Editor's Note
This Lausanne Occasional Paper is accompanied by a video introduction from the author, offering insights into the key themes and context of the paper. It is part of the Theological Foundation Papers collection, which provides a biblical and theological framework for key questions and trends from the State of the Great Commission Report .
Introduction
From the halls of power to the huts of the poor, trust matters. As finite social creatures and social beings, we are dependent upon one another for life and flourishing. Trust within human relationships is marked by steady dependence on others and their reliability in terms of character, skill, words, and promises. These raise the issues of truth and trust.
A ubiquitous sense has arisen, however, that truth and trust are rapidly vanishing in the world in which Lausanne 2024 seeks to advance our Lord’s Great Commission. Yet, the problem of truth is not new as evidenced by Pilate’s famous retort to Jesus: ‘What is truth?’ (John 18:38).
I. We Minister in a Truth-less World
The centrality of truth and trust is giving way. Theological perspectives sever human reality from biblical truth claims.1 Modern philosophical perspectives reject the possibility of truth. Political expediency makes truth so elastic that it is ever shifting. Truth for many is essentially personal and no longer a description of reality.
Traditional narratives to explain the true meaning of life are collapsing under postmodern deconstruction. Some theological perspectives mirror Soren Kierkegaard’s assertion that truth is subjectivity. This approach rejects the classic Christian belief that biblical teaching is an expression of universal truth.2 Post-Foundationalism asserts that claims for transcendent theological truth must be replaced by community-shared beliefs.
Philosophers have argued that claims for ultimate truth are not only unknowable but malevolent. Kevin Vanhoozer writes, “Foucault, who follows Nietzsche, treats truth claims with suspicion, viewing them as masks for the will-to-power-disguised forms of political and social oppression.”3
Truth and trust are eclipsed in politics manifested by the inability to find room for cooperation. Centralizing political power has secured continuity by vast promises, largely unkept, that the governed cling to as ‘life-giving lies’. Marxist ideology mobilizes revolutionaries who resist power, declaring claims of truth are tools of oppression, requiring rejection, not trust. And for capitalism, a litigious age has revealed that promises of big business have too often been driven by greed.
Communities of faith are not immune from conflict. Crises and chaos arise within families, churches, schools, and institutions. Toxic disputes are speedily disseminated by around-the-clock news and around-the-globe internet media.
For the doubter and the disillusioned, the truth is, no one is true and nothing can be trusted. We clearly confront a global crisis of truth and trust as we gather to consider how to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in Seoul at the Fourth Lausanne Conference in 2024.
The assault on truth and the concomitant decline of trust are deeply spiritual, and it directly impacts the Church. From a biblical perspective, the rejection of truth began with the fall of mankind in the Garden. Waltke writes,
[S]atan denies the truth of God’s Word: “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). This is the next logical step of sin, for the fruit of doubt and resentment is unbelief. If God’s words are a hindrance, the serpent suggests that we ignore them or deny them. So in the modern church, many people prefer not to talk about or in fact deny, sin and the judgment of hell because they hinder the quest for self-actualization, make people feel guilty, or lower their self-esteem. People outside of the church are represented as losing out, not as being lost. Sadly many evangelical churches are in the process of buying into a guilt-free, pain-free, judgment-free gospel. The hiss of the serpent is deafening and his bite is lethal.4
In a truth-less and untrusting world, the global church is called to witness for the Risen Christ. Are we confident in our truth claims? Are we sure of how we should impart them with a credible trustworthiness for the advance of the Great Commission? Are our pastors, missionaries, counselors, and spiritual leaders trustworthy as required by the Apostle in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3? Do they herald and administer compelling expressions of truth corroborated by a reliably consistent witness? Is the Church still committed to the biblical “words that are trustworthy and true” (pistoi kai alethenoi, Rev. 22:6) and to adorning them with trustworthy lives?
As we engage this important moment of reflection on evangelism and mission, let us engage three “T”s of advancing the Great Commission: truth, trust, and theology. To make real headway in a world of doubt and cynicism, we must recapture this essential and inseparable trilogy of terms.
