And The Truth Is…

Have you heard something said, and realized that you knew the concept but had never put it into words? I have said this in the past, “Someone articulated a truth that I never had the words for.” We hear it and say, “Aha, that’s the truth!”

Some of the worst descriptive words are “this is my truth” or “this is what I feel is the truth.” How arrogant is that! Our feelings or thoughts are not the indicators of truth. Truth is not derived from the receivers but from the Giver.

I do not have an assortment of “my truths.” I have many concepts, theories, and principles which I believe to be true. God help me if they are only my truths. I reserve the right to be wrong in what I believe, but I cannot generate my own truths. I can only evaluate or confirm what I think is the truth, but I cannot generate my own truths.

I cannot proclaim a rock is a tree and proudly smile as if I have invented a new truth. Often, foolishness is easier to detect than the truth. How many times have you crudely said after hearing a ridiculous statement, “That’s just stupid!”

During Pilate’s questioning of Jesus, he asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38 NKJV). Jesus did not answer his question. Ironically, truth was standing right before Pilate and he skeptically asked, “What is truth?”

Some people will even say that in the universe there are no absolute truths. There are many things beyond our comprehension, but that does not negate the absolute truth. At this moment, there is a finite number of grains of sand on the earth and a finite number of stars in the universe, but we have no way of computing the numbers. Just because I cannot count that high, does not take away the absolute number or truth.

God’s truth is absolute truth, not a human evaluation. I believe God’s Word is truth, yet I do not understand all of it. There are verses of scripture I have a difficulty wrapping my human mind around, however that is my limitation, not God’s.

You may remember an old bumper sticker that said, “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!” I think the author of the slogan had good intentions but missed the bullseye. I prefer, “God said it and that settles it!” Whether I, or you, believe it or not, does not fortify or take away the truth of it.

The words of Jesus in John 14:6 (NKJV) states, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Earlier in John 1:14 (NKJV), the scripture says, “And the Word [Logos, the divine expression] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The very expression of God is the Word, and the Word is Jesus, “full of grace and truth.” Why would we look for another truth when there is no option of another truth?

We are not the creators of truth by merely saying, The truth is … We only have the option of believing in something that has already been said.

Now, you have the all-important option of believing in what you have heard.

Then you have the consequences of living and dying by what you believe.

As Pilate said, “What is truth?”

Like Pilate, He [Jesus] is standing right in front of you.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18 NKJV).

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt