The Truth We Missed

By Pius M. Sumaktoyo

For the past two thousand years, many Christians have passionately focused on the belief that Jesus came to atone for the sins of men. This book shows that Jesus came to testify to the truth (John 18:37), atonement, or redemption is within the truth.
What is the truth? What is the importance of the truth in the work of salvation? How can we know the truth?
Christianity is about the will of the Father to bring man to eternal life (John 6:40).
The truth is the word of the Father with the role to sanctify (John 17:17, 17:19). Jesus did not say any other way to sanctify but by the truth. It is just a theological or philosophical finding if anyone says there is another way to sanctify. Redemption, love, and good deed are not the whole truth, everyone is delaying or failing his salvation if he ignored the truth.
We will know the truth if we continue in Jesus’ word (“my word”, John 8:31), and the truth will make “you” free (John 8:32). We have to open to knowing the truth. The Spirit of truth will be our guide into all the truth (John 16:13).
What is the truth of John 17:3, "this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God"?
What is the truth of John 8:24, “for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he,” and John 16:9, “about sin, because they do not believe in me”?
What is the truth of this contradiction: “The Father and I are one (John 10:30)”, and, "know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36)"?
What is the truth of this contradiction: “The Father and I are one (John 10:30)”, and, "I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I (John 14:28)"?
What is the meaning of the spirit in “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24)”? Does spirit occupy space so there’re above and below, left and right, so Jesus “sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19)”?
The above verses taught that knowing the truth is a necessity in the course of the work of salvation, it makes free, it sanctifies, it makes us know the only true God and worthy for eternal life. It is just a theological or philosophical finding if anyone says there is another way to eternal life.
Let’s expand our questions: Where is God during the COVID-19 pandemic? If God didn't create COVID-19, at least why would God let it happen and continue? We know that COVID-19 has now killed more than 1,300,000 people. We should also link that question to the "Spanish flu" a hundred years ago with casualties of between 50 – 100 million people, the Aceh tsunami with more than 100,000 casualties, and many other sad events.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pius M. Sumaktoyo
• Release date: Dec 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005619688

Pius M. Sumaktoyo

Pius M Sumaktoyo was a software developer who is interested in the truth of the gospel. Pius was born into a Catholic family, briefly becoming an atheist in his twenties. He believed that salvation existed only in and through Jesus Christ, however, he found many of Jesus' teachings still waiting to be opened. Pius believed that Christ's people needed to know the truth that Jesus had come to testify.

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The Truth We Missed

Translated from Indonesian

Meniti Tangga Kebenaran

By Pius M. Sumaktoyo

Copyright 2020 Pius M. Sumaktoyo

Published by Pius M. Sumaktoyo

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About this Book

For the past two thousand years, many Christians have passionately focused on the belief that Jesus came to atone for the sins of men. This book shows that Jesus came to testify to the truth (John 18:37) where atonement or redemption is only a part of the whole truth.

(John 18:37)

I came into the world, to testify to the truth.

(John 8:32)

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

(John 17:3)

And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God,

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Complexities in the Teachings of Jesus

1.2 Five Points of Thought

1.3 ABCDE Christian Errors?

1.4 Methodology

Chapter 2 Humanity and the Work of Salvation

2.0 Introduction

2.1 The Missing History of Knowing God

2.2 Knowing God Is Not a Sudden Event

2.3 Object, Subject, and the Christian Faith

2.4 From Perception to Guidance

2.5 There Are Many Gods

Chapter 3 Relying on the Gospel of Jesus Christ

3.0 Introduction

3.1 The Importance of John 16:12-14

3.2 Jesus According to the Gospel

3.3 Jesus, the Person, and the Teachings

3.4 Searching for the Only True God

3.5 The Signs of the Topmost Stair

3.6 Conflicts Between Stairs of Recognition

Chapter 4 Knowing Jesus as the True God

4.0 Introduction

4.1 God Is One

4.2 Looking at the Prophecies

4.3 God Is the Father

4.4 Jesus and the Father

4.5 Jesus Introduced Himself as the Father

4.6 Jesus Is the Father

4.7 Jesus and the Holy Spirit

4.8 Conclusion

4.9 Testing the Conclusion

4.10 Consequences for Refusal

Chapter 5 Contradictory Verses

5.0 Introduction

5.1 God’s Promises to the Truth Seeker

5.2 Jesus Said, the Father is greater than I.

5.3 Why Does Jesus Sit at the Right Hand of God?

5.4 Why Doesn’t Jesus Know the Doomsday?

5.5 Why Did Jesus Give Praise to the Father?

5.6 Why Did Jesus Call Out the Father?

5.7 Why Did Jesus Give Up His Life?

5.8 All Power Was Given to Jesus

5.9 It Turns Out That Jesus Has No Power

5.10 Transfiguration

5.11 Answering Some Popular Questions

5.12 Conclusion

Chapter 6 Be Faithful to Jesus

6.0 Introduction

6.1 The Will of the Father

6.2 Radical or Compromising?

6.3 Eternal Life or Peaceful Living?

6.4 The Kingdom of God

6.5 Extreme Limits

6.6 Extreme Attitudes

6.7 The Power of Jesus

6.8 The Power of Jesus Makes Clean

6.9 From Matthew 16:16 to John 17:3

Why Jesus Waits Till the Last Day to Raise?

