Turning Point – Devotion

Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Jeremiah 6:16

An American Old Testament scholar spent a summer studying in Jerusalem. He once listened to a Jewish rabbi recite the entire book of Psalms in Hebrew from memory. The rabbi didn’t miss a single word. In one sense, the rabbi knew the Bible, but in another sense he didn’t because he couldn’t see the Messiah—Jesus.

Likewise, there is a difference between knowing the way and walking in the way—a common biblical metaphor for the path one chooses to take. Jeremiah encouraged his hearers to seek the old, settled paths and “walk in [them].” And Jesus did the same: “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) He went on to illustrate: The one who hears God’s words but doesn’t put them into practice is building a life without a foundation—destined to collapse (Luke 6:46-49).

Know the Bible? Yes! But the purpose of knowing is to discover the way in which to walk.

Apply yourself to the whole text, and apply the whole text to yourself.

51.c. Wilderness – 15.i. “Chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession”

 

 

Deu 14:1-2  “You are the sons of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead. For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

 John 1:12    But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

 Jeremiah 3:19   “‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.

 1 Thessalonians 4:13     But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

“The cutting of the body and the shaving of the head were common mourning rites in the ancient Near East and are referred to in many places in the Old Testament (Isaiah 3:24; 15:2; 22:12; Jeremiah 16:6; 41:5; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; Micah 1:16).” (Thompson)

 Among Christians today, there is something wrong if our burial customs are just as the rituals of the ungodly. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13: But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. We may certainly mourn the passing of our loved ones, but as those who have eternal hope in Jesus, we should be different in our mourning. (Guzik)

Ye are not only the creatures, and the offspring, but the peculiar people, the worshippers, the servants, and those of you that are truly pious, the adopted children of Jehovah, the one living and true God, who is your God in covenant; and therefore you should not dishonour him, your heavenly Father, nor disparage yourselves, by unworthy or unbecoming practices. (Benson)

God’s people are required to be holy, and if they are holy, they are indebted to the grace God which makes them so. Those whom God chooses to be his children, he will form to be a holy people, and zealous of good works. They must be careful to avoid every thing which might disgrace their profession, in the sight of those who watch for their halting. (Henry)

Ye are the children of the Lord your God,…. Some of them were so by the special grace of adoption, and all of them by national adoption; which was the peculiar privilege of the people of Israel, and laid them under great obligation to honour and obey the Lord their God, who stood in the relation of a father to them, and they of children to him. (Gill)

The Israelites were not only to suffer no idolatry to rise up in their midst, but in all their walk of life to show themselves as a holy nation of the Lord. (Keil)

51.b. Wilderness – 15.h. “Obey the voice of the LORD your God”

 

 

Deu 13:12-18  “If you hear in one of your cities, which the LORD your God is giving you to dwell there, that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again. None of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Jdg 2:1-2  Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’

Here is the case of a city revolting from the God of Israel, and serving other gods. The crime is supposed to be committed by one of the cities of Israel. Even when they were ordered to preserve their religion by force, yet they were not allowed to bring others to it by fire and sword. Spiritual judgments under the Christian dispensation are more terrible than the execution of criminals; we have not less cause than the Israelites had, to fear the Divine wrath. Let us then fear the spiritual idolatry of covetousness, and the love of worldly pleasure; and be careful not to countenance them in our families, by our example or by the education of our children. May the Lord write his law and truth in our hearts, there set up his throne, and shed abroad his love! (Henry)

If reports arose regarding an Israelite city given over to idolatry, there was first to be a careful investigation. This guarded against a harsh judgment; perhaps there were a few idolaters in the city who needed to be punished, but perhaps the city was not given over to idolatry. God commanded a careful investigation. If the investigation finds that the city is indeed given over to idolatry, it is then to be treated as a Canaanite city. They were to utterly destroy the city, including its property. The property was to be given to the LORD by destroying it, a form of “sacred destruction.” The destroyed town was to be left as a heap forever. The Israelites were never to regard ethnic or national bonds greater than the bonds that tied them to the LORD God; if their fellow countrymen were given over to idolatry, they were not to be spared. This chapter asks an important question: What would it take to lead you away from God? Would signs and wonders do it? What if your mate forsook God, or all of your friends? What if culture, or nationalism, or ethnic ties called you away from Jesus? We must never allow such ties to come before our bond to Jesus. We must decide, as the song says, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.” (Guzik)

