in the Battle for Truth Truth is relative There are no absolutes Truth is what you make it VBS Day 4 Lesson Focus Take the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation They will guard your from the enemys attacks ID: 230691
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Slide1Slide2
Standing Strong
in the Battle for Truth
“Truth is relative.
There are no absolutes.
Truth is what you make it.” Slide3Slide4Slide5
VBS: Day 4Slide6
Lesson Focus
Take the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. They will guard your from the enemy’s attacks.Slide7
A little Bit About
the
Middle
Ages
(
400-1400)
The Kingdom Chronicles
:
Influential Thinkers in the Middle AgesSlide8
Thomas Aquinas
The great theologian and apologist of the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274
)
Aquinas
was concerned with defending the truth of Christianity.
(Apologetics)
He used
reason and logic in order to “prove” the absolute truth of those assumptions. Slide9
Thomas Aquinas
He
believes that man has the capacity for reason as a
God-given
gift.
An
infinite God gave finite man the capacity to
reason
and logic as part of the image of God (imago Dei
).
You don’t have to sacrifice your intellect for faith
.Slide10
Thomas Aquinas
God’s
Existence
can be known by Reason, through nature.
God’s
Being
(His essence) can only be known by Special Revelation the ScriptureSlide11
Thomas Aquinas
God is also logically proven by NEGATION
God
is not limited by time- He is the Creator of time.
God
is not moveable- He is the Creator of motion.
God
is not designed- He is the Designer.
God
does not degrade- He is Eternal Perfection.
God
is not contingent- He is Perfect in Essence.Slide12
Thomas Aquinas
AQUINAS ON FAITH AND REASON
In
Summa
Theologica
, Aquinas defines faith with exacting
language
. “Faith is to believe…with assent.” (II, II, 2,1).
[
1] Faith believes what can’t be proven or it wouldn’t be faith.
[
2] However, faith is not irrational. It must be made on
credible
grounds and evidence.
In
Aquinas’ thought, faith and reason are two layers of Truth that
cannot
contradict one another.
Philosophy
is not the enemy, but a servant of
theologySlide13
King SolomonSlide14
1 Kings 2:4
“If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in
truth
with all their heart and with all their
soul...
you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.”Slide15
1 Kings 4:30-34
-Solomon's
wisdom excelled the wisdom of all
men
-His
fame was
known in all the surrounding nations
-He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and
five Slide16
But... Solomon allowed his affections and attachments to the women in his life to blur the line between right and wrong.Slide17
1 Kings
11:1-3
-
King Solomon loved
many foreign women
-
They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Slide18
What Happened?
He let his guard down.
He allowed influences in his life to skew his view of life.Slide19
Ultimately what we believe as truth will affect our behavior.
We will make decisions based on what we regard as truth.Slide20
"It would have been useless to argue with Solomon for the claims of idols. He could at once, by his wisdom, have annihilated all infidel arguments, and have established the existence and unity of God. But, step by step, he was led by silken cords, a captive, to the worship of other gods." (FB Meyer)Slide21
1 Kings
11:9
“The
LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice
.”Slide22Slide23
Thinking in terms of
AbsolutesThink Truth:
The
Shield of FaithSlide24
Ephesians
6:10-11; 16
“
10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes...
16
above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Slide25
Medieval knights always carried shields into battle.
They were so big it covered their entire bodies.Slide26
The shield protected them from flaming arrows. Without his shield the knight would be vulnerable in battle.Slide27
The Shield of Faith
Faith is represented as a shield, protecting us from the fiery darts of the wicked one, those persistent efforts of demonic foes to weaken us through fear and unbelief.Slide28
The Idea behind the shield is that must we continually be aware of the lies that the devil tries to shoot our way.
-The people we hang out with
-The things we read in a book
-What we hear from friends
-What we learn from our teachersSlide29
The shield of faith helps us deflect
The D-Darts of:
Doubt
Discouragement
Deception
Division
DestructionSlide30Slide31
1
Corinthians 15:33
“Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good
habits.“”Slide32
Proverbs 22:24-25
“
24
Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go,
25
Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul
.”Slide33
Discern and Recognize
Does it Agree with the Truth of Scripture?
Everything has to be evaluated to the standard of the truth of God’s Word.Slide34
Ultimately what we believe as truth will affect our behavior.
We will make decisions based on what we regard as truth.Slide35
Psalm 91:4
“He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler
.”Slide36
Think Truth:
The Helmet of Salvation
Thinking in terms of
AbsolutesSlide37
Ephesians
6:10-11; 17
“
10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes...
17
And take the helmet of
salvation...Slide38
The medieval knight always put on their helmet, to protect the ‘operating system’ of the body.Slide39
The helmet of salvation protects us against thinking worldly.
Proverbs 23:7 says, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he
.”Slide40
Ultimately what we believe as truth will affect our behavior.
We will make decisions based on what we regard as truth.Slide41
The Idea behind th
e helmet is that we can guard what we put into our minds.
-The things we watch on TV
-The things we read in a book
-What we hear from friends
-What we learn from our teachers
Everything has to be evaluated to the standard of the truth of God’s Word.Slide42
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things
.”Slide43
1 Corinthians 2:16
“But we have the mind of Christ
.”Slide44
Proverbs 3:3
“Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your
heart”Slide45