The Gospel as a Dynamic Order and the Process of Receiving Religious Truth: An Introduction – Part 1

​This week in our review of Isaiah Decoded we’ll look at the Introduction, which focuses on religious truth. Religious truth is at the heart of having a relationship with God, because if we don’t understand the truth of having a relationship with God, Yeshua has declared, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,” - Matt 7:22,23. So let’s unpack the topic of religious truth.

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​Dr. Gileadi opens his Introduction with the scene between Yeshua and Pilate, who queries – “What is Truth?” John 18:38. This question was preceded by Yeshua’s statement who said that he had come to testify of truth.  In the context of having a relationship with God, religious truth are the concepts that will not only bring us into God’s presence and to enjoy His association, but it will also bring us a fullness of joy and the greatest of eternal possibilities as we become like Him and partake in all that God has to offer.


What is Religious Truth?
Religious truth is information about God. But it’s just not any kind of information, it is information that is real or what actually exists. The study of God is called theology. 
 

Religious Truth and Ultimate Questions
In his book God in Search of Man, Abraham Heschel states that religion is supposed to answer man’s ultimate questions. Those questions can include where did I come from, why am I here and where am I going. An even more important question that we should ask is “how do I get there”, what do I need to do to know God.
 
“Religion is an answer to man’s ultimate questions. The moment we become oblivious to ultimate questions, religion become irrelevant, and its crisis sets in.” p 3
 
 
Religious Truth and Order
One of the first things God told Adam was to dress and keep the Garden, or in other words man became a partner with God to create order. Arnold Hertzberg states in his book Judaism,
 
“To be like God … means to be His partner in ruling the world and in carrying forward the work of making order.”  - p 236
 
So, then, one of our primary functions in life is for us to create order. We see God expand His order when He established His Law with Israel. Some of these laws that created order include –
 
Kashrut/dietary laws – God establishes what is food and what is not food.
Debt Release every seven years – God establishes an economic order.
Order of Authority – God > Messiah > Law > Man > Woman/Family
Etc, Etc. Etc.
​
We see Yeshua expand on this order of the Law when he declares that he fulfilled or made full the Law – Matt 5:17.
 
Isaiah takes creating order to another level with the spiritual levels of humanity or the various kinds of relationships that we can have with God. Moreover, we can expand God’s order that we see in Isaiah by adding His system of laws that expands and strengthens our understanding of those relationships, and in the requirements to realize those relationships.
 
Furthermore, as we will see, the Gospel is a dynamic order of systems and processes.

​>>> INCREASING ORDER >>> (an expanding knowledge of God)

The Law  >

Yeshua made the Law Full  >

Isaiah’s Categories of Relationships  >

A System of Laws for Realizing the Relationships with God  >

​The Gospel as a Dynamic Order of Systems and Processes

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The Process of Receiving Religious Truth
The most important order for us to understand is the process for acquiring religious truth.  In general, that process has been set out in the scriptures beginning with the Light or Spirit of Messiah/Christ, which then leads us to the Law, then to the Spirit, and then to Yeshua, the Son of God and finally to God, the Father.

​PROCESS OF RECEIVING RELIGIOUS TRUTH

Spirt of Messiah/Christ  >

The Law  >

The Spirit  >

The Son  >

The Father

​
Receiving Religious Truth and the Light/Spirit of Messiah/Christ
We begin our quest for acquiring religious truth by listening to our internal prompts to do what is right or what is referred to as our conscience.  These internal prompts in the scriptures are known as the Light or Spirit of Messiah/Christ. John the Apostle said it this way,
 
6 ¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
John 1:6-9
 
The Book of Mormon clarifies this concept when Moroni states,
 
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;
Moroni 7:16

Spirit of Messiah/Christ  >	The Law  >	The Spirit  >	The Son  >	The Father
Enlightens Man to Know Good and Evil ​

​
Receiving Religious Truth and the Law
The Light/Spirit of Messiah/Christ leads us to God’s Law. We can say that because both the Spirit of Messiah and the Law testify of good and evil.

The Spirit of Messiah  >	>>	The Law
Moroni 7:16	>>	Deu 30:15,16
​16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;	>>	15 ¶ See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: ​

We can also make this connection with the Spirit of Messiah and the Law by understanding that Yeshua as Yehovah, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, gave to ancient Israel the Law. So we can see that whatever Yehovah gave to Israel was and is truth.
 
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
Psalms 119:142

Spirit of Messiah/Christ  >	The Law  >	The Spirit  >	The Son  >	The Father
Enlightens Man to Know Good and Evil ​	God codifies a Knowledge of Good and Evil in writing

Receiving Religious Truth and the Holy Spirit
The next stage in the acquisition of religious truth is to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of the Father. Yeshua declares that we can know the truth of all things through the Father’s Spirit.
 
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
John 16:13
 
But receiving the Father’s Holy Spirit is conditional upon us living the Law.
 
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Acts 5:32
 
Many of asked how do we know if we are receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit and not our own feelings or emotions. The best answer to this is whether that revelation is consistent with God’s Law and we are living it. As the Law is the foundation for receiving the Holy Spirit.

Spirit of Messiah/Christ  >	The Law  >	The Spirit  >	The Son  >	The Father
Enlightens Man to Know Good and Evil ​	God codifies a Knowledge of Good and Evil in writing	Receiving a Knowledge of All Things and a Fullness of the Law

Receiving Religious Truth and the Son
Once we received a fullness of truth and strive to live it to our best efforts, we receive the Second Comforter who provides a more sure testimony of the truth. That Second Comforter is Yeshua Himself. In other words, the Lord Himself appears to us as a witness of the truth for in some measure we have become like Him by knowing and living the truth. Because of our righteousness, we rend the veil and the Lord appears to us.
 
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 14:18,21

Spirit of Messiah/Christ  >	The Law  >	The Spirit  >	The Son  >	The Father
Enlightens Man to Know Good and Evil ​	God codifies a Knowledge of Good and Evil in writing	Receiving a Knowledge of All Things and a Fullness of the Law	A Greater Witness of the Truth by the appearance of Son - the Second Comforter

Receiving Religious Truth and the Father
Those who reach this level of receiving truth do the Will of the Father.
 
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Matt 12:50

Spirit of Messiah/Christ  >	The Law  >	The Spirit  >	The Son  >	The Father
Enlightens Man to Know Good and Evil ​	God codifies a Knowledge of Good and Evil in writing	Receiving a Knowledge of All Things and a Fullness of the Law	A Greater Witness of the Truth by the appearance of Son - the Second Comforter	Knows and Does the Will of the Father

Summary

PROCESS OF RECEIVING RELIGIOUS TRUTH

Spirit of Messiah/Christ  >	The Law  >	The Spirit  >	The Son  >	The Father
Enlightens Man to Know Good and Evil ​	God codifies a Knowledge of Good and Evil in writing	Receiving a Knowledge of All Things and a Fullness of the Law	A Greater Witness of the Truth by the appearance of Son - the Second Comforter	Knows and Does the Will of the Father