The Way of Truth

The Christian worldview rests on a foundation of absolute truth which is revealed throughout Scripture (Psalms 25:5; 43:3; 119:30; John 1:17; 14:17; 2 Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 4:15; 1 John 3:19).

Let's look at each of these verses.

Psalms 25:5 - Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

How does God lead us and teach us in His truth? Through His Word, the Bible. What is the main purpose of the Bible? To reveal the Messiah, Jesus Christ as our only way to salvation.

Psalms 43:3 - O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

Jesus is the Light of the world and it is He who reveals God's truth. Again, notice that the psalmist says, "let them lead me." He is asking God to send out His light and truth so that he will find God's truth which leads to holiness, not man's "truth" which can be relativistic, skewed, and distorted because of sin.

Psalm 119:30 - I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid [before me].

The truth is out there. As the psalmist reveals, each and every one of us needs to choose the way of truth. There are so many different voices out there and people can be led, or more accurately, misled into believing what they are being told is their particular brand of truth. However, if there are many different kinds of "truth" out there, who is to say that anyone can be wrong? Where does absolute truth come from and how is it revealed to mankind? The answer is: through Jesus Christ our Savior and God's Word, the Bible.

John 1:17 - For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Grace for the sins of mankind only come through Jesus Christ. We were "bought at a price" and that price was Jesus' sacrificial death, burial, and ultimate resurrection to life eternal. Jesus Christ is the truth and it can be found through no one else.

John 14:17 - [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Being born again in Christ Jesus allows the Spirit of truth to reside within the believer's heart and soul. This conversion is profound and needed in order to be reconciled unto God the Father.

2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

As a believer, it is our duty to study the Bible and all that it reveals about Jesus Christ in order to rightly divide the word of truth. Knowing God's Word personally eliminates the chance of being misled by the secular world which could "deceive the very elect, if possible."

Matthew 24:24 - For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The indwelling Holy Spirit helps us discern truth from error and studying the Bible prevents deception that might turn us away from core beliefs and worship of God. In the last days, the book of Jude warns us that false prophets, heresy and apostasy will increase. There has never been more of this than in today's day and age. It is only the very elect who will not be deceived because they know Jesus Christ and His Word so thoroughly, they will spot any deception immediately!

Ephesians 4:13 -
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Eph 4:14
That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Eph 4:15
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

When we grow up in the truth and love of Jesus Christ, we are no longer pawns of satan. We immediately spot the cunning craftiness of deception which comes to kill, steal and destroy the souls of mankind. Our choice then? We can remain in the grip of satan's dominion on earth or, be saved through the grace and mercy of Christ. We can die in our sins or be covered by the blood shed by Jesus Christ at the cross for the remission of all our sins. We can spend eternity apart from God forever (a long time!) in a place originally created for satan and his demons; or we can spend eternity with God in heaven.

1 John 3:19 - And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

Two of the greatest areas of the 'deceit in this world' that many are currently caught up into is in the area of morality and religious pluralism.

Morality is defined by God and immutable because it is inherently based on God’s immutable character.

Humanists believe that morality is ultimately relative because every person is the final authority for his own views. Such a view is not logically satisfying. God stands against the moral relativist whose behavior is based on “whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8; Judges 17:6; 21:25; Proverbs 21:2).

In discussions with non-Christians regarding religious pluralism, I have noticed that the "politically correct" view is to allow all religions to have credibility. The real question is, can all religions ultimately teach the same truth?

No.

Although we can point out some similarities, there are many differences in doctrine in each religion that make this view impossible.

Jesus taught that there is one and only one personal God who is triune in nature (Mark 12:29; John 4:24; 5:18,19).

Jesus was exclusive in His truth claims and warned: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name claiming, ‘I am the Christ,' and will deceive many” (Matt. 24:4,5,23).

One common mistake made by many Bible critics is the presumption that the Bible approves of all that it records (e.g. polygamy, concubines, when Lot offered his daughters at Sodom, etc.). This is a tool that is often used by critics and skeptics who attempt to discredit Scripture. What one needs to remember when reading the Bible is that it also records accurately and truthfully even the lies and errors of sinful beings. It records the justice of God as well as the unmerited mercy he provides through His Son, Jesus Christ. The truth of Scripture is found in what the Bible reveals, not in everything it records.