"The longer I live, the truer the Bible gets."
Andree Seu put together a list of aphorisms, and many of them struck a chord with me.
Truth can be expressed in propositional statements, but it can also be experienced. Many of Seu's aphorisms are concise statements of her experience of truth. We can say, "God is love," which is certainly true, but to read how Jesus walked in that truth is so beautiful, solid, and real. Think of when he forgave Peter three times after being denied three times by Peter; and think of the setting: the disciples were probaby exhausted from trying to fish all night, Peter was soaking from having just jumped into the water to get to Jesus, and they were sitting around the fire, bellies full of the breakfast Jesus had cooked for them, and it was in that context that Jesus so lovingly and graciously restores Peter.
3 John tells us that the apostle received great joy in hearing that his children walk in the truth. Sure, you have to believe it to walk in it, but that isn't what gives John joy. Its when folks actually live the truth by doing it, by fleshing it out in their lives, by incarnating the truth of Jesus, that John rejoices.
Is our (Reformed) understanding of truth too propositionally abstract? Are we too Greek and not biblical enough in how we think about, speak about, and live truth? I'm not suggesting that propositional truth isn't important or that its not true (the Bible is full of propositional truths), but that if we make it the priority over and against doing truth in our lives, we aren't being biblical about truth.
Posted by swanson at november 17, 2005 10:51 EM | TrackBack