How can I know what is True? John 1

A practice sermon written to shadow the sermon series at my church on BIG questions. Sept09

Truth is a tricky word to pin down. To start at the basics we will use the correspondence theory of truth which states.

“A true belief or statement corresponds to the actual state of affairs”

So phrasing that slightly differently. Truth and Falsehood are a measure of the state of affairs, a measure of reality a measure of the reality of life. Truth is a measure of the reality of life. Perhaps it would be good to re-phrase this question “How can I know what is true” with:

“How can I know what life really is?”
“How can I know what reality is?

A simple illustration can help us begin to answer this question. If someone presented me with a piece of wood and proceeded to tell me that it was 300mm long, how can I know if that statement was true. How can I know if that statement reflects reality. It's not a trick question I would simply need to measure the reality that is, the piece of wood and confirm that it matches up with the reality of the statement. Basically what I have done is measure the reality of the statement against the reality of the object. I am measuring the truth of the statement against the reality of life.

What Science looks to achieve is acquire a knowledge-base of truth. It is a search for a deeper understanding of reality. This is achieved through what is know as the “scientific method” which is a technique of measuring, a technique of measuring phenomenon within life.

In the same way from the moment of our birth we are constantly investigating and testing this life with the full range of senses at our disposal in order to learn and grow our knowledge-base.

The trouble is that finding Truth in life, testing to discover reality, is never as easy to determine as the length of a piece of wood. The value of length is a scaler, a single dimension, There is only one things to consider when testing the reality of its length and that is its length. Few could argue about that reality of this. If both parties agreed upon a method of measuring the wood, both would come to the same conclusion of what the reality is. The piece of wood is 300mm long. Particularly when the piece of wood is right there available to be tested. We don't however live life in a single dimension and finding the true measure of reality, the truth in life of a phenomenon with more dimensions, more influencing factors than the simple length of a piece of wood can become extremely complicated.

The influencing factors involved in measuring the reality of a phenomenon can, to be honest, be physically, emotionally and spiritually draining. So what is the way forward when dealing with such overwhelming considerations. What we need is a framework. The type of framework I am talking about is a framework of truth a framework of the measure of reality as a reference from which to measure everything else. If we were to measure every single phenomenon, every single occurrence in our life starting from basics, from first principles we would go crazy. Instead we test new phenomenon based on a previously constructed framework of what we believe to be the true measure. What we believe to be reality.

I will need to pause a second to explain this new concept of belief. When you talk to someone about life it will not be far into the conversation before the phrases “I think,” “I believe” or “I see” are mentioned. This is a necessity for those of use with finite capacity and a limited knowledge-base. Life takes time to test, it takes time to measure because of its complexity and as we build our reality framework only with arrogance can we, individually, profess full knowledge.

One of the fundamental truths that must be the foundation of our reality framework is the question.

“Is there a God”

If the answer to this question is 'no' then what we are left with is a physical world run simply by chemical reactions and physical laws. Having this truth as the basis for a reality framework means that everything else must be tested and measured in relation to the purely physical, what we can see and touch.

If the answer to this question is 'yes' then we add a whole new dimension to this world and that is one of spirituality. The driving force of this world shifts from the physical to the spiritual with enormous effects for the construction of our reality framework!

The Gospel of John is a very exciting illustration of this principle that we have been discussing.

In John 20:31 we find the overall theme of the Gospel. John tells us exactly why he has written this Gospel.

“...these [signs of Jesus] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

What John has presented for us in his Gospel is a series of signs by Jesus pointing to one truth and John is inviting us to test them for ourselves. He is inviting us to conclude with him this truth and add it into our reality framework so that we “may have life in his name.” That is an amazing statement let us just step back and marvel a second in what John is suggesting here.

This Truth that he is inviting us to test is that Jesus, of whom he writes, is the Christ, the anointed one, the Son of God. If we then accept this as truth, accept this as a true measure of reality then we “may have life in his name.” In other words Jesus will give us reality, we quite literally get Truth in his name! I don't know about you but that is quite a statement. What Jesus is offering is LIFE, What Jesus is offering is a full measure of TRUTH, What Jesus is offering is REALITY. This is exciting!

If this is true, if this is reality then our question is answered, the search is over. “How can I know what is true?” Truth is found in Jesus. If you want to know, how to know truth what you need to do is know Jesus!

In order to build this truth into our reality framework, this phenomenon, this statement must be tested. And that is perfectly fine, it is even what John encourages us to do. Once we have tested it and found its measure of truth, then we can begin to accept the reality of the statement and its life changing potential.

John 1:1-18 the prologue to John's Gospel sets up his presentation of the person of Jesus found in the rest of the Gospel. The main themes he presents in this first section are expounded upon in the rest of his writing. So what a great place to begin to measure the reality of his thematic statement.

“In the beginning was the Word,”
The statement In the beginning here reflects directly back to Genesis 1 and signifies the absolute beginning of this physical world, this universe. The use of 'was' in the Greek produces the context that in the beginning the Word was already in existence.

