I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing;
and I will cause showers to come down in their season;
there shall be showers of blessing.
Ezekiel 34:26

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
John 7:38

Where are you ?
Where are you today ?
Are you looking back into the past – with regrets of what could have been…
    – or might have been ?

Are you looking forward into the future – with dreams of what you hope will be ?
   – or what you long to be ?

Both past and future have their place – but where are you TODAY?
   – where are you now?

Fretting over closed doors is foolishness – and can rob you of today’s calling.
Hankering for some future daydream is imprudent – as you can miss His best.

Learn the lesson the Lord has to teach you, in your past joys and foolish mistakes,
Don’t be tempted to crave some pot of gold, at the end of some future rainbow,
And all memories of the past and hope for the future will beautified for your benefit.

View past and future through His healing, health-giving tempering lens.
And you will find strength for your soul and contentment in your heart.

Don’t plan the way ahead yourself – HE will unfold each step you take.
       I will guide you with My eye -
           and you will hear a voice saying “This is the way..”  Isa.30:21

He provides you ample manna for your needs today.. and it is enough.
He opens the cloudy skies, providing sufficient for you to take today’s step.

He instructs the ravens to fly to you with enough sustenance for one days strength,
He showers drops of dew on your brow to nourish and refresh – one day at a time.

So where are you ?
Where are you today ?

Today he calls you to be His manna and His dew,
Today he desires you to be His salt and His light – to others…
Today He wants you to be His hands and His feet, His eyes and His heart…
    – ’til it is not you that lives – but Christ living in and through you. Gal.2:20

Today He desires that you be His channel of blessing – to others…
A channel through Whom His Spirit may flow – to others.
    – ’til Christ be seen in and through you – to HIS praise and HIS glory

And as He pours His love and hope and blessing and joy through you – to others…
He will in His grace and mercy – wash away the bitterness of your past…
And He will in His kindness and favour – place the future into blessed perspective.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought ye to be
in all holy conversation and godliness.  2 Peter 3:11 

This life is not your own – you have been bought with a price.. 1 Cor.6:20
You have been bought with blood of the only Begotten Son of God who loves you
    – yes he bought you and He loves YOU !!

You are redeemed for a purpose – a purpose determined before the world began..
You are to overcome in this life, as did Job – and you will reign with Him in the next..
You are to sit with Him in His throne – and to rule with a rod of iron… Rev. 2~3

Forget the problems of this life – in this life you WILL have tribulation…
In fact rejoice! – yes rejoice that you are worthy to suffer with Him here.
     – we are to patiently endure in this life …
     – we are to be rewarded in the life to come.
     – we are to submit to the Spirit’ training now …
     – we will be joint-heir with Him in the next.
This is not pie-in-the-sky – this is the truth of the Word of the Almighty God.

He is daily renewing you – should you not walk the way of the cross, as did Christ?
He is conforming you into HIS image – should you not willingly yield to His rod?

He can only use the the man or woman – fully submitted to His leading and guiding.
      He will test those that He KNOWS and sons,
      He desires that we come forth as pure gold.

So do not whimper about difficult circumstances that flood your pathway…
They are deliberately designed to perfect your character here,
They are purposefully planned to enhance your position in the coming kingdom.

My kingdom is not of this world.. this age.. this world system….
His kingdom is not of this world… not of the this AGE…     John.18:36
But THY kingdom come and THY will be done on earth..as in heaven.. Matt.6:10

Our hope is not eternal life – that is a gift : a done deal : a finished fact..
Our hope is to live this life  – as unto the Lord..

Our hope is that our life comes forth as gold, silver and precious stones;
    – not as wood hay or stubble!
        “And I will give to each according to their works…..”

And so like Paul run the race as you have never run before
Strain every muscle to achieve until ‘life’ -

Therefore, my beloved brethren,

be steadfast, immovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord 

1 Corinthians 15:58

This is LIVING LIFE

The hand of the Lord – His hand hath wrought this.
Job 12:9

They that wait  upon the LORD….. shall renew their strength.
Isaiah 40:31

You are being refined – purified in the fires of affliction – for HIS glory…
You are being renewed – remade in the likeness of His dear Son – for YOUR benefit.

So that Christ is ALL and in all – in your life.
So that Christ is formed in you.

The stinging blow that causes nerves to jangle and faith to wince..
  – appears an appalling mistake – and the soul cries in agony “Why Lord Why ?”

God Who chose you from before the foundation of the world….
    – knows that such trials are the food of faith..

So in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication …with thanksgiving,
     – praise Him – and trust Him – and take heart…

God loves – God helps – God fights and God wins!

God who knit you together in you mother’s womb – scheduled each day of your life;
HE crafted this – HIS hand hath wrought this – for HIS glory and for YOUR benefit.

God delights to exercise our faith in life – and His purposes span the ages to come.
God crafts our pains and disappointments – into jewels of silver and jewels of gold.
We need to trust Him in all things – even when we don’t understand…
Knowing that IN HIM – all things work together for good – for whom ?
       for those that  that love HIM
       for those who are are fitting into HIS purpose.  Rom.8:28

God delights to exercise our faith – knowing that this is to the saving of the soul.
This is not the salvation we already have as born again believers…
But the maturing of the saints who through patient endurance, mature in The Faith..
      for if we suffer with Him – if we patiently endure
      we will reign with Him   2 Tim2:12.
He desires you to be an overcomer – an overcomer in all things – EVEN THIS!

Don’t rush out and try to rectify what YOU perceive as a mistake…
    – or you could stay the hand of God and prevent His better purpose in your life.

Wait – Wait on the Lord – and again I say Wait..
    – and your soul shall be blessed.
    – and your strength shall be renewed  Isa.40:21

Stand still and watch and wait and witness the salvation of God Ex.14:13

The crossroads and intersections of life, pepper the course you take,
Without His guiding light your steps will falter – your way will become a labyrinth.

But with the saints of old we call to the Lord our God and He hears our cry,
With the men of faith, we hold fast to His promises and trust in His love.
With prophets, priests and kings – we stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD

For without His help we could not face unafraid, the stony path before us
We would balk at the mountainous terrain to the left hand and to the right hand,
We would fear – as the pounding sea stays our forward stride,
We would faint – as the enemy behind relentlessly pursues our path.

But hearken to the voice of the prophet… Moses:
Fear ye not, stand still,
and see the salvation of the LORD…
which he will shew to you to day:
for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day,
ye shall see them again no more, for ever. Ex.24:13

Past pains can erect future barriers – that entomb hearts and wreck relationships,
Future fears and mental imaginings – can melt the stoutest of hearts into defeat.

Bury all thoughts of unkindness and bitterness – in His sea of forgetful forgiveness
Lay to rest each sadness and bitter memory – all dislikes and painful resentments,
Put away all sense of fault, failure and your own shame and disappointments…
- failures and disappoints of other as well and you own.

Leave them together with your gloom and despondency – buried in that sea….
- and go forward into newness of life
- a life in Him Who is all in all.

Remember – you must not see as the world sees…
He holds your future in His hand – in trust – for YOU
He will lead you and guide you:-
- one step at a time
- little by little by little…
- day by day by day by day…

Leave the rest with Him – as you keep your eyes firmly gazing upon Him.
He has plans for your life that beggar the imagination.

