I was looking for a picture to help explain a point. I wanted to use it as a metaphor for the work of evangelism. Many of you will recall Led Zeppelin's song "Stairway to Heaven" (Showing my age). Perhaps more familiar is the narrative of Jacobs ladder and all the comings and goings.
The Gospel by which God brings people to faith in Jesus, is in some respects like a ladder. God is at the top and we being "dead in our trespasses and sins" are in an inescapable pit at the bottom.
Eventually, after Googling for images of ladders I came across the above picture of a sculpture showing a ladder in a concrete pit. I added the hands as a part of the picture to illustrate the point, but I could not refrain from including some of the commentary about the artwork because it seemed to fit the purpose so well:
More than 300 years ago the eminent Bible commentarian Matthew Henry said:
The last major heading that I wish to bring to notice is the question of truth. I have quoted this elsewhere and probably more than once but here it is again:
The state of affairs that has brought this about is called by philosophers and concerned Christians: "Post-modernism or Post-modernity"
So, the ground has shifted and it is now under the bottom of the ladder by some distance, what does this mean?
Often in Scripture "the ground" is used as a metaphor, a sort of word picture to depict the human heart. In the parable of the sower we are told of the state of various types of ground, representing different states of the human heart on a sort of scale.
In the explanation to this parable, which Jesus gave privately to his disciples he portrayed the seed sown, as the word of God- the word of truth.
Our question must be, therefore : By what means, in our culture, does Satan, otherwise known as the "father of lies"- "taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts."
The answer is by the way these philosophical deceptions have distorted, denied and denigrated the whole realm of truth. The whole idea of "truth" is in trouble. Let me ask this question: If you wanted to make the "path of truth", or the "way of truth" impossible to follow, how would you achieve this goal? I would suggest the way this has taken place is that confusion and misinformation has made the way of truth very difficult to define. If there were innumerable paths, and every path was touted as the true path, then suddenly there is no way of distinguishing between truth and error.
In her fascinating book "Total Truth- Liberating Christianity from it's cultural captivity" Nancy Pearcey writes of her journey from Christianity to skepticism and back to Christianity again. Her contact with the L'Abri Fellowship and Francis Schaeffer played a pivotal role in her journey:
The Gospel by which God brings people to faith in Jesus, is in some respects like a ladder. God is at the top and we being "dead in our trespasses and sins" are in an inescapable pit at the bottom.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." (cf John 8:34 E.S.V.)Without the Grace of God we are in a pit that we cannot get ourselves out of. Sin has blinded us, it has taken us captive and we are dead. There is no way out apart from him who is the mediator between Man and God- Jesus Christ.
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners."
(Romans 5:6 N.L.T.)
"Martin Puryear is an artist who started as a painter and later turned to sculpture. His work combines a “traditional sculptural involvement in techniques…that reflect some of the methods of Constructivism and Assemblage” (Society for Contemporary Art). Many of his sculptures are abstract, sometimes simplified to simple ovoid and lines.
"The placement of the ladder seems to hang in space. It seems to have a beginning, but it is out of reach. It takes the utilitarianism of a ladder, which is used to get oneself from a starting point to a higher point, to extend our reach, and makes it a nonfunctional object. It forces the viewer to look at it as more than just a ladder and instead as a metaphor of beginnings and endings and the journey to perhaps an unattainable goal." Buman's Art History (emphasis mine).
I have emphasized the part about "the ladder... seems to have a beginning, but it is out of reach" because this is just how, it seems to me, the Gospel is the ladder that has been placed, where for many, it is just too high to reach. But, it is not the fault of the Gospel, and I wish to emphasize this.
How so?
The Gospel is the good news based on historic events as seen by eyewitnesses, evidenced by the corroboration of others and has been handed down to us by a literary collection of testimonies and an unbroken chain of witnesses vouchsafing the veracity of those written records, which we now call the canon of the New Testament up to this day. Therefore it should appear as no strange thing that this should be called the Gospel of Truth.
This is where I need to be careful, and not be misunderstood- the gospel we offer to people in the pit of slavery to sin must be the same Gospel of old. It is absolutely imperative that we neither add to it, nor remove anything from it.
Why then, do I appear to be telling a story of an inadequate Gospel- a Gospel that is too high for people to reach? Now, if that is the impression you have gained so far, it is definitely not what I have intended. The Gospel was, is and ever shall- be the power of God to save people.
This ladder is the same ladder extended to God's people that ever it was- but the ground beneath it has shifted.
