Episode 66 – The Relationship Between Truth and Faith

Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script: (Bible quotes from the New King James Version)

Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to me feet and a light to my path.

Psalms 119, verses 104 and 105, New King James Version

But without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6, New King James Version

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VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m here today with RD Fierro, author and founder of Crystal Sea Books, and part-time meteorologist. He keeps track of weather radar – we have found that recording during thunderstorms is not a good idea. Well today, RD, we think that it is a good idea to continue our discussion about truth and faith. In our first show we talked about the nature of truth and then we moved on to talking about what you call the tools of truth. Specifically, we said that the best way to sort between competing truth claims, like whether God really did create the heavens and earth or the universe popped into being out of nothingness, is to use logic, reason, and evidence. Then in our last show we talked about the nature of faith. Could you give us a brief recap of what we said about the nature of faith?

RD: Absolutely. Last time we talked about the fact that faith is not some kind of force that can be mustered up or manipulated by human beings. Faith is also not investing belief or trust in ideas or propositions that not supported by competent reason or evidence. We have to be careful to not let the need for faith become an invitation to be gullible or credulous to every idea that is somehow gets loosely connected to some aspect of the real Christian faith. As our second opening scripture from Hebrews states, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” But God-pleasing faith is firmly grounded in reality - in the real nature of our creation, the reliability of the Bible, and what we know about the nature of God. God-pleasing faith is not taking a blind leap into an unknown and unknowable abyss just because someone says that’s what faith requires.

VK: Well, those are some things that faith is not. What then comprises authentic Biblical faith?

RD: Christian theologians the centuries have seen authentic Biblical faith as consisting of the three components: knowledge, agreement, and trust. Every faith, any faith, has to have some kind of content or set of propositions with which someone can agree or disagree. Even false faiths have some set of propositional statements which their adherents have decided to apply to their lives, whether those statements concern mundane matters or supernatural convictions.

VK: And we talked about the fact that people routinely exercise faith propositions even though they may possess only a limited understanding of those propositions. People routinely place their faith in an airplanes and pilots to transport them from one place to another even though they usually have limited understanding about what keeps a plane in the air. Yet despite their limited understanding of ideas or concepts that does not prevent them from behaving as if their belief is true. And that essentially is the exercise of faith.

RD: Exactly. So, people not only have to have a certain amount of knowledge – the content of their faith – they also have to assent that that knowledge is true. For a person to take an airplane trip they not only have to be aware of certain ideas, they have to agree with them. They have to agree that the airplane they’re going to board has been properly designed and built to get off the ground and fly for a specified distance. They have to agree that the pilot has been properly trained to operate the plane and that the pilot has a genuine interest in getting them to their destination safely. Just comprehending aerodynamic principles never moved anybody anywhere. People had to agree that those principles were true. They had to agree with them.

VK: But we also pointed out last time that just possessing knowledge and agreeing with the validity of that knowledge is not enough for genuine faith. The final component of faith is trust. We cited the example that the Apostle James cites in James 2:19 where James notes that even demons are aware that God exists and agrees with that awareness. But that awareness causes the demons to shudder. Knowledge and agreement of God’s existence gives demons no comfort because in the distant past they were unwilling to place their trust in God. Whereas the knowledge and agreement of God’s existence gives Christians profound comfort because we are willing to place our trust in him to provide for us, protect us, save us from our sins, and one day take us to heaven.

RD: Precisely. Trust is the final essential component of Biblical faith. So, to summarize, Biblical faith is not gullibility or credulity. We don’t just believe a claim just because someone repeats it. And Biblical faith is not presumption – that is we don’t believe that just because we call ourselves Christians God will somehow organize the universe to make sure that we always get everything we want. We do believe that God will supply all our needs because God himself made that promise in Philippians 4:19. Biblical faith is grounded in and supported by logic, reason, and evidence.

