Perhaps we must first ask ourselves, “Do I want to know the truth?” At first glance, this question might seem like a no-brainer. Of course everyone wants to know the truth, right? Romans 1:18-32 gives us insight into this question. Verse 25 says, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” Prior to that in verse 20, it says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” What do these Scriptures tell us? People do not have an excuse when it comes to knowing God’s eternal power and divine nature. We see it clearly in His awesome creation wherever we look. The word tells us that people made a choice—they chose to exchange the truth for a lie. They decided it would be better to serve created things rather than the Creator. This has been and continues to be the problem of the human race ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Today, we still see how pride and arrogance keep people from acknowledging Jesus as the one true Lord. When we make decisions our way, following our own desires, believing we do not need to serve God, we in essence crown ourselves as “lord.” 

"We must allow God to show us the truth about who we are and who He is."

So if we find ourselves in this place, we see that the responsibility for not knowing the truth falls on us; perhaps at some point in our lives, we decided to exchange God’s truth for a lie. The Scriptures warn of the grave consequences of rejecting God’s truth. Romans 1:29 says, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity…” and the list goes on. How do we break out of this path of delusion and come to know the truth? 

Repentance is the first step. It means we want to change, we want to turn away from the lies, we want to face the truth of what we have done against the Lord, and we want to know what God has to say. We must allow God to show us the truth about who we are and who He is. Perhaps in our lives, we’ve lied to ourselves, saying we belonged to God when our actions showed otherwise. Perhaps we ignored His voice of conviction and hardened our hearts when He tried to speak to us or guide us to do what was right. Have we thought of God as a convenient addition to our lives, rather than allowing Him to be who He truly is—King and Lord of all—the God who transforms? Have we not recognized God’s kindness and mercy to us in His willingness to give us His saving truth. 

The word of God says, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:15). When God allows us to see the truth of who we are and what we have done, Praise Him! This is an opportunity to sincerely repent and turn from our sins so that we no longer live in them (2 Chronicles 7:14). If we sincerely seek the Lord to show us the truth, He truly shows it to us (Matthew 7:7). This is the first step—the beginning—to know the truth and to be delivered by it. True repentance says to God that we no longer want to remain in darkness, but that we want to live in the light of God’s truth. This leads us to our next question—How can we know the truth?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said these powerful words: “…If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).  The Scripture tells us that we can know the truth by living our lives according to His teachings. What did Jesus teach? We know that Jesus taught about many things pertaining to His Father, Himself, His followers, and the Kingdom of God. He called out hypocrisy (Matthew 15:14) and rewarded true faith (Mark 5:34). However, Jesus Himself said all of the laws could be summed up in these two commandments: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). We are simply called to love the Lord with everything within us, and love others. The truth of God’s word sets us free from living selfish lives and teaches us how to wholeheartedly love God and others.

"God’s truth is boundless and there is unending revelation in the teachings of Jesus."

How do we learn to love God? How do we hold to Jesus’ teachings? How do we distinguish what is true from what is false? We need to learn the language of God. This is a heavenly language that can leave the most intelligent of men dumbfounded and yet be simple enough that even a young child can easily grasp it. How could that be? Because the word of God is a spiritual language—it is impossible for anyone to learn in the flesh, in their own understanding. The word of God is not simply words on a page; God’s word is alive and brings life to those who receive it. We can only receive God’s truth by the Spirit. The Bible says that God sent us the Holy Spirit to help us: “...the Helper, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me” (John 15:26, ESV). The Holy Spirit literally comes from God the Father—He is the Spirit of Christ who helps us to understand God’s word and come to know the Lord. His Name is the Spirit of Truth—we can trust that what He says is true! Notice He is also called the Helper. He comes to those who have a humble and contrite heart. The humble know their need for God daily—hourly—minute by minute—ever learning how to love Him and others through the truth of His word. 

