Short Take #4: The Most Basic Truth

Here is another short take from The Christian Worldview with David Wheaton. Every person's worldview is based on something.

It has a source, or maybe even many sources. It could be a little of this, a little of that. It could be your educational background.

It could be your upbringing. You could be someone who just bases everything on the science, or the scientists, or the experts. Or maybe you get your news from CNN and MSNBC, and you wonder why people think the way they do. That's maybe completely different than a way a Christian or a conservative thinks. Well, they're probably watching CNN and mainstream media all the time, and they're just being fed stories that they want people to hear all the time. If you just take that in, that's what you're going to think.

Or maybe it's just human reasoning, their own quote-unquote common sense, how they form opinions on various issues of the day. Now, to the contrary, when your source is the pure, the unadulterated, the unchangeable, the without error, the inspired, the never-fails truth of God's Word, you'll be able to discern spiritual truth from error and won't be deceived with these issues of our day that maybe aren't overtly mentioned in Scripture, like COVID-19 or vaccines or allegations of systemic racism and things like this. You remember the conversation that Jesus had with Pontius Pilate. This was the source of truth, Jesus speaking with one who didn't even think truth existed.

It's worth reading from John 18. Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, this is at Jesus' trial, and summoned Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered, Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about me? Pilate answered, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests deliver you to me.

What have you done? Now, let me just stop there for a second. Here is Pilate, the governor of the region, and he doesn't seem to know very much about Jesus. Talk about misinformed and underinformed about someone who's been performing miracles and healing people and raising people from the dead.

He seems to be very ignorant about who this person is standing in front of him. Pilate goes on to say in verse 37, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born and for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. And then to which Pilate responds with this forever famous line, Pilate said to Jesus, What is truth?

In other words, he's speaking to the source of truth, Jesus Christ, and he was to such a point in his life that he didn't even believe truth existed. And it shows in the next, the rest of the passage here, and when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in him. But you have accustomed that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you wish that I release for you the King of the Jews, Jesus? So they cry out again saying, Not this man, but Barabbas.

Now Barabbas was a robber. Pilate had political power. He was likely probably quite well educated to have the position.

He did. He was sophisticated for his day, but he was a fool and he couldn't think straight. He couldn't make wise decisions. He couldn't discern truth from error when the embodiment of truth was standing there right in front of him. How does someone get to such a point? Well, someone gets to such a point by not regarding or not adhering to three pillars that gives a person the ability to know truth from error.

And those three pillars are this. You have to know who God is. You have to know who man is. And you have to know how man can be made right with this God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. When you know those three pillars and you're rock solid on them, that extends out to discernment in all things.

So let's go over the first one. Who God is. The entire Bible reveals who God is.

And if someone doesn't believe in God, what does God say about that person? God calls him a fool. Psalm 14, 1, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Romans 1 says the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness because that which is known about God is evident within them. God's made himself clearly known and says, for God made it evident to them.

For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made, the creation, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened. And here it is, verse 22, Romans 1, professing to be wise, they became fools. So anyone who believes that there is no God, or disregards God, or believes in a big bang evolution, that's how we got here, believes that morality is relative, God considers that person a fool, not just ignorant, but a fool. Anything that comes out of the mouth of someone like this, who doesn't believe in God, has to be then suspect. If they can't get this most basic point right, then you cannot trust anything that comes out of that person's mouth, because they are, according to God's definition, a fool. If someone doesn't believe in the God revealed in the Bible, that person is really just like a boat adrift in the ocean. They won't know what to believe, they won't have the discernment, because they can't even get the most fundamental thing right, the most obvious thing that God has made apparent to everyone, that there's a creator over everything around us. This has been a short take from The Christian Worldview with David Wheaton. To find out more about The Christian Worldview, order resources, make a donation, become a monthly partner or contact us, visit thechristianworldview.org. You can also call us at toll free 1-888-646-2233 or write to us at Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota 55331. That's Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota 55331.