When I was 25, I was certain about many things. Making a quick decision was simpler then, not as complicated by nuance. With regret, I now understand that my certainties were often born more of ignorance than information! Life is shaded in more grays now that I am twice as old. I am much less convinced that I own the truth about many things than I was back then. Two decades ago, I would argue many doctrinal points strenuously, insisting that the Scripture was 'absolutely clear' on issues such as the prophetic timeline of the 'End Times,' or the role of women in ministry. So, have I lost my convictions and gone 'wobbly,' on the truth? Not at all. More than ever, I am convinced of the importance of knowing the Scriptures in a way that allows the Word to speak into our lives. I know there is no substitute for having a Christ-centered world view. I am unyielding in my embrace of the fact that God created us to know and do His will in this world. And this is the best thing I know: that Jesus loves you and me!
The Truth is much debated in our world, isn't it? Some insist that Truth is something that is fluid, that each of one constructs his own truth out of our world view. In one sense they are right! The world looks very different through the eyes of people of different cultures and religions. But perspective is not necessarily truth. Some object, "but it is true to me!" Believing something to be true and the actual truth are not at all the same. I know a man that insists that men never walked on the moon, that the lunar missions of NASA were a great hoax that the American government put over on the world. He is convinced of this 'truth.' And he's wrong! His sincerity is admirable, but the facts simply do not support his assertions.
The Truth is grounded in God. He cannot lie, does not deceive, and is the Truth. Those who would know and live in truth must start with this statement - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1.1) Eugene Peterson writes about that with these profound insights: "First, God. God is the subject of life. God is foundational for living. If we don’t have a sense of the primacy of God, we will never get it right, get life right, get our lives right. Not God at the margins; not God as an option; not God on the weekends. God at center and circumference; God first and last; God, God, God." (2002, The Message, Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.)
The person who refuses to accept God as the First Cause, as the Source, will descend into deception. Here's what Paul asserts about those who turn from the Living God. "God’s eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That’s why those people don’t have any excuse. They know about God, but they don’t honor him or even thank him. Their thoughts are useless, and their stupid minds are in the dark. They claim to be wise, but they are fools." (Romans 1:20-22, CEV) The Psalmist declares, "The fool says in his heart, "there is no God!" (14.1)
From the assertion that God is the Creator, the Scripture moves to the assertion that Christ is the Full Revelation of God! John writes, "The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us." (John 1:14, CEV)
Do you know the Truth?
Have you received Jesus Christ, who is Truth personified, as the way, the truth, and the life?
Meditate on this word from the Word today.
"(People) perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." (2 Thessalonians 2:10-15, NIV)
Humbly thank God for the Truth. Trust Christ. Admit what you do not know, yes cannot know by inquiry alone. Then, invite the Spirit to open your mind to the Truth that God loves you through Christ. From that foundation, you will live in Truth, and through all the changes of life, the shifts in human knowledge, you will be able to say, "I know Whom I have believed, that He is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him for that Day!" Amen.
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