How to Live a Holy Life VI: Understanding Truth

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  2 Timothy 4:3-4

I had a conversation with a friend several years ago as I was studying lineage and timelines of the Old Testament, trying to carefully chart out the events as they happened in the book of Genesis.  I believed, and still do, that the ages of individuals and timelines given were without error, but my friend suggested otherwise, insisting that the words in the Bible weren’t really accurate.  I still wonder about folks that believe certain parts of the Bible are correct while others are probably invalid, having the original words lost to the ravages of time or some other nonsense.

Here’s how I see it:  if almighty God created the universe, He can certainly keep His words free from error over the course of a few thousand years.  How else can a Bible-believing Christian take heart that the meaning of the Word is true if the validity of the text is in doubt?  The Bible is either true, or it’s not.

So what is truth?  According to to the gospel of John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.’”  Jesus declared Himself to be the truth.  It doesn’t stop there, however.  John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God,” and continues in verse John 1:14, “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.”  “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…“ according to 2 Timothy 3:16.  If Jesus is truth, and Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God and all scripture is inspired by God, doesn’t that make all scripture truth?

The times have certainly come when some will not endure sound doctrine, as predicted by Paul in his letter to Timothy.  Many discount the Bible’s truths to be irrelevant to today’s ”progressive“ society, with some countries even going so far as to declare topics preached from the pulpit every Sunday morning to be ”hate speech.“  The Bible is absolutely relevant to today’s society; it’s the people who have changed, seeking justification for their own fleshly lusts and desires rather than adhering to the so-called ”irrelevant“ word of God.

In many Lutheran, Episcopalian and Methodist churches today, truth has been thrown out the window in favor of acceptance and tolerance.  Gone are the days of abiding by the scriptures in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 that describe the attributes of a church leader.  Instead, these denominations have forsaken Biblical instruction in lieu of teachers in accordance to their own desires.  Some congregants have left these apostate churches in protest while others celebrate the new-found ”tolerance.“  What does the Bible tell us about teachers and leaders of churches?

”But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.“  (1 Timothy 2:12)

”An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.  He must be the one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity…and not a new convert…“ (1 Timothy 3:2-6)

”And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church…“ (1 Timothy 3:7)

Truth has become relative to many as they insist on compromise instead of believing in the truth given to them in God’s Word.

I recently posted an entry that contained a short video depicting the ”truth“ according to Oprah Winfrey.  Recorded during one of her weekday television programs, Oprah declared that Jesus couldn’t possibly be the only way (to heaven).  Having grown up in a Christian setting, Ms. Winfrey has forsaken truth to believe a lie – that all individuals, regardless of who or what they call God, will all end up in the same place.  Jesus told us just the opposite.  In fact, in Matthew 7:13-14, the words of Jesus further contradict the lies spewed by Oprah:  ”Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.“  If you believe the Bible to be true, as I do, then you understand that Oprah is spreading a very false and very dangerous doctrine that tickles the ears, again just as Paul prophesied in his letter to Timothy.

How do you know whether a doctrine is based on truth?  Read and study the scriptures so that you’re armed with the word of God.  As Christians, you are commanded to test the spirits:  ”Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out in the world.“  (1 John 4:1)

In the last days mockers will come but we as Christians are not of this world, for our home is in heaven with the Father.  You’re not expected to fit in on Earth and you will go through trials and persecutions for declaring the name of Christ.  But as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, ”for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.“  Our persecution and trials here on Earth are but ”light afflictions“ and only last for a moment when compared to the exceedingly great glory we’ll receive when we enter heaven to be with our Father for eternity.