When Will Man Be Saved?

6.10 The Eucharist and the Holy Communion

Chapter 7 To Know God and to Worship God

7.0 Introduction

7.1 Know the World

7.2 Know Man: Body, Soul, Spirit

The Role of the Soul

The Role of the Body

The Role of the Spirit

The Interrelation of Body, Soul, and Spirit

7.3 To Know God

To Know the Only True God

To Know Jesus Christ

7.4 To Worship God

The Identity of God

The Meaning of Spirit

The Meaning of Worship

The Meaning of Truth

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Chapter 8 The Marginalized History

8.0 Introduction

8.1 Some Clues

8.2 Defining My Word

8.3 The Marginalized History

8.4 Closing Notes

Chapter 9 The Dialogue of Life

9.0 Introduction

9.1 The Church and Astrophysics

9.2 The Church and Islam

9.3 The Church and Hinduism and Buddhism

9.4 The Mission

Chapter 10 The Truth

10.0 Introduction

10.1 What Is Truth?

10.2 The Role of Truth

10.3 The Truth of God

10.4 The Truth of Eternal Life

10.5 The Truth of Human Identity

10.6 The Truth of the Soul of the Dead and in Punishment

10.7 The Truth of God the Savior

10.8 The Truth of the Jealous God

10.9 The Truth of Human Origin

10.10 The Truth of the Path of Salvation

10.11 COVID-19, the Truth of Hallowing God’s Name

Final Words: Dressing up for the Arrival

Bibliography

About the Author

Preface

The teachings of Jesus are not only about faith but are also about knowing the truth. However, his disciples were not ready to bear the truth (John 16:12). It continues until now, truth is kept hidden and simplified into faith and mystery.

For a long time, Christianity seems to stand based on dogmatized faith. Now, the wilderness of modern days has come to be the strongest enemy of faith. Now, faith requires a friend who is knowledgeable of the truth.

We need to loosen the dogmatized faith. We deserve to look for and to know the truth. We need to go back to the very base of Christianity, to the words of Jesus.

(John 8:31-32) Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; (32) and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

Christianity was born when the universe was small with Earth as the center. Today, Earth is no longer the center but only one very small piece of the universe. Astrophysics found Earth to be only one planet circling the sun. The sun is only one of about 300 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is only one of about 2 trillion* galaxies in the universe. Yes, astrophysics has grown to get people to know where they are.

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* http://www.infoastronomy.org/2017/01/berapa-banyak-galaksi-di-alam-semesta.html (Mar. 10, 2017)

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In the lifetimes of Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, the Church hierarchy was slow to understand the truth of the universe. Today, astrophysical knowledge is a reality that the Church quite openly accepts. But the advancement of astrophysics brought with it the complexity of the rationality of the doctrine of faith.

However, the Church is not about the physical. The Church is about the doing of the will of the Father, of Jesus Christ, of God being human, of the work of salvation, of the salvation of the human soul.

John 6:40 reveals the will of the Father is that every man who sees the Son and who believes in him has eternal life. Of eternal life, it is together with knowing the only true God (John 17:3).

Originally, my study focused on achieving eternal life, seeking to succinctly lift important things that have been neglected in the course of the work of salvation done by God for man. As time went on, I discovered that Jesus Christ had come to testify to the truth (John 18:37). I was moved to elevate the significance of knowing the truth in the course of the work of salvation, the truth will make you free (John 8:32), the word of God is the truth to sanctify (John 17:17).

So far, as a path to eternal life, we are invited to sanctify ourselves by living a holy life. So far we are invited to believe that Jesus Christ has come and lived miserably with the aim of ransom for the sins of men. Not to ignore or deny the goodness contained in the invitations, I found only two gospel verses say that Jesus came to ransom for sin, meanwhile, I found twenty-seven gospel verses contain the word truth. That gives additional focus to my study which is to find the truth.

***

When we take a piece of cloth and parse it, we will find many threads. When we take a thread and parse it, we will find many fibers that may be colorful.

When opening the Bible, there are many chapters and many verses. Analogous to chapters as threads and verses as fibers, we find that verse is also colorful in what is conveyed. There are verses contain God's promise, there are verses that are just stories, there are verses contain history, there are verses contain rules, there are comforting verses, there are verses that remind, there are verses express the author's faith, there are verses contain the teaching of the Jesus about the course of the work of salvation, and so on.

My study portrays certain important verses as golden fibers and then slowly incorporate them and twisting them into a golden thread of the work of salvation.

Hopefully, the flow of this golden thread will make it easy to understand the work of salvation. Hopefully, it could expose the focus of the work of salvation Jesus provided for humanity.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my friends in the community of the Bible discussion in the parish of Cijantung, Jakarta. They have for more than three years diligently and faithfully engaged in discussions during the preparation and writing of this book.

