The Test of Truth

Tests of Truth

Series in 1, 2 & 3 John. 6^th in the series.

As presented by Rev. Jonathan Mills, Pastor at Kanata Baptist Church.

2008-10-05

Subject: In a Culture where most would debate whether there is such a thing as objective truth, the Bible calls us to differentiate between truth and lie. The Da Vinci Code is used to illustrate people's willingness to embrace a lie, while rejecting the truth—and stimulates us to reflect on how we might communicate the truth in meaningful ways, without finding ourselves bending to the lies.

Scriptures¹:

1 John 2:18-28; 4:1-6

Warnings Against Denying the Son

2:18-28

18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

    20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Messiah. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

    24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

    26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

God's Children and Sin

 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

On Denying the Incarnation

4:1-6

1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

    4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Introduction

In 2003, Dan Brown published The Da Vinci Code. Little did he know how much of an impact his book would have on the world. In fact, I would suggest that the impact of this novel is yet to be fully felt.

Some of you may have heard me refer to Da Vinci Code before, and if that's you, I ask your indulgence for a few moments.

I want to pull together a few threads and trace them to their points of intersection today. I hope I can do this ... let's see.

A) The Legacy of the Da Vinci Code

Book Sales and Spinoffs

57 Million Copies, according to the publisher. To put that into perspective, that's 21^st place on the all time sales list. (ie. Only 20 books have sold more copies).

Some of the few novels to outpace Da Vinci Code: The Catcher in the Rye; The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings; The Little Prince, the Tale of Two Cities, and “And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie).

Most of those books have been for sale for many more than 5 years.

One might think; Oh well, it's just fiction. Let's not get too carried away with it's impact.

Well, take a look at this: Da Vinci Code tours. This tour company operates out of New Zealand—ushering tourists to see all the sights mentioned in the Da Vinci Code, as well as Brown's other book Angels and Demons.

The material in the book is being viewed as if it were “real history” by hundreds of thousands of tourists. Of course, there is a lot of real history in the book—but there is also a great deal of distortion which obscures the truth of history.

How about the Da Vinci Code Diet.

The History Channel is focusing much of its programming on the Da Vinci Code this coming week – culminating with the full movie next Sunday night at 8:00p.m.

They will also be playing at least one documentary about the book. Here is what the History Television web site says about their documentary program:

A bestselling novel sparks a debate that could change the way the world views Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Christianity forever…

What if Jesus and Mary Magdalene had been a married couple and co-leaders of their movement? What if Mary Magdalene, herself, was the Holy Grail - the vessel that was said to hold Jesus’ blood - and the mother of His descendants? What if the early Church knew about this ‘truth’ but deliberately misled its followers for the next 2000 years?

This two-hour documentary will examine both sides of the story: the conventional view of Christianity and the ‘alternate history’ proposed by Brown’s novel. It is a 2000 year journey through time, examining the histories and mysteries of the Holy Grail lore – both from the perspective of the believers and from skeptics, letting the viewers reach their own conclusions.

Is it the greatest story ever told or just the greatest story ever sold?²

What Does The Da Vinci Code Say?

We did a series of studies on the Da Vinci Code just before the movie came out – and I believe these are still available on the church web site ... if you look under sermons.

But now that the movie has come and gone ... I'd like to talk a bit about some of the things mentioned in the book and the film.

There are a lot of claims stated as if they are historical fact: Constantine was a pagan. That he presided over the choosing of the books of the New Testament. That he chose Christianity as a shrewd act to save Rome, and that the Council of Nicea was convened to establish the immortality of Jesus.

Here is what is actually historically true....

Interestingly, in the film Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), and Teabing (Ian McKellin) argue over the details.

