O What Is Truth

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

The world today is filled with lies and half-truths. Everywhere we turn we are being bombarded with information, often from people telling us this information is true because it is coming from “experts”. We have to ask though who are these experts and where are they getting their information? It is interesting that throughout this COVID-19 pandemic we have been told to trust the health experts but as this virus has continued to escalate there seems to be controversy among the “experts” as to what is the best way to handle it. There is mass confusion, fear, anger and anxiety among the people because of this. The only real truth out there is God’s truth which is His Word and we have abandoned that altogether to our detriment. Without God in the picture it appears that we will continually fail to realize that we cannot fix everything and without God’s truth things will continue to get worse.

The highly respected theologian J.I. Packer who just passed away on July 17, 2020 at the age of 93, wrote in his book “Knowing God” that our God is king of the universe, He created it and all things are in order and run by His will. I thought what he said was very good. He also said that in the beginning though there was darkness (he used the word chaos) and then God spoke, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” (Gen. 1:1-3) I like this fact that He speaks His creation into being. God speaks His Word to us through His laws and prophets. His Word convicts us of our sins and offers us hope in times of despair. We can trust in His faithfulness through the fulfilling of His promises. “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” (Psa. 33:4-5). His truth is the only thing we can really trust in. God is our dwelling place. It is here that we can find real peace. We are at home when we are with Him.

Through our confusion, fear, anger and anxiety we will learn that this world cannot give us what we really need. All the phony gods that we worship today give us no peace and security because they are temporary and unfulfilling in the end. God wants us to realize this and to also realize that we should be relying on Him in these troubling times and not the things of this world. He wants us to learn humility by depending on Him instead of going our own way. I notice that even some people who see that things are not right still do not look to God for help. They are trying to fight the system their own way instead of waiting on God to help them. He will help them if they ask. His way is the way of truth when we trust and obey Him. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.” (Psa. 119:1-8). Since we know that God is in control of all things and that He creates and has an order in all things around us we can feel secure and know these things all work for our good. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28).

Jesus has the final word in this article in John 18:37, “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”