Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer. In 1642, he started a pioneering work on calculating machines (called Pascal’s calculators and later simply Pascalines), establishing him as one of the first two inventors of mechanical calculators. Following a religious experience in late 1654, he began writing influential works on philosophy and theology. His two most famous works, “Lettres provincials” and the “Pensees”, the former set in the conflict between Jansenists and Jesuits.
This week’s remaining four posts are the four sections of Randy Alcorn’s 1500-word introduction for his 2017 book titled:
TRUTH: A Bigger View of God’s Word
Introduction: Truth Matters
In the Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins say to his young cousin, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
To “keep our feet” in this world requires putting our weight upon what is true.
Theologian J. Gresham Machen wisely said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of truth.” Yet we are constantly bombarded with lies that attempt to do just that.
Truth is not something we invent, only something we can discover. God reveals it to us in His Word.
Truth is rooted in the eternal, all-powerful, and unchangeable God. Therefore, His promises cannot fail: “Every word of God proves true” (Proverbs30: 5 ESV)
As Christ the living Word is truth, so is His written Word. Though Heaven and Earth will pass away, God’s truth never will (Mark 13:31).
Truth is not something we act upon. It acts upon us. We can’t change the truth, but the truth can change us. It sanctifies (sets us apart) from the falsehoods woven into our sin natures.
Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
NEXT UP: Introduction – Part II. Truth in the Bible