“The term abominable thing is used in the Old Testament for something that is totally displeasing to God and denotes something impure, unclean, and totally devoid of holiness.” (Thompson)

The divine judgment of God is pure, righteous, and holy. We have the ability to justify and excuse and tolerate that which is not pure, unrighteous, and unholy. Little by little our understanding of what is good and bad, right and wrong, holy and unholy gets eroded away. The lines get blurred. What used to be clear is now clouded with cunning words of worldly men and women who have no thought of God or respect for His holiness.  What was never allowed is now being tolerated and condoned as being right. 

We need to be very diligent in our study of God’s Word and our obedience to it. We need to protect ourselves from the culture and social norms and what it teaches and proclaim as truth. We need pastors that call out the sinfulness of sin and the holiness of God. It is nice and right to hear of the grace, mercy, and love of God, but there must be an understanding of His judgment, anger, and wrath. Without this, we are lop-sided and will not walk in reverent fear of God in the light of His holiness.  Johnathan Edwards preached a sermon, “in the hands of an angry God”. Look it up and read it. I was telling a pastor and their daughter about it and they both said, “There is a book, In the hands of a loving God” and that they preferred this over the other. I would tend to agree it is nicer on the heart, mind, and soul to hear of the love of God without hearing about His judgment, anger, and wrath, but it is not good for the heart, mind, and soul. John 3:16 is often quoted showing the love of God. John 3:17-18 speaks of judgment, condemnation, evil, and darkness.

Love is God’s call to a person’s heart.

Judgment is God’s warning to a person’s soul.

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

 

Leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity.

–Hebrews 6:1

What causes a Christian to become spiritually stunted, to remain an infant in Christ? In 1 Corinthians 3:2, Paul told us one cause of carnality is a wrong diet. He said, “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not able.” In the Bible, there are two categories of spiritual food: milk and meat. Now, there is nothing wrong with milk. But if you keep giving a person milk and no meat, they are not going to grow. That is what Paul was saying here–he could give the Corinthian Christians only spiritual milk.

What is spiritual milk? The writer of Hebrews told us in Hebrews 5:12: “Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for somebody to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Then in chapter 6, he continued, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment” (vv. 1-2).

Spiritual milk refers to the elementary teachings about Jesus Christ–who He is and what He did for us on the cross. The writer said those teachings about Christ are foundational, but they are also elementary. You will never grow as a Christian as long as you keep going over the basic facts of the gospel. You will never grow as a Christian as long as you depend on Christian music to give you all the food you need. You will never grow as a Christian as long as you keep reading your favorite Scripture passage over and over. You have to change your spiritual diet.

Maybe you are in danger of starving to death spiritually because you have subsisted on spiritual milk for too long. There comes a time when you have to move from milk to meat.

51.b. Wilderness – 15.h. “No longer be children, tossed to and fro”

 

Deu 13:6-11  “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

Micah 7:5-7    Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;  for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.  But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

 Ephesians 4:14     so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

 Colossians 2:4    I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

 2 Peter 2:1   But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies

 1 John 2:26-27    I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

 Revelation 12:9     And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

This  demonstrates that God never puts highest priority on family relationships; if a family member forsakes the LORD, we are never to follow them away from the LORD. Jesus always comes first, as He said in Matthew 10:37: He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. This is how seriously God regards leading someone else into idolatry. Even if a sympathetic person entices you, and even if they do it in private, enticement to idolatry is not to be tolerated.  Matthew 18:6: But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Anyone who leads one of God’s people astray is greatly offending the heart of God.