II. The First “T” of Advancing the Great Commission: Truth
What does it mean for Christian ministry to proclaim truth in a manner that can be trusted by a broken world? The first “T” for advancing the Great Commission is “truth.” Consider the historical and biblical sense of the words truth and trust.5
The linguistic origins of the English words “truth” and “trust” are both from the same Proto-Indo-European word deru or dreu that means “solid,” “firm,” and even “tree.” Along with the words truth and trust, a plethora of vocabulary emanates from this root word, such as betroth, durable, during, endure, and truce. Hence, when someone is true and worthy of trust, this implies that the person is solid, and figuratively as reliably solid as a tree.6
Biblical vocabulary reflects a similar sense of enduring reliability. ‘Emet, the Hebrew word for truth, is summarized by Harris, Archer, and Waltke:
This word carries an underlying sense of certainty, dependability. We find it used in several categories of contexts, all of which relate to God directly or indirectly…. It is frequently applied to. . . his nature . . . to God’s words. . . . [T]he word is often coupled with another attribute of God related to our salvation, “mercy” or “love” . . . also . . . with peace. As we study its various contexts, it becomes manifestly clear that there is no truth in the biblical sense, i.e. valid truth, outside God. All truth comes from God and is truth because it is related to God.7
Kevin Vanhoozer explains that this word that emanates from God also impacts humans who serve Him in covenant:
In the Old Testament, ‘emet signifies covenant faithfulness and reliability, a moral attribute ascribed both to God and to humans. Truth is primarily ascribed to sayings or teachings; both promises and statements are words on which hearers may rely. Truth is not mere accuracy, eliciting intellectual assent only; it is reliability, worthy of personal commitment and trust.8
From the Old Testament perspective, then, truth is inseparable from God and is directly connected with God’s work in this world and in the salvation and lives of His people.
This Hebrew meaning is further developed in the New Testament. The Greek word for “true” as a noun is alethe, and as an adjective is alethinos. These possess the meanings of true, dependable, in accordance with truth, genuine, and real. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, these words are used to translate the Hebrew word ‘emit. Accordingly, these words are especially associated in the New Testament with God and spiritual realities.
They are found in relationship to God (John 3:33; 7:28; 8:36; 17:3; Rom. 3:4; 1 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 6:10), God’s judgments (Rev. 16:7; 19:2), Christ (Matt. 22:16; John 1:9; 7:18; 8:16; 15:1; Rev. 3:7, 14; 19:11), God in Christ (1 John 5:20), Christ’s bread (John 6:32), God’s Word (John 4:37; Rev. 19:9; 22:6), the light that shines in the darkness (1 John 1:8), the Apostles (John 19:35; 2 Cor. 6:8), an angel’s work (Acts 12:9), the tent the Lord set up in heaven (Heb. 8:2), the holy places in heaven of which the tabernacle was a copy (Heb. 9:24), the riches of heaven (Luke 16:11), worshippers (John 4:23), and the saints’ heart (Heb. 10:22). Scripturally considered, the realm of truth is the realm of God. As the world does not know God (John 1:5, 10-11; Rom. 1:19ff.), it is no wonder that there is such an absence of truth.
III. The Second “T” of Advancing the Great Commission: Trust
Truth is the first “T” of advancing the Great Commission. The second “T” is trust. The word “trust” is known to many through its legal significance—a trustee is one who manages a trust. A trust is a legal arrangement that is established to provide financial resources to benefit another.
Biblically, trust is the dependence of faith that a believer places upon God and HIs character. Saving trust is one’s saving faith in Christ’s work as taught in Scripture (John 3:16; Rom. 4:1-8; 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10; 1 John 5:20). As a believer in Christ, one trusts in the saving truths of God revealed in Scripture. Jesus emphasizes this reality in His prayer in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” Truth is the realm of God’s saving work, and the trust of faith is the restful repose of the believer in God’s work of salvation revealed in His Word (Rom. 4:1-8).
Trust is a key aspect of one’s salvation. Theologians have identified three parts of saving faith, captured in the words knowledge (notitia), assent (assensus), and trust (fiducia). All three are necessary for saving faith. It is not enough just to know the facts of the gospel (notitia). This is necessary but not sufficient. It is not enough to agree that the facts of the gospel are true (assensus). This is necessary as well, but still not enough. One must also trust (fiducia) that these are true for oneself and so depend upon them alone for one’s salvation.
It is good to know the claim that airplanes can fly. It is also good to accept the fact as true that airplanes do in fact fly. But one would not get to Lausanne in Seoul from America on time if he did not also exercise trust in the plane by boarding an aircraft and flying to his destination.9
The biblical vocabulary for trust underscores all this. The Hebrew word for trust is batach. It is found in texts such as Proverbs 3:5 (‘trust in the Lord with all your heart’) and Psalm 115:8-9 (‘Those who make them [idols] become like them; so do all who trust in them. O Israel, trust in the LORD!’) The Greek translation of Proverbs 3:5 employs the verb peitho that means to persuade, hence the Greek sense of trust is to be persuaded. This same verb is used in Hebrews 2:13, ‘And again, ‘I will put my trust in him.’’ When one truly believes in Christ, he is persuaded that his salvation is entirely and securely in Christ. The Old Testament use of batach
contrasts the validity of that sense of confidence which comes from reliance upon God with the folly of any other kind of security. It is made plain that all such trust will end in disgrace and shame (Ps. 31:14) . . . whereas those whose hope is in God alone will be delivered from their enemies (Ps. 22:4); their prayers will be answered (1 Chron. 5:20); they will walk in straight paths (Prov. 3:5); will be given joy and gladness (Ps. 26:9; 33:21); will know inner peace and absence of fear (Ps. 4:8; Isa. 26:3).10
In Scripture, the word batach is almost exclusively used of God, whereas they warn of trusting mere mortals (Ps. 146:2-4).
