How Does the Bible Illuminate What’s Real and What’s Fake?
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How the world views reality is different than the reality Christians know. The world’s prevailing definition says a person’s reality is whatever he or she makes it. This definition makes their reality personal as determined by their private beliefs, perceptions, and experiences.
Reality, however, has an objective nature as determined by God’s Word. This means reality has a fixed nature which is true and unaffected by a person’s beliefs, perceptions or experiences. We can say reality has an objective nature because God created the heavens and the earth. He determines what’s real and true, not us. Therefore, any belief or perception which contradicts God’s design or purpose is false. We can, with confidence, sync reality with truth because reality is whatever corresponds with truth, and God’s Word is truth.
Because the Bible is the Word of God, what does it teach us about reality?
How Do Unbelievers Define Reality?
In the 1994 film, Reality Bites, college students live in an idealistic world which holds that once they graduate and enter the next part of their journey, their dreams will become their lives. Their dreams, however, become disenchanted when reality crashes their imaginings. Reality — real life — has responsibilities and consequences, as the new graduates learn.
Many people refuse to face reality and, therefore, refuse to face truth. The truth is all men apart from Christ are in rebellion against the Lord God. That’s why they embrace behaviors and worldviews which skew their perception and acceptance of reality and contradict the Bible (Romans 1:21-23; Ephesians 2;1-3). Often, they turn to mindless behaviors and/or mind-altering substances to soften or even deaden the truths of life. Life then becomes a continual series of more alterations when enough isn’t enough for them.
Many people who don’t believe in the Lord as Savior prefer to replace reality with false religion. Included in the list (which grows every year) are the beliefs of Rationalism, Liberalism, Humanism, Mysticism, Paganism, Hedonism (Sensuality), Moralism, and Occultism.
Others, in a quest for reality/truth, search the scientific world thinking truth can only be found in what can be proven by theories and discoveries. Let’s use evolution as an example. Some are so adamant in their rebellion against God that they cling to the theory of evolution. Devout atheist Christopher Hitchens, during his losing battle with cancer, proclaimed, “I'm here as a product of [the] process of evolution, which doesn't make very many exceptions. And which rates life relatively cheaply." We grieve that Mr. Hitchens most likely died apart from Christ. His public stance against Jesus, however, should urge Christians to both pray for and share the good news with unbelieving family, friends, and even public figures.
The ancient Gnostics held a similar belief, which is now entrenched in today’s New Age society. They also adhere to an anti-spirituality mindset and believe in fantasies. New Agers shun materialism, intellectualism, and anything relating to organized religion. The past and the future are seen as hassles they choose to reject. Those who embrace this mindset avoid acceptance of concrete reality and prefer to produce their own vague state of being.
In Psalm 24, the scene is heaven. God is reposed on His throne in stark contrast to the world’s bustle of rebellious acts. Psalm 2:4 tells us, “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the LORD mocks them.” His laughter symbolizes the utter ludicrous nature of man’s rebellion. Though patient, one day God’s patience will reach its full end. Nineteenth-century British pastor, Alexander Maclaren, relates that on the day of God’s retribution, “Then does he speak in His wrath.”
The fallacies of these worldviews continue to exert their influences unless a person surrenders their life in repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The truth — the reality — is life without Jesus is death, and it’s death forever (Ephesians 2:1-10). God does not hold life cheaply. In fact, He loves us so much He died for us — for our salvation from His holy and just wrath (John 3:14-21).
How Do Christians View Reality?
Reality is defined by a Person — the Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all truth. He is the Alpha and the Omega. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Notice the central word in Jesus’ first statement. Truth is at the center of the only way to God. It’s at the center of all life, both temporal and eternal life.
Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Jesus is the ultimate, sovereign Truth.
And Jesus is life.
Everyone who does not believe in Him as Lord and Savior will not have eternal life with Him. All who love Him as Savior and Lord will spend joyful eternity with Him (1 John 5:10-13).
Those who bask in the contradiction of false reality are in spiritual darkness. They are lost but don’t recognize nor acknowledge it. Spiritual darkness is real.
Jesus is the Light Who has overcome the darkness (John 1:4-5; 1 John 1:5). Christians dwell in His light. No one and nothing can snatch us out of His hands (John 10:28-29).