Many modern researchers and pundits say that capital punishment is no deterrent to crime. God says it is a deterrent (properly practiced, of course).  (Guzik)

It is the policy of Satan to try to lead us to evil by those whom we love, whom we least suspect of any ill design, and whom we are desirous to please, and apt to conform to. The enticement here is supposed to come from a brother or child, who are near by nature; from a wife or friend, who are near by choice, and are to us as our souls. But it is our duty to prefer God and religion, before the nearest and dearest friends we have in the world. We must not, to please our friends, break God’s law. Thou shalt not consent to him, nor go with him, not for company, or curiosity, not to gain his affections. (Henry)

It seems harsh to us that “put to death” penalty be commanded for a little idolatry of other gods. We live in a time and culture that exalts “tolerance” over commitment to God. We tolerate sin to the point that it is not even called out as sin, but rather a right, personal preference, or another way to the same God. God wanted the Israelites to know it was very serious and worthy of capital punishment. It was not to be tolerated or marginalized no matter who the person was. 

 Neglect, complacency, and lack of commitment and reverence to God’s Word and things of God cultivate a fertile ground in our hearts and minds for seeds of this world to bud and grow. The Israelites were to go into the promised land and dispose of all the idols and people. They were to be the hands of Go’d judgment on them. They were not to be enticed by what these people worshipped or what they proclaimed as a deity. What in this world has been adopted, tolerated, or followed after that is not right in the eyes of God or in any way honor and glorify Jesus Christ? If you are seeking and desiring God’s Word for the purpose of following, obeying, trusting, and relying on God so that in all things you are honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, then the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart and mind giving you discernment to see the follies of this world. The problem is that much of what is being preached is baby food and feel good about your self dribble. The sinfulness of sin and the holiness of God are not preeminent. It is more about saving souls, baptisms, and butts in the pews. Saving souls and baptisms are critical and we are commissioned to do as such. We are also told to make disciples. That very act means we are to study, teach, encourage, and grow them in the whole every-expanding knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and things of God.  We are to move on from the elementary teachings.  How is this possible when the same baby food is being preached week after week.  Line by line, precept by precept, here a little and there a little the Word of God is being fed over and over again. The elementary teaching that is essential to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lost souls is not the same teaching required to grow disciples. And yet, this is what is happening and the result is baby understanding, baby commitment, baby understanding, and baby application.  Over and over again Scripture tells us to study, work, meditate, so that we are firmly grounded and able to recognize the lies of Satan, enticements of this world, and things that are not right or good for the soul.  If the teaching and preaching is baby food then the commitment and growth will be stunted and little sanctification will follow in the lives of those who are to be disciples. 

Oh that God’s Word was hungered and thirsted for with a desire to grow in understanding and knowledge of Him so that in all things we think, say, and do Jesus Christ is both honored and glorified.

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
–Romans 12:1

You may have a desire that corresponds with Scripture and follows common sense. Yet that desire may not be God’s will for your life. That’s because all our desires are subject to God’s sovereign plan.

Consider the example of David. In 1 Kings 8:17–19, Solomon said, “It was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the house, but your son who will be born to you, he will build the house for My name.’” David loved God. He was faithful to God except for a few notable lapses. He was a man after God’s own heart. And David had a burning desire to build a temple for the Lord. God said, “David, that’s a great idea. But you’re not the one who’s going to carry it out.” No matter how good our plans are, ultimately God has the final say.

I think about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus was saying, “Spare Me, Father, from the physical and spiritual agony of the crucifixion.” Yet He went on to pray, “Not as I will, but as You will” (v. 39). And in some inexplicable way, the Father’s will became the Son’s will. It’s the same way for us. Our desires are superseded by God’s sovereign plan.

