Truth!

Truth!

John 8:32 AMPC

[32] And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

How do you know the Truth? One way to look at this is to first consider how it is defined, which will help us to know what it looks or sounds like, and what it does not look or sound like. One definition of truth' is 'the quality of being true'. A definition of 'true' itself is: something 'matching facts and reality instead of being false'. It would appear that you cannot really understand truth without knowing what is true and what is false. Truth from the definitions above will be something that is absolute, and not capable of multiple meanings or diverse interpretations. If something is only true in certain contexts or situations, then it will be hard to argue that that thing is true at all times. 

This is why it is also important to consider the foundation to the verse above. This was at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, a season of thanksgiving for the harvest, as well as the remembrance of God's protection during the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. Jesus had spent time teaching the crowd about the principles of the kingdom He had come to establish, and had laid down some truths that were absolute and beyond argument or contention. One of these truths is the clarity of God's instructions when it comes to sin. He does not leave us in any doubt as to what He calls sin. Covetousness or adultery are a few of the actions of man that are clearly laid out as sin by God. 

Another truth from the background to the verse above is the truth of man's fallen nature. The best of us at one time were sinners who were headed to eternal damnation, but the truth of God's mercy, revealed in His plan of redemption for all of mankind, shows us a path back to God. Another truth that is made clear in the background to this verse is the truth of eternal judgment for all who still reject all the other truths that have been laid out above. If Jesus has done all He can to save, redeem, restore and secure eternal life for us, how can we turn around and blame Him for the eternal consequences of the decision we made to reject His free gift of salvation? 

The truths above are all absolute. You cannot argue against any of them. There is now this final truth that binds them all together, and that is the Truth introduced to us in the verse above. There is a Person that makes all these truths real, and it is only in and by Him that we receive grace to accept all the other truths, and align our lives with His demands. This is where the truth of personal choice comes in; having heard all these truths, how do I respond? Like the Jews who believed in Him in those days, so do we need to make a decision today. Only by a personal encounter with this Truth can I receive grace to live daily in line with these other truths. He is all we need for the times we are in. Do you know Him? God's time of favour is here.