One of the first things to notice is that people in Christ's day had no qualms in believing whether God (or gods) existed. Essentially all people believed in the supernatural realm, virtually all people believed in a god or gods, it was simply a given in these early cultures. The question almost never arose:
But this raises more questions, if it is so, that- contrary to certain philosophers who maintained we are born with a tabula rasa* (blank slate) at birth but have, in fact, an implanted, nascent knowledge of God- why are there a growing number of atheists? Why is this basic knowledge of God not apparent today? Here also, Paul has anticipated the problem:
And if it wasn't the result of philosophies so called, this descent into darkness came about through the worship of false religions, whether pantheistic or other monotheistic religions or animistic religions. So wherever the worship of the one true God was neglected or denied an inevitable darkening of the heart followed, with the result that today, at least in the West we have descended so far from reality- that even those whose worship of animals or created gods are closer to the truth than those who deny outright the supernatural realm. This is reflected also in the fact that many in the West who have sensed intuitively this fall from what is properly basic to humanity have turned in ever increasing numbers to a mass-marketed spirituality, an easy believism that requires little by way of personal sacrifice or commitment to an objective morality.
That in essence describes one of the truths that now must be restored, the dignity and credibility of the existence of God is no longer apparent in much of the world and is so far from being able to be believed due to this darkness- that the idea of the existence of God in many circles is openly derided and mocked. The truth then of the Gospel ladder must be extended by restoring that sense of the existence of God that has been lost through the darkening of souls.
How so?
The Gospel is the good news based on historic events as seen by eyewitnesses, evidenced by the corroboration of others and has been handed down to us by a literary collection of testimonies and an unbroken chain of witnesses vouchsafing the veracity of those written records, which we now call the canon of the New Testament up to this day. Therefore it should appear as no strange thing that this should be called the Gospel of Truth.
"Because of the hope which is kept for you in Heaven, that which from the first you had heard in the word of the truth of The Gospel." (Colossians 1:5 A.B.P.E)The understanding of the person of Christ is inextricably linked to the idea of truth. Indeed Christ is truth personified. If the ladder of the Gospel of truth is for some reason inaccessible we have to enquire as to what has made it harder for others to grasp hold of that ladder? And if so what changes need to be made?
This is where I need to be careful, and not be misunderstood- the gospel we offer to people in the pit of slavery to sin must be the same Gospel of old. It is absolutely imperative that we neither add to it, nor remove anything from it.
"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!" (Galatians 1:8 NIV)So the Gospel ladder to God is the good news about Jesus Christ, the Way the Truth and The Life.
Why then, do I appear to be telling a story of an inadequate Gospel- a Gospel that is too high for people to reach? Now, if that is the impression you have gained so far, it is definitely not what I have intended. The Gospel was, is and ever shall- be the power of God to save people.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16 KJV)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25 KJV)Now here is the key to understanding what I am attempting to say. It is not that the ladder is inadequate:
This ladder is the same ladder extended to God's people that ever it was- but the ground beneath it has shifted.
One of the first things to notice is that people in Christ's day had no qualms in believing whether God (or gods) existed. Essentially all people believed in the supernatural realm, virtually all people believed in a god or gods, it was simply a given in these early cultures. The question almost never arose:
- Does God exist?
- What sort of God exists?
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:18-20 (added emphasis)We see echoes of this in the first few verses of the Gospel of John:
He [John the Baptist] was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light [Jesus Christ]. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:8,9The celebrated Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga has done much in philosophical circles to defend the notion that Paul here speaks of: that knowledge of God is properly basic, or fundamental to human nature, implanted within us. (Plantinga’s three-volume magnum opus, Warrant: The Current Debate and Warrant and Proper Function -both Oxford University Press, 1993- and Warranted Christian Belief -Oxford University Press, 2000).
But this raises more questions, if it is so, that- contrary to certain philosophers who maintained we are born with a tabula rasa* (blank slate) at birth but have, in fact, an implanted, nascent knowledge of God- why are there a growing number of atheists? Why is this basic knowledge of God not apparent today? Here also, Paul has anticipated the problem:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Romans 1:21-25 (added emphasis)Since the time Paul wrote this we have had two thousand years more or less of a consistent denial and consequent darkening of the human heart. The knowledge of God which is properly basic has been buried and suppressed by certain ways of thinking that have gained ascendancy in Western culture, and not the West only, but is now a growing Global consensus, and that is a philosophy of materialism* inculcated by the scientific community which knows no borders.
