Truth and the Word of God
When a person begins looking for God, most run to a religious organization and buy the products they are selling. Think about the amounts of money given to sustain a local "church" in return for their beliefs on who they believe God to be. Could this be similar to the "buying and selling," which Jesus with whip, drove out from the jewish temple? Can you have a personal relationship with God through a mediator of men who tell you what God is saying? What if they are wrong? What if their teachings are incorrect and have just been passed down for centuries from one to another? Does longevity make a wrong belief or doctrine correct? Could the Israelites know God through Moses, whom they sent up the fiery mountain alone to hear God for them? Did they not all end up bound under laws and fear from what Moses told them God had said? They could only see God as a ferocious fiery mountain and one to be feared due to all their second-hand knowledge of Him. Law is second-hand knowledge of who God is. Do not fear the journey for God to show you the truth personally. Really, truth is what you have been searching for your whole life. Jesus stated, "The truth will set you free," and that He "is the truth." Following Jesus' bold statement would lead one to believe knowing God is to know truth. Wouldn't you agree when truth is found, the seeker has found God? Start your journey by backing up to the beginning and searching for pearls of truth amongst the chaos surrounding us. Jesus told a parable about a pearl of great price. The man sold all that he had and went and bought that pearl. In my opinion, truth is that great pearl we should purchase with all we possess.
The gospel of Luke records Pontius Pilate asking Jesus, "What is truth?" Jesus gave no response. Ever think why didn't He reply? My best guess is that truth cannot be heard by, or defined by the words of men, called human language. Everyone has different understandings of what words mean to them. For example, my definition of the word "love" could easily be different than another's definition of love. Heck, the word "love," has several different meanings in the dictionary! Another example might be the word "forgiveness." Some may see forgiveness as something to be given to a person conditionally, always keeping track of the offense in the back of their mind. Others may understand forgiveness as striving to forgive all unconditionally, forgetting any wrong had ever occurred. Your definition of forgiveness could be much different than mine. Language can easily be a barrier in communication of truth. People constantly misunderstand each other. Man's language, therefore, cannot easily define truth. It must be understood within the heart, heard with spiritual ears listening to the spirit of God. When recognized, truth is simply known. It may seem like a new revelation upon being received, but when one recognizes truth, it is found to always have been known within that person's being. It just seemed to be forgotten for a moment in time. Truth is a constant that has always been and always will be. That is my next question...
Question Forty: Think this one through carefully: Is truth absolute and can it change? (Psalms 31:5; James 1:17)
Question Forty One: Jesus stated that He is the truth. Is truth eternal? (John 8:32;14:6)
Question Forty Two: Here is the deep question for those who believe truth to be eternal and unchanging: If truth is eternal, what does that say about the world you see passing away before your eyes? What does that say about your physical body? What does that say about sickness and death?
Question Forty Three: Think about the concept of God at war with the devil, as believed and taught by so many. If God is truth, can truth ever be defeated or even threatened? If not, then can evil be real? Are things contrary to truth real? (John 15:26;16:13)
Question Forty Four: Many christians today believe and teach the Bible to be the "word of God." If this were true, how can John 1:3 state, "...the word of God is God." Is the Bible God or was John saying something else? What is the "word of God?" (Ephesians 6:17)
Question Forty Five: John, chapter one tells us, "The word became flesh and dwellt among us." Did the Bible become flesh? Did the Bible even exist in Jesus' day? (John 1:14)
Question Forty Six: What if scriptures are men's interpretation of what God was saying to them? What if their interpretations were at times wrong? Could they be wrong?
Question Forty Seven: Some teach to only be led by the Bible. Did the Bible or the spirit lead Jesus? Why would Paul write, "It is those who are led by the spirit who are the sons of God?" (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18)
Question Forty Eight: People teach to take the scriptures literally and line them up, one with another. If this would be the correct way to learn from the scriptures, why would Jesus tell us He speaks in parables so men could not hear the truth of what He was saying literally? Can we learn from His parables and statements literally? (Matthew 13:13-17;21:45; Mark 4:11-12)
Question Forty Nine: Jesus said to call no man your master or rabbi (teacher), and Peter stated, "You have no need for any man to teach you." So, why do we look to men for answers to life's questions? (Matthew 23:2-13)
Question Fifty: Paul tells us that all scriptures are profitable for instruction. Why didn't Jesus, Paul or the rest of the apostles tell us to look to scriptures (the Bible) for answers? Where did they tell us to look? (II Timothy 3:16-17; I John 2:26-27)
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