The gift He has for you must not viewed through the lens of today’s troubles…
His rewards cannot be identified by the outer package of this days problems..  

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD.
They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

So remember.. ONE day at a time

  

And Jesus must needs go through Samaria
Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well:

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water:
Jesus saith unto her, ‘Give me to drink’.”                        

“Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life.“             John 4:24

The soul of man was made for God and needs fellowship with God,
Without God the heart and soul of man is lost and in bondage to a cruel taskmaster,
But when a lost soul return to the Lord he finds peace and satisfaction.

The spirit of every believer is born anew at the time he first believed,
But the soul of every believing man needs to partake of the Living Water each day.

To say that a believer has no further need of the Lord once tasted, is false,
        “For Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.”   Matthew 5:6

But sinner and saint alike will find no lasting joy in the fading pleasures of this world.
The tidbits of this world are evanescent – the refreshment of the Lord is everlasting.
        “I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life”   John 4:14

His Living Water from God brings life and health and healing and wholeness,
        “And He showed me a pure River of Water of life, clear as crystal..” 

This healing stream, waters the Tree of Life, whose leaves are used for wholeness…
        “for the healing of the nations”  Rev.22:1

And He uses you and He uses me to be channels through whom His Living Waters may flow..
If we, in deep humility, will empty ourselves of King Self ..
If we, in self-brokenness, will invite Him to reign as Supreme Ruler in our lives.

His Living Streams bring a glorious hope of Salvation to all who drink of Him,
Just as redemptive salvation flooded into the life of the the woman of Samaria.
- when she believed His Word and obeyed His command

        “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean…
I cleanse you.”  Ezekiel 36:24
               “Go and sin no more..”    John 8;11

All the billowing waters of divine judgment deluged over the Lord on the cross,
- as He was submerged ‘neath the rising flood waters of God’s pure wrath…

WHY ?  Why ? –
-so that we could believe on His name and have rivers of living water flow through us.

Similarly, once saved – sanctifying salvation streams into the maturing believer …
          the one “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”   Rom.8:1

His sparkling River of Life threads through Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation,
Flooding the sinful world with the scarlet stream of His saving, streaming blood.

This Water of Life tells the story from start to finish that all who will may come.
         “Come. And let him that is athirst come.    Rev.22:17

Only Jesus can give on the Waters of Life.
Only He can truly heal our hurting hearts and save our sin-sick soul.

No matter what we have done in the past, nor what dark secrets hide in our hearts,
He is ever willing to sit by the many wells of the world and wait for one soul to come,
         “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”  Rev.22:17

And Jesus  needs must go through Samaria…..
Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well:

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water:
Jesus saith unto her, ‘Give me to drink’.”

Jesus answered and said unto her:-
Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again: John 4:13-14

How true a statement Jesus said to the thirsting woman:
“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.”

No matter from what earthly wells you sip, you will never be satisfied – NEVER.
Oh you may achieve a momentary, mediocre, measure of fulfillment or gratification,
But this worlds dainty delights are drawn from broken cisterns of brackish waters.
Earth’s empty promises are vain vows; puffs of smoke from a raging sulfuric fire.

The soul can never find deep delight and sustained satisfaction in such gaudy charms.
The human heart only finds growing discontent from this worlds goods and dainties.
“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall indeed thirst again”

Money, power and strength can never feed a soul that is made in the Divine image,
Fame, food or sex can never assuage the deep desires and demands of the heart.

The soul is immortal,
The saved soul is celestial and spiritual …
It can never be filled with the secular and terrestrial.
The carnal can’t be satisfied – EVER

Many of this world gifts are not bad in themselves ..
But all have been tainted with sin…
And all are insufficient to quench the hearts deepest needs.

Nothing less than God Himself can answer the cries and the craving of humankind,
Nothing but the Divine Waters of Life can satiate the soul’s deepest yearnings.

Were florid path strewed with diamonds and gold and the finest of silken thread..
Were buildings constructed of the most delicately carved marble and oaken beams..
Were panniers of the most delicious fruit and sweetmeats to grace the plenished table,
Were brimming baskets-ful of delicate blossoms to perfume the breezy air…
-the heart would remain deeply dissatisfied were God excluded from the scene.
“For whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.”

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity,” Eccl.1:2

Ah yes, you may say, but at least the preacher had his fill of joys while upon earth.
Let us eat and drink and make merry today for who cares if tomorrow we die.

I have secured for myself eternal life -
O fools, and slow of heart to believe
ALL that the prophets have spoken:” Luke 24:25

Do these words of Christ not also apply to ALL God’s Words of Scripture ?
Has God not placed His Word in the highest position, even above His Own Name ?

What do the Scripture teach about the importance of faith ?
Does it not say that faith is EVIDENCE of things NOT seen ?
Does not His Word say that the heart cannot imagine the wonders He has prepared?

There is NO satisfaction in this world’s offerings -
The earth is passing and all its treats,
“The end of all flesh is before me..” Gen.16:13

If this were so in the days of Noah – how much more now as we wait for His return.
“Lay up for yourself treasure in heaven.” and Mat.6:19
“touch not the flesh-pots of Egypt,” Deut.14:8
“For whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.”

Though you were to pass from one earthly water-spring to another earthly water-spring..
Though you were blown to and fro by the winds of passion and desire…

Though you were to sip the sweetest honey from all and any worldly cups…
The end would be only a dissatisfied heart and a shipwrecked soul.
Eternal life for the believer – YES – but at what enormous. unfathomable cost ?

God is weaning us ALL away from the support and supply of todays passing pleasures,
He is removing every semblance of comfort from our lives, to rely on Him alone.
He knows that whosoever drinks of this world’s water shall thirst again.

But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water
springing up into everlasting life. John 4:14

but as it is written:
eye has not seen,
nor ear heard,
nor have entered into the heart of man
the things which God has prepared
for those who love Him.
1 Cor.2 :9

whosoever drinks of the water
that I shall give him
shall never thirst.

Acts 15:18 - Known to God from eternity are all His works.

Isaiah 46:9-10 -  Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,  Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.’

The two Scriptures quoted above clearly show us that our sovereign God knows, plans and declares His works from before the time Creation began. The greatest work of God is that which he accomplished through the Lord Jesus Christ; His death, burial and resurrection on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4). Addressing His Father in John 17:24 the Lord Jesus reveals a deep truth when He says, ‘… for You loved Me before the founda- tion of the world’.

The relationship between the Father and the Son, the denial of which re- veals the spirit of Anti-Christ (1 John 2:22), is the core relationship in the whole universe and serves to demonstrate to us the character and nature of God and His love. From the beginning of Genesis the nature of the relation- ship between the Father and the Son is demo nstrated to us.  Romans 5:14 tells us that Adam ‘is a type of Him who was to come’, meaning the Lord Jesus. A type is a representation of a future person, event or series of events in the Bible which acts as prophecy and gives additional insight into the future when it occurs. The primary objective of types is to reveal the Lord Jesus and his relationship within the Godhead, His work of Redemption and His glory at both the First and Second Advents. Adam is a type of Christ and this sets a pattern throughout the Old Testament where Godly servants of the Lord prefigure Jesus Himself and aspects of His life and work. Not on- ly the persons of Scripture, but animals, plants, materials, events and the very facts of the history of the people of Israel all serve to display the Lord Jesus and His ministry, revealed in the verses of God’s Word centuries and millennia before Christ came 1.

