When
Jesus stood before Pilate, he was asked: “Are
You the King of the Jews?” (John 18:23).
Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not
of this world. If Me kingdom were of
this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed
over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Desiring more clarification, Pilate
said: “So You are a king?” To
which Jesus replied, “You say correctly
that I am a king. For this I have been
born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Upon hearing these words, Pilate said to
Jesus: “What is truth?” Then Pilate said that he found no guilt in
Him. (see John 18:37-38)
Pilate had the
same problem with truth that many have today.
Due to the influences of humanistic philosophy, truth is no longer
absolute or attainable. It is not
knowable, understandable, teachable, believable or necessary. Each person can make up his/her own
truth. Or we can change the meaning of
truth to fit the need of the moment. We
can even make up our own history. After
all, what difference does it really make??!!
When you consider all of the lies being told in politics and by people
in general, it really makes one wonder.
But Jesus stated clearly that His kingdom would be based upon the
principle of truth.
Everyone
who is of the truth hears the voice of Jesus.
He is the fullest expression of truth and the fullest expression of God. Jesus said, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized
through Jesus Christ. No one has seen
God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father. He has explained him” (John 1:17-18). As the great Shepherd, Jesus identified the
true sheep as those who are willing to hear His voice and follow Him only. "But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep
hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead
of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but
will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers" (John
10:2-5). He also said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me” (John 14:6). How can
I know truth so that I will not be deceived?
Well, Satan, the great deceiver, is always at work. Paul wrote: “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the
breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9
that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan,
with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the
deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thess.
2:8-10). Some will perish because they
did not love and know the truth. The
knowledge and practice of the truth is our only protection against Satan!
Definition
of Truth
Here
is the dictionary definition of truth: “1. The quality or state of being true;
specif., a) orig., loyalty; trustworthiness
b) sincerity, genuineness, honesty
c) the quality of being in accordance with experience, facts, or
reality; conformity with fact d)
reality; actual existence e) agreement
with a standard, rule, etc.; correctness; accuracy 2.
That which is true; statement, etc. that accords with fact or reality 3.
An established or verified fact, principle, etc. “ (New World Dictionary, 2nd
College Edition). Is there any difficulty in understanding the
definition? No. All of this sounds great until one starts to
apply this truth to religion. Then all
at once people get weak-kneed and wobbly and their vision becomes blurred. And if someone suggests that there might be
absolute truth in religion, they will call that person all kinds of names like
bigoted, radical, homophobic, etc.
Truth, if it is
worth anything at all, is knowable, understandable, teachable, consistent,
profitable, valuable in a court of law, reliable, dependable, absolute,
honorable, believable, etc. Truth is
opposite of a lie, is not deceptive, does not mislead. Words may be multiplied, but one who seeks
truth will not be deceived. In praising
God’s word, David wrote: “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 Your commandments make me wiser
than my enemies, for they are ever mine. 99 I have more insight than all my
teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the
aged, because I have observed Your precepts” (Psa.
119:97-100).
Do Not Be Afraid To Stand Up For What Is Right
Those
who are genuine seekers of truth will go wherever truth leads. They will place truth above family, tradition,
culture, self or other such demands. I
had loving parents and I owe them so very much, and yet I could not use them as
a standard to follow in everything. The
early Christians had to choose Christ above family and religion. Some came from Jewish backgrounds and others
from pagan. But none of this matters.
Jesus Christ must be #1 in our lives and this must be based upon the
truth of God’s word, since it is impossible for God to lie. I could use scripture to document all of the
above, but all of these descriptions are true and do not need explanation. One of the biggest stumbling blocks in
following Jesus Christ is religion itself, as Jesus Himself warned over and
over. It is amazing that people can
give lip service to Christ and then go their own way without giving any time or
effort to find out what He requires.
Jesus said, "Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord’,
and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
Some have just enough religion to be miserable. Others have just enough religion to be
dangerous. Still others have just enough
religion to feel good about themselves without fully embracing truth. My friends, truth is not just a vague
concept, nor does it compromise with those who have embraced the philosophy of
tolerance at the expense of truth.
Truth Is Demanding
A true seeker desires truth more than silver and
gold. He will not rest until he obtains
it. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). He
is willing to not only search for it, but live up to its demands. Such a person Jesus compares to a wise man
who builds his house upon a rock, “Therefore
everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a
wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 "And the rain fell, and the
floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it
did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:24-25). It is never easy to follow the path of
truth. There are so many distractions
and stumbling blocks for those unwilling to forsake all and follow Jesus
Christ. A true disciple of Jesus Christ
is successful because he/she is willing to count the cost of discipleship and
be faithful come what may. Such a one
has a passionate faith and is full of joy because of the experience of knowing
and following Jesus Christ. Read this
description of those who were victorious in Revelation 11:12: “And
they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of
their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
As we gain knowledge of the truth, it is necessary to
live according to the demands of that truth, or else we corrupt our conscience
and stop the process of growing in grace and truth. In my own life, I have often been reproved by
the truth and forced to adjust my life to newly acquired knowledge. It is important that we “test ourselves to see
if we are walking according to truth: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is
in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor.
