The Key to Knowing Truth

Acts 17:10-12

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.  Now these Jews were more noble then those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.  Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For such men are false apostles, deceitful of Christ.  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.  Their end will correspond to their deeds.

From time to time, I like to watch Jeopardy - particularly those days when the categories are ones with which I tend to be most comfortable, i.e. Mathematics or The Bible.  These are subjects I enjoy, have studied my entire life, and regarding which I expect to do well.

Recently, though, I find myself questioning aspects of my faith.  Not the basics.  I know that I serve the one and only true God.  I know that He loved me (and all mankind) so much that He sent His one and only Son to be born of a virgin, live a perfect life, die a horrible death, and then rise victorious over death and the grave.  I know that His sacrifice paid the penalty for all sin and that salvation is a free gift for all who believe and ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become exposed to a wide variety of beliefs about Christianity and the Bible.  I can remember intellectual debates with my best college friend from Germany.  He came from a different cultural background and was always ready and willing to push the boundaries of my rigid beliefs.  Such pushing of my boundaries has only continued throughout my adult life.  Explorations into a wide variety of Christian faith doctrines have all been part of the reshaping of my boundaries.  I’ve learned that I need to be open to the possibility that the fundamental beliefs I learned as a child are not necessarily completely accurate.  And so, I’ve opened myself to hear from trusted friends in a wider variety of Christian circles.  I’ve witnessed things that I once would have instantly thought were not of God and have had to ask myself if perhaps they could be of Him.  I’m 100% confident that God has used such experiences to tear down the walls of the neat and tidy box that I had kept Him in for over 30 years.  I’m equally confident that God is not as “neat and tidy” as I once thought.  Don’t get me wrong – He’s awesome, incredible, and worthy of all our respect, praise, honor and adoration.  And yet, He’s a mysterious God who is clearly beyond our comprehension – to the point that not one of us could fully understand everything about Him.  Not you. Not me. Not Dr. Dobson.  Not Billy Graham.  Not the Pope.  No one.  And thus, my dilemma. 

Throughout these years of exploration, I’ve come to rely on the people I respect to teach me about God.  Learning from others is clearly very good.  Relying solely on others for my learning is very bad.  Remember, none of us knows and understands everything about our great God.  None of us.  And, if we’re not careful, we allow ourselves to grab hold of the teachings of others without testing what they're saying.  We then open ourselves up to be deceived – intentionally or unintentionally.  Either way, it doesn’t really matter.  If we rely on others to teach us everything we need to know about God, we’re relying on people who don’t know everything there is to know about God.  We then open ourselves up to become subject to their interpretations.  What then is the answer to knowing truth in our hearts?

Before I answer that, please rest assured that I am in no way speaking against Biblical teachers.  In fact, I love and appreciate good Biblical teachers and am so thankful for the many I've had in my life.  Rather, I am speaking in favor of Biblical STUDENTS who, as you will soon see, will test the things they are taught.

I am fortunate to have a strong Biblical foundation.  I know many facts about the Bible.  I can tell you the books of the Bible in order, list the names of the twelve disciples (if I really think about it), and talk to you about the books of History versus the Minor Prophets versus the Gospels.  I can even do really well whenever the Bible comes up as a category on Jeopardy.  But, I’m learning that knowing facts from the Bible is not the same as knowing the Bible.  I would liken this to me telling my 5 year-old daughter the answer to a Calculus problem.  She could easily regurgitate that answer any time I asked her to tell me the solution to the problem, but she wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with a Calculus problem that differs in any way from the one fact that she knows.  Knowing facts about the Bible is NOT the same as knowing the Bible.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Did you catch that?  The “word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”  Memorizing facts about the Bible, though good in its own rite, is not the same as allowing the living and active word of God to dwell in you.  To be able to discern truth, the living and active word of God needs to dwell in us.  We need to be like the Bereans who search the Scriptures daily and test the things they are taught.  We need to study it, meditate on it, and ask God to open our eyes and our ears to hearing Him speak to us through it.  It must be more than a brisk read through the day’s Scripture.  That’s not enough.  That’s not going to cut it.  It’s no wonder that I sometimes find myself wondering what’s really from God and what isn’t given my tendency to do that. 

God may not be neat and tidy, but He is steadfast.  He is the same God today as He was yesterday as He will be tomorrow.  Scripture tells us this over and over again.  If we truly want to know what’s of Him, we need to spend time getting to know Him.  We need to spend time in His living and active word and we need to spend time with His Word.  John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Here, John is referring to Jesus as “the Word.”  When employers seek references on potential new hires, they are speaking with people who know the character of the candidate, because people who know the character of the candidate are best able to speak to what the candidate is really like – how he will conduct himself, how he will behave.  The same is true for God.  When we get to know Him and His character, we better understand what He is really like, how He conducts Himself, and how He behaves.  The key to knowing what is of God, is knowing God – through meditating on His word and through fellowship with His Word.  Not facts.  Not figures.  But instead, depths of understanding and intimacy with our steadfast God.