This past week I have been pondering the concept of truth. This is probably because of the current political environment where it seems that every situation is interpreted in two very different ways. Now, this is not a post about politics, but about truth, so I do not have intention of weighing in on any specific political issue or news story in this writing. First, I want you to know that I will be making a few assumptions related to truth. For example, I am assuming that there is some interplay between facts and truth. This is affirmed by Webster’s dictionary as one definition notes that truth means “being in accord with fact or reality” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truth). I am also making a spiritual connection with the concept of truth, and Webster’s also makes a connection by recognizing that there is a spiritual reality to “Truth”. Additionally, I am assuming that there is one ultimate truth, and that if there is ultimate truth, there is a specific source for that truth. However, if you think about it, there really cannot be more than one ultimate truth because if there were any contradictions between the sources of truth, one would be false. For now, I am done with assumptions, so I will move on to making a few points related to truth. First, I realize that you may already know this, but I do not possess the complete truth, and so I am always open to studying and learning. The fact is that since no one is perfect, none of us possess all the truth. Of course, that is assuming that you are also willing to acknowledge that you are not the center of the Universe, and therefore you are also not the source of all truth. And all of this puts a hole in the concept of stating that “it is my truth” as if that makes it fact or truth. But this is why it is important for us to seek the ultimate Truth.
The next points are interconnected and address the source of truth, where to discover truth, and the challenges to knowing the truth. So, if we are not the source of truth, then it seems reasonable to assume that truth comes from a source separate from us. To me, the most logical source of truth would come from the creator of the Universe and therefore the creator of all reality, which is God (Genesis 1:1, NIV, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”). Yes, another assumption, but consider the alternatives such as the Universe just came into existence out of nothing, without any outside influence. Believing that something came into existence out of nothing seems much more challenging than believing that there is a Creator who made everything that is in existence. Additionally, not only has God stated that He created the heavens and the earth, but God also stated that He is truth (see John 14:6, NIV, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”). So how do we discover this truth that comes from God? A primary source for discovering God and His truth is the Bible (see Hebrews 4:12, NIV, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”). So, God is the creator of the Universe, the source of all truth, and He has revealed this truth in the Bible.
At this point I want to note that recognizing that the Bible provides insight into God’s truth does not automatically mean that we will know the truth. A few issues that may inhibit knowing the truth include not studying the Bible, following false teachers of the Bible and outright rejection of the truth of the Bible. Although it is obvious, it is important to state that we need to study the Bible to know the truths of the Bible. I have found it fascinating over the years how many people, including students, have opinions about the Bible, but have not even read the Bible, let alone study the Bible. Yes, some people have read verses or even chapters out of the Bible but have not actually read through the Bible even once. What other book would we only read a few pages or chapters and then claim that we know the facts of the book or that we understand or know the book’s author? Just in case, if anyone wants to know a good place to start, I recommend starting with the books of Matthew or Romans in the New Testament.
Of course, it is essential that we regularly and consistently read and study God’s word so we can be “as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV). Additionally, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, (NIV), addresses the issue of following false teachers by stating that “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths”. Also, people can recognize the Bible as truth but can still reject the truths of the Bible through how they live out their lives. The Bible provides insight into this type of individual. “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-4, NIV).
I encourage all of us to seek truth through seeking God, the Creator and source of all truth. And know that we can be deceived, so be careful. Now, to reflect on my previous comment related to the current environment where every situation is interpreted in very different ways. We need to use the Bible, but with discernment, to understand reality and truth within matters. The fact is that if God, as revealed in the Bible, is the source of all truth, there really is only one absolute truth and answer. Therefore, we need to make sure we read and study the Bible to find God’s truths.
Conclusion: Seek truth, read and study the Bible, and pray for wisdom. (Proverbs 2:1-6, NIV) “If you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding”.
Addendum: I appreciate what Pastor John MacArthur has to say about God’s truth and how we should treat it. “There is a far greater weight that I feel, and it’s the weight of the revelation of God. That is a heavy thing to me. The truth of God is very heavy upon me. It is the greatest weight that I feel in my life by far, the glory of God. The Old Testament word for glory is the word in Hebrew weight. I have a rather heavy view of God and His Word. It weighs heavy on me, and nothing equals the weight of that. Human opinion, popularity, whatever, bears very little weight. It is as a feather compared to the weight of the revelation of God that I feel.
God has exalted His Word to the level of His name, Psalm 138. It is as heavy as God is weighty. And I feel the weight of that, and that is why for me, study and preaching is so intense because this is my responsibility, to feel the weight of the truth of God and then to dispense it to you. This is my calling. This is not unusual. I’m not alone in this. This is the calling of every man of God, of every teacher of the Bible, of every leader in the church, every pastor, elder – at least this is what the church is about.
We are the pillar and foundation of the truth, and it is a weighty matter to me. Nothing is as important to me as divine truth, for it is in divine truth that I know God. It is in divine truth that I know Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, that I understand everything I need to understand that matters” (The Primacy of Truth, sermon, Oct 19, 2003, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/63-1/the-primacy-of-truth).