“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
We live in a world where everyone has their own source of truth. I believe that there are 6 main sources of truth that most people look to. First, some people believe that truth is what they have been taught, whether by their parents, schools, books, or people they look up to. Second, some people believe truth is what the media tells them based on what they see on television or read on the internet. Third, some believe that truth is found in one’s own personal experiences and how they have observed things as they happen in their own lives. Fourth, some believe that truth is relative to one’s circumstances. Fifth, some believe that truth is only what we can prove scientifically. And sixth, some believe that truth is found in the Bible.
So which is it? Is there only one source of truth or are there many sources of truth?
First of all, logic tells us that there can only be one truth. Something is either true or it is not true. It can’t be both true and false at the same time. Therefore, that means that there is an absolute truth. The first 5 sources mentioned above are not really sources of truth, but rather are man’s ways of confirming a truth by what we see, read or experience in our world. They do not explain the source of that truth but only what we as humans discover about ourselves and our world.
For many years people thought the earth was flat until we learned that the earth was round. The truth is that the earth was always round, we just did not know it or accept it until someone proved it to be true. The same can be said of other things that we now know about our world and people that are true, such as gravity or that people are capable of horrible evil. However, there are still many other things in our world today that we may think are true, but we do not know yet if they are really true, such as stress causes cancer or that human activity affects climate change. This is because there may be errors in textbooks, inaccurate media reporting, insufficient data or experiences, and varying circumstances that make something being true difficult to determine.
So that leaves only the Bible as the source of truth, because it did not come from man but from God, the Creator of all things.
According to the Bible, it was God who created the world (Genesis 1:1) and us (Genesis 1:27). It says He is responsible for all creation (John 1:3) and that He has dominion over all things (Psalm 22:28). It also says that God speaks the truth and declares what is right (Isaiah 45:19). Consequently, he has established what is true by His own Hand. Just as a computer operates according to the way it was designed and built to work, so human beings and the world work according to God’s design and intention. Throughout history there has never been another more reliable or proven explanation of how we came to exist, how the world works, and why we act or function the way that we do. Ignoring God and His Word does not change what He did or said.
To determine whether something is true or not we simply need to go to God and ask Him or search His Word for the answer. Looking for truth in other sources will never yield answers that are not already found in God or the Bible. I believe that the definition of science is discovering what God already knows. Though scientists may try to find truth through experimentation, observation and study, ultimately those methods only serve to confirm the truth of what God has already created or designed. As a result, scientists will never discover anything that contradicts God’s Word.
And here is where the wisdom of God comes in. In His wisdom God has already given us the Truth. He told us how everything was created, why everything was created, and how He has designed everything to function. It’s all there in the pages of His Holy Word, the Bible. It is not hidden from us nor is it difficult to find. He even sent His own Son Jesus Christ into the world to show us His Truth (John 14:6). Jesus also said if we follow His teaching (from the Bible) then we will know the truth (John 8:32).
So if we want to know the truth we simply need to follow Jesus, read the Bible, search it for the truth, and ask God to give us His wisdom as Solomon did in 1 Kings 3:9. And just as He gave Solomon wisdom, God says He will give us His wisdom as well if we just ask Him for it (James 1:5). And while we may not always understand or comprehend the truth from His Word, just like the early humans who thought the earth was flat, God will reveal His Truth to us in time and according to His purposes (Amos 4:13).
So it ultimately comes down to whether a person accepts God and the Bible as the source of all truth. If we ignore God and search for truth in the intellect of man, the media, or our own experiences or circumstances, we will never find it, and we will remain lost in darkness. But if we ask God and search His truth as written in the Bible, we will find the knowledge, wisdom and truth that we so desperately seek.
As I survey the landscape of America and the world with all of its problems, conflicts, and frustrations, the answers and truth we seek are right there in front of us because God has given it to us. It is ironic to me that the one thing that can solve the issues we face is the one thing many people reject or refuse to consider. Consequently, until we turn to God and His Word, we will remain in darkness and continue to struggle to find the truth that will bring us the answers and peace that we seek for ourselves or our world.
Lord, give us Your wisdom, and help us to lead others to You, Your Word, and the Truth through Your son Jesus! Amen.
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