Truth In the Scriptures
Printable VersionsHow is it that we have only one Jesus and one Bible, yet there are world wide an estimated 36,000 denominations who call themselves "Christian"? Every one of those 36,000 denominations claim to have the truth and they can prove it from their Bibles. How can it be that we have only one Holy Bible and over 36,000 different divisions within the Church? The only reason that a new denomination is started is because we feel the one that we’re currently a part of, just doesn’t quite have all the truth so we start our own. Why is it that our churches and denominations have such division? We have only one God and one Jesus Christ so why the division, why such varying opinions as to what the Bible really says?
So how do we find that real truth which God has hidden within His Holy Scriptures; how do we know when we’ve found that real truth that seems to be so elusive? Today we’ll look at several ways in which we can find the real truth and how we can know that it’s really God’s truth and not mans.
Truth Detector #1 –Do you have a repentive heart?
Have you ever met a person who is so close-minded and stubborn that their mind can never be changed, even when they're proven wrong? They believe what they believe and they will never change their mind. That is a person who does not have a repentive heart.
Having a heart that is able to repent is the foundation to finding real truth within the Scriptures. Without a repentive heart you’ll miss the truth, even when it stares you straight in the eye. What does it mean to have a repentive heart? Most people look at repentance and think that it means to confess our sins and turn from them. That’s only part of it, the Greek word for repent is "metanoeô" which means to change one’s mind or change your way of thinking. So not only does repent mean to change your mind about sin, but it means that when you’re reading the word of God, you repent and change the way you think. You change your thinking from the way you used to think according to this world to what Jesus thinks and acts like according to the Word of God. That’s why Jesus said, “I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5). Jesus says that unless you change your way of thinking, you will perish. If we have a repentive heart, we’ll have a heart and mind that’s always being renewed by the Word of God. (Romans 12:2) do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. If we have that repentive heart, we will not be anchored into a belief that we are not willing to change. The evidence of a repentive heart is that we will always yield to the Word of God and listen to that still small voice.
Scripture says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). This world that we are traveling through on our way to Heaven is a very dark and evil path. We must let the light of the Word illuminate our way. On this journey there will be many obstacles that we will have to yield to. There will be potholes, branches, streams, rocks and even bends in the road. If we don’t yield to these obstacles, we’ll either go down the wrong path or be injured along the way. The Word of God, it’s a light unto our path and we must continually change our way of thinking when we read it. If we’re not willing to repent and change our way of thinking as we read the Word of God, then we're not letting the Word light our path we will never find the real truth. If we can't lay down our old way of thinking about what we've learned in "religion", then we may as well stop right here and read no further.
For those who can set aside their "religion" and what they've been taught by man, in exchange for what God would teach them in His Word, let's continue. “For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is designed to mold us more and more into the image of Christ. If we don’t have an open heart of repentance we will not be transformed into that image of Christ (2 Cor 3:18).
Truth Detector #2 –Have you prayed for wisdom and understanding?
The most neglected and underutilized way of getting truth and understanding is to simply ask in prayer. “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Scripture confirms that it’s not us who gets wisdom or understanding on our own, it’s God who gives it to us. “Only the LORD give you discretion and understanding” (1Chronicles 22:12). Yes, we can find many witnesses throughout Scripture that confirms that it's God who gives us understanding and not us getting smart by our hard work or effort. (Job 32:8) But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. God is the one who gives us both understanding and wisdom. (Proverbs 2:6) For the LORD gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; (7) he stores up sound wisdom for the upright"… So if it’s truth and understanding that you’re looking for, we must do as the psalmist David did and pray for it. (Psalm 119:34) Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart… (73) Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments… (125) I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!...(130) The unfolding of your words give light; it imparts understanding to the simple… (144) Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. (169) Let my cry come before You, O LORD; Give me understanding according to Your word. Once you’ve prayed and asked the Lord for understanding, then it’s time to search for God’s truth using the third truth detector.
Truth Detector #3 - Your “truth” must fit together with the other persons “truth”.
With so many different beliefs as to what truth is, how do we really know if we have it? Some will say that the Bible is subject to each ones interpretation and that’s why there are so many differing opinions. (2 Peter 1:20) No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. How can Scripture be a matter of interpretation when the God we serve is a God of truth? God is not a God of confusion and Scripture confirms that the Word is for teaching and training. (2 Timothy 3:16) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. You cannot teach from the Scriptures unless you have the truth; not your interpretation of truth, but the real truth from God. On any given topic in the Scriptures, there may be two or three opposing doctrines for that same topic. Each person who "feels" they have the truth, can go to the Bible to support their doctrinal belief and tell you exactly why they believe they have the truth.
