  They became angry and ran Him out of the synagogue and the city and actually tried to kill Him.

Absolute Truth is Unchangeable

We are told in Isaiah 53: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” Isaiah 53:5 KJV).  Please notice the word translated ‘healed’ in this portion.  It is the Hebrew word ‘rapha’, (Strong’s 7495, pronounced raw-phaw’; it means to mend, to cure, to (cause to) heal, to make whole.  Again, we are taught, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24 KJV). Notice the word ‘healed’ in 1 Peter; it is the Greek word ‘iaomai’, (Strong’s 2390, pronounced ee-ah’-om-ahee) and it means to cure, heal, make whole.  I have been told by some who are well-versed in the word that this refers only to ‘spiritual healing’, a statement with which I thoroughly disagree.  Interestingly, most of those who believe this have experienced serious disease and some have died.  Sadly, had they only had the guts, the gumption, the fortitude to learn who our enemy is and how to fight him, they might have lived much longer, healthier lives.  Our lack of faith, or the willingness to exercise it, has no effect on God’s word.  He will not change Who and what He is for any man.  However, He will honor our faith when we put it into action (See Luke 8:43-48)

As I said previously, we were encouraged, even commanded by the Apostle Paul to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (handling, dissecting, expounding) the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).  Admittedly, studying the word, learning what it really means, is a lifelong endeavor, and one who plans to do so must do it in faith and by faith, always believing and expecting The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to ‘guide us into all truth’ (John 16:13 KJV).  

Conclusion

As I said, we must know who our enemy is, and understand that he is totally opposed to our knowing the truth, since he knows beyond a doubt that, with a sure understanding of the truth, the Word, Jesus Christ, we can defeat him and make huge differences in our lifetime.  Satan is fully cognizant that God and His word are ‘absolute truth’, and he knows how powerful that truth is in the hands and the mouths of God’s servants.  He will fight, and fight hard, to keep us from knowing the truth, and especially from using that truth as God desires us to.  We must learn how to fight him (see James 4:7) and take possession of what God wants us to have, and that includes healing for every sickness and disease.

I have reached the conclusion that many who have been encouraged to study and seek the approval of God, have neither the guts, the gumption, nor the willingness to fight to access and receive the truth, the absolute truth.  It is interesting that Paul also told Timothy in 2 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

The days we have left are very short indeed and there is a lost world, a world of sick, hurting and dying people who have no other hope than the truth that we already have fought to receive and hold on to.  Our belief in that truth, that ABSOLUTE TRUTH, must be built on the foundation of God’s word, which is absolute truth, and if we do so, we can provide the answers so many are seeking, the answers that will change their lives, both today and eternally.

Blessings!

budaroo@twc.com

Born and raised in a small textile town in North Carolina, Bud Hancock’s family moved to Michigan in the hope of finding better employment with General Motors.  After graduating from high school, Bud began an apprenticeship with General Motors to become a Metal Modelmaker.  Retiring after a 30 year career, which included an eight year stint as a Meteorologist, he and his wife moved back to North Carolina to be near his elderly parents.  Shortly thereafter, with both of his parents having passed, he started a new career in the bank security/ATM business, advancing from an entry level technician to one of two North Carolina customer service managers for his employer.  Retiring again after 13 years, he and his wife of 51 years relocated to Tennessee where Bud began writing articles specializing in Bible teaching and geopolitical issues.  At age 75, he and his wife relocated to South Carolina with their Miniature Schnauzer, Baxter.  Bud continues to study God’s word and write articles on Christian living and geopolitical issues from the Biblical end times perspective.