The Father delights to honour His Son and, combined, the ‘Types’ of the Old Testament declare the Words of the New: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Matt 3:17 & Luke 9:35.

Over the few chapters we will focus on the relationships of Isaac with Abraham, Sarah, Ishmael and Rebecca, in addition to other persons and events which reflect and prefigure the Lord Jesus, His walk amongst us and His coming again. We will discover that Abraham is a type of God the Father Himself, Sarah, a type of His people Israel and Isaac is one of the most beautiful figures of the Lord Jesus to be found in the Word of God.

1. Examples of types can be found in:

Genesis 3:21   The substitutionary sacrifice of Christ seen in God’s provision of tunics of skin

Genesis 5:24   The Rapture of the New Testament Church

Genesis 37 to 50   The life of Joseph reflecting that of Jesus

Exodus 12:31-51   The Passover as a picture of Calvary

Exodus 30:22-33   The Holy oil prefigures the Holy Spirit

….. and so on throughout every page of the Old Testament where, literally, thousands of accurate and enlightening types are to be found.

woman at the well – study 4

And Jesus must needs go through Samaria
Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well:

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water:
Jesus saith unto her, ‘Give me to drink’.” John 4:7

How close are you to Jesus ?
How close is He to you ?

This woman was carrying out her common task..
Filling a bucket with water.

And Jesus was close to her – Jesus was just there, waiting for her,
Just as He is close to you, in all the chores and duties that fill each of our lives,
He is waiting for you, as you set about the menial tasks of each daily round.

This woman went on a little local errand to draw water from a public place,
But before she returned, she had met Jesus and had been refreshed,
Before she went home, Jesus met her at the very point of her deepest soul need.

She wasn’t openly seeking Him,
- except as in the unsatisfied yearning of every human heart,
Yet He waits for her to come to Him -
He waits to meet her deepest need…

And He waits in all circumstance of life to meet the deepest longings of your heart, too.

As we flap and worry and fret and concern ourselves with accumulating difficulties.
font-family: georgia,palatino;”> Jesus sits and waits… He waits for us to come to Him….

As we plan strategies to meet all the heavy burdens that cause so many heartache,
Jesus sits and waits… He waits for us to turn to Him….

As we desperately try to determine how to cope with life’s mounting troubles
As we look for any form or escape from the downward spiral of the world’s affairs
Jesus waits and He waits…
He waits for us to come to Him, to turn to Him….
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me.” Rev.3.20

This loose-living woman was unaware of the man who sat at her well,
Unaware of the glory of the presence of the One who sat beside her.

This despised woman, rejected, by her own people – found Jesus waiting for her.
This prostitute with her guilty past was loved by the Lord, Who sought her out,
But He commanded her compliance and her obedience -
“Give Me.. to drink…”

No-one finds the Lord Jesus in the path of disobedience
He waits for us to come to Him
He waits for us to obey His voice.

“Give Me.. to drink…”
“Keep my commandments.”
“Love as I have loved…”
“Trust in my love….”
“Feed my sheep…”
“Repent and return to your First love…”
“Be thou faithful….”
“Abide In Me…”

Oh yes – He waits for us to come to Him.
He waits for us to obey His voice.

Jesus met this woman in the form of a weary, way-worn and thirsting traveler…
Jesus took time and won His way into her confidence,
He took time and won her trust and found a way into her heart.

Jesus made Himself known to the woman through the garb of a tired, thirsty man
And Jesus refreshed her soul
And Jesus revealed the glory of His personality to her.

Jesus offered her His love and His forgiveness…
And He waited to give her His refreshment…
And she was saved and became His witness to her whole community.

Jesus approaches each of us in different disguises and many unrecognizable ways,
He seeks to get close to us, so that He can pour out His love all over our thirsty hearts,

He waits to draw out our trust – our love and – our faith and our obedience to Him,
He then seeks to test our obedience – our faith – our love and trust in Him
Before He drops His veil, and shows us His blessed face and reveals His presence
Can you trust Me to fulfill this need ? He asks
Can you believe that I will carry that burden for you ? He questions
Can you obey the Word that I speak, for My Word is life and health and peace.
Can you give me a drink of water ? He inquires.

He will not force His love on any one of us..
He will just sit and wait – or stand and wait – or knock and wait,

He will wait – Wait for us to come to Him.
He will wait – Wait for us to open our hearts to Him -
So that he can see into the depth of our need and longing – and correct and give and love.

He waits for us to trust Him and He waits for us to truly have faith in His Word -
Despite some of our foolishly provocative remarks…
(“I have no husband….. ” I can sort things out myself…I can do it MY way.)

He waits – for us to admit our need of Him.
He waits – for us to ask Him to give us the true and Living Water.

For He longs to pour out His love over your dry and thirsty life.

woman at the well – study 3

“And Jesus must needs go through Samaria”

Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well:
John 4:4

Are you weary and languid ?
Are you exhausted and sore distressed ?
Are pressures, problems, pace and predicaments of life, heavy on your shoulders?

This tiny, tenderly, suggestive snapshot of the Lord, shows Him thus to be.
This picture is a poignant reminder that Jesus became wearied by life’s demands.

Having traveled all day in blisteringly hot sun, He sits down at the curb of a well.
He is weary and way-worn, hungry and thirsty from His long and difficult journey.

Elsewhere there are encouraging pictures for those tempted, bereft, or sorrowing,
We see Him minister to men and women, children and those in need of shepherding
We see Him care for the deaf, the blind, the lame, the persecuted, the outcast..

But here…Here we have such a comforting picture for those that are weary.

As we reflect on this incredibly weak, human side of our Lord’s earthly walk,
We see Him as one Who empathizes with our human frailty, our doubts, disappointments..
For “He was in all points tested like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb.4:15

And as we trace His earthly path, here is one of His experiences we can understand.
“Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey,
rested on the well”

But the glorious truth is that He not only is able to understand and empathize..
He is able and willing to bear the daily burden that taxes our strength …
Able and willing to carry the wearying cares that weigh so heavily upon our hurting heart.
“My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”..
YOUR weakness…2Cor.4:9

He was footsore, dust-covered and fatigued by the stresses of the journey,
He reached Jacob’s Well and sank in sheer exhaustion on its stone slab.

But His tender heart reached out to the distressed sinner…
A lost and hopeless sinner that needed His Life-giving refreshment.

Never forget that Living Water that flooded into the heart of the woman at the well…
- flows deep and wide to satiate the most parched and bone-dry soul who will ‘Come’.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.”
He will give YOU rest…. Matt.11:28

Art thou weary, art thou languid,
Art thou sore distressed?
“Come to Me,” saith One, “and coming,
Be at rest

Hath He marks to lead me to Him,
If He be my Guide?
In His feet and hands are wound prints
And His side.

Hath He diadem, as monarch,
That His brow adorns?
Yes, a crown in very surety,
But of thorns.

If I find Him, if I follow,
What His guerdon here?
Many a sorrow, many a labor,
Many a tear.

If I still hold closely to Him,
What hath He at last?
Sorrow vanquished, labor ended,
Jordan passed.

If I ask Him to receive me,
Will He say me nay?
Not till earth and not till Heaven
Pass away.

