SEARCHLIGHT
How do you determine what is true?
SCRIPTURE
…for the Holy One has given you His Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So, I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth, but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father, and the Son, is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:20-23 NLT
And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life. 1 John 5:20 New Living Translation
SPOTLIGHT
When a witness is sworn in to testify in court, the person is asked “Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” This phrase became a part of court trials in England during the 13th century. The purpose of the oath is to ensure that a witness will testify with honesty, and completeness. It has been explained this way: “The oath breaks down into three components: “the truth” [not lying], “the whole truth” [not omitting facts], and “nothing but the truth” [not adding falsehoods].
Who do you count on for telling you the truth? How do you determine the truth? What guides you to know what is true and what is not?
In today’s world, who tells the truth? Who consistently does not lie, omit facts, or add falsehoods? When it comes to knowing the truth, how can you be sure that the information you hear is accurate? What gives you confidence that there is no misinformation or fabrication? When it comes to the whole truth, how are you sure that relevant information that you need, is not hidden, withheld or simply omitted? When it comes to nothing but the truth, how do you decide that the information you need is not false, exaggerated, irrelevant or misleading?
Knowing truth is so important to understanding life. When people do not seek to know what is true, things begin to break down. Society weakens. Humanity becomes divided. Will and Ariel Durant were historians and Pulitzer Prize winners. They wrote. “A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.” Not living by truth leads to destruction. But to know truth is to have the key to quality living. Good decisions result from truth. Stable personal relationships are an outcome of knowing the truth.
The Apostle John knew how important it is to know truth. He emphasized this in his three epistles. At least 10 times he used the word “truth” in 1 John, and then at least four times in 2 John, and five times in 3 John. The theme of 1 John is “Know the truth.” The theme of 2 John is “Live the truth,” and the theme of 3 John is “Guard the truth.”
When writing 1 John, he exposed dangerous, false teachers who were not telling the truth. They were misleading people away from knowing what is true by teaching that Jesus was a man, but not the Christ, the Son of God. Note all the bold lettering emphasizing knowing the truth in the above Scripture focus. John’s letter focuses on the truth that Jesus Christ is both God and man. Anyone denying that Jesus is God will not have a clear understanding of how to distinguish between what is true and what is a lie. Truth is known by first believing who Jesus is and receiving Him as your Savior and Lord.
Determining THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH begins by believing Jesus is the incarnate God. To know truth is to know Jesus. The ultimate understanding of truth is founded on knowing that Jesus Christ is God and that you can personally know Him. Look at today’s Scripture focus again. John emphasizes that Jesus Christ is “the source, standard and embodiment of all truth.” He writes that people can know the true God, and live in fellowship [personal relationship] with Him all because Jesus Christ is the only true God who gives to people the gift of eternal life.
The Bible clearly states the source of love, wisdom and truth are found in knowing God. The Bible says, “God is love.” [1 John 4 :8,16] The Bible is clear that “…the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” [Proverbs 2:6] In addition, Jesus declared “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” [John 14:6] When you know Jesus, you know love, wisdom and truth.
Can someone who does not know Jesus know truth? Yes! A person can know the truth about some things without knowing God. However, it will be incomplete. That person will only have a partial understanding of truth and an incomplete knowledge of life as a whole. Ultimate truth is found only in God who is the source and foundation of all truth.
Determining truth does not begin by studying philosophy. Neither is it what you feel deep down in your “gut.” Truth is not determined by what the majority of people think. Furthermore, truth may not be the same as belief. What someone believes may not be true. Truth must be objective and not subjective. Truth is to be believed, but all beliefs must past the test of truth.
Here is the best test of truth. Only Jesus is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The way to decide truth is to be in right relationship with God. 1 John 4:3 says acknowledge the truth about Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:6 says the Spirit, who is truth, will lead you to understand that Jesus is God’s Son. Truth knowing begins with knowing God. All truth is God’s truth. Know Jesus and you will know all truth. You will be set for life!
SOMETHING TO DO
Are you living free? Some people hide from the truth. On the other hand, some people hide the truth. Truth may be challenging to accept, but ultimately truth frees you. The Bible says “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 8:31,32 NLT
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for coming into this world and revealing to all people who God is. I believe You are the incarnate God who embodies truth. Thank you for helping me to know what is true and what is not. Holy Spirit, please guide me to live a life marked by truth. AMEN!