What is truth? What makes something true? Does it even matter?
Sometimes it doesn't seem like a big deal to know the truth. But life can get really dangerous when we think like that. When we stop believing facts, we can start believing anything, even harmful lies. If you missed the post on why it's so important that we can't decide on "our own truths," click here.
So what is true? If it's so important, how do we know?
I'll give you three things to start your search for the truth.
Whatever God says is true.
The Bible says that Jesus is the truth. I think most of us have heard that verse, maybe even had to memorize it, but what does it really mean?
One article on crosswalk.com explains it like this: " Jesus answered this question in John 14 with the disciples when he tells them “I am the truth”. Jesus can testify to the truth and teach the truth because he himself is that truth. In him there is nothing false, nothing misleading, and nothing fake or uncertain."
So anything that Jesus says it truth. Anything we read in the Bible we can be sure of. In the Bible, there are principles that apply to different things in different people's lives. But there are also statements that are true for everyone. We need to study these things to understand what it says about truth. The more we read the Bible, the more apparent life becomes to us.
Anything that goes against God's word is false (even if it sounds good).
There are a lot of sayings that people think come from the Bible. Things like, "The Lord helps those who help themselves," sound like quotes from the Bible but aren't. We need to be careful what we believe and what we reject, because not everything that sounds good is true. That's why we have to weigh any teaching or advice against what the Bible says.
People love saying, "you do you," but that is so against what God teaches. People who want to believe that homosexuality is fine are ignoring some key teaching. Yes, it would feel better to think that you will go to Heaven even when you're gay, but the truth is, it's a sin, and God, though he loves you still, can't accept sin.
I have to take a minute and say here that we need to be careful when people say God told them something directly, maybe in a dream or some kind of vision. In this article, I talk about why we aren't trustworthy when it comes to what we think or feel. We can't take other people's word for what God says. We can only know that from what we know for sure it his word, the Bible.
I'm not trying to say that people who say they heard from God are heretics and liars. But when it comes to what God says, we have to be certain. Dreams, visions, thoughts... We can't just kind of believe that God told us something and live our lives according to that.
I'll say it again. The only thing that is 100% trustworthy is the Bible. Anything else may or may not be.
We won't know everything, but we must study to learn more.
Some questions we have, it seems like the Bible doesn't have answers for. Who should we marry? What job should we take? Where should we live? The Bible doesn't flat-out say that we should do one thing or another. But there are guidelines the Bible has that we can follow.
We won't understand all of God's word right away. There is so much depth to it that it would be prideful to say that after reading it one time we understand everything. That's why we have to study it consistently. It's not easy-- it would be easier to just come up with your own thing-- but it's worth it. Knowing the truth is so important, especially with all the lies surrounding us all the time.
So what's truth? What God says in His word. Things our friends tell us, even things we get told at church might not be true. We have to compare everything to the Bible, because that is the only sure thing.
Need to know more about the Bible and its reliability? Click here to read smarter people than I am talk to you about it!