Finding, following, keeping, struggling,
Is He sure to bless?
Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs,
Answer,
Yes!

“COME to ME”
if any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink

“COME”
let him that is athirst

“COME“

woman at the well – study 2

“All things work together…. for good..” whispered Rachel to her husband…
- as she boarded air-ambulance,  to fly baby Caleb to Dryden hospital
Why had this happened on the final day of their visit to Brian’s unsaved family?

Earlier the two parents had knelt beside Leah and Caleb pleading to the Lord..
(both of whom had a 4-wheeled buggy topple on them.. during a fun ride)
- before driving to the hospital – who airlifted them to a specialist hospital.

A punctured lung, spinal injuries – or worse were some possible outcomes..
Ana all this happened the day before the planned, two-day return drive to Alberta,

I will keep him and her in perfect peace – whose mind is stayed on THEE…
Oh – it’s easy to say this with blue skies above –
But what about times of deep distress?

The little family had spent 2 weeks – seeking to witness to Brian’s family,
- knowing the return of the Lord is soon – even at the very door
- and how much they desired their salvation.

Their prayer had been that their visit would tell forth the gospel of Christ
- and now Rachel and Brian were apart –
- and their precious baby son was being rushed to a specialist pediatric hospital
aaaa ‘Thy will be done…”

Soon, air lifted to London, Ontario – tests starting to be performed –
And 1 by 1 scan result were favorable – God’s healing touch on a little boy.

Still with a neck brace and lung drain – the MRI required a general anesthetic,
And then followed the hours of waiting…. with 1 John chapters 4 and 5….

As Rachel read through these precious verses- one by one God spoke thru them..
Every verse – packed with a promise of love – from a Faithful God
aaaa God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God,
aaaa and God in him.

Each verse pointed out His plans and purposes.. zzzzzz  aaaa Abide in ME..
we abide in Him, and He in us,
because He has given us of His Spirit.

Each verse pregnant with meaning – for all scripture is given…..
there is no fear in love;
for perfect love casts out fear.
whatever is born of God – overcomes the world.
Before the air-lift Caleb had already been given to God – whether he live or die
God knows the plans he has for us –
plans for good and not for evil…
And as Rachel read her heavenly Fathers Word – she was kept in perfect peace….
- for she had learned that in ALL things she could trust Him.

As she sat reading – she hoped she would be shown His plan and purpose,
And the man sitting opposite struck up a conversation… amazed by her composure.

When hearing her little catalog – he was open to the good news of Christ..
aaaa “All things DO work together…. for good..”

Here was her modern day – divine appointment that day ..
just as Jesus had His divine appointment that other day – at Samaria’s well.

Anyone who is a mother or father.. surely anyone at all..
Must know that the hardest thing to surrender to God is your child,
Your son – your daughter… you precious children

As Rachel had read through 1John 4-5 – God’s greatest gift struck her….
And this is the testimony: that God has given us HIS SON
God has given us eternal life -
-and this life is in His Son.

Like Abraham – Rachel knew that she was being asked this very question:-
- do you love Me…
aaa do you love me enough to give up YOUR only son for Me….
aaa for God so loved the world that He gave HIS only begotten Son

Rachel’s prayer as she waited during that testing time …..
- as time ticked slowly by was…
Lord… this is my precious son…
He has been yours from conception
I don’t want Him to die…
-and pray for His healing… and wholeness
Nevertheless – Your will be done… to your praise and glory

1 John chapter 5 reminded her…
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him,
that if we ask anything according to His will..
He hears us.
And we know that the Son of God has come….
and has given us an understanding….
that we may know Him who is true…
and we are in Him who is true -
in His Son Jesus Christ.

This is the true God and eternal life.

And as she sat talking about the greatest gift of the Son of God to the man
- the nurse come in and told her… Caleb has woken up…

Jesus “needs must go through Samaria” – for there was a woman…
Rachel needed to go to Ontario hospital – for there was a man…
We too, need to go where God sends us – for there are many men and many women…

The Lord Jesus is coming back – and he is coming soon..
maybe today – maybe next week or next year.. but He IS coming…
- and He is coming soon…

He is coming back by GOD’s appointment – in God’s way and in God’s time..

May we surrender ALL to him – whether a person – or a thing
May we surrender EVERY ‘idol’ to Him – even a child…
May we each be prepared to give ALL to Him who loves us,
Just as HE gave Himself for us..

for John’s final words in 1 John 4-5 are:-
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

This devotional was first written in August 2011:

Caleb was fully healed and is back to health and strength now –
Rachel and Brian praise God for his gracious healing hand
And Leah and Caleb continue to have fun together……

But through it all God remained faithful…
For Thou wilt keep him and her in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee
For ALL things work together…. for good
for those that love and trust Him.

May God place each of us in His appointed place
And may we be ready to go, no matter what the cost….

woman at the well – study 1

“And Jesus must needs go through Samaria”
John 4:4

What very precious and heart-warming words were written in this little verse,
“He must needs go through Samaria”

Earlier He’d had a personal interview with Andrew and John,
  – who beheld “the Lamb of God.”

They sat with Him for a few hours,
- but they came out with new hopes and new motives.

Also He spent an evening with a member of the Sanhedrin – Nicodemus,
And from this intimate meeting and cherished fellowship – a man was born again.
And here – today, we discover that Jesus “must needs to go through Samaria.”.

We are not told that the scenery was better in that region,
We are not informed that Jesus thought it would be a nice change!

He HAD to go – because there was one precious woman who needed Him -
- so “He Needs to” travel through Samaria.
- He needs go there.

The route through this particular terrain was arduous and very hostile…
  “for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”  John 4:9
This was indeed a route to Galilee, that for preference was avoided by the Jew.

The established route was to the east along the path of the Jordan River,
But this western route caused Jesus to travel through ‘occupied’ land…
- territory inhabited by the despised Samaritans.

A place of rejection and scoffing -
A place more often avoided than courted.

Why ? Why is it that He “must needs go” this way ?

Because there was a Well along the way – that He needed to travel – Jacob’s Well
Jesus knew that at the sixth hour a woman would be there -
  - a woman lost in trespasses and sins,
  – a woman without God and without hope.

Oh yes a woman Needed HIM -
He was her hope -
He was her One Hope -
He was her one and her ONLY Hope.
But the woman would not have come to Jesus – He needed to go to her.

Yes – “Jesus must needs go through Samaria.”
  He Needs to see the Woman at the Well.
  He Needs to tell her that He is the Savior of all.
  He Needs to save her from her self and from her sins.

There are places in each of our lives where we “NEEDs must go….”
Places that may break our hearts- but where “needs must go…”
Places that are hard and arduous – but we need to be there.

Places that are painful and places that are disappointing -
Places that are uncomfortable and places that are even hostile -

Places where we are ridiculed and places where we are rejected -
Places where we are ignored and places where we meet with contempt -
Places where “we needs must go.”

Though we may be despised and rejected as was our Lord – “we needs must go.”
Though we may be a man or woman of sorrow and acquainted with grief -
     “We needs must go.”

Remember that Jesus said , ” I do nothing of myself.”  John 5:30
And He only went where the Father sent Him,
And He only did that which the Father told Him.

If you are willing He will put you where you are meant to be -
and He will remove you when your job is finished.

