Truth can be Found if you Seek it with an Open Heart
Truth is elusive to the fallen human mind because we tend to define what is true according to our way of thinking. Our minds are muddled and self-centered so in our confused state we decide what is true overlooking the fact that our messed up mind is not capable of knowing and living by truth. So, we tend to just interpret all things according to the truth we have decided on. Is it possible to know truth and to live by truth?
Stop and think about this for a minute. Let’s just take the question of the origin of the universe. Pure common sense tells you that there is some truth that answers the question about how all things came to exist. It didn’t just materialize out of nothing. Don’t lose me here. I’m not going to try to solve that issue in this article. What I am trying to say is that there is a standing truth about how it all came to be. If we were able to trace things all the way back to the beginning, wherever that is, we would discover the answer. So people who say that all truth is relative miss this obvious fact. There is an answer to the question of origins. Every attorney knows that his/her case has a truth connected to it. They spend much time and energy seeking that truth upon which to base their case. If truth doesn’t exist than no seeking is necessary.
Knowing this to be true we should all be truth seekers who continually seek to know the truth behind the phenomena we see all around us every day. Inventers become famous when they invent or discover something that explains the truth behind something we did not understand. This includes the question concerning God and the bold declarations in the Bible. Agree or disagree there is a final truth that explains it all.
We are living in an era that does not respect truth. We have become a relativistic society believing that truth is elusive and cannot be known for sure. Much of this is fueled by the attitude of our supposed truth seekers, the media and spiritual leaders. Instead of being truth seekers many have simply chosen a side to any question and spend the rest of their time trying to prove their side is the right one. Real truth seekers realize that they can never come to complete clarity about every issue but must continually be seekers of truth willing to adjust what we believe based on any new discovery we make.
When facing Pilate Jesus simply stated that He came to “testify to the truth” (John 18:37). Pilate replied the way many today would by asking “What is truth?” He obviously believed as many do today that truth was an elusive thing that no man can never know for sure. John described the discovery of the disciples about Jesus when he declared “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). According to the disciples, who mostly died for this belief, Jesus was the personification of truth. They found that to know Him was to see truth manifest before their eyes.
He said to the doubting religious leaders of His day that if they continue in His word “. . . you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Truth brings freedom because it defeats all of the issues in life that produce captivity. It brings clarity to questions that muddy the waters of certainty with the murky ingredients of the world system. Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah declares that He would “. . . proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners” (Isa. 61:1). Jesus did that and continues to do it through the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).
Jesus knew who He was and He did not hesitate to tell the disciples “I am the way, and the truth” (John 14:6). He tells you today if you are seeking truth know that it truth does not lie with scientists or theologians but rests with Him. To know Him is to know truth and be liberated by its refreshing contrast with the world’s relativism.
Be true to Yourself
There are four areas of our lives where we must discipline ourselves to seek and walk in truth. First we must be true to ourselves. Paul had that right saying of himself, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,” (Rom. 9:1) Your conscience is that function of your spirit that bears witness to the truth through the Holy Spirit. You know instinctively when you are functioning in a lie, presumption or conjecture. The Holy Spirit will make it clear but you are the one who must choose to walk away from falsehood and find your way back to truth.
Be True to Others
We must seek to be truthful with others. In our fellowship with other believers Paul says “. . . speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15). The word “speaking” here is not in the original. There, the word truth is used as a verb and can be translated “holding fast to truth.” So truth in our fellowship with others is not just in words but in the essence of our lives before others. We are to be people of truth who avoid hypocrisy and are real with others.
Of course our words are a litmus test of our commitment to walk daily in truth. In His parable about the tree and its fruit Jesus said, “. . . for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45). Our mouth will speak what is truly in our hearts so we need to heed the advice of the Proverb: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverb 4:23).
Learn to Prove all Things so You Can Hold Fast to What is Good
Paul encourages us to “. . . examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). In the areas of politics and spiritual truth we are told here to put things to the test of truth. In saying that, we see that Paul was not a relativist who believed that truth is what we want it to be. Truth is the ultimate explanation of what God has revealed to all men (Rom. 1:19).
There are many charlatans in today’s churches so we should certainly not simply agree with someone because they are popular or speak eloquently. We are not being judgmental if we put their words to the test of God’s word and the Holy Spirit. In Hebrews we are told in regard to our leaders to consider the result of their conduct and then “imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). Teachers of God’s word have a very important part to play in the body of Christ. We need to be continual seekers of who do not accept things on face value but insist that they line up with the word of God.
Politics is a Good Arena for Practicing Discernment
Many Christians think we should not be involved in politics. Actually it is just another area in which we can practice our discernment and our desire to search for truth. We should not just follow a party or politician out of tradition or past experience. We must use the discernment provided by God in this arena because politics affects our lives and the lives of our fellow believers. Understand that politicians lie or stretch the truth and learn to test what they say with the facts at your disposal.
One good example is the amazing string of untruths that have come forth from our present administration. A regular website was established to “monitor” President Trump’s supposed lies but almost nothing is said about questionable words spoken by President Biden. That seems to be changing with his plummeting poll numbers. Some may argue that these are little lies but a person in his position must have a commitment to telling the truth whether big or small. He tends to embellish the facts to try to impress his audience.
He claimed that his house burned down but he got out safely but facts show that it was an insignificant kitchen fire. He claims that he was offered a job at a lumber company but the company has no record of it. He insists that he drove an 18-wheeler but that proved to be false. He visited the Tree of Life Synagogue after the 2018 massacre and spoke with the rabbi but the synagogue said he has never been there.
I’m sure you have heard many other stories and may believe these are minor incidents but they tend to indicate a heart problem. He diminishes his credibility when truth is violated. These “small” lies can lead to big lies that affect our country. For example, he insisted that inflation is a temporary phenomenon and the border surge doesn’t exist and the Afghanistan pullout was a success supported by his military experts. All of these incidents show that Biden values politics over truth.
He blames the war in Ukraine for price hikes in America but facts show that between 2019 and 2021, before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine gas prices increased dramatically. He had a “simple” message for American gas stations: “Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are paying for the product. Do it now. Do it today,” Then he said he would allow release of oil from our strategic petroleum reserve to help with the price of gas but now we learn that much of the oil released went to Europe, and Asia including China. This is a very serious problem that needs to be explained to the people.
I delve into politics here because it is a major arena of untruth that affects many Christians who have been deceived or have not learned how to discern for themselves. When the disciples asked Jesus about the sign of His return, His first statement was “See to it that no one misleads you” (Matt. 24:4). Deception is on the rise and if we, the body of Christ, are to maintain our place as purveyors of truth, we must learn to recognize deception.
In the body of Christ, we must stand on the foundation of our faith — the Bible. As American citizens we must stand on the foundation of our country — the Constitution. Above all we must be seekers of truth and be bold enough to proclaim it. Jesus said, “seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). God created us to be seekers because He wanted to be found. Have you found Him?