In the book, however, they both agree, and in fact Langdon adds many details to support Teabing's claims—and in the book these accusations are much more sharply barbed: “... establishing Christ's divinity was critical to the further unification of the Roman empire and to the new Vatican power base.”³

[forgetting for a moment that the Vatican did not yet exist – so, it would have been hard for it to “unify it's power base” ... the book thrives on inuendo and insinuations which make the church (esp. the Roman Catholic church) look like a bunch of deceptive, power brokers, without any basis for existence except lies and coverups. It is a gross misrepresentation of the facts]

this morning, I'd like to connect some dots from the Da Vinci Code, and ultimately, to the scriptures (particularly 1 John).

Connecting some Dots: Nicea, Immortality and the Gospels

1 The first: the mortality/immortality of Jesus.

2 The second: The 80 gospels which were rejected by Constantine.

1 Nicea was about the Arian controversy. the other way around: assumption was that Jesus was divine – but how can the Son be divine, and the Father be divine and there only be one God? That was the question of Nicea.

Was it about the divinity of Jesus? Yes.

Did they create it or “enhance it”? No.

2. The other Gospels.

Dan Brown is correct in saying there are other gospels about the life of Christ, but there weren't 80! In fact, the historical evidence is clear that the 4 gospels in the New Testament were the earliest recorded gospels.

Both of Dan Brown's claims are misleading—historically inaccurate.

But what about those gospels? Where did they come from?

Many were written in the 2^nd Century ... and these were the work, primarily, of the Gnostics.

Stay with me now.

1 John was written to refute the earliest gnostics – perhaps even a pre-gnostic group. And if you were here for the introduction to the series on Sept. 7, you will recall that the Gnostics believed that Jesus was pure spirit – and that he did not have a physical body.

they also believed that spiritual enlightenment came through receiving special knowledge.

This is what is so sad – and so terribly ironic – about the Da Vinci Code.

Dan Brown is trying to use 2^nd century gospels which claimed that Jesus was divine, but not human – to defend his case that Jesus was human, but not divine.

I have copies of these gospels in my office (by the way, there are only a handful of them). You can borrow them if you want to read them for yourself.

B) From Dan Brown, to the Despondent Masses

People's Response to the Da Vinci Code: We Believe It!

So, here's the problem: 57 Million copies of this book.

Brown presses his case throughout the book relentlessly. The church is corrupt, everything is based on a lie, they're only interested in protecting the church's power at any cost, they are covering up the truth about the life of Jesus.

In the past 5 years, Dan Brown has done more to malign and undermine the image of the church in public perception than anyone else – possibly more than anyone in history.

But it's not all about Dan Brown.

The book sold this many copies – partly because it's just a very intriguing mystery, but also because it struck a chord with a culture which already had its doubts about the church.

In reality, for many, it is just a confirmation of what they already believed about the church.

There are a few videos on YouTube which refute the Da Vinci Code based on real history. If you read the comments, it's heartbreaking. Most people really think Dan Brown is telling the truth—and anyone who tries to challenge his views is accused of being a part of the cover up.

Orthodoxy in a time of Heterodoxy

4:6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

I find this such a struggle. Here is this amazing passage of scripture giving us clarity on differentiating between falsehood and truth – and yet that is just a million miles away from where our culture is at today.

It is a word of truth ... in a time when people aren't ready or willing to accept truth.

There was a time when people believed in 'objective truth.” That there was such a thing as truth which was universally true.

[For comments on Truth, see the Extra Material at the end of the sermon – a quote from Plato's Republic].

Today, people are far more relativistic: they believe that things that are true for you, are likely different that the things that are true for me – but your truth may not agree with my truth. And, that's okay. Just don't try to impose your truth on me.

Speaking Up About the Lies

So the reason I keep coming back to the Da Vinci Code is because in my mind it is a bold-faced lie, from beginning to end. A gratuitous lie—an offensive condemnation of the church, of history, and of the Lord Jesus Christ!

the Da Vinci Code is not a little white lie.

Yet, to do what I've done this morning – pointing out the story's faults, and illuminating the truth – is a dead end with millions out there who truly believe that this is historical fact.

Talk about an aggravating situation!

