What is TRUTH?
What is truth?
John 18:37-38 (ESV) Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." 38 Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"
Pilate asks an all-important question. Pilate wants to know what many of us what to know…what is the truth?
Before we answer that question, you and I must ask ourselves who gets to decide what is true. Is truth objective? Subjective? Does truth change? Is it my truth and your truth, or is there simply THE TRUTH?
Culture says to speak your truth, but Jesus says I am the truth!
In today's society, there is a battle for truth. Culture says that since we're evolving, truth in its essence has to change. Why? Because we as people struggle with the fact that the nature of truth is divisive. Truth draws a line in the sand. It clearly and definitively establishes that there is a side that is right and a side that is wrong. There cannot, and should not, be your truth and my truth. There is your experience and my experience, but there is not more than one objective TRUTH.
When deciding what the truth is, there are four standard options...
#1 I get to decide
The other day I was talking to my six-year-old daughter, Hope. I forget the context of the conversation, but during it, she told me that she knows everything. When I told her that in reality only Jesus knows everything and she was wrong, she was so offended. I don't think she quite understood what I meant but the comment, but that didn't stop her from crying and crying because I had hurt her feelings. The fact that she isn't indeed omniscient severely offended her. That story is a silly example, but many people think the same way when it comes to how they view themselves. They believe they're the ones who get to decide what is the truth. But to say that your way is the right way and that you always know what is best, good, and true is to exhibit a ton of pride. Unfortunately, this is how many people think and live. They have no guiding principles by which they live; there is nothing outside of themselves to show what is right and wrong. Instead, they simply go with what they believe and what they think.
#2 Society gets to decide
Society being the decision-maker on truth is dangerous because it is always changing and evolving. For instance, slavery was legal in America for almost 100 years until the abolishment of it in 1865. Segregation was legal until the 1960s. And in some countries and tribes, it's okay to abuse your wife as a form of discipline. Currently, society thinks it's a good idea to murder babies inside their mother's womb and has somehow twisted this atrocity into a women's rights issue. Apparently, a baby isn't a human with rights unless the mother wants them. It's pretty clear that trusting society as our standard for moral goodness and right vs. wrong is a dangerous and unwise decision, as history has shown us just how corrupt society can be.
#3 My family gets to decide
Just because there's something that your family has always done doesn't make it right or true. If I'm honest, us Goodson's got some dysfunction in our family, and I'm sure your family does too. I'll openly admit there are things we've done wrong over the years that at the time we thought were right. Trusting my family traditions and opinions to decide what is right or wrong doesn't sound very wise either.
#4 Jesus gets to decide
This is the best option because Jesus knows us best and knows humanity best. And if Jesus is the best option and gets to determine the truth, then I must get to know Him and His word quite well. The filter for what I believe and how I live now must become the Bible. It is my job to study it, love it, think about it, talk about it, and discuss it.
So why is THE TRUTH such a big deal and such a big fight?
The battle over truth is the battle over your eternity and your freedom. John 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Hearing the truth opens the door to your salvation and your freedom from the effects of sin! You see, every lie you believe is a chain of bondage that you carry, and every lie you believe to be true will affect you as if it were true. If I think I'm worthless, I'll let people mistreat me. We see this all the time in dysfunctional relationships and those who willingly choose to stay in them. They incorrectly believe they deserve the mistreatment. If I assume I'm too messed up for God to love me, I'll never come to Him. If I am convinced that I'm good on my own and don't need God, I'll end up in eternity on my own too. What you and I need is to find the truth. Truth is the key that unlocks the chains that have held you back.
Every lie you believe to be true will affect you as if it were true.
But just hearing the truth isn't enough: you have to believe that what you heard to be true is indeed the truth.
I don't know where in your current situation you're feeling held back or stuck. But the truth found in God's word is where you can find your freedom! You don't have to stay where you are. You can move forward by God's grace and the TRUTH which can set you free. YOU CAN BECOME A NEW PERSON!
2 Cor. 5:17 (NLT) This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!