IV. The Third “T” of Advancing the Great Commission: Theology
Having reviewed the biblical understanding of truth and trust, we address the third “T” of advancing the Great Commission, namely, theology. Our theological commitments enable us to engage and to deploy issues of truth and trust even though in a global context they are doubted, diminished, and denied. What are these theological commitments? There are four that we should diligently uphold as we seek to advance the Great Commission.
1. The Fall Must Be Taken Seriously for It Has Resulted in the Loss of Truth and Trust
We should not be surprised that truth is scarce and trust is denied. In fact, this is the very claim of the Scriptures as our review of batach revealed. Truth and trust are not words that well describe fallen human beings. In mankind’s fallen condition of separation from God, on our own, we cannot be committed to truth. Rather, we live in the untrustworthy realm of spiritual darkness characterized by lies and untruth.
The New Testament expansively expresses the lost estate of man in spiritual falsehood (Matt. 7:11; John 8:30-36; Rom. 1:18-24; 3:10-18, 23; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-3, 12; 4:17-19; 2 Thess. 2:9-12; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 1 John 4:1-3; 2 Pet. 2:1-22; Jude 1:8-13). As Christians we theologically understand why truth and trust are largely unknown.
2. The Continuing Dignity of Fallen People as God’s Image-Bearers Must Be Affirmed
Jesus affirmed that humans can do relative moral good even though they are “evil” before God (Matt. 7:11; see also 2 Kings 10:30; Matt. 5:46; Luke 6:33; Rom. 2:14-15). Our recognition of human sinfulness that ever damages truth and trust, does not remove from fallen man the high status of being an image-bearer of God (Gen. 1:27; 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9). Hence, we must recognize and take serious attempts to establish lawful order and binding covenants and agreements that call for truth and trust.
Human initiatives, although fallen, are nevertheless marked by the common grace provisions of God’s care (Gen. 39:5; Matt. 5:44-45; Luke 6:35-36; 16:25; Acts 14:16-17). The doctrine of total depravity does not teach that humans are as bad as they possibly can be, but that there is no part of human life in our fallen estate that can ever measure up to the holy standards of God. John Calvin, writing of the arts and natural gifts in humans, states,
Whenever we come upon these matters in secular writers, let that admirable light of truth shining in them teach us that the mind of man, though fallen and perverted from its wholeness, is nevertheless clothed and ornamented with God’s excellent gifts. If we regard the Spirit of God as the sole foundation of truth, we shall neither reject the truth itself, nor despise it wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to dishonor the Spirit of God.11
3. Christians Must Reject Self-Sufficiency or Offering Themselves as Objects of Trust
The call of the Gospel is not for the world to be like Christians. It is not to offer ourselves and our customs as those that should be emulated. Rather, it is to recognize our sinfulness, our joyful redemption in Christ, and to offer this gospel privilege to others. Calvin says it well when he writes in Institutes II. 1. 2, “Here, then, is what God’s truth requires us to seek in examining ourselves: it requires the kind of knowledge that will strip us of all confidence in our own ability, deprive us of all occasion for boasting, and lead us to submission.”12
Our Gospel witness will fail if we come with a triumphalist spirit, a sense of superiority, or self-righteousness. Not only do these undercut the gospel of grace, they set us up for a tragic fall, should others place trust in our claims. For pride comes before a fall (Prov. 16:18); and God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5-6; James 4:6-7). Jesus did not come to be served, but to minister to others and to give His life as a ransom so that they might be saved (Mark 10:42-45). Jesus’ model of gospel humility should shape our global evangelism, missions, and ministry.
4. Even Though Evangelists are Also Fallen, as Redeemed Sinners We Must Faithfully Declare Divine Theological Truth So That It May Be Trusted for Salvation.
Our missiology must not devolve into a mere history of religions approach. For the Great Commission to advance, we must herald a theology of divine truth as we engage the various religions of the world. To distinguish the two, Waltke quotes James Barr, “History of religion is concerned with all forms and aspects of all human religions, while theology tends to be concerned with truth claims of one religion and especially with its authoritative texts and traditions and their interpretation.”13 This distinction is vital for our mission. If we fail to distinguish the two approaches, the missionary and the evangelist simply become philosophers.