The church has always stressed the importance of believing the right things – knowing the truth ... but the world has changed.

We are an orthodox faith, living in a heterodox world.

// Picture this scene in your mind.

You have a friend who you have known for quite some time. Recently, your discussions have started to tentatively explore some issues of faith. You meet at Starbucks. You decide it's time to speak up about what you believe.

So you lead out by saying: “The incarnation is doctrinally true and irrefutable according to the Canonical scriptures. You have to believe this or else you are under the spirit of antichrist. Since you are clearly in contradiction of the Nicene Creed and other ecumenical declarations of orthodoxy, I say you've been living a lie, and if you don't repent, I'll have to call you a pagan heretic.”

...

Well, what kind of a conversation starter would that be?

I wouldn't advise this approach to faith sharing—you might get an earful. Before you do this, consider the sage old word of advice:

Before you criticize someone else's views, make sure you walk a mile in his shoes. That way ... you're a mile head start, and you've got his shoes!

C) Personal Tests/ Public Grace

Sifting Truth and Lies

Talking about these things with someone who had not yet made a profession of faith is likely to be a dead end street. Yet, this passage of scripture in 1 John calls us to seek out the truth and expose the lies.

And it clarifies for us what the Christian church has always declared as objective, universal and singular truth about the Lord Jesus Christ:

2:21-22 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Messiah.

4:1-3 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

These two passages declare the uncompromising assertion of the Christian faith: that Jesus was the Messiah – and that he came in the flesh and lived among us.

I touched on this briefly earlier. These two assertions about Jesus are the foundation of our belief: That he was fully human, and fully God. This would later come to be known as the docrtine of the Incarnation—and yes, this is what they struggled to define at that very first ecumenical council of Nicea in 325.

But far from “creating” the divinity of Jesus Christ – or even “enhancing” it – they tried to express in a coherent way, what the scriptures already told them.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Our Inner Tension as Christians

There's always going to be some tension around points of doctrine and theology for true believers.

On the one hand, we know deep down inside that we are living in the truth—and this gives us great comfort. On the other hand, we are aware that if we express it too forthrightly, we might come across as being smug or even arrogant.

4:5-6 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

It's pretty clear. Our culture, and our faith, are moving in different directions. As a result, our conversations about faith must change.

But what must not change, is our foundational commitment to remaining faithful to the truth of God's word.

At the end of the day, our primary commitment is to please God. We do not want to allow ourselves to be thrown off course by fine sounding arguments, or by false teachers ... no matter how persuasive they might be. For this reason we hold fast to the Lord, and we do not let go.

2:28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

//

Conclusion

So we stand firm on the solid bedrock of Christ – and we continue to pray for others, to share with others, to dialog with others in the hope that they will also come to see the truth that we embrace. And we do not loose hope because we know that we serve the King! We know that the lies of the antichrist will not stand – and we know that ultimately Jesus Christ will reign over all. To this end, we lovingly and patiently lead others to explore, and ultimately, to embrace the true gospel which can save them, and lead them into a relationship with the living Christ.

4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

This world is in disarray, discord, suffering, and ultimately in error.

But we do not loose heart because the Jesus Christ has overcome the world!

Notes and Additional Material:

The Da Vinci Catechism

Here's an interesting web site. A Catholic Priest, part of Opus Dei, has turned the questions of the Da Vinci Code into a brief catechism. Check it out; http://davincicode-opusdei.com/?p=94 (the many comments at the bottom are also very interesting).

As Protestants, we may not agree with all these answers (ie. We disagree with the veneration of the bones of Mary Magdalene), but we do agree that this book can serve as a springboard to conversation.

Plato on Truth

“When the mind's eye rests on objects illuminated by truth and reality, it understands and comprehends them, and functions intelligently; but when it turns to the twilight world of change and decay, it can only form opinions, its vision is confused and its beliefs shifting, and it seems to lack intelligence.” (Plato, Republic)