We can humbly trust in God’s word as truth. We can pray and seek the Holy Spirit’s help to understand what the Lord is speaking to us through it. We can grow and mature in our walk with God as we join a church that teaches and lives out the full counsel of the truth of God’s word. When we read the Bible, we can ask God to come and examine us to see if we are living in the truth according to His word. When we do this, we start to separate the truth from the lies. 

God’s truth is boundless and there is unending revelation in the teachings of Jesus. We store it like treasure deep in our hearts, and it anchors us in the midst of the chaos and storms of this world. His word says: Jesus Christ is God (John 10:30). He did not come to get rid of the Old Testament teachings but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Savior of the world and Redeemer of His people (Matthew 16:15-17, Luke 4:18-21, John 4:25-26).

To answer this question, let’s first go back to the Old Testament for a moment. God repeatedly sent prophets, leaders, judges, and kings to His people in order to teach them how to live in the truth—how to love God and others. He gave the Ten Commandments and other rules to Moses so they would understand what the Lord required of them and to come to know His character, His likes and dislikes. However, their attempt to be true to God’s Word was futile, and the people found themselves caught up in lies and bound by sin time and time again. It was clear that God’s people needed salvation. Then God made a way… 

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ. There is something so special about Jesus that we haven’t talked about yet, something about His character that answers what the truth is and why we so desperately need it. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life…” Right there! Truth is, literally, Jesus Himself! There’s no truth without Him! He continues, “…No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

"As we grow closer to Jesus, the truth in us becomes stronger and stronger."

Jesus is the Truth—when our spiritual eyes are opened to Him, we find Him everywhere and in everything. We discover Him in the Old Testament—He is the rock that Moses struck, bringing life-giving water in the desert. He is in the New Testament, healing the sick and raising the dead. He reveals Himself to us through His word, and by His power we are transformed. We are given a new life, for He is the Life! No man can fulfill every commandment and required sacrifice, but Jesus did. Romans 10:4 says, “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” Because there is no way we would ever be able to fulfill every law on our own, Jesus becomes the Righteous One in our lives. He, in us, is the fulfillment of God’s perfect law. This is what the prophet spoke of when he said the law would be written no longer on stone, but on the tablet of our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). Through His sacrifice, He became the only acceptable offering that reconciles us to God. 

When the Spirit of Christ—the Spirit of Truth—comes in, He teaches us how to know the truth and walk in its freedom in the most incredible way. When we are walking with Jesus, He delivers us every single day from the lies in this world, and He delivers us from our very selves. As we grow closer to Jesus, the truth in us becomes stronger and stronger. When our human nature wants to pop up and distort, water-down, reject the truth, we bring forth God’s word, which is sharper than a two-edged sword, to cut through and tear down any lie that comes against the knowledge of God (Hebrews 4:12). His truth sets us free! Free to live for God! Free to worship Him and love Him! 

We can trust Jesus to rescue us and show us the truth. He lived an obedient, sinless life, completely surrendered to God, the Father. He died on the cross for our sins so we could be with God in the truth. Jesus gave His very life to deliver us! How amazing is that? And the best part is, He didn’t leave us here to try to figure it out on our own. He gives us the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to see the truth, break the lies, and come into freedom with Jesus! By submitting ourselves to Him and allowing the Spirit to shine truth into our lives, we can be delivered from our sin, the deception of this world, and from Satan, the deceiver.

It is not easy for us to look at what we have done or who we are and take responsibility for our choices. Yet, by allowing God to open up our hearts and minds to show us everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives—the Truth, Jesus Christ, enters in and saves us. He breaks our chains and brings us “…out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Because He is with us, leading us through to the other side where we are set free, we are able to hold onto God’s promise that says, “...our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). 

What is there to lose by turning to the truth? Only our bondage that has kept us away from God. What do we gain when we turn to the truth? We gain the fullness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We turn once again to Jesus’ words, “...Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” May we hear His voice this day. Truly, being in the Truth—being in Jesus—is the best place that we could ever be!