TRUTH VS PARTIAL TRUTH

Wednesday 8 January 2024

In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, Hebrews 1:1 AMPC

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, Matthew 13:34 (NKJV)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 (ESV)

There is a growing need for Christians to realise that in the Old Testament, revelation was progressive. Because of this fact, there was only portions of truth in the scriptures. In other words, partial truths. Not only that but these partial truths need to be explained through observing the scriptures in the light of the New Testament to bring out the revelation that is concealed within. You can’t interpret the Old Testament on its own. God only gave glimpses of the truth to the enquiring prophets.

Next we have the gospels. The gospels were written in parables. Parables were stories that consisted of 3 elements. Facts, fiction and a lesson. They were written as a mode of communication to hard-hearted unbelievers; namely the Jews. Parables are comparative stories that were told because of the low intelligence of the hearers and because they could not bear to hear the truth. The unique thing was only the teller of the parable was able to accurately interpret what they meant by the terms that were used.

From what we have seen you should understand that you cannot build sound doctrine on partial truths. It is alarming how many church leaders who are teaching from partial truth scriptures and are coming up with error. There are even those who think it is a mark of spirituality to teach from parables in the gospels and come up with their own interpretations despite what Jesus said Himself. This is pure nonsense.

Messages on giving, hell etc. are taken from scriptures i.e. Old Testament and parables in the gospels without ever going to the source of all truth which is the revelation of scripture i.e. the New Testament His work, His office and His authority. You can’t even base your theological position in the Bible on visions and dreams because of the factor of assumptions or inconsistency in the eyewitness accounts of humans and even angels.

Jesus said in John 16:12 ‘I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now.’ He wasn’t able to say what He really wanted to say to them because the Holy Spirit had not yet come. What He wanted to say could only be said in the New Testament. Jesus said His Spirit would ‘lead and guide you into all the truth.’ So what is all the truth? Jesus Himself and the revelation of the finished work of Christ primarily found in the epistles.

New Christians are told to start in the gospels to understand Christianity which didn’t start until after the resurrection and with the day of Pentecost. Truth be told, start with Romans and read to Jude. This will give you a far better example of ‘all the truth’ than you will find in the scripture or the gospels alone. The Pauline epistles that focus on the new creation in Christ will also give you the right consciousness to have as a son of God.

My hope for the Body of Christ is that we come back to a Christ-centered gospel where the Word of God is being excavated and not innovated. ‘No prophecy of the scripture is open to private interpretation.’ We are not meant to twist scriptures and try to make them say what the writer never originally intended. Whatever they meant to say is how we should interpret it. When it comes to teaching, context matters. Every verse has its own environment that it must function from. If you take it out, like a plant being uprooted and placed on the pavement it will wither.

This is why we must study to show ourselves approved to God a workman that doesn’t need to be ashamed.Why? Because we rightly divided the word of truth. That’s how we are led by the Spirit into all the truth.

APPLICATION

Walk in the full revelation of Christ by spending the majority of your time in the New Testament where the Old Testament is revealed by the Apostles through the Spirit.