Dear Friends,
“What is truth?”
You’re undoubtedly familiar with that question, posed by Pontius Pilate on the morning of Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate was questioning Him about the charges that He claimed to be a king and intended to overthrow Roman rule.
“So YOU are a king?” Pilate asked. Standing before him, a bruised and bloodied Jesus, having been awake all night, certainly didn’t look like a king. Not much of a threat to power in Pilate’s eyes, which is what was the Prefect’s ultimate concern.
Jesus responded “You rightly say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
Notice that Jesus connects His kingship and His kingdom to His truth. Truth, He says, is foundational to His kingdom. He came to bear witness to truth. And those who belong in His Kingdom are “of the truth.”
It’s interesting that Jesus doesn’t say here “Everyone who is of love listens to my voice.” It’s not that love isn’t important. The Bible tells us that it is by our love for others that men will know we are His disciples. Loving God and others is the greatest commandment, summing up the entirety of the Old Testament.
While love is a necessary evidence of our faith, it is not sufficient evidence in and of itself. Anyone who does not love does not know God, John tells us. But that love for others, Jesus tells us, grows in the soil of faith. And faith is rooted in believing what is objectively true. “Those who are of the truth hear my voice.”
This is where Pilate famously asks his question. “What is truth.”
I wish we had a recording. I wish we could hear Pilate’s tone as he asks that question.
Some speculate that the Prefect is maybe experiencing a moment of reflection, wishing he knew the answer, wishing to understand. “Jesus, tell me what the truth is.”
I don’t think so. If this was a sincere question, Jesus would have given a sincere response. Anyone who comes to Jesus and with a humble open heart says “what is truth” will be shown truth. All who seek will find. Jesus is the truth. He will reveal Himself to any who come to Him seeking truth.
Some say Pilate is the prototypical relativist here. They imagine he’s saying “there’s no such thing as truth. I don’t believe in any absolute truth.”
You will find hundreds of sermons that have been preached on this passage, where a pastor takes the question from Pilate and launches into a biblical defense of absolute truth.
The Bible does clearly teach there is absolute, objective truth.
But I don’t think that’s what Pilate is asking about here.
Jesus has just said “my kingdom is built on truth.” And when Pilate says “what is truth,” I don’t think he’s asking a question at all. I think he’s dismissing Jesus’ claim to power and authority built on truth. In Pilate’s mind, you can’t build a Kingdom on truth. Kingdoms are built on power. On force. You rule over people with might, not with truth.
I think Pilate is saying “if you’re the King over the Kingdom of Truth, you’re no threat to Rome. Because Rome’s power and might will beat down truth every time.”
That’s Pilates world view. Given a choice between truth and sword, he’ll take the sword.
Of course, the history of mankind is filled with examples of people who have built kingdoms using force, coercion and intimidation. But their path to sustained power and rule necessarily involved truth claims. No one who tries to secure power by force alone will wield that power for long. For a kingdom to succeed, it has to be founded on and grounded in sustainable truth claims that unite its people. Without common allegiance to those truth claims by the majority of the citizenry, what follows conquest is revolution.
Here's what prompted my thinking about Pilate’s question today.
I read an article written by Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia and a recent convert to Christianity. When Wikipedia was launched in 2001, Sanger’s noble mission to provide all the world’s information for free, with viewpoint diversity as an essential element for the project to succeed. Today, he says, “the standards that inspired the company have been sacrificed in favor of ideology.” In other words, the pursuit of truth has taken a backseat at Wikipedia (and in many other places – the media, the academy, even some of the sciences) for what Sanger calls “a propaganda site.”
What is truth? It’s not a belief system curated by a committee of self-appointed gatekeepers. It’s something bigger than any or all of us. We don’t create truth, we discover it. It is revealed to us from a Source higher than any one of us and higher than the collective wisdom of the masses.
The temptation the first man and woman fell for in the garden was a temptation to set themselves up as the ultimate arbiters of their own truth rather than subjecting themselves to a Source of truth outside of themselves.
It’s a powerful temptation for all of us. Every day, we find ourselves confronted with this choice: do we ultimately decide what we believe is real and right and true and beautiful based on our own judgment and wisdom? Or do we yield to One who says “I am the truth” and follow Him, even when it doesn’t make sense?
