HOW CAN WE KNOW THE TRUTH? PART 2

~ Shelia's Notes ~ Leave a comment

HOW CAN WE KNOW THE TRUTH? PART 2

JOHN 8:32 …AND YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE.

How can we know the truth about the questions we may have?  How can we know what to believe when we hear and read so many different thoughts about a particular event or story? How can we know how we are to live in this current world?

Where should our truth come from? Man, or God?

We have a choice—-either we believe what the Bible says, or we do not. We can choose to believe all of the Bible, or we can choose to believe the parts we want to believe and ignore the parts we do not want to believe.

I was told of a sermon a preacher presented about believing in what the Bible says. He had an open Bible in his hand as he started preaching. He said some people say that is not in my Bible as he tore a page out of the Bible. Some people say that is not what God means, he tore a page out of the Bible. Some people say, I do not believe that God requires Baptism for salvation, he tore another page out of the Bible.

He went on to demonstrate how people ignore the word of God by saying I do not believe that God meant that, that God would do that, and on and on, because God is a loving God. So, in essences if we say and believe these things, we are tearing pages out of our Bible.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 Be careful of false teachers who may not teach all of the truth.  For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

In Part 1 I started out talking about lying: Titus 1:1-3 Paul a bond servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness in the hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised but at the proper time manifested even His word…  

Hebrews 6:18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, …

So, if it is impossible for God to lie, the evident choice is to believe His word. The Bible. Everything in it, not just the parts we would like to believe. But the whole Bible. All of the parts-even the ones that are hard for us to swallow.

Jesus Himself said in John 14:6…. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Enough said. If Jesus is the truth, then we need to go to Him to find out what is true. Man is of this world, and he is fallible. Jesus said, Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks. For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! Matthew 18:7.

Is it enough to know the truth? Or, do we have to do more than just know what the truth is?  Jesus talked about the truth-knowing the truth-and what it does for us. He tells us what we must do. In John 8:31-32 Jesus is talking to the Jews who had believed in Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.

What can the truth do for us?

It can set us free if we continue in His word. Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth and do not sell it. Where can we find this truth? In the world? From what man/woman tell us? NO—it can only be found in the Bible. This a vital truth.

What can this truth do for us?

We have to Hear:

Romans 10:17 So, faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. The word is where we learn about faith. Luke 11:28 Blessed are those who hear the word of God. John 8:32…the truth will make you free. 1 Timothy 2:4…who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

We have to Obey:

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, you have been born again…

1 John 2:4 The one who says I have come to know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.  Sincerity is not enough.

How can we know the truth? Where can we find the truth? We answered that by looking at the word of God when Jesus told us in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. Again, in John 8:31-32 Jesus told us. If you abide in MY word (the Bible) …you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

We learned in 1 Peter 1:22 that the truth can purify our souls, but we learned there is more for us to do. We must also obey. Or the truth is not in us as we see in 1 John 2:4 We can know that we have come to know Him is we keep His commandments as we read in 1 John 2:3

We must be doers of the word and not just hearers. James 1:22.

We must obey God rather than man as we read in Acts 5:29.

Do you know the truth of God? Do you believe the truth of God?

Have you obeyed the truth of God? (or did you obey a man’s truth).

Shelia Holmes

I would love to study the word of God with you. If you have any doubts, let’s dig into the word of God and help settle those doubts. Or you can go to: www.worldbiblschool.org

What is truth? Part 1

~ Shelia's Notes ~ Leave a comment

What is truth? Part 1

John 8:31-32…You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.

When I was growing up, I remember my Mother telling me to always tell the truth. She said it is very wrong to tell a lie, so you must always tell the truth. From a very young age I knew what truth was and what a lie was. This is something that has gone through life with me. I have never been a person who could err on the gray side. I had to always face the truth of a situation no matter the consequences.

As I watch the current events unfolding each day, I see that so many people have no problem whatsoever telling a lie. Furthermore, so many people have no problem believing a lie, even when the truth is much more convincing.

What is truth? According to most dictionaries the definition of truth is:

  1. Conformity to fact or actuality.
  2. Reality; actuality.
  3. The reality of a situation.

What does the world say truth is?

A popular worldview is pluralism, which says that all truth claims are equally valid. Of course, this is impossible. Can two claims—one that says a woman is now pregnant and another that says she is not now pregnant—both be true at the same time?

Also, note that pluralism says that it is true, and anything opposed to it is false, which is a claim that denies its own foundational tenet.  The spirit behind pluralism is an open-armed attitude of tolerance. However, pluralism confuses the idea of everyone having equal value with every truth claim being equally valid.

More simply, all people may be equal, but not all truth claims are. Pluralism fails to understand the difference between opinion and truth, a distinction Mortimer Adler notes: “Pluralism is desirable and tolerable only in those areas that are matters of taste rather than matters of truth.” (Got Questions.com)

The real question is how can we know what truth is? What can the truth do for us? Where can we find the truth?

  • The fact is that every minute 107 people die.
  • 153,000 people day each day.
  • Death does not play favoritism-old, young and in between are among the numbers.
  • We will all face death at some point.

What happens when one dies?

  • Is there life after death?
  • Is there a heaven?
  • Is there a hell?
  • Will it matter what you believed or how you lived?
  • Will the way you answer these questions affect your eternal destiny?

Most people believe that the majority of those who die will end up going to heaven.

But what does Jesus say in Matthew 7:13-14

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Jesus said there are few who will find life and many who will choose the paths to destruction. Which group do you belong to? Are you among the few or the many? Are you positive about where you will spend eternity?

Even more chilling is what Jesus said about those who believe in Him as the Savior.

Matthew 7: 21-23

Not everyone who say to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to Me, in that day, “Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.

According to this Scripture Jesus says that many religious people will not be in heaven. Merely calling upon Jesus as our Savior is not enough to prepare our souls for heaven. Matthew 7:21 says that we have to do the will of the Father (Jesus speaking).

We must ask some serious questions today:

  • Have you done the will of the Father?
  • If you were to die right now, would you know for certain, nothing doubting that you would go to heaven?
  • Would He say, Depart from Me I know you not?
  • Are would He welcome you into Heaven and say well done good and faithful servant?
  • Have you ever questioned whether or not you were really saved?
  • Do you have doubts, fears, or questions?

Maybe you have wondered about life after death, what your purpose on earth is? Why am I here, is there a God? Does He have a purpose for me?

Many false answers have been offered for these questions. Some contradict the others; some are confusing and distressing.

How can we know the true answers? Which answer is right, does it make a difference what we believe and how we live on earth?

Would you like to know the truth?

Tune in for part two and we will dig deeper to seek the truth.  

Blessings, Shelia

For a free Bible study go to: www.worldbibleschool.org