Exactly. 2+2=4 is truth. E=mc2 is also truth but does not lessen or negate 2+2=4. The ‘fullness’ of truth will never arrive. There will always be a point ahead, and God will always reveal more and more to us as we have the capacity to understand.
You are missing my point, Nick.
To demonstrate the difference in what I am saying, lets use a real example:.
Christians believe that it is a
revealed truth that Christ rose
bodily from the grave. We even have witnesses of his bodily resurrection. In other words, it is as true as 2+2=4 as far as a Catholic is concerned.
The Baha’i, on the other hand, do not say that yes, Christ rose bodily from the grave and then go on to proclaim even greater truths. They do not say yes, 2+2=4 and E=mc2. They say no, 2+2 does not equal four; Christ did not rise bodily from the grave. So your argument fails on that basis. And there are innumerable other examples I could give. You do not say “Yes, dear Christian, what you believe is true but I have even greater truths to reveal.” You say “No, dear Christian, what you believe is not true. Let me show you the truth.”
We have the fullness of truth because Truth himself is present in and guides our Church in all things concerning the truth of God. We possess the fullness of the means of salvation because this is the Church that Jesus, the Truth, built and promised to lead into “all truth”. We believe that he kept his promise.
Jesus Himself told His disciples that there were many things He had yet to say, “but you cannot bear them now”.
Yes, this seems to be one of the Baha’i’s favorite passages. Unfortunately for the Baha’i it seems you haven’t read past this verse.
"12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:12-15)
This is all about Jesus, not some future “manifestation of God”. It is Jesus who sends the Spirit. It is Jesus who will be glorified by the Spirit and it is Jesus, who, through the Spirit will make known the truth.
Well, Jesus did send the Spirit. It happened on Pentecost. The Apostles and disciples were in hiding out of fear for their lives in the upper room with the doors and windows shut and locked. They had just witnessed what had happened to their leader and knew that the same was in store for them. Then something happened:
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)
These men, who were cowering in the corner in fear of their lives, immediately began preaching Christ to the crowds, even speaking in languages they did not know. They had each been filled with the Holy Spirit. The Church had been filled with the Holy Spirit and could now bear those things it could not before the Holy Spirit descended. It received the fullness of the truth, the fullness of the means of salvation; the truth concerning Jesus Christ.