And if it wasn't the result of philosophies so called, this descent into darkness came about through the worship of false religions, whether pantheistic or other monotheistic religions or animistic religions. So wherever the worship of the one true God was neglected or denied an inevitable darkening of the heart followed, with the result that today, at least in the West we have descended so far from reality- that even those whose worship of animals or created gods are closer to the truth than those who deny outright the supernatural realm. This is reflected also in the fact that many in the West who have sensed intuitively this fall from what is properly basic to humanity have turned in ever increasing numbers to a mass-marketed spirituality, an easy believism that requires little by way of personal sacrifice or commitment to an objective morality.
That in essence describes one of the truths that now must be restored, the dignity and credibility of the existence of God is no longer apparent in much of the world and is so far from being able to be believed due to this darkness- that the idea of the existence of God in many circles is openly derided and mocked. The truth then of the Gospel ladder must be extended by restoring that sense of the existence of God that has been lost through the darkening of souls.
More than 300 years ago the eminent Bible commentarian Matthew Henry said:
"Many have such an opinion of their own capacity as to think that that cannot be proved which they cannot believe; by wisdom they knew not Christ."
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"To give truth to him who loves it not is to only give him more multiplied reasons for misinterpretation" -George McDonaldThe cultural ground that has shifted- rendering our same glorious Gospel less effective- is a result of various forms of philosophy that have gained traction in Western culture at street level over the last several decades. These forces, these "powers and principalities" that have permeated society have distorted and changed the way we perceive "truth" and this has had disastrous effects not only in terms of "collateral damage" in our culture but in particular, it has not left the truth claims of the gospel unaffected.
The state of affairs that has brought this about is called by philosophers and concerned Christians: "Post-modernism or Post-modernity"
So, the ground has shifted and it is now under the bottom of the ladder by some distance, what does this mean?
Often in Scripture "the ground" is used as a metaphor, a sort of word picture to depict the human heart. In the parable of the sower we are told of the state of various types of ground, representing different states of the human heart on a sort of scale.
"Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, some an hundred. He said unto them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear."— Mark 4:3-9
In the explanation to this parable, which Jesus gave privately to his disciples he portrayed the seed sown, as the word of God- the word of truth.
"And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts."
Our question must be, therefore : By what means, in our culture, does Satan, otherwise known as the "father of lies"- "taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts."
The answer is by the way these philosophical deceptions have distorted, denied and denigrated the whole realm of truth. The whole idea of "truth" is in trouble. Let me ask this question: If you wanted to make the "path of truth", or the "way of truth" impossible to follow, how would you achieve this goal? I would suggest the way this has taken place is that confusion and misinformation has made the way of truth very difficult to define. If there were innumerable paths, and every path was touted as the true path, then suddenly there is no way of distinguishing between truth and error.
In her fascinating book "Total Truth- Liberating Christianity from it's cultural captivity" Nancy Pearcey writes of her journey from Christianity to skepticism and back to Christianity again. Her contact with the L'Abri Fellowship and Francis Schaeffer played a pivotal role in her journey:
"As a university student, I found that by far the toughest challenge to my newfound faith came from a sociology class: The assumption of relativism was so pervasive that it was tough to maintain hope in the sheer possibility of objective truth, let alone the conviction that Christianity was true." (p113)
- The very category of "truth" is being distorted by a thought process that is called relativism. Instead of the equality of all people academia has promoted the equality of all ideas. From this it follows that if all ideas are equal then none of them are true, because truth by nature is exclusive. There are many ways to demonstrate that relativism is a distortion of the idea of truth. If someone was flying a plane and they encountered thick cloud, the pilot, according to the rules, has to switch from Visual Flight Rules to Instrument Flight Rules, which, quite simply- means that if you can no longer see- you must fly by trusting in your instruments to tell you about the progress of your journey. Your height, speed and distance traveled, your planes attitude and other aspects like ground control all become essentially instrumental in your safety. Now, what if Air Traffic Control told you over the radio that your landing approach was dangerously fast and you were descending too quickly and in fact your position was not a good approach at all? Would it make sense to reply-
- "Oh well I know that's how it is for you, but my reality is: I am confident I'm doing everything right. I know the instruments are telling me to slow down, reduce my rate of descent and take a different heading but I've flown this route thousands of times, why should I listen to that version of truth, I have my own?" Clearly this is a recipe for disaster.But relativism blurs that reality, while it is easy to spot the distortion in earthly matters like navigation, what does it do when we are dealing with more abstract scenarios like spiritual realities? Because these are not concrete experiences, relativism finds a ready home in the spiritual realm, and in the realm of philosophy and ideas.