But until that time – go where you “needs must be…”
or stay in the places where needs have placed you.

Psalm 100
A psalm: for giving thanks.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth
Worship the Lord with gladness;
Come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God

It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

What a wonderful joyful Psalm of thanksgiving and praise.
Many are the things for which we need to give thanks to the Lord …
- they are without number
- and His mercies are new, fresh and wonderful every single morning….

This morning I gave thanks for my life – the lives of my own children..
- just as God rejoices over us – His children, with singing….

This morning I received a little devotional from my daughter..
- one she prepared in thanksgiving for the birth of her friend’s baby..Zoe

A wonderful truth of that the joy of the LORD is our strength Neh.8:10
A glorious reminder that the joy of the LORD will fill you to overflowing.

So I share my daughter’s thoughts – and may you be as blessed as I was…

Verses 1 & 2
Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth!
Worship the LORD with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.

The birth of a baby is such a joyful event, it is a great time to shout
for joy to the Lord. But there will be times when your boys have had
busy full days (which means your day has also been busy and full!!) and
other times where your girls need your attention, when shouting for joy
may not come so easily!

But just remember that God delights in our songs of thanksgiving,
He enjoys our praise and desires our worship.

And as He smiles lovingly down on you – He understands that maybe today
you may be be able to shout with joy and a sing a chorus of praise..
- that maybe today your joyful song will be a weary yet happy smile up
to God.

Verse 3
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of his pasture

Well Jon Courson helped me out with this verse by sharing the great
secret of life.
Shall I spill it?…………
You do not exist to satisfy your own pleasure…
You exist to bring Him pleasure.

All things were created by Him and for Him. It is wonderful to know that
like each of us, baby Zoe was created by Him and for Him. And she is so
blessed to be in a family, as we are, a family that will nurture her
spiritually and lovingly lead her to the One who created her – and teach
her alongside her brothers and sister to “Glorify God and enjoy Him
forever” (quote from Shepherding a Child’s Heart)

Verse 4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

When you ask, “How can I get close to God?” or “How should I
start my devotions?” – go to this verse and you will find that the
best way to start is with thanksgiving and praise.
It’s a good, simple, but sometimes a hard life-lesson to learn -
-to approach every situation – by giving thanks to Him and praising His
name.

Verse 5
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his
faithfulness continues through all generations.

I love this verse.
From the beginning of time up until now, God’s goodness and love
have never faltered and have never failed. And this verse assures us
that His goodness and love will continue in the same way, forever.
In the NKJV, the word ‘faithfulness‘ is replaced by the word ‘truth‘.

I am so happy that God knows our hearts so well.
We as Moms and Grandmas, Dads and Grandpas, want the reassurance that
our children and grandchildren will be ok – will have the same blessings
as us. And God in His goodness, tells us straight. His faithfulness…
His truth…. has continued through past generations and will continue
through all generations, until Jesus comes back for us.
What a comfort, what a wonderful Saviour we have.

Oh praise the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Bow down before Him the Lord is His name

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!
For each day He carries us in his arms

In order to know absolute truth we need to have access to it. Different philosophies have put up barriers to knowing absolute truth, which turn out to be self-defeating [1] when we apply their claims to themselves. An example of a self defeating statement is “I don’t speak a word of English,” but I used the word English to say I couldn’t speak English. Philosophies denying absolute truth have no legs on which to stand, they have their “feet firmly planted in mid air.” The skepticism of Hume which says doubt all reality leads to the agnosticism of Kant which says reality can’t be known. This is an “appearance orientated” view of reality which leads to relativism and pluralism. Defeating these philosophies shows that truth (reality) can be known. We will show the self-defeating nature of these views which allege to destroying truth and how once these barriers are removed we are in a position to access absolute truth.

Barrier to Truth: Agnosticism

There are two forms of agnosticism, one form says “we do not know,” and the other form says “we cannot know.”  If someone does not know something we can just tell. This this view of agnosticism presents no problems to knowing truth. It is the form of agnosticism, which says we cannot know truth, which puts up barriers that we need to remove.

This form of agnosticism can be traced back to Immanuel Kant who postulated that we cannot know reality. He said we can only know how things appear to us but not the actual thing in itself. Once the mind has formed the data, all that is left is what our mind has formed and not the actual reality of the thing.  Reality is poured into our mind like jelly being poured into a jelly mould and we can never know what reality was like before it was formed in our mind, all we can see is the jelly in the mould and not the original jelly. There is an inescapable gap between actual reality (being) and the thing formed in our mind (knowing). Unable to compare them both we are locked in our mind, never in a position to see if what is formed in our mind is the same as reality, and all we now know is the appearance which is formed in our mind. Agnostics admit that reality may be out there but we can’t know what it is like.  Knowledge of truth for the agnostic is, therefore, impossible.

However, agnosticism is self-defeating because it claims to know something about reality, namely that you cannot know anything. By turning the argument for agnosticism back onto itself, it cannot stand up to it’s own scrutiny.  If we don’t know anything about reality (truth) then why should we believe the statement of the agnostic who claims to know that one cannot know reality? Agnosticism knows nothing about reality so is in no position to make a claim about what reality is like[2]. If someone knows nothing about something then they can’t tell us anything about it.

Furthermore, by making a negative statement about anything assumes that you have prior knowledge of that thing. For example, if I was to say Buckingham Palace is not pink, in order to say what it is not, I must know something about what it is. For Kant to say he cannot know anything about reality infers that he knows something about reality. Kant locks everyone else out of reality and then walks into reality himself to tell everyone what it is not like.  Why should we believe Kant? We have no valid reason to believe him because his statement is self-defeating when applied to itself.  Agnosticism therefore is self defeating and we can remove it as a barrier to truth.

Barrier to Truth: Skepticism

Hume’s Skepticism is another barrier to truth for it says we should doubt all reality.  Hume said that only factual (true by definition) and empirical statements (from sense data) are meaningful. Hume tells us to “commit to the flames[3]” those theology books which do not fulfill this condition. This criterion however leads to skepticism for factual statements tell us nothing about reality and empirical statements are subject to doubt.  Hume believed empirical statements are disconnected so we cannot put experiences together to find what caused them.  The cause is uncertain because unrelated events can happen after each other but can appear to be in a causal relationship, such as the sun rising after the rooster crows. Hume states we can never know the causual connections of events and instead can only believe in them when things happen often enough together. This leads to us having no certainty about anything and therefore all judgment must be suspended.

Skepticism is removed as a barrier to knowing truth  because it is self-defeating. Hume’s criteria for finding meaningful statements when applied to itself reveals his own statement is not true by definition or understood empirically. Hume’s statement does not pass it’s own test for meaning, implying that only he is immune from the criteria which he himself has relied on as a foundation for knowledge!

Secondly, Hume is not being skeptical about his own skepticism but rather is quite certain of his skepticism. If the best course of action is to suspend judgment about everything, as Hume tells us, then why did he not suspend judgment but rather write many philosophy books? If Hume took his own advice he would completely suspend judgment and not write any books. Skepticism also leads to certainty when followed through to its logical conclusion. To suspend judgment about everything means I would have to suspend judgment about suspending judgment. If I am no longer suspending  judgment then I have arrived in a position to make a judgment.

