The Bible Speaks on Truth!

Steven J. Wallace

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"
(Jn. 8:32).

Before crucifying our Lord, the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate asked, "What is truth?" (Jn. 18:38). This question was in response to what the Lord had previously stated, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (Jn. 18:37). If we are "of the truth" it is evident that we will be receptive to what Jesus spoke on any subject.

Jesus is the truth.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'" (John 14:6). The first-century church did not turn the world upside down nor did her members willingly die for the cause of Christ because they held to a truth. They willingly were baptized with suffering and shame because they possessed a precious prize, something which no other or­ganization or movement had—the truth!  Jesus, the majestic Lion of Judah and head of the church, creator of the universe, and Lamb of God is in fact, truth personified. He warns that no one can approach the Father but through Him. Yet who is He? The Truth, of course. This perspective punishes the idea that truth is relative, elusive, and unknowable. If we truly have Jesus, we have the truth.

"You shall know the truth" (Jn. 8:32a). 

Incidentally, the truth is not something you "feel" or have a "hunch" about, but something you can know.  Feelings do not safeguard the soul against deceit. In the Old Testament, the Bible speaks of Joseph. He was hated by his brothers, and one day they sold him to a band of Midianites for 20 pieces of silver (Gen. 37:28). His envious brother dipped his tunic in animal blood and presented it to his father saying, "We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?" (Gen. 37:32). Jacob immediately recognized it and was led by his sons to reach a wrong conclusion: "A wild beast has devoured him" (v. 33). He felt as if his son had suffered a most violent death. It wasn't the truth but only an assumption, a faulty feeling. Truth does not lead us to be deceived but rather delivers us from the darkness of deception. And so it begs the question, "Do we feel we are accepted?" or "Do we know that we are accepted by faith?"  We can find those reasons in God's word if we know it by faith. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," (Rom. 10:17). My knowing is based on my reading and obeying the word of God, not my feelings.

"The truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:32b). 

The Lord implies that without the truth we are not free. What are we set free from? The truth of God's word sets us free from:

1. IGNORANCE. Ignorance is a dominant reason for living a life separated from God. "This I say…that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk…having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them….have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus" (Eph. 4:17-21, emp. mine, SJW).

2. PREJUDICIAL IDEAS. For the love of the truth, men listened to preaching and then searched the Scriptures to verify if these things were so (Acts 17:11). Read Acts 13:44-50 to see a stark contrast of the Jews in Antioch Pisidia regarding the hearing of the word. Pride and prejudice inhibit the pursuit of truth.

3. DOCTRINES OF MEN (Matt. 15:9). Manmade doctrines imprison our minds to Satan. Paul instructed Timothy, "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26, emp. mine, SJW). Following Christ frees us from false doctrine!

4. SIN.  To the church of Christ in Rome, Paul said, "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine…and having been set free from the sin, you became slaves of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17, 18). This is the ultimate goal of the truth.

Dear friend, at the church of Christ which meets at 36364 Chestnut Ridge Rd. in North Ridgeville, Ohio, you will find a warm and welcoming group of people committed to the truth (I Tim. 3:15). We are not perfect, but we have been set free from the things referred to above through the precious truth—Jesus. Bring an open Bible with an open mind and be prepared to believe the truth!

--sjw

The Bible Reveals Truth

• Historical truth (Gen. 2:4)

• Instructional truth (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

• Personal truth modeled in Christ (Jn. 1:14; 14:6).

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