Revelation 19:11 states, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.” The One Who is Faithful and True is the forever-reigning Lord of all, Jesus Christ. He is the only One worthy to judge the world.
The Bible uses the phrase “make war” so we understand the nature of Christ’s sovereignty. With a word He will vanquish all evil, including Satan and his demonic minions. Satan makes war on the saints (Revelation 13:7), but only with Christ’s permission. Christ has but to speak (Revelation 19:15) and Satan is forever consigned to fiery torment (Revelation 19:19-21). Satan tries to make a war with Jesus Christ a reality, but the reality is Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords; He is sovereign over all creation. He has already won.
Ligonier Ministries shares, “Therefore, truth is that which conforms to reality as it is perceived by God. He knows all things exhaustively, and so we can trust anything He reveals in Scripture. Truth is not defined by our own subjective standards; it is determined by the Source of truth Himself.”
Reality is everything God has revealed to us in His Word. I’ll repeat that. Reality for Christians is everything God has revealed to us in His Word. One might ask, “Is this truth only for Christians?” No, for the Bible tells us what will happen to the wicked. All who refuse Christ as Lord are deemed wicked.
Reality Is God the Holy Spirit Dwelling within Us
Christians are sealed in the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion. “In Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13).
Scripture assures us we are alive in the Spirit, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:2). Because He indwells us, we have life in Christ (Romans 8:11, 16).
The Holy Spirit reveals the mysteries of God and Christ to us (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). We can only proclaim Jesus as Lord if we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).
Reality Is the Kingdom of God
Upon surrendering to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, every Christian enters what is called the “already-and-not-yet.” It’s a biblical reality that Christians are in the kingdom of God, which right now is a spiritual dominion over which the Lord reigns as King. The kingdom of God came to earth with Jesus (Luke 17:21).
When Christ returns in His second Advent, He will usher in the physical reality of the kingdom over which He and the church will rule and reign. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, part of their prayer is for the Lord’s kingdom to come, and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). This part of the prayer is for the physical kingdom Christ will usher in at His second coming (Revelation 11:15).
A Christian is no longer part of the world or its system, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (John 17:16; Ephesians 3:20; Ephesians 2:19).
Christians are not only in the kingdom of God, they also are the kingdom of God. Revelation 5:10 tells us, “And You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” Just as a person can claim protection within the borders of his native country, so too we as Christians claim and rest assured in the promise Christ will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 13:5; Hebrews 13:5). In His sovereignty, we are safe in His kingdom.
What Is a Christian’s Best Testimony to the Reality of the Kingdom?
Del Tackett, in his biblical worldview series, The Truth Project, shared the question that has changed many lives. “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?” A mind wrapped in real truth will understand what’s “really real.” This is the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit working in us. As Romans 1:16-17 reveals, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous will live by faith.’” A Christian’s faith grows because they know the truth as revealed by God. His truth brings a person to faith and repentance which leads them to surrender to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Our testimony must include the reality of Jesus’ resurrection — the best evidence for the reality of Jesus Christ as Lord and God’s kingdom. Nothing else matters and everything the Bible teaches is false if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15).
Because Jesus is reality, all He has done, is doing, and will do is real. As we noted above, Jesus would be just another false teacher and nothing He said would be true if He hadn’t been raised from the dead. His resurrection proved that He was Who He said He is and that everything He said is true.
Because God’s Word is reality, it attests to the truth, and no one has ever been able to refute what the Bible declares. The Bible is the Word of God and we can trust it as His redemptive historical plan and record.
Because the Kingdom of God is reality, Christians are kept by God for God in His kingdom. Christians are saved by God (John 3:16), from God (His righteous wrath, Romans 5:6-11), and for God (Ephesians 2:10).
Because we know the reality of life with Christ under the guardianship and guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures, our daily goal should be to please Him, praise Him, and make much of Him in all we do. We, of all people, have the privilege of being co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We rejoice that we have been predestined to be called children of God (Ephesians 1:3-14; 1 John 3:1).
Therefore, the reality of life without Christ should give Christians an urgency to share the good news of the gospel. We know we cannot save anyone, but Almighty God in His providence may choose to use us to lead someone to Jesus Christ. Remember the reality that Jesus is the only One who can save people, for Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6, see also Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5).
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