Conclusion

Many people are unaware how Kant and Hume’s Philosophy have influenced them whenever they submit that truth is not absolute and cannot be known.  All truth statements are absolute and any philosophy which denies that absolute truth can be known is self defeating.  Kant and Hume made a simple mistake and their simple mistake requires a simple answer. Kant told us that he is the only person to know that we cannot know reality while Hume, who doubted everything, never doubted his own doubt.  Absolute truth still stands and now we can pursue the more important question, is it true that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved?

As  Pilate stared at the Truth Himself, Jesus Christ,  he posed the question, “what is truth” (John 18:38).  Today people are not just asking what the truth is but also stating that  truth cannot even be known.  In a world which has pronounced the death of truth all that remains is subjectivism, personal opinion, and skepticism. All  barriers to truth, however, end up to be self defeating or dogmatic. When these barriers are removed we are able to access the absolute truth which shines down on everyone whether they like it or not.

After showing the importance of the truth question we will first define truth as absolute, showing that there is a “reality” that is true for all people, at all times, and in all places. We will then remove the philosophies standing in the way of knowing  truth.  It is vital that we are able to access truth because if the Bible is true it makes statements which carry eternal consequences. Showing truth is absolute and knowable is the first step to proving the truthfulness of Christianity [1].

Importance of Truth

The way people live their life shows the importance of knowing the truth. Even if someone has not considered the question of whether truth is absolute and knowable, they demand to be told the truth in everyday life; demanding accurate food labels, honest doctors, and functioning court systems.  For example there are consequences to pay for not heeding a warning sign saying “Keep off the ice”, truth is to be ignored at people’s own peril.  Society, therefore, cannot function without absolute and knowable truth.

If there is no truth then all that remains are opinions.  There is no reason for soldiers going into battle to listen to the briefings of their superiors; in an absence of truth why should they believe such information?  Many soldiers however died in World War Two for not listening to the truths their commanders presented.  Just as a compass is used to point us in the right direction, without truth we cannot make right decisions, only good guesses.

Christianity makes absolute truth statements that Jesus is the only way to be saved. If you cannot show truth is absolute and knowable then why would someone believe the words of Jesus when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Only after establishing the proper nature of truth,  can we make truth claims evaluating Christianity and showing why it is true.

Nature of Truth

Truth is finding out what is real and what is not real, or in other words telling things like they are. Truth by definition is narrow – two plus two always equals four and not any other number. If someone makes a statement about reality then that statement needs to be tested against reality to see if it is true. If that statement corresponds with reality it is true and if it doesn’t correspond with reality then it is false [2] . Conflicting statements about reality cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense.  We will show how this truth is both absolute and knowable.

Truth is Absolute

Absolute truth means that true things are true for all people, at all times and in all places and therefore all statements are absolute statements. We will show anyone who denies this in favor of relativism misunderstands the meaning of absolute truth.

Truth is True for All People

Truth is unchanging and not determined by anyone’s belief but rather existing independently,  it is objectively true for all people.  People can have true or false beliefs and a belief is shown to be true or false when it is tested by what is present in reality. It is not beliefs which make truth, but rather truth itself, when apprehended, gives rise to true statements. For example believing the earth is flat doesn’t make it flat, it always remains a sphere shape.  Truth therefore is absolute for all people.

The Relativist may argue that a door on the right hand isaaside of one person is on the left of another. Therefore some truths are relative to the individual. However it is an absolute truth for everyone that the door is on my right and so too it is an absolute truth for everyone, everywhere that the door is on the other persons left. Absolute truth, therefore, remains.

Truth is True at All Times

Truth is also true for all people at all time,  and  is not invented but rather  discovered during the passage of time. The law of gravity existed before Isaac Newton discovered it – he didn’t invent it because it had always existed. The law of gravity is true for the person who jumps out of the top floor window, regardless of his belief he will fall to the ground. Truth remains true whether it is known or not. It is our responsibility to discover that truth and make it known. Truth therefore is absolute at all times.

Someone may object and say that truth cannot be unchanging because if that was the case, we cannot have any new truths. For example, on January 2009 Obama became President of America. However there is a distinction between truths new to us and truths new in time. New truths  come into existence regularly at a certain point in the passage of time but were false before that point in time.   After January 2009 it will always be true that Obama became President of the United States, however before that day the statement would not have corresponded with the fact and therefore would have always been absolutely false.

On the contrary, an example of a truth that is new to us would be the discovery of gravity, we just discover its existence. This didn’t become a new truth when we found it for gravity was always acting on people and keeping them from floating into space. When we find a truth new to us we become aware of the truth’s existence, in this case gravity. We can have new truths – both new truths to us and new truths in time are absolute truths – and truth, therefore,  remains absolute at all times.

Truth is True in All Places

Truth is not only true for all people and at all times but also in all places however diverse the culture and climate. Both in China and America truth remains the same. A relativist may object and say that comparing conditions in different locations destroys absolute truth, for example it is warmer in Egypt and colder at the North Pole.

This objection  fails because you have to ask the question, warmer than what? It is absolutely true for all people, in all places, that on 30^th December 2008 it was colder at the North Pole than it is in Egypt.  All pleas that comparisons are relative fail when you ask what they are being compared against. Every statement is an absolute statement and remains true for all people, at all times and in all places.

We have shown how all truth is absolute, at all times, in all places and to all people. The next step is to show how all philosophies which deny that truth can be accessed, fail. (see this article on why barriers to truth fail)

“He knoweth the way I take”
Job 23:10

Life is full of cross-roads.
You will reach many cross-roads on your own life..
Each cross-road is TODAY
– and each ‘TODAY’ is the continuum of your life’s journey..

You stand on the apex of your life-journey and stare into an unpredictable way,
But I stand with you… and the Light of my Presence WILL go with you..
before you…
behind you..
in you..
..for my indwelling Holy Spirit is IN you ~ Forever.

The radiance of my charisma will light your path..
If you listen to my voice you will hear me say “this is the Way – walk in it…”

Do not dwell on the past – though learn from it
Do no mull over the things that might have been – or regret things that never were
Learn from each happening – and drink deeply each lesson learned.

Do not yearn for your imaginings -
Do not hanker for what might have been -
Remember – I scheduled each day of your life – as may be best for you.

Do not fear the future -
Do not fret or worry over poverty or loneliness – of suffering or loss..
My store of blessing are sufficient for the needs of each day..
“I will NOT fail you nor forsake you.”
“My Grace IS sufficient for you.”

As you stand at the crossroads of your life, Beloved One,
You have a glorious assurance..
“for He knowth the way you take…”

He promised to guide you with His eye -
“And ALL His promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ Jesus..”

So fear not – fret not – for He whispers reassuringly… “you are Mine.”
  “I have loved you with an everlasting love…”
  “I will never fail you nor forsake you…”

When you stand at the cross-roads of your life – hurting, dispirited and lonely…
When you wonder which way to take – confused and numb with pain…
Take heart…and remember …
When we think He is far away – He is often the closest…

The Psalmist wrote…
“When my spirit was overwhelmed…THEN thou knowest my path.”
Though I walk in the midst of trouble—
THOU wilt revive me
Psalm 138:7

Jesus said:
Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his Cross, and follow me.