Moreover, it is theology that enables us to pursue the heart of our hearers as we evangelize. Herman Bavinck explains, “Unbelief, too, is rooted, not in proofs and arguments, but in the heart. In this respect believers and unbelievers are in exactly the same position. Their convictions are integrally bound up with their whole personality and are only a posteriori supported by proofs and arguments.”14 We must explain our worldview and defend its theology if the hearts of the lost are to discover divine truth.
Simply put, theological truth is essential for communicating the gospel. As Herman Bavinck argues, mere religious activities will never bring the truth of the gospel. The mind must be given explanations, or it can never determine whether the claims being made are true or false. He reasons,
Religious actions, the practices of worship, do not teach me anything when I look at them unless I am given some explanation of what they mean. If this is so, if in virtue of its nature all religion includes some kind of cognition and in its doctrine posits the reality of its object, it automatically falls under the heading of truth or untruth. Religion is never the product of feeling or fantasy alone; if that were the case, it would attach only an aesthetic value to its representations. But every religion is convinced of the reality and truth of its representations and cannot exist without this conviction and in fact everyone applies the categories of “true” and “false” to religions.15
If we long for people to trust the gospel, then we must present the truth of the gospel with clarity, commitment, and sincere love (Eph. 4:15).
Conclusion: Truth and Trust Flow from the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the Church, in That Order
Theology that advances the Great Commission presents biblical truth in such a way that the evangelist or missionary are not the objects of faith. True theology based on the Scriptures presents the truths of God in such a way that the hearer is led to consider biblical truth in his heart and to claim it as saving truth for his or her soul.
This method of missionary witness moves along three great lines in the order of biblical truth: the Bible itself, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of the Church. Using himself as an example, Francis Turretin explains how saving faith through the truth of the Scriptures comes to pass:
[T]he Bible with its own marks is the argument on account of which I believe. The Holy Spirit is the efficient cause and principle from which I am induced to believe. But the church is the instrument and means through which I believe. Hence if the question is why, or on account of what, do I believe the Bible to be divine, I will answer that I do so on account of the Scripture itself which by its marks proves itself to be such. If it is asked whence or from what I believe, I will answer from the Holy Spirit who produces that belief in me. Finally, if I am asked by what means or instrument I believe it, I will answer through the church which God uses in delivering the Scriptures to me.16
When we take the priority of teaching the Scriptures in our evangelism and missions, we are blessed to have the union of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God working in our ministry. It is the Church that brings the Scriptures and sends the missionary. But it is God’s Word and His Spirit that brings the increase. May the Church never lose its understanding that it is in the thirdposition in this process of bringing forth truth to be trusted unto salvation. This is the theology that will advance the Great Commission.
Endnotes
- Cf. J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Glenside: Westminster Seminary Press, 2023), 95-96.
- ‘Foundationalism has been the reigning theory of theories in the West since the high Middle Ages. It can be traced back as far as Aristotle… Aquinas offers one classic version of foundationalism. There is, he said, a body of propositions which can become self-evident to us in our present earthly state. Properly conducted scientific inquiry consists in arriving at other propositions by way of reliable inference from these (demonstration). A few of these (for example, that God exists) can be inferred from propositions knowable to the natural light of reason.
… within the community of those working in philosophy of knowledge and philosophy of science, foundationalism has suffered a series of deadly blows in the last 25 years. To many of those acquainted with the history of this development it now looks all but dead. So it looks to me. Of course, it is always possible that by a feat of prodigious imagination foundationalism can be revitalized. I consider that highly improbable…’ (Nicholas Wolterstorff, Reason Within the Bounds of Religion, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984), 30-33); https://theologiansinc.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/on-foundationalism-in-theology/ - K. J. Vanhoozer, “Truth” in New Dictionary of Theology, Ed. Martin Davie, et al, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 2016), 925-27.
- Bruce K. Waltke, Old Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 262-63.
- Cf. He Still Speaks: Francis Schaeffer’s Enduring Relevance, ed. Steve Wellum (Southern Baptist Theological Journal, reprint, April 2021).
- See etymonline.com, “deru-” (https://www.etymonline.com.search?q=deru).
- R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), I:52-53.
- K. J. Vanhoozer, ibid, 925.
- Cf. Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 503-08.
- Harris, Archer, Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, I:101-02.
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), II. 2.15.: 273-74.
- Calvin, Institutes, I.1.2.: 242.
- Waltke, Theology of the Old Testament, 65.Waltke, Theology of the Old Testament, 65.
- Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), I.: 590.
- Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, I.:249.
- Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, trans. George Musgrave Giger, ed. James T. Dennison, Jr. (Phillipsburg: P&R, 1992), I.:87. (Topic II, The Holy Scriptures, Sixth Question, On Divine Authority of the Scriptures.)
