The
Persistent Pursuit of TruthThe Persistent Pursuit of Truth
[The Persistent Pursuit of Truth Proclaiming the
Gospel Ministries] "Pilate's question, "What is truth?" has reverberated down
through history. The Greek word for "truth" is "aletheia," which means
"non-concealment." It conveys the idea that truth is available for all to see,
with nothing being hidden or obscured. Truth denotes what is real, not what is
concealed or falsified.
The Lord Jesus is the personification of truth (John
14:6); He is the true light and the true vine (John
1:9;
15:1). He sent the Spirit of truth who guides the
believer into truth (John
15:26;
16:13). Abiding in Christ's word enables us to
know the truth and be set free from the bondage of deception (John
8:32). When we are reluctant to pursue the truth,
we cannot be genuine lovers of truth. Christians who love truth will speak the
truth in love with a desire to see hearts and minds turn from every false way.
As messengers of the truth, we are not perfect, but
God's Word is always perfect, infallible, and forever settled in heaven (Isaiah
55:11;
Ps. 119:89). God's Word is eternal and never
changes (Mat.
5:18). That is why we are to test every man's
teaching with the supreme authority of Scripture so that we will not be carried
away by persuasive personalities or long-standing religious traditions (Acts
17:11).
Christians must seek honest solutions to any
disagreements over doctrine by pursuing the truth with humble, teachable spirits
(Col.
3:16;
2 Tim. 2:15). They would seek to maintain the
unity of the Spirit, but never at the expense of tolerating error or
compromising biblical doctrines. Lovers of truth will give instruction in sound
doctrine and be able to refute those who contradict it (Titus
1:9). They will also welcome reproof and
correction because they desire to handle the Word of God accurately in order to
be equipped for every good work (2
Tim. 3:16).
Why is it so important to seek truth in all areas of
our faith? It is because there are consequences for being wrong. We can be wrong
about a lot of things in this life and still survive, but if we are wrong about
our faith, we will suffer for that mistake throughout all eternity. Eternity is
an awfully long time to be wrong. Truth demands that I try to know and love it
with an open mind in order to discern it with intellectual integrity." Pro-Gospel.org