So how do we find the real truth? Although many on both sides of each issue can use the Bible to back up their beliefs, there can only be one truth and we cannot have two so-called “truths” fighting against each other, or you simply do not have the truth. For example, If your belief is that we have free will and it fights against Scriptures that say we do not have free will or vice versa, then we don’t have the truth. If you cannot explain and fit your Scripture into the other person’s Scripture, then yours is not truth. The Holy Bible is the Devine word of God and there’s only one truth. Only when you can fit and explain the others person’s seemingly contradictory Scripture into yours, do you have God’s truth.
Truth Detector #4 – God doesn’t change, it’s happened before.
If you think that you have biblical truth, then what you believe your Scripture to say must have already happened before. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (10) Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. If you have a point that you’re making from Scripture, then you should be able to find it other places within the Bible. If it’s truth, it’s already happened in some type or example before. That’s why the apostle Paul said, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction” (Romans 15:4). Paul says in (1 Corinthians 10:11) “Now these things happened unto them by way of example and they were written for our admonition.” Yes, the Scriptures were written for our instruction and our warning. For an example, let’s say that you have what you feel is the truth about baptism and that it should be done when you’re an infant. If that’s true, then we should be able to search the Scriptures and find it elsewhere. We should be able to find examples of infants being baptized throughout the Bible. If we cannot find our so-called “truth” in a command or an example of it happening before, then you don’t have the real truth. The reason is because God doesn’t change, and if He hasn’t done it in the past, He’s not doing it now. “For I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:8,9). Because God doesn’t change and because He’s the same in the New Testament as He was in the Old Testament, we can make sure that we don’t get “carried about with various and strange doctrines.”
Truth Detector #5 – Have multiple Scriptures that back up your “truth.”
Have you ever met someone who takes one Scripture out of the Bible and makes an entire doctrine out of it? Even though it cannot be backed up by any other Scriptures, they believe they have the truth. We find over and over in the Bible that God says you need more than one witness to find the truth in a matter. (Deut 17:6) On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. God has set out that the truth is found when you have more than one witness. (Deut 19:15) "A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. We have the Apostle Paul saying the same thing about the Word of God. (2 Cor 13:1) At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word established. Even Moses when he came down the mountain with the Ten Commandments, had two witnesses. Do you remember the TWO tablets of stone? They were often referred to as the testimony (Hebrew witness) of God. The word of God itself in the Bible has two witnesses, the Old and New Testament. Before Jesus would come, He sent out two witnesses before every city He was about to go. (Luke 10:1) After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. So the bottom line is that if you think you have the truth according to the Scriptures, you need to have more than one verse that states your case, because the Word says that "the sum of your word is truth" (Psalm 119:160), and not just part of the Word.
Truth Detector #6 –How is a word used throughout the Scriptures?
(2 Timothy 2:15) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Is the word of God accurate? We know that God’s word is Divinely inspired, but only in its original form. The original manuscripts are 100% accurate, but the further you get from these original manuscripts, the more errors and mis-translations you find. For an example, we all have respect for the King James Version and for the most part, it’s very accurate. Although it’s highly respected, it was translated from the Geneva Bible, which was translated from the Great Bible which was translated from the Tyndale Bible which was translated from both the Vulgate Bible and the Ancient copies, which were copied from the Most Ancient copies which finally was copied from the original manuscripts. So here we have the 7th generation from the original and ample time for man to subtly make a few changes. Whatever the translation you read, it will have some errors, not God’s errors but man's errors. For an example the original 1611 King James Version was revised in 1613, 1629, 1638, 1644, 1664, 1701, 1744, 1762, 1769, 1850, and 1885. Which of these was the "only inspired Word of God" ? The fact is, none of them. God does not make mistakes, yet there were over 75,000 changes made in the KJV from 1611 to 1885! As man translates the Greek to English or the Hebrew to English, man's doctrines and beliefs tend to creep in. Man adds a word here and takes away a word there, indiscriminately fitting it into what they believe it is saying according to their doctrine. They don’t purposely try to change God’s word, yet it’s done.
This is why you must search the Scriptures and find how this same word is used throughout the entire Bible and not just in your “pet” verse that may explain your truth. By looking at the same word throughout Scriptures you should get an accurate meaning for what that word really means. (Isaiah 28:9) "To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? (10) For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little." To get the real truth, you must look at that same word in the Greek or in the Hebrew. Only then will you understand if the translation is accurate or not. If you’re not sure how to find the Greek or Hebrew word I suggest purchasing a concordance or download a free software program called E-Sword, www.e-sword.net. The truth is in the Bible, it’s not in one's opinion or interpretation! If you’re willing to search for the truth and come to God with a pure repentive heart, you will find truth because God will reveal it to you.
(Hosea 4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee. When we stand before the Lord, we will have no excuses. All our lives we have had the source book of truth readily accessible to us. Are you reading and studying the Word, or are you depending on your pastor to give you the truth? You are the one who is responsible for your own salvation, only you. That's why Scripture says that we must “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
Mark, a servant in the Lord, www.heavenshelpers.org
Questions/Feedback - email me: mark@heavenshelpers.org