- Two opposing views cannot both be right. "True" truth means that someone's "truth" is a lie masquerading as the truth. From this it follows that relativism which promotes the idea that different- and even opposing truths can be valued equally, is a denial of the exclusive nature of truth. If you choose to take the bus to Kamo, you cannot deny that it is impossible to get on the bus to Onerahi at the same time. Truth by nature is exclusive. No one, I venture, would be silly enough to laugh you to scorn by saying: "Fancy thinking you could exclude a trip to Onerahi at the same time as going to Kamo just because you were on a Kamo bus!" But, and here is the rub, people do that all the time when Christians are mocked and derided for saying that Jesus is the only way.
- The role of relativism in the denigration of truth should now be apparent. If relativism is accepted as true, then we naturally think of ideas as having equal value. But if "true" truth is valued equally along with a lie masquerading as truth, then the confusion that arises as a result will devalue not just "true" truth but anything that is supposed as true. If the pilot accepted his own personal "truth" over and above the objective truth of his instruments, and does not recognize the foolishness of relativism, then- if he survives the inevitable crash- what won't survive is his respect for truth in any form. I can just hear him say "Bhah, humbug- this whole idea of truth is a scam. Just a ploy, a trick to get the better of me." And thus instead of blaming the culprit which is the idea of relativism, all truth is denounced as a means of getting power over people or some other such advantage as might be gained. Thus the reputation of truth as that which "makes us free" has been successfully tarnished. The whole idea of truth in our day is suffering. As they say "the devil is in the details".
But, if we listen carefully to scripture we will not be left wondering if God knows what is going on. There is in the language of the Bible a terribly dramatic scene of "truth" becoming the victim of a street mugging and anyone attempting to restore fair play and a sense of proportion cannot get a hearing, those trying to escape the evil are turned on and treated as if their shunning of evil is actually an evil thing that must be punished. This turning of things upside down was foretold by Isaiah's prophecy some 800 years before the champion of truth entered our world as Jesus:
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. (Isaiah 59:14 KJV-15 NIV )
Nowhere has evil been proclaimed as good, and good proclaimed as evil so much as in the story of the Crucifixion of Christ. But that sort of thing can always be seen going on all around us if we have eyes to see. Here then we have the answer to at least part of the reason why the Gospel is perhaps beyond the reach of those who would otherwise be able to take hold of it and be saved. The stewardship of the Gospel has been entrusted to his people, for we are his ministers. But we are the ministers not only of the truth of the Gospel, but we should be good stewards of all truth wherever it may be found, and we should be promoters and lovers of truth as an idea to be attained, striven for and protected and maintained in our culture. The very idea of truth has been under a sustained attack by false ideologies. If the very idea of truth as that which reflects reality is lost, then so will we we lose the general credibility for the Gospel of truth. And where a climate of credibility is lost- there will we find truth fallen in the street.
And this is where the role of Christian apologetics, comes into its own. It helps to restore a respect for the notion and nature of truth as a kind of scrub clearing before the truth of the Gospel can be fully appreciated. And so this is where we should begin, to restore truth to its rightful place first in our own hearts and then in those that will hear us.
And this is where the role of Christian apologetics, comes into its own. It helps to restore a respect for the notion and nature of truth as a kind of scrub clearing before the truth of the Gospel can be fully appreciated. And so this is where we should begin, to restore truth to its rightful place first in our own hearts and then in those that will hear us.
So the Gospel is still the Old Rugged Cross that will stand the test of time and bad ideas, it is still mighty to save. We should not forget the verse that prefaces this sad chapter in the history of truth:
*Tabula rasa, meaning blank slate in Latin, is the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. (Wikipedia)
*Materialism in this sense does not refer to a heightened love of things- material possessions at the expense of relationships- but rather the idea that the Universe only consists of matter. In this sense materialism means there is no supernatural reality and therefore no God, the whole of existence, it is supposed, can be incorporated in material terms.
"Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear" Isaiah 59:1KJVBut the ground has shifted, are we ready to meet that challenge?
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Mathew 25:29So, to those then who did not like to retain even the slightest semblance of respect for the idea of God's existence that was inherent, the little they had was taken from them. And what goes for this knowledge of God- also goes for the idea of truth of which the knowledge of the existence of God is but a part. We need to uphold and maintain a respect and love for truth as good stewards of God's gifts. For it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
*Tabula rasa, meaning blank slate in Latin, is the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. (Wikipedia)
*Materialism in this sense does not refer to a heightened love of things- material possessions at the expense of relationships- but rather the idea that the Universe only consists of matter. In this sense materialism means there is no supernatural reality and therefore no God, the whole of existence, it is supposed, can be incorporated in material terms.
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