Know The Truth

Our world is so confused about basic things these days that people simply don’t know what the truth is anymore. Think about truth for a moment. What color is the best?

You believe that ______ is the best but I believe that red is the best. Who is right and who is wrong? Be careful… I didn’t ask which color is your favorite… I asked which color is the best. There’s a difference there. You can have your favorite and I can have mine… But is there 1 color that is “better” than all the others? Maybe in your mind, but in general no there is not. We all have different ideas and preferences - this is simply a part of being a human. Truth can be subjective - truth can change on the situation. Maybe if you’re wanting to wear something in the summer-time you won’t wear dark colors because you know that you’ll get more hot with dark colors than light colors. This doesn’t mean that you hate dark colors, but depending on the situation your opinion might change. People might have different opinions about what a good grade is on a test. What would you say is a good test grade in school? For some people a 95% is good but for others a 75% is good. Who gets to define good? We need a standard of good that comes from someone higher than ourselves because we disagree as humans. Opinions can be different. Truth can be subjective to a person and their opinion and their viewpoint, but truth is also objective… Meaning that there are some things that are always right and always wrong.

What is something that is always good to do?

Helping someone who is hurt

Being honest

Looking out for someone being picked on

Helping an animal that is stuck

Being like Jesus

Now, what are some things that are always wrong?

Killing someone who is innocent in cold blood

Saying something mean to someone else because we’re a little upset

There are some things in life that are always right and others that are always wrong. There are certain absolutes out there. You know that a compass will face north. You know that 3 comes after 2. You know that if you jump off the ground, you’ll come back to the ground because of gravity. These are the laws that govern our world - these things are truthful statements. But who gets to say that they are true? How do we know that they are true? Is something true because someone else taught us it was true? If that’s the case then we’d be in trouble because for years and years people thought that the earth was flat and the whole universe revolved around the earth. Just because we were taught something doesn’t automatically make it true. Just because most people in a group or in our country believe something is right doesn’t mean that it’s true either. There was a point in time where the majority of Americans believed that it was ok to treat a Native American with disrespect and as if they weren’t even fully human. Today there are things that a lot of people believe but it doesn’t mean that it’s automatically true. Say that person A says that it’s perfectly acceptable to trip an innocent person in the face but person B says that it’s not ok - it’s mean. Whose right and whose wrong?

Our world says that you can’t know for sure - that you have your truth and that you should live out your truth and that no one can tell you that you’re wrong because you get to define what your truth is. There are no consequences in this world because you’re just doing what you think is right in your mind… This might sound appetizing to us because we like being in control and we don’t like consequences. So, what’s the problem? The problem is that we have a fundamental flaw as humans. The Bible calls this sin - and sin makes it impossible for us to see clearly. The Bible says that before Jesus, we were walking in darkness. Have you ever tried to walk to your house in the dark? Sometimes you can make it where you need to go without getting hurt, but there are other times that you forget that there’s a corner where you’re at and you stub your toe or you step on something sharp. The Bible tells us that we were walking in darkness and that we were dead in our sins… We were hopeless. We kept running into the same wall and we couldn’t get out of our own way. This is the truth. We talk about the Gospel being good news but before you get to the good news you have to be honest about the bad news… We were all lost in darkness. We did what we wanted to do and the Bible says that we were sinners who deserved God’s wrath or punishment against sin. Because of our sin, we are in trouble. So what has God done? God has given us what we call a moral compass that helps us figure out what is right and what is wrong… Every single human being as this type of moral compass.

What does a compass do? It points North. It gives guidance and direction. We all have this in our mind as Romans 1-2 tells us. Think about this question for a moment: How do you know that bullying is bad? How do you know that being sick is bad? You know that it’s bad because it’s embedded in your brain. But how can this be a universal truth? It has to be bigger than just our opinion or feeling… How can this be truth? Only if a higher standard exists.

Romans 1:18–20 CSB

18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

Romans 2:15 CSB

15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them

Every single human being knows that God exists simply because of creation. We are without excuse. God shows us that He exists simply because of creation and through the reality of moral rights and wrongs.

If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist

Objective moral values and duties do exist

Therefore, God exists

How Can We Know the Truth?

If God gets to decide what is true, how can we know what is true?

By reading the Bible!

In the Bible we read that God is all-powerful, all-good, and all-knowing. If God is good and trustworthy, it follows that we can trust what He says. Whenever you tell someone that you mean what you say you might make a “promise” with them. Has anyone ever broken a promise, though? As sinful humans we sometimes break promises. We don’t always tell the truth and do what we’re supposed to do. How is God different? God is trustworthy and doesn’t lie. He doesn’t fall short. God makes promises with people in the Bible and He calls them covenants. Do you know what a covenant is?

An agreement between 2 groups that requires at least one group to do something

God makes a covenant with His people in the Bible and promises to do His part. He always comes through on His promises!

How Do We Know That the Bible Is True?

The Bible is true because God is truthful. God is the ultimate authority.

You don’t give the Bible authority. Your parents don’t make the Bible true. The Bible is our authority because the Bible is God’s Word and it is without error.