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Bible quotations

Unless otherwise indicated, the Bible quotations throughout this book were taken from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com

Other quotations

The Secret Teachings of Jesus, by Marwin W. Meyer, Vintage Books,1984.where in this book,

SBJohn stands for The Secret Book of John,

SBJames stands for The Secret Book of James.

GThomas stands for The Gospel of Thomas,

BThomas stands for The Book of Thomas.

-----------------------------------

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.0 Introduction

Faith in the work of salvation can remain alive and entrenched when constantly contemplated, carried in daily life, and not shying away from the niches of life.

Be aware that it is not easy to contemplate the work of salvation in the context of the present. Time has brought with it complexity to efforts to understand the work of salvation.

My study argues that the complexity of the introduction of the work of salvation is in line with the complexity of the biblical content, the complexity of the doctrine of faith, and the complexity of the reality of life. However, this study believes that there are available ways and guidance to escape the complexity and thus become able to get to know the course of the work of salvation more directly and simply.

The simple way is, firstly, by knowing who Jesus is.

Christian history records that the introduction of Jesus and his work growing over time; the disciples also knew Jesus growing up. The three synoptic Gospels, namely the Gospel by Matthew, the Gospel by Mark, and the Gospel by Luke record the highest recognition that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. One other gospel is the gospel by John records the words of Jesus instructing that Jesus is God. The Apostle Paul in the letters he wrote, and the Apostle Peter in Acts written by Luke, accepted Jesus as savior (Messiah/Christ) and Lord and Son of God.

The history of Christianity* records the story of the Church's journey.

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* https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/is-god-a-trinity/the-surprising-origins-of-the-trinity-doctrine (Dec. 14, 2016)

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritunggal (Nov. 30, 2016)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarianism (Nov. 30, 2016)

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There have been several incidents in which Christianity has been tinged with conflict caused by differences in the recognition of the divinity of Jesus. In the Bible, these differences are reflected in Galatians 1:6, 2Corinthians 11:13,26, 3John 1:9-10.

The Council of Nicea (325) established the uniformity of Christian doctrine for the first time. The Council of Constantinople (381) strengthened the doctrine produced by the Council of Nicea, which is more commonly known as the doctrine of the triune God; one God in three Persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

Arius (a bishop) concluded that Jesus is not God but rather is the most glorious creation. The Council of Nicea (325) established Arianism as heresy.

Nestorius (a bishop) argued that the Son of God in heaven and the man Jesus on Earth was not one person but rather two persons. The Council of Ephesus (431) established Nestorianism as heresy.

Monophysitism considers that Jesus' humanity is false because Jesus has only divine nature. The Council of Chalcedon (451) established Monophysicism as heresy.

In the 1600s, Unitarians emerged as a movement that criticized trinitarian doctrine. Unitarians are Christians who believe in Jesus' work and role for salvation but do not believe in the divinity of Jesus. It is said that there are now quite a lot of people identifying themselves as Unitarian.

The Council of Constantinople II (381) confirmed the doctrine of the triune God. It has been the doctrine of the Church's faith that prevails today.

Admittedly, the doctrine of the triune God does not by itself resolve all differences. Some historians have revealed that the doctrine of the triune God is a consensus agreed upon over a long time and established unusual way, in the sense that it does not appear to be the power of divine intervention but rather the apparent interference of worldly power.

Many people find it not easy to accept the Three Persons in the context of the confession of one God. In the past, differences have resulted in the death of many Christians by Christians. (ucg.org, citing Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol. 4: The Age of Faith, 1950, p. 8)

Although historical records such as uncovering various negativities, this study finds that the work of salvation by God does not turn away and does not shy away from what appears to be a worldly thing. Jacob's deception of Esau, Jacob's deception of Laban before obtaining Rachel, King David's act of obtaining Uriah's wife, did not stop the work of salvation from being carried out through these persons. Unbroken by man's weakness, God's work of salvation unwaveringly accompanies and guides those who faithfully hold on to the faith of his covenants.

Thus, although the doctrine of the triune God seemed to leave a less complete explanation of God's oneness, although historical criticism revealed the earthly process that seemed to dominate its establishment, I believe that the doctrine of the triune God was the closest thing to the truth of the gospel content that the internal process of the Church was able to achieve in its day.

I consider the core doctrine of the triune God to be the understanding of the Church to proclaim that Jesus is God. Making the essence of doctrine one of the references, my study preserves faith and seeks further explanation that Jesus is the true God. Studies are not intended to criticize or to explain doctrine.

Conducted in the light of reasoning and tied itself to the teachings of Jesus found in the gospel, this study begins by reflecting on the progress of man's journey to know God.

Now, let's get to know human existence, man's relationship with God, and man's relationship with fellow human beings.

As a starting point, this study believes: that God is all-good; that the Lord does not punish; that the Lord gives man complete freedom to act on his choice. Therefore, this study believes that the suffering is not from God but rather it happens because man punishes himself through his choice. Furthermore, because God does not punish, because God does not compel, then there is no right for anyone to judge each other's faith. Departing from that, this study is an attempt to find a Christian philosophical foundation to encourage individuals to be aware and willing to tolerate unconditionally in terms of the individual relationship of man with God.

This study stipulates that the course of the search should not deviate from the teaching of Jesus