What Pontius Pilate failed to realize is that whoever controls the narrative – the “truth” to which we yield – will ultimately control the kingdom. What we regard as truth is what directs our lives. Jesus said His Kingdom is made up of men and women who are “of the truth.”
The cultural divide we’re facing in our country today is, at its core, a battle over what we believe is true and right. As one writer puts it, “this crisis of trustworthiness is the skeleton key to understanding so much of the turbulence and disorder in public life today.”
What is truth? It’s the foundation on which an individual, a church, a culture or a civilization either stands or falls. It’s the bedrock of the Kingdom of God. Find the truth and you find life. Know the truth, and the truth sets you free.
But be careful where you go looking for truth. There are plenty of peddlers who would like you to buy what they’re selling. But only One person is the truth.
And His Kingdom, founded on His truth, is forever.
COLLEGE AND YOUNG ADULTS - NXTGENIf you’re a college student or a young adult looking to connect with others in our church, plan to meet up at the Gurney’s house this Saturday, October 4 at 7 pm for a NxtGen Hangout.
MEN'S FELLOWSHIP BREAKFAST
BAPTISMOn Sunday, October 12, we’ll be hearing testimonies during our worship service as we once again celebrate as a congregation the ordinance of baptism.
As you’ve heard us say many times, baptism is an outward declaration of an inward reality. It doesn’t save you. But it is the first step of obedience that a new follower of Jesus is called to take.
If you have given your life to Jesus but have not been baptized since you became a Christian, this is a great opportunity for you to publicly declare your faith in Christ. If you’re interested in being baptized on October 12, please reach out to me or any of our elders and let us know.
TRUNK OR TREATIt’s October. And that means our Trunk or Treat outreach event is coming up soon!
We’ll be hosting the event this year on Thursday night, October 30 in the church parking lot. In past years, we’ve seen hundreds of our neighbors and their children attend this event.
Here’s how you can help with the Trunk or Treat event.
- Pray for good weather! We can pivot and host the event inside if we need to, but outside is always preferable.
- Buy a big bag of candy and drop it off at church any Sunday morning between now and October 26. We can never have too much candy for Trunk or Treat!
- We need anywhere from 15-20 trunks for this event. How about hosting one? Come up with a fun school carnival like game, grab a costume and be on the front lines of making kids smile.
- We always need parking lot help and security teams. You might get to wear a vest… Tempted yet?
If you’d like to help during the event, either by setting up a trunk or working in the parking lot, please get in touch with Jen Gurney. She is waiting right now for your email or text message!
FALL WOMEN'S RETREATRegistration opened today for the Fall Women’s Retreat. It’s a two night getaway in November with other women from Redeemer where you can relax, study God’s word, have fun and come home spiritually refreshed.
Space is limited. So sign up now. Click here (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=86ddb9b03c&e=fbb0a4052b) for info or to register.
PREPARING YOUR HEART FOR SUNDAY
Here’s our New City Catechism questions for this Sunday.
Here is the link to this week’s video (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=fc1d2ea94b&e=fbb0a4052b) where Alistair Begg talks about this week’s question and answer.
(https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=ff996b7f9f&e=fbb0a4052b)
And here is this week’s catechism song (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=0756e22eb9&e=fbb0a4052b):
(https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=457df2d459&e=fbb0a4052b)
And finally, as always, here is the link (https://redeemerlr.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=df57aea0670b59c32464d5bab&id=2e001645c0&e=fbb0a4052b) that will take you to the Spotify playlist of the songs we’ll be singing together this Sunday.
SUNDAY'S COMING
As we continue exploring the spiritual blessings that Ephesians 1 tells us are ours in Christ, we come to the Bible’s declaration that when God rescues us from our sins, He doesn’t just purchase our pardon and then wish us good luck. He does something unbelievably great – He adopts us into His family and invites us to call Him our Father. On Sunday, we’ll look at the blessing of adoption to which all who are in Christ have been predestined.
See you in church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Pastor Bob
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Redeemer Community Church
11512 David O Dodd Road
Little Rock AR 72204
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