Where Do We Find Truth?
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We are living in a time when the very idea of truth is being challenged.
For years now, I have watched a philosophy develop in our culture that says there is no absolute truth. What is true for you may not be true for me.
What is true for one culture may not be true for another. What was considered true by one generation may be rejected by the next.
At first, that may sound tolerant and open-minded.
But there is a serious problem with it.
If there is no absolute truth, how do we determine what is right and wrong?
How do we know what is good?
How do we know what is evil?
How do we determine what is moral?
And perhaps most importantly, how do we know what is actually true?
When Truth Becomes Relative
When a culture abandons the idea of absolute truth, it doesn’t simply become more tolerant.
It loses its anchor.
If everyone gets to determine their own truth, then there is no longer an objective standard by which we can evaluate our beliefs or our behavior.
We end up with the philosophy described in the book of Judges:
“Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
That didn’t end well.
When everyone becomes his or her own authority, society eventually loses the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The foundations that hold a healthy culture together begin to disappear.
And that is why the question of truth matters so much.
So Where Do We Find Truth?
Jesus gave us a very clear answer.
“If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Notice where Jesus connects truth.
His Word.
Jesus doesn’t tell us that truth is something we discover by looking inward and deciding what feels right to us.
He points us to His Word.
That is why I believe the foundation of truth is found in Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures.
Scripture Gives Us the Foundation We Need
The Apostle Paul made this incredibly clear when he wrote to Timothy:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
Think about what Paul is saying.
The Word of God teaches us what is right.
It shows us what is wrong.
It corrects us when we get off course.
And it instructs us in how we should live.
That means Scripture isn’t simply a book we pull off the shelf on Sunday morning.
It is God’s instruction for life.
Paul says that the purpose is that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I believe that is desperately needed today.
The Questions Every Person Must Answer
There are certain questions that science, medicine, politics, sociology, and philosophy cannot ultimately answer for us.
Questions like:
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
Those are foundational questions.
Science can tell us many things about how the physical world operates. Medicine can help us understand the human body. Sociology can study human behavior.
But none of those disciplines, by themselves, can tell me why I exist or what the ultimate purpose of my life is.
Those answers require a different foundation.
And I believe that foundation is found in God’s Word and in Jesus Christ.
Scripture tells us that Jesus is our Creator and that God knew us even before we were born.
That changes the way I understand my own life.
I am not here by accident.
You are not here by accident.
God’s Word and a Successful Life
One of my favorite examples of this is found in God’s conversation with Joshua.
Moses had died, and Joshua was about to lead Israel into the Promised Land.
That was an enormous responsibility.
And what did God tell him?
Be strong.
Be courageous.
And do not turn away from My Word.
God told Joshua to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night and to be careful to obey what was written in it.
Why?
Because Joshua’s success as a leader was connected to his willingness to remain anchored in God’s Word.
I believe there is a principle here that applies to all of us.
If I want to live well, I need to know God’s Word.
If I want to make wise decisions, I need God’s Word.
If I want to lead my family well, I need God’s Word.
If I want my life to have eternal significance, I need God’s Word.
The answer isn’t complicated.
Stay anchored.
The Blessed Life
David gives us another picture of this in Psalm 1.
He begins by describing the person who refuses to walk according to ungodly counsel.
Instead, that person’s delight is in the law of the Lord.
And what does he do with it?
He meditates on it day and night.
David compares that person to a tree planted beside rivers of water.
That is a powerful picture.
A tree planted beside water doesn’t have to panic every time the weather changes.
It has a source.
It has roots.
It has nourishment.
And I believe that’s what happens when we root our lives deeply in God’s Word.
We aren’t carried away by every new philosophy.
We don’t have to change our convictions every time culture changes.
We have an anchor.
David tells us to put the principles and precepts of God’s Word deep into our hearts and to anchor our lives in its truth.
Don’t Let Culture Become Your Compass
One of the greatest dangers facing Christians today is allowing the culture around us to become our authority.
If I listen long enough to the voices around me, I can begin to question things I once knew to be true.
That’s why I have to continually return to Scripture.
Not because I am afraid of questions.
Not because Christians should never think critically.
But because I recognize that God’s Word gives me a foundation that doesn’t shift with every cultural movement.
Culture changes.
Opinions change.
Philosophies change.
God’s truth does not.
The Question We Must Ask
Jesus said:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
But if we want to know the truth, we have to ask where truth comes from.
I believe the answer begins with Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
That is why I want to encourage you to do something very simple:
Open your Bible.
- Read it.
- Study it.
- Meditate on it.
- Let it correct you.
- Let it challenge you.
- Let it encourage you.
And most importantly, let it become the foundation upon which you build your life.
Because when everything around us is changing, we need something that doesn’t.
We need truth.
And Jesus promised that when we know the truth, the truth will make us free.
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And there is one more question I want us to explore together in the next episode:
Are the Holy Scriptures reliable? Can we really build our lives upon them?
That’s where we’ll go next.