13:5). The Bible teaches, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate
you, reprove a wise man and he will love you. 9 Give instruction to a wise
man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his
learning” (Pro. 9:8-9). No one
really enjoys being reproved, but truth seekers know that this is
necessary. You see, a truth seeker is
not one who is proud and thinks that he has all the right answers. But he delights in the truth and is willing
to receive instruction. Some people are
content in their religion and simply want to be left alone. Such are not genuine seekers. Even if I am confronted by a person who is
aggressively pushing a false religion, I will still show him/her respect and
feel obligated to follow the words of Peter to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to
make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is
in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15).
Our
Conscience and the Challenge of Truth
How
do we know if a person is a truth seeker?
For one thing, a truth seeker is willing to change his mind to bring it
in harmony with any newly discovered truth, whereas one who is not a truth
seeker has no trouble bending the truth to match his long held cherished
beliefs or desires. When a honest man
learns better, he does better, or else, he becomes dishonest. A truth seeker is never afraid of what he
might discover in the pursuit of truth.
A good conscience is a good thing, but as we grow in knowledge, we must
be true to this new knowledge or else we exchange a good conscience for a
guilty or evil conscience. Thus, a truth
seeker is always willing to change. That
is the real test. Life will definitely
put us to the test as to whether we really want the truth or will settle for
lies. I do not claim to know all
things, but I must be willing to open my heart to further instruction and
knowledge. Truth has nothing to fear,
and always maintain a good conscience.
We
need to seek truth in every field of knowledge.
But spiritual truth is the most important of all for this will determine
our eternal destiny.
Thanks so much for reading this article.
* * *
A Collection
of Scriptures About Truth
(with
my brief comments in italics)
Exo.
18:21-22: 21 "Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who
fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these
over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of
tens. Israel’s leaders were to be men of truth.
Pro.
3:3-4: 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, Write
them on the tablet of your heart. 4
So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. Truth is part of our character and gives us favor with both
God and man.
Pro. 8:7-8: 7 "For my mouth will utter
truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 "All the utterances of my
mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them. Our mouths should always speak the truth. Truth does not need to be disguised or spun.
Pro.
12:17: 17 He who speaks truth tells what is right, but a false witness, deceit. Just say what is right, plain and simple.
Pro.
29:14: 14 If a king judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established
forever. Truth is important, even in
politics, for God will judge all liars, even those in high places. Pro. 20:28: 28 Loyalty and truth preserve the king, and he upholds his throne by
righteousness. God honors truth in the
political realm.
Pro.
21:28: 28 A false witness will perish, but the man who listens to the truth will
speak forever. Truth does not change, but a
lie has to be covered up with more and more lies.
Pro.
23:23: 23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction
and understanding. The truth will always be our
most valuable possession. Once you find
it, do not let it go for anything.
Jer.
9:3-5: 3 "They bend their tongue like their bow; lies and not truth
prevail in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know
Me," declares the LORD. 4 "Let everyone be on guard
against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; because every brother deals
craftily, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. 5 "Everyone deceives his
neighbor and does not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
This is a description
of a society that lacks integrity and no longer values truth.
Jer. 23:28-32: 28 "The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him
who has My word speak My word in truth. What
does straw have in common with grain?" declares the LORD. 29 "Is not My word like
fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock? 30 "Therefore behold, I am
against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from
each other. 31 "Behold, I am against the prophets,"
declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, 'The Lord declares.'
32 "Behold, I am against
those who have prophesied false dreams," declares the LORD, "and
related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless
boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this
people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD. God hates all lying but especially those who speak
falsely in the LORD’S name.
John
1:14: 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory
as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard bearer of truth.
For
a list of other scriptures speaking of truth and its various qualities and
applications see John 3:21; 8:31-32: 14:6,
17; 16:13; 17:17-19; Rom. 2:4-8; 1 Cor. 13:6; 2 Cor. 4:2; Gal. 4:16; Col. 1:5; Eph.
1:13; 2 Thess. 2:10; 1 Tim. 4:3; 1 John 2:21; 2 John 1:1-4, etc. The information is overpowering, but the
definition is simple.
*****
Sorry
to have delayed the writing of this article.
My wife and I have been constantly on the road since late June visiting
Tennessee, North Carolina, Maine, New York and New Mexico teaching and
preaching. We traveled about 8,000 miles
by car. Most recently, Nancy and I were
flown to Tampa to hear Cal Ripkin, Jr. speak, sponsored by Florida Collage. It was great fun. I will attempt to write 3 or 4 more articles
before the year is over. The photo at the end of this article is
of my wife, Nancy, and me, taken by one of the many lakes in northern Maine. On this trip we saw many beautiful scenes
including Niagara Falls. In viewing
nature, we see the great handiwork of God. We were treated grandly everywhere
we went and saw such beautiful country as we traveled through the northeastern
states and back home to Lavon, Texas.
If
you know of others who would like to receive advanced copies of Pitching For
The Master attached to E-mail, please write to me at: 1095 Meadow Hill Drive, Lavon, Texas
75166. Or contact me at my E-mail address:
lindymcdaniel77@reagan.com.
August,
2013
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