There’s only one place in the New Testament where the apostle Paul told us to discover God’s will for our lives, and that’s in Romans 12:2. But before that, in verse 1, he commanded us to subject our will to God’s will: “I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” God doesn’t want you to place a dead animal on the altar; He wants a living sacrifice. He wants you to submit your life and your desires to His will. Paul continued, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (v. 2).

Does God speak to us through our desires? Absolutely. But Paul was saying, ultimately, the only desires we can trust are those that have been transformed by the power of God and sacrificed on the altar of God.

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

 

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
–Psalm 37:4

This week, we are learning practical principles for using our desires to determine God’s will. How do we know whether our desires are trustworthy indicators of God’s will? The reliability of our desires is proportionate to our spiritual health.

Let me illustrate that for you. Before I have blood drawn for my annual physical, the nurse asks, “Do you have a fever?” She knows the results may be skewed if I’m sick. It’s the same way in our spiritual lives. Whether our desires are trustworthy indicators of God’s will depends on whether we’re spiritually well or spiritually sick. Godly desires do not flow out of an ungodly heart. Jesus said something similar in Matthew 12:34–35: “The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.” An evil heart produces evil words. In the same way, an ungodly heart generates ungodly desires.

Many years ago, my ministry was outwardly successful, but inside I was deteriorating spiritually. My relationship with God was not what it should have been. I wasn’t reading my Bible; I wasn’t praying. During that time, I got a desire to pursue another vocation part-time, and I even began to experience some success in that area. But that desire was flowing out of a spiritually sick heart. When my relationship with the Lord became what it should be, that desire evaporated. Godly desires come from a heart that is spiritually well.

How do we make sure that our hearts are spiritually in tune with God? Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” The Greek word translated as “at work” is energon, meaning “energize.” It is God who is energizing us, giving us the power and desire to accomplish His purpose.

One of the conduits through which God’s power and desires flow into our lives is God’s Word. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “The word of God . . . also performs its work in you who believe.” When we read the Bible, it does a work in our hearts. Another conduit through which we receive God’s power and desires is prayer. That’s why it’s important to set aside time for praying and reading God’s Word.

As God’s power flows into our lives, His desires become our desires. David wrote, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Love God. Allow Him to transform your heart, and He will make His desires your desires.

51.a. Wilderness – 15.g. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God”

 

Deu 13:1-5  “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

 1 Kings 13:18     And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him.

 Jeremiah 6:13    “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.

 Jeremiah 23:11    “Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the LORD.

 Ezekiel 13:2-3     “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’  Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

 Matthew 7:15   “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

 Matthew 24:11     And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

 Luke 6:26  “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

 2 Peter 2:1  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

 1 John 4:1    Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Dreams can be from God (as in Numbers 12:6, or in Genesis 37:5-11), or they can be false prophesies (as in Jeremiah 23:25-26). We must be careful to not put too much stock in dreams, and instead allow God to bring confirmation to any dream we believe brings a message from Him. It would be very unusual for God to speak alone through a dream, without other confirmation. Moses warned the people that there may arise from among them prophets or workers of signs who could also produce a sign or a wonder. This sobering fact is ignored by many Christians in our age which neglects discernment. The fact is that signs and wonders can never be the evidence of truth or God’s hand. Those who are immediately convinced at the sight of supernatural power or reality are in danger of great deception. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 reminds us that the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.

Godly discernment will always carefully examine the message of a spiritual leader, instead of the spiritual experiences which may surround him or her. One of God’s reasons in allowing such deceivers to exist among His people – to allow the hearts of His people to be tested and proven, to see if they really love the God of truth or are merely seeking a spiritual sign or experience.  Israel was first instructed to not let a deceiver succeed in leading them astray. No matter how attractive the deception, they were to keep focused on a faithful walk with God according to His truth. (Guzik)

 “And particularly there are many signs, yea, such as men may think to be wonders, which may be wrought by evil spirits, God so permitting it for divers wise and just reasons, not only for the trial of the good, as it here follows, but also for the punishment of ungodly men, who would not receive Divine truths, though attested by many evident and unquestionable miracles, and therefore are most justly exposed to these temptations to believe lies.” (Poole)

Satan is the father of all lies and able to perform signs and wonders that could lead believers away and keep those who are searching for God looking in the wrong way. We need to be mindful of Satan’s attacks which will come very subtlety. Having Holy Spirit discernment and understanding are needed to insulate yourself from false teachings. Living for Jesus and honoring and glorifying Him does not revolve around signs and wonders. He is all in all, and in Him, we find purpose and meaning while we await our eternal life in our heavenly promised home.

