Refuting the Truth

I have been listening to some very heated debates and I think I have heard some very distorted views about the Word of God.  One of the misconceptions, in my thinking, is that people interpret the Bible to fit their own agendas, maybe out of some kind of prejudice or maybe just misunderstanding or just refusing to accept the truth.  All through the ages, truth has not been accepted by many and there are those that teach that there is no truth or absolutes.

Let’s read what Pilate said to Jesus and what Jesus’ reply was on this subject in John 18:33-38, “So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’ Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, ‘I find no guilt in him.’”

Pilate was not impressed by Jesus’ answer because in that culture truth was relative.  Truth was whatever the majority of people thought it was or whatever helped the government officials the most.  Without truth there are no bases for morality and the sad thing about this was that the ultimate truth was standing right in front of him and he didn’t even know it.  

I have listened to Ravi Zacharias and he talked about this issue and he talked about the time when Jesus talked about paying taxes in Luke 20:20-26, “So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?’ They said, ‘Caesar's.’ He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.’ And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.”

Ravi Zacharias said something like this; the question that should have been asked was whose image is on you?  The truth is that we are all made in God’s image and likeness read Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Just like in Pilate’s day, truth seems to be very relative today also.  I believe that truth is very relevant today, without it we would not be able to trust anyone; our families, our neighbors, our leaders or anyone else, so it is very important to know and rely on the truth because the truth can set us free.  The truth is we all need Jesus if we want to stand before God justified, as if we had never sinned.  We need to be cleansed by His precious blood that He shed on our behalf when He suffered on the cross and, prior to that, also taking onto Himself our shame and our blame; a man who knew no sin became the sacrificial Lamb for us and died and was buried so that we could be justified.  Then He rose from the dead and completed His purpose and now He has the ability, and wants, to give us new life if we put our trust in Him.

If you are in bondage and need to be set free, come to the ultimate truth which is Jesus Christ and let Him set you free.  Jesus said this in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Also in John 3:17-21, it says this about Jesus, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

So, if you would like to be set free of the bondage of sin then forsake your sins and repent, meaning to turn away from your sins, and ask the Lord to forgive you and to come into your heart and life and be your Lord and Savior and, if you are truly sincere, I believe it will happen.  But take your time, don’t be in a big rush, pray through and let the Lord fill you with His perfect peace, love and joy.  Then go forth rejoicing and share with others what the Lord has done for you and start growing in your new faith.  Something to think about!  Have a super, super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!