People who know me know that my favourite TV show is Judge Judy. Some of her favourite sayings include, beauty fades but dumb is forever. Or when someone stumbles on an answer she quickly retorts “um is not an answer” Or when she’s winning an argument “They don’t keep me here because I’m gorgeous!” But my favourite which I think goes along with Jesus’ statement to the Jews today is: “If you tell the truth you don’t need a good memory” And she would always follow that up with “if you lie to me once then everything else you say is a lie”.
Jesus comment was a little different regarding truth: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Truth is an important virtue that no one can bring you down for. When you lie you have to keep building on that lie with more lies and the problem with that is you will eventually contradict yourself.
We have an interesting comment by the Pharisees in response to Jesus’ statement. Jesus said the truth will set you free. “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” The Pharisees, with that statement, have just erased 400 years of history of when their ancestors were slaves in Egypt. And one might argue the case that they were, in effect, currently slave to the Roman Empire. When they wanted Jesus executed they had to take him to Pilate who said: “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” Which was not true according to their Mosaic laws and even wanted to execute a woman caught in adultery. This is how Jesus would always catch them out – with the truth.
So what does this have to do with The Reformation? Well, the Reformation is based on Luther defending the truth of the Gospel. Luther was excommunicated from his church – declared an outlaw meant that anyone could legally kill him without facing murder charges – was hidden away at Wartburg Castle by Frederick the Wise for his protection. But when he was ordered to recant his beliefs stood on the truth and declared: Here I stand; I can do no other. So help me God, amen. That one word – amen – is an interesting word. We have reduced it to a word bring a prayer to an end. “In Jesus name I pray. Amen”.
But the word, from the Greek, means – truth or truly. So when Jesus says to the thief on the cross “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” – in the Greek it says “Amen, I say to you”. So each time you pray – and you end that pray with Amen – it is a statement of truth – in Jesus name.
John 8 is a really important chapter about truth. Later in the Chapter Jesus will declare about those who do not hold to the truth of the Gospel: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! And that’s Satan’s way. It began in the Garden of Eden with Eve – did God really say.
So what Luther fought for and was prepared to die for was the Truth of the Gospel. And what is that truth?
Paul tells us clearly what the truth of the Gospel is: No one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
And this is what Luther was fighting against – a righteousness before God other than Christ’s death for our sins. It is not new. It wasn’t the church of Luther’s time only. Even Paul had to contend with that when the Galatian church was led astray by a false Gospel. Paul says to them: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all.
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! You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?
So what that means is that as the church today we need to be continually on the watch for when the Church departs from the Gospel. It happens ever so slowly that we don’t realise it is happening. And again St Paul warns us through his Pastor Timothy: Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
I know that Doctrine is not a pretty word in the church today. It’s too legalistic. But Paul knew what he was talking about because the truth of the Gospel is always under attack from the Father of lies. Did God really say? The moment we walk away from God’s truth then all of God’s truth becomes questionable. Did God really say – I love the world so much that I sent my Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Did God really say – whoever believes and is Baptised will be saved. Did God really say – whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Yes he did and Amen to that.