VK: Right. And as our listeners may recognize when you say that authentic Christian faith is grounded in logic, reason, and evidence you are directly tying authentic Biblical faith to what you have called the tools of truth. So, let’s talk about that a little more. What is the relationship between truth and faith?

RD: Well, simply put real, authentic Biblical faith is built upon the truth. Or said slightly differently, truth must form the foundation for an authentic, reasonable faith.

VK: And that’s a very simple concept and statement, but it really has profound implications doesn’t it?

RD: Yes. The implications of that simple concept literally have eternal implications.

VK: What you mean is that if the content of the Christian faith isn’t true then that faith wouldn’t do them, or anyone, any lasting good. Christianity stakes its entire existence and validity on truth. And truth is that which corresponds to reality.

RD: Absolutely right. And that link between faith and truth is seen over and over in the Bible. The Bible never asks anyone to believe anything – even the seemingly most outlandish propositions, like Jesus rising from the dead – without offering evidence to support the proposition.

VK: I don’t think that that is a concept which is widely understood, or at least widely discussed, today. Can you give us a couple of examples of what you’re thinking about?

RD: Let’s take a look at the Apostle Paul’s defense of Jesus’ resurrection to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15.

VK: Ah that’s a good one. The God’s Word Translation makes your point very clearly. This is the Apostle Paul speaking to the Corinthians: “I passed on to you the most important points of doctrine that I had received: Christ died to take away our sins as the Scriptures predicted.  He was placed in a tomb. He was brought back to life on the third day as the Scriptures predicted.  He appeared to [Peter]. Next he appeared to the twelve apostles.  Then he appeared to more than 500 believers at one time. (Most of these people are still living, but some have died.)  Next he appeared to James. Then he appeared to all the apostles. Last of all, he also appeared to me.”

RD: Apparently some of the believers in Corinth...

VK: Believers sort of …

RD: Well many of them and us are like the man who asked Jesus to remove a demonic spirit from his son. When Jesus asked the man if he believed Jesus could do it, the man replied, “I believe, but help my unbelief.”

VK: Mark 9:24.

RD: So, apparently some of the believers in Corinth were having a hard time with the concept of the resurrection. But notice that Paul while firmly correcting their misperception doesn’t just tell them to get over their doubts. To the contrary, Paul provides them evidence for why they can trust the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. He cites the list of people who had seen Jesus after Jesus had risen, even noting that at one point over 500 people had one time had seen the risen Lord.

VK: But that instance of Jesus appearing to over 500 people at one time isn’t specifically described in any of the gospels is it?

RD: No, it’s not. So, that leaves scholars and us to puzzle over when it might have occurred. Many scholars think it might have been when Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. That makes sense because the Mount of Olives was pretty close to Jerusalem so it’s likely that after 40 days of appearances, many of which were in and around Jerusalem, a fairly large body of people in Jerusalem would have become aware of the fact that Jesus had risen. Also, given that the book of Acts is explicit that the apostles were present at His ascension it’s likely they would have told many of the followers to assemble to see Jesus even if they didn’t know Jesus was going to ascend right then. But the main point is that, many years later, when some of the Corinthians expressed doubts, Paul immediately resorts to a recitation of the evidence in order to assure them that they could reasonably place their faith in the resurrection of Christ.

VK: So, your point is that even Paul, who had personally seen the risen Christ and frequently testified to that fact, was willing to provide even more evidence for why people could believe in Jesus’ resurrection. He gladly provides a list of additional people that the Corinthians could turn to if they needed additional confirmation? Now, of course, we’re 2,000 years removed from those events but the people who listened to Paul originally were not. If they had wanted to check with the other witnesses they would have had that opportunity.

RD: Exactly. It has often been observed that Christianity is the only major religion that makes the claim that the central figure of its belief system, Christ Jesus, isn’t dead. We make the claim that Jesus is alive and we stake the validity of our faith on the historical claim that Jesus did die on a cross, but after 3 days He got up off of a stone slab and walked out of a tomb through solid rock. When you think about it, it’s a pretty astounding claim.