FOR ……
I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live…… YET…..

yet it is not I that live, but Christ that liveth in me:
I (the old sin inherited nature)….
I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live
yet it is not I that live ~ (the old inherited sin nature)
but it is Christ liveth in me:

and the life…(the NEW LIFE ~ which is Christ IN ME and I in Him)
the life, which I now live in the flesh..  (my natural physical body)

I live by the faith OF the Son of God,
Who loved me,
and gave himself for me.

Summary

Religious pluralism holds the view that every religion is true, even though the tenets of each religion are diametrically opposed. Pluralism claims that each religion offers a legitimate encounter with the Ultimate or as often stated, “All paths lead to God”; but they also believe that some paths are superior to others even though all paths are sufficient. Of course, this leaves Christianity and religious pluralism at odds with each other. Christianity claims that there is only one way, but pluralism says that Jesus Christ is just one of many ways.

Pluralists hold to the view that all religions have, in essence, the same moral standards and spiritual traditions. Each has a similar version of the “Golden Rule” of Christianity. All religions have adherents that are “saintly”. Thus, the pluralist concludes that all religions are true. Of course, there are problems with this thinking. The moral standards of a religion or the morality of the followers of a religion does not determine truth. Truth is what corresponds to reality.

Pluralists look at superficial similarities

If the beliefs of a religion correspond to reality, then it is true. It is not true just because its followers live morally good lives. Let the character and lives of the leaders of the great religions be examined. Once this is done, Jesus Christ stands far superior to the other leaders of the world religions. Jesus Christ was perfect in all His ways; but the leaders of other religions were seriously flawed. The pluralist only looks at the superficial similarities of religions, but chooses not to look at their crucial differences.

Everyone is exclusivistic

The pluralist claims that all religions are true and that all paths lead to God. They also hold the idea that the exclusivist is intolerant and narrow-minded. The pluralist claims that all religions are true but anyone that opposes their view is wrong, including the exclusivist. But who is more exclusive and narrow-minded, the exclusivist or the pluralist? The pluralist claims that they hold the correct view and exclude all opposing views including the exclusivist. They are making an absolute truth claim that all religions are true, and this is true for all people in all places and at all times. The pluralist is actually an exclusivist and is very narrow-minded about their view. They deny the truth of Christianity and favor the view of pantheism. Both exclusivism and pluralism are exclusive in their views.

The implication of the pluralists’ views, that all truth claims are true (even if they are not), leads to contradictions and impossibilities. Mathematics would be impossible, for 2 + 2 would equal 9 or 17 or 103. All of these would be true according to the logic of the pluralist. Logically, mutually exclusive propositions cannot both be true according to the law of non-contradiction. But the pluralist does not even live by his own logic. Only when it comes to religion is this type of logic applied.

Misinformed concerning Jesus

Many pluralists are misinformed concerning the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Either Christ’s claims of deity are rejected or the pluralist will contend that Christ never made any claims to deity. First, the rejection of Christ’s claims to deity by the pluralist is based on the claims of the false scholars of negative Bible criticism. These scholars conclude that later Christian writers placed words in Christ’s mouth that claim deity. This conclusion obviously is not based on the historical reliability of the New Testament documents. The Gospels we have today are the same ones that were available during the lifetime of eyewitnesses of the events. If the reliability of the New Testament is rejected, then all historical writings from antiquity must be considered unreliable.

Conclusion

Religious pluralism holds a naturalistic view of the metaphysical and seemingly has emanated from agnostic and relativistic views about truth and reality.  ‘Opposites cannot both be true’, then Christianity and pluralism cannot both be true. Pluralism claims that all religions are true, but Christianity claims that it is the only true religion. Once the self-defeating nature of pluralism is seen, one can only conclude that it falls severely short in its truth claims and does not match up with reality.

Summary

Immanuel Kant lived during the European Enlightenment of the 18^th century. His writings laid down much of the philosophical foundation for agnosticism, along with the writings of David Hume. Kant was raised in the rationalist school of thought that stressed reasoning using propositions and axioms. After reading the writings of David Hume (empiricist), Kant changed his views to more of an empiricist school of thought that stressed reasoning from experience and not from propositions. Ultimately, Kant united the two schools of thought in the area of epistemology (the theory or science of the grounds of knowledge) to bring about his philosophical agnosticism.

Uniting two schools of thought

In uniting these two schools of thought, the ability to know reality was lost. According to Kant, we can only know the way things appear to us, but not what they really are; our minds mold and shape reality to our own form so that we can’t truly know the actual form of the reality known by the senses. We do not know what it was before our senses and our mind worked on it, we only know what it was after our senses and mind worked on it. Of course, this is self-defeating.

Kant is claiming to know the truth (reality) that we cannot know any truth (reality). Maybe the views that Kant holds are actually just the way things appear to him but not the way it really is. So why even give your view, it really isn’t the way it is, the mind has altered the reality so that no one can actually know reality, including Kant himself? Or maybe Kant is claiming to know the only truth that can be known, which is not agnosticism, but dogmatism. Either way, Kant didn’t live by his own criteria.

Kant’s gulf between ‘being’ and ‘knowing’

Another view Kant held was the idea that contradictions result when one tries to reason about reality. The unbridgeable gulf between being (reality) and knowing (mind) cannot be trespassed without inconsistencies. The first contradiction is concerning time, which states, “The world must have had a beginning, otherwise and infinite number of moments passed by now. But this is impossible, since an infinite cannot be traversed. But the world could not begin in time, otherwise there was time before time began which is impossible.”

The second contradiction states, “Not every cause has a cause, otherwise the series would never begin, which it has. So, there must be a first cause. But the series cannot have a beginning, since everything has a cause. So, there cannot be a first cause.” Kant failed to consider that idea of eternity. Time was created along with everything else. Before time was eternity. Therefore, the idea of time before time fails. Also, the idea that everything needs a cause is false. Only dependant, finite, changing, limited things need a cause. This would leave the first Cause with the attributes of independent, infinite, unchanging, and eternal; the God of Theism.

Argument against miracles

Kant’s views against the supernatural (miracles) opened the door for deism; which holds the idea that God created everything but is not involved or does not interrupt the creation with miraculous signs and wonders (resurrection, virgin birth, etc.). Kant believed that living a moral life, assuming that there is a God, was the ultimate rule of living out true religion. God can only be reached through practical (moral) reason but never through philosophical reasoning.

This left Kant with the idea that miracles are possible in theory, but impractical and unfeasible according to practical reason and universal law. But who is Kant to say that universal moral laws must determine all understanding of the world and that there are no exceptions to these laws? Many singularities that do not fall under Kant’s universal moral law exist. Through science natural law has been determined as a general description of the way things operate, but not a necessary prescription that is without exception.

Kant’s interpretation of the Scriptures was from moral reason alone and never to be taken literally because morality is the rule for truth and moral reason determines what is essential. This left the miracles of the Bible as unnecessary and senseless and morally unessential. Kant was not interested in the historical facts that support the authenticity of the Scriptures because his moral reasoning determined what was essential or unessential to religion. Kant had to disregard the miracle accounts, as irrelevant, from the historical manuscripts in order to avoid the supernatural. And he did this with no historical reason for doing so.

