Truth is a person, a message, and a lifestyle
The Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, asked Jesus this monumental question prior to ordering Christ's crucifixion: "What is truth?" And like Pilate, many today ponder the same question in their quest to discover the ultimate meaning of life.
Spiritual blindness prevents people from seeing and believing the truth. (2 Cor. 4:4) Man is born into a world of spiritual darkness, and must be born again if he is going to experience spiritual light. (John 3:7)
Scripture reveals that "truth" is a Person, a message and a lifestyle. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) You will never know truth until you know Jesus.
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Natural man assumes there must be a variety of ways to get to God. Jesus declared that the road is narrow and there is actually only one way to the Father. (Matt. 7:13,14) Truth is not determined by votes or polls. Truth is defined by the Creator of the universe, period.
When instructing others, Jesus would sometimes begin with the phrase, "I tell you the truth." And you know what? Every word from the Messiah's mouth remains perfectly true today. Every word from Jesus is golden.
Many people have been mislead by the idea that there is no such thing as absolute truth. How ironic that this absolute claim purports to refute the notion of absolutes. It is not only a self-contradictory proposition, but it also runs counter to the message of Jesus.
When you receive Christ as your Savior, the truth begins to fill your heart, soul and mind. This transformation leads to truthful living. The apostle John wrote, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (3 John 1:4) Did you catch that? The truth is not only a Person and a message, but also a lifestyle, as I have previously addressed in the article, "The Truth Isn't Only Something You Believe."
In order to live the truth, one must first embrace the truthfulness of the Gospel. The alternative is to remain in spiritual darkness. There are only two options in the spiritual realm: (1) the light of the Gospel, and (2) the darkness of every other religious and philosophical path. This is why Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except through Him.
Jesus also said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) Receiving the light of Christ into your heart produces light and hope in your daily walk. It involves a Person, a message and a lifestyle. Jesus is the author of truth.
The apostle Paul spelled out the Gospel: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep." (1 Cor. 15:3-6)
One day my friend your body will die. And may I be perfectly blunt with you? When your body expires, you will either "fall asleep" in Jesus, or you will go straight to hell. At the end of the day, there are only two eternal destinations, and both of them are extreme.
Falling asleep in Jesus describes a soul that is ushered immediately into heaven. God wants you to live forever in Paradise. This is why Jesus died for your sins on the cross. The good news of the Gospel is the truth, regardless of who believes it and who rejects it.
Perhaps COVID-19, and the lockdown, and the brutal murder of George Floyd, and all the riots and looting have caused you to take a step back and wonder: Is there more to life than what I currently experience? Is there a different life that God could give me if I were to open my heart to the message of the Gospel?
I hope you are asking yourself these questions as you look beyond the news reports, the politics and the national unrest. You see, there is a place where you can live forever that doesn't have an ounce of racism, jealously, anger, fear, lust, war, strife, sickness, pain, prejudice, disease or judgmental attitudes.
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though He dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25,26)
Why is it so important to believe in Jesus? Because faith in Christ is the only way to be saved, forgiven, born again, justified and redeemed. Your soul is immortal, but it will not go well for your soul if you refuse to repent of your sin and believe the good news.
"Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12) To receive Christ is to believe in Christ. To believe in Christ is to trust Christ. To trust Christ is to rely upon His death as the payment for your sins. And if you think that most people are doing that, try asking some of your family members and friends: "What do you think is necessary in order to go to heaven?"
Here is a typical response: "Living a good life will hopefully get me into heaven." This common fallacy helps to explain why so many people still live in spiritual darkness. They wrongly assume that their deeds will somehow gain them access into heaven. It won't turn out for them the way they had hoped because perfection is required.
The only way into God's good graces is to trust Jesus as Savior, and rely completely upon His perfect payment for your sins on the cross. Your works will never earn you a spot in Paradise. "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse." (Gal. 3:10) "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
Did you catch that? "Grace and truth." It is all wrapped up in the Person of Jesus. Will you trust the Messiah today? He will forgive your sins and change your life from the inside out, and Paradise will be waiting for you on the other side.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