VK: It is astounding. It would be a ridiculous assertion – if it weren’t true. So, that is a graphic illustration of how the Christian faith must be tied to truth or else it wouldn’t be a faith worthy of trust. Do you have any other examples of where the Christian faith is dependent on the truth of an objective propositional claim that at first blush seems equally astounding?

RD: Yes. Let’s consider another of the most amazing claims that Christianity makes: that Jesus is not only truly man but also truly God. This is a claim that is unique among the world’s religions. Most religions see their central figure as being remarkable or extraordinary in many ways, but only Christianity claims that its central human figure was actually God as well as human. We believe it because that’s what Jesus said about himself but even Jesus did not just ask for the people of his time to accept His word. He offered evidence to support His claim.

VK: One example of what you’re thinking about is found in John 10:36 through 38. In those verses Jesus was rebuking some of his Jewish opponents in Jerusalem when he said, “Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?  Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” That is the version in the New International Version.

RD: That’s a great example. Some Bible critics today claim that Jesus never actually claimed to be God, but that episode in Jesus’ life makes it clear that he did. Earlier in verses 31 through 33 the Apostle John gave us the background for the quote you just read. This is also from the NIV. “Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Again, this would be an outlandish claim if it were not true. Jesus claimed that He was God and He pointed out to His opponents that the truth of His claim was supported by His “good works,” which is another way of saying the miracles He did. So, even Jesus appealed to evidence to support the truth claims that He made about himself. Jesus grounded His command to His followers that they put their faith in Him in logic, reason, and evidence.

VK: Which completely repudiates any nonsense that Christians must either choose between logic or faith. What you’re saying is that if truth doesn’t underlie our faith we really would be, in the Apostle Paul’s words, “the most pitiable of all men.”

RD: Exactly. The Christian faith is void if it is not true. And to carry this thought one step further since everything we know about the Christian faith originates in the Bible, our faith would be void unless the Bible is true. That’s the reason we labor so hard on Anchored by Truth to ensure that listeners can use our programs as starting points from which they can launch their own investigations. Now, naturally when they do that they will encounter plenty of opposing truth claims. So, they have to be prepared to examine both sides of a question and make their own decisions.

VK: And your view is that they can make wise decisions by carefully examining the evidence that is offered for any particular claim and applying logic and reason to the evidence. What else do you think it is important for people to think about when it comes to the relationship between truth and faith?

RD: Truth must not only form the foundation of our faith. It must also set the boundaries for our faith.

VK: That sounds a little strange. It’s almost like you think we have to possess a limited faith?

RD: Our faith should be unlimited in the way that it inspires us to serve God and others and in inspiring us to want to reach the world for truth. In other words, our faith opens doors and removes boundaries. But that does not mean that just because someone claims that one thing or another is “Christian” or supported by one Biblical text we should unquestioningly accept that claim. A genuine Biblical faith proceeds to the boundaries that are set by scripture but no farther.

VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about?

RD: Some people make claims about the Christian faith that fall clearly outside reason and the reasonable bounds of scripture. For instance, I’ve heard ministers claim that they possess miraculous powers such as the ability to heal or foretell the future. In one case I actually got a direct mail solicitation from a well known television preacher who said he had the power to raise the dead.

VK: And you don’t believe that they do? But you recognize that the Bible contains records of miracles including miracles like the ones you mentioned. And you don’t doubt the accuracy of the Bible’s descriptions of those miracles?