Conclusion

Just like the views of David Hume, Immanuel Kant has had a negative influence on society, secular and Christian. His views have consequentially impacted philosophy, theology, hermeneutics, apologetics, and evangelism. This article (Kant, Immanuel) falls under the first proposition in the apologetic argument for Christianity. The views of Immanuel Kant must be necessarily overthrown before the first proposition (Truth about reality is knowable) can be valid. If Kant was right then reality cannot be known for what it truly is, but can only be known as what it is to us. Thus leaving the truth about reality as unknowable and Christianity as unverifiable.

Summary

            During the 18^th century (European Enlightenment), a philosopher named David Hume penned his skeptical views concerning reality and his disdain for the miraculous. Hume claimed that there are only two kinds of meaningful statements:

1) statements that are purely a ‘relation of ideas’ (definitional – ‘circles are round’ or mathematical – ‘5+4=9’) and

2) statements that are ‘matter of fact’ (empirical – ‘verifiable by experience or experiment’ or factual).

Of course, all statements about God fall outside these categories, making knowledge about God impossible. This argument is self-defeating. If the only meaningful statements that exist are ‘relation of ideas’ and ‘matter of fact’ statements, then Hume’s statement is disqualified because it does not fit under either one of these categories, and thus is meaningless.

Hume on cause and effect

Hume also claimed that ‘cause and effect’ can only be believed in but cannot be known; causality cannot be known because it has no empirical grounds to be known. Hume claimed that things happen after other events but are not really caused by them (e.g., the sun rises regularly after the rooster crows but not because the rooster crows). Events or things, preceding or following, other events or things can only be determined by custom alone, but never by cause and effect.

Some events or things happen so often in accord with other events or things that we should believe they will happen again tomorrow (e.g., morning comes and the sun rises). Yet Hume claimed “all events seem entirely loose and separate. One event follows another; but we never can observe any tie between them”.

There are problems with the idea that all events are “entirely loose and separate”. The very statement itself, that everything is disconnected, implies unity and connection. If everything were unconnected, this statement would be impossible to make. The things we write and the things we say are all connected to the thoughts of our mind. So, the internal thought and the external action are connected and we are experiencing ‘cause and effect’ continually.

Doubting everything is self defeating

Hume held the idea that the wise man should doubt everything about reality and suspend all judgments about reality. This too is self-defeating. Hume is making a judgment that we should suspend all judgment. In order to doubt all things, one would have to doubt ‘doubt’ itself, which would bring you back to certainty. Hume would have to be skeptical about his own skepticism, and doubt his own doubts. Why write philosophical books stating your views if the wisest course is to suspend all judgment and remain skeptical about reality? Obviously Hume was not wise according to his own criteria. Ultimately the skeptic is claiming that skepticism is the only view that should not be doubted, which is dogmatism.

Today, the philosophies of David Hume are still held by many secular philosophers, which in turn has influenced much of western thinking. This article (Hume, David) falls under the first proposition in the apologetic argument for Christianity. In order to establish that ‘Truth about reality is knowable’, one must first refute the philosophy of Hume, since he is the father of much false thinking in our culture today. Once the inconsistency of Hume’s position is revealed then much of the false thinking of western culture is faced with the fact that ‘Truth about reality is knowable’.

Agnostic thinking, and those who laid down the philosophical basis for it, has heavily influenced much of western philosophy during the past one hundred fifty years. The writings of David Hume (Skeptic) influenced the writings of Immanuel Kant, the rationalist turned agnostic. And Kant’s writings have influenced many other thinkers, who in turn, have influenced university students whom eventually became public school teachers. The trickle-down effect of this false thinking is far reaching.

Two types of Agnosticism

The agnostic is one who claims not to know. Under this view are two types of agnosticism: 1) soft agnosticism, which claims God and reality is unknown, and 2) hard agnosticism (unlimited), which claims that God and reality is unknowable. Under the soft form of agnosticism, one can claim that God is partially unknowable because of human limitations, which is realistic because of our finite knowledge. On the other hand, hard agnosticism is self-defeating.

Hard Agnosticism = contrary to reason

The hard agnostic holds several views about reality that are self-defeating. Immanuel Kant claimed it is impossible to know reality, because we can only know things the way they are to us, but not the way they really are. We cannot know reality before our senses and our mind shape and mold it, so the way a thing really is cannot be known. We can only know that reality is there, but can never know what it is. This is the unbridgeable gulf between being (reality) and knowing (mind). Of course, this is self-defeating. One who knows something about reality cannot affirm that all of reality is unknowable. And if one knows nothing about reality, then there is no basis for making statements about reality.

The gulf between being and knowing

Concerning the unbridgeable gulf between being (reality) and knowing (mind) mentioned above, this also fails. If being (reality) and knowing (mind) do not correspond, then no statements about reality can be made, including the statement made by Kant. Kant also claimed that if we begin to trespass the unbridgeable gulf between being and knowing that contradictions result. He used as an example the contradiction of causality stating that if everything has a cause then an infinite regress of causes results.

With this conclusion comes the impossibility of having an infinite regress of causes and also having a beginning. In response to Kant’s contradiction, it must be realized that Kant is mistaken in his view of everything needing a cause. Only limited, finite, changing, and dependant things need a cause. This brings us to an unlimited, infinite, unchanging, independent Being that has no need of a cause. Thus, Kant’s claim that causality is a contradiction is invalid. Kant’s arguments mentioned above are the foundational arguments in contending that God cannot be known.

Agnostic thinking finds itself without the ability to logically explain itself or anything else for that matter.

If agnosticism were true, we could know nothing about reality, thus leaving God as unknowable and the Bible as untrue because of its claims about God being knowable. A proper defense against agnosticism is necessary in order to establish orthodox Christianity as absolutely true.

In the days we live, the defense for the knowability of truth and its absolute nature is crucial in the overall defense for the Christian faith. Deficient views, concerning the nature of truth, are a consequence from not differentiating between the nature of truth and tests for truth.

Correspondence view of truth

The nature of truth can be understood from ‘what truth is not’ and ‘what truth is’. The correspondence view of truth is the only adequate view that defines truth. According to this view, truth ‘corresponds (is consistent with) to reality’; truth corresponds to its referent (what is being referred to); truth expresses accurately the way things are.

There are many rational arguments for the correspondence view of truth. These include:

1) all non-correspondence views imply correspondence by using it to claim that the non-correspondence view actually corresponds to reality, rather than the correspondence view,

2) if truth is not telling it like it is, then it is impossible to lie, and

3) communication depends on the correspondence view.

Objections to the correspondence view of truth

Many objections have been leveled against the correspondence view of truth, but none to any avail. Relativism, which claims that all truth is relative and not absolute, is self-defeating when its claims are evaluated. The relativist believes that relativism is true for all people, and anyone opposed is false. But they are claiming an absolute truth statement, ‘relativism is true for all’ and ‘any opposed are false’.

By their own belief they prove that they are not a relativist, but an absolutist. They are absolutely sure that truth is relative. Or, they can claim that ‘it is only relatively true that relativism is true’, in which they would have to consider the relativity of their own relativism. This would also force contradictions to both be true, and their would be no right and wrong. In concluding, when all the objections against truth are answered, we find that truth is absolute, is not changing, narrow, and is dogmatic.

It is important to carefully define truth and its absolute nature because it affirms to the unbeliever that truth about reality can be known. If truth about reality can be known and is true for all people, in all places, and at all times, then the quest for truth becomes of eternal importance in the mind of the uninformed.