“and the Word was with God,”
The use of 'with', seen in conjuncture with other places in the new testament suggest the Word spoke of is the description of a person in a particularly close relationship. Therefore two distinct persons are present here, the Word and God and they are both in relationship together.

“and the Word was God.”
Not the Word was Divine or had a God-ness but the Word was God. So this Word existed before the universe was created. A person distinct from but in a close relationship with God and is God in Himself. The parallel of these verses that we see in John's Gospel is found in Jesus' high priestly prayer 17:5 where Jesus asks the Father to Glorify him with the Glory he had before the world existed. Here we clearly see Jesus declaring himself to have the close relationship of Son to God and that that relationship existed before the World did.

“He was in the beginning with God”
Repetition for reinstatement and a lead in to verse three.

“All things were made through him and without him was not any thing made that was made”
John he describes the Word, this personal agent, as the creator of all that exists. The view of Jesus Christ being the creator of all that exists is found in several places in the New Testament. Paul takes about creation formed by him and for him and sustained in him. The writer of Hebrews speaks of the universe being made by the Son.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
The life spoken of here finds its parallel in 5:26 where the Father, in whom is life, grants life to reside within the Son. This life is the full measure of reality and a reality that gives light to men. This light is the revelation of salvation. In 8:12 Jesus declares himself to be the light of the world, the revelation of salvation.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The Word brings his revelation of salvation in victory over evil (darkness). Jesus holds himself up as the light that overcomes darkness in 12:35

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”
Here John the Baptist is identified as a witness of the Word and of the Light. We can see from all the Gospel account that John the Baptist came announcing Jesus. Therefore identifying beyond doubt that The Word and the light spoken of is Jesus.

“The true light , which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
The use of the description 'true' in this verse begins a pattern of occurrences where aspects of Jesus are described as true. What John presents is a light in the full measure of reality. The true light. Over and against all other claims, this one is the fullness of reality. As we look at these descriptions with consideration of the rest of Scripture we see a further dimension to this truth. Jesus is actually claiming to be the fulfilment of Truth. The law of Moses given at Mount Sini was given as a light to the people of Israel but Jesus is the true fulfilment of that light . The manna from heaven for Israel was God's true provision but Jesus is the fulfilment of that provision. The true bread of heaven.
The use of world here denotes not the universe as a whole but rather that part of the created order living in Rebellion to its creator. With particular emphasis to humans and human affairs. A context that we find all throughout John's Gospel (15:18-19). So the true light was coming into the world. A light of the revelation of salvation. A light that divides the world in two, those who love light and those who love darkness.

“He was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”
Jesus is now in this world he created that stands in rebellion against him. But the world had no knowledge of its creator. The life it once had in him has been lost through its rebellion. The eternal life Jesus came to restore is a knowledge of himself and as a direct result a knowledge of the Father. (17:3)

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
The phrase 'his own' has a sense of property attached and seems to refer to the Jewish nation. The one nation that one would expect to receive Jesus, because of the knowledge of him they had from their history, did not 'receive him.'

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
The world did not know him, his own did not receive him but there is a remnant who did receive him. A remnant who believed in his name, those who accepted his character and claims to be true.
An act of gratitude and understanding of ones position is also implied in the receiving element. This combination of belief and receiving produces the gifted right to become children of God. This links in with the adoption theme we see in the rest of Scripture. Adopted as children not by ancestry, or a product of the sexual act or the will of men but of God.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Here John articulates clearly what he has been alluding to and building up to for 13 verses. The incarnation, the Word becoming flesh. God became man. The writer to the Hebrews puts this mind blowing event very simply in the context of a conclusion to God's self revelation to mankind.

'Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son' (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Just like God made his dwelling amongst the Jewish nation in the tabernacle making his presence and glory known, Jesus dwelt among them by his presence and glory. That glory that they witnessed in him was the glory of Father, full of grace and truth. ('They' being the eye witnesses of Jesus and now our witnesses.) Jesus is therefore the true manifestation of the Father. The fulfillment of the Father's manifestation.
This glory is not unshielded glory like Jesus had with the Father before the creation and has now as he sits at the Father's right hand in heaven but a glory seen through faith. Faith being a growing and active belief in the gospel and its power for salvation.

“And from his fullness we have all received, grace instead of [anti] grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.”
The Glory of the Father is full of grace and truth and from this fullness we receive grace instead of grace. The first grace came through the Law and Moses but the fulfillment of that grace, “true” grace comes through Jesus, the God who is at the Father's side, who has made the Father known, being the true manifestation, the fulfillment of the manifestation of the Father.
John lets us see that Jesus is not only the truth but the fulfillment of truth. Jesus is not just the light of revelation of salvation but the true light, the fulfillment of the Father's revelation. Jesus is not only life, not only reality but the fulfillment of reality. Jesus is not only the manifestation of the Father but the fulfillment of the Father's manifestation.

“How can I know what is true”

Is there any better way than a knowledge of Jesus the fulfillment of TRUTH?

How can we know Jesus? How can we restore that relationship we as the world rejecting through our rebellion? Or even that the Jewish nation did not receive.

John tells us simply.
To all who receive, to all who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God.