Pathway to Victory – Devotion

 

 

I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment.
–Romans 12:3

We all have desires in life. But how can we know whether our desires reflect God’s will for us? First of all, we need to discover what our desires truly are. It’s healthy to understand who you are and what you want in life. In Romans 12:3, Paul wrote, “I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment.” Then Paul talked about spiritual gifts–the unique desire and power God has given every Christian to accomplish His purpose. Paul was saying, “Before you know what your spiritual gift is, you need to evaluate yourself properly.”

I think the same principle applies to using our desires to determine God’s will. To help you evaluate yourself and your desires, let me offer five questions from my friend and leadership expert Bobb Biehl:

  1. If you could do anything you wanted; you had all the time, money, and education you needed; and you knew you wouldn’t fail, what would you do?
  2. Where do you see yourself ten years from now? What do you want your job, your living situation, your family relationships, and your relationship with God to be like?
  3. If you could accomplish only three measurable things in your life, what would they be?
  4. What three changes could you make in your life that would most please God?
  5. What is your single greatest strength?

In order to use our desires to discern God’s will, we first have to discover what our desires are.

Second, our desires must be consistent with Scripture. God is never going to give you a desire that is inconsistent with His Word.

Third, our desires should be measured against common sense. Suppose you want to start a software business. There’s nothing in the Bible about that. So how can you know if this desire comes from God? Proverbs 4:5 says, “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!” For example, ask yourself, How will I provide for my family during the start-up phase? Seek out experts and ask, “What are my chances of success in this business?” You see, usually God doesn’t give us a desire that violates common sense. There are some exceptions to that, but most of the time, God leads us to do things that make sense.

Will Graham – Devotion

 

 John 8:31-32

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

“What is truth?” This was the question that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus in John 18:38. It’s such a pivotal, eternity-altering question that I have this page marked in my Bible so I can find it immediately.

Many believe that truth is relative—truth for you is not necessarily truth for me. For instance, if I believe the world is flat, that’s my truth. Questioning my truth would be considered intolerant and would infringe on my rights, at least according to today’s accepted norms. (By the way, I do believe the earth is round!)

However, the Bible has a lot to say about truth which directly contradicts much of what the world believes about the matter.

First, truth is not an idea or an opinion, but a Person.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6, ESV). All truth comes from God, because He personifies truth. As we delve into His Word and are attentive to the Holy Spirit, we can and should know The Truth.

Second, the truth won’t always be popular. Remember Jesus was the embodiment of truth and they hated and murdered Him. The truth can be offensive because it tells us what’s wrong with us.

Imagine going to the doctor and being told you have cancer. You may not like it—you can disagree and get angry—but it’s the truth, and ignoring it can lead to death.

In Galatians 4, Paul addresses the church in Galatia, to whom he had ministered previously. He confronts them with the fact that—though they claim to know God—they are embracing worldliness. He then says, “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16, ESV).

Paul was willing to stand up when he saw believers compromising, even if it brought conflict with those he considered friends.

Finally, why is it important to proclaim the truth as set forth in the Bible? Because the truth will set you free.

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32, ESV). Jesus goes on to say that those who are in sin are slaves to sin, but those who find hope in Him are released from that bondage. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36, ESV).

What is Truth? Truth is Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. Truth is the Word of God, the Bible. Truth may not be popular, especially in our world today, but Truth will set you free … and not just for today, but for eternity!