RD: I don’t doubt for one second the Bible’s description of miracles occurring. But here are a few things that distinguish the Bible’s reports of miracles and the powers claimed by people today. Miracles (which in the Bible are usually termed signs and wonders) were always used in the Bible for one purpose and one purpose only: to authenticate a messenger of God. And when you look at scripture carefully you find that the Bible’s miracles are primarily clustered in certain periods of time when God was doing something special such as when Moses was leading the people out of the land of Egypt and back to the promised land. There was another burst of miracles during the ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, a period of particular spiritual wickedness during the time period of the divided kingdom. There were some miracles when Daniel was prophesying about the coming four world empires that would precede the time of Christ. And of course there was a final burst of miracles during Jesus’ earthly ministry and the formation of the early church. Each period of these signs and wonders God was authenticating a particular messenger so the people could be sure that the message they were bringing came from Him.

VK: So, what you’re saying is that if someone could perform miracles today that would, in effect, identify them as an authentic messenger of God. Essentially, that would mean they would be capable of writing scripture because that’s what the authenticated Biblical messengers did.

RD: Yes.

VK: But that, for instance, doesn’t stop you from praying for – say – healing for someone who is experiencing cancer or another serious illness?

RD: I absolutely pray regularly for healing for lots of people. I absolutely believe that God can, and does, perform remarkable healings in our day and age. I just don’t believe those healings are the result of the particular agency of one particular individual unless you’re thinking about a doctor or surgeon who administers efficacious treatment. But when doctors or surgeons do that, they are clearly operating, no pun intended, in the natural realm. But I’m happy to pray that they receive supernatural guidance and assistance as they do so.

VK: But you do recognize that there is an ongoing debate within the church about whether the gifts of the Spirit that are described in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12 are still in existence today? Those gifts include, according to some translations, the gifts of healing and miraculous powers.

RD: Yes. Whether or not the 1 Corinthian 12 gifts of the Spirit are still extant today is, in my opinion, a legitimate source of debate within the church. But just because there are debates within the church about many topics doesn’t change the underlying principle that the truth that we derive from scripture must form the boundaries of our faith.

VK: So, you’re not saying that there isn’t room for legitimate disagreement about many elements of the Christian faith. There are lots of areas that have been hotly debated through the years – whether the gifts of the spirit are still present today, the correct view of eschatology which just means the study of the end times. Who wrote the book of Hebrews? Was the “John” who wrote Revelation the same John who wrote the Gospel of John? There are lots of questions within Christianity about which the truth is legitimately debated. So, that means that sometimes the precise location of the boundary may not be easily established or agreed upon. But we have to return to the essential truth that not every idea or concept that is labeled “Christian” is, in fact, actually Christian – or more accurately, Biblical.

RD: Exactly. A lot of mischief down through the ages has been advocated on the basis that it is somehow a “Christian” concept. So, just as we must ensure that we have a firm understanding of the logic, reason, and evidence that supports the reliability of scripture and the truth of the Christian faith, we must also ensure that we have a firm understanding of what is not included in our faith. It has been said that you can prove just about any proposition from scripture – if you’re willing to extract a single text from its context. And sadly, that’s true to a certain extent. That’s why it is so important that we’re sure that we not only use truth as the foundation for our faith, but also for the boundaries for the beliefs that we believe to be included within our faith.

VK: Well, that observation echoes the Apostle Paul’s warning to Timothy, a young follower that he mentored throughout much of his ministry. In 2 Timothy Paul wrote to Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Paul knew that throughout the long history of the church just because a proposition was included within scripture that that proposition couldn’t be twisted in some way that would become decidedly not scriptural. And as you say a lot of mischief down through the ages has resulted from the fact that some people, and some Christians, haven’t been careful to ensure that it’s the truth of scripture that sets the boundaries for their faith. Well, once again we’re ending a show on a very sobering thought – but it is an essential one. Today, let’s listen to a prayer of corporate confession because we all have drifted from the truth of scripture during our lives and we want to be sure that the Lord knows that the desire of our hearts really is to serve him in spirit and in truth.

---- PRAYER OF CORPORATE CONFESSION

VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.”

If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!”

(Bible Quotes from the New King James Version)

Psalms 119, verses 104 and 105, New King James Version

Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6, New King James Version