I am seeing more people than in years past that are basing their whole life orientation on opinions. It is like “my mind is made up on which opinion I am going to follow, don’t bother me with the facts!” The worst part of it is that our federal government is increasingly basing things on opinion rather than facts. And if you do not go along with the official opinion, you will be “canceled”. You may even lose your job or be fined or jailed. In my opinion we are on the verge of falling into a nation that does not respect the freedoms on which this nation was founded. But I am not going to go into the facts behind this opinion because that is not the purpose of this article. Rather this article is about truth itself.
Where do we get truth? Truth comes from the Creator of the universe, the solar system, the Earth, and life itself. But how can we get His truth? Jesus discussion with the disciples and Philip in John 14:6-11 provides a key:
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
Since Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in him, whatever he said or did is what the Father said and did. So all the New Testament that describes what Jesus said and did is truth from the Father. Furthermore, Jesus continually referred to the Old Testament writings and validated them, so they too are truth from God. But notice the last part of verse 11. Another source of truth is the evidence. When Jesus walked the Earth he did many things, performed many miracles, and the evidence of these miracles validates him as Truth.
God has given us the written Word as truth, but even within those documents is evidence of their truth. Moses was not here when God created the Earth. In fact it took several billion years after Earth was formed before it was habitable by humans. Yet Genesis 1 describes the beginning of Earth the way scientists see it happening through the evidence they have discovered with telescopes and other instruments. (See Hugh Ross, Creator and the Cosmos, or other writing at Reasons.org) Also the book of Daniel describes future empires that came after Daniel’s time, things he could not have known without having been shown by God himself. Also there are many references to the coming Messiah that were all fulfilled by Jesus. Again these are not things the writers could have known without them being revealed by the Truth. Since Jesus fully accepted Old Testament writing and they bear witness to themselves having been inspired, we can take the entire Bible as God’s revealing truth to us.
Secondly, we gain truth by studying the Creation God made. The God who made everything is also the God who revealed truth to us through the written Word. Since it is one and the same God, what we can see in Creation bears witness to us of Truth and must be consistent with the Truth revealed in the written Word. Any inconsistencies we think we see are an indication of our lack of understanding. Again, Hugh Ross’s The Creator and the Cosmos gives an excellent and thorough discussion of the science that confirms Scripture and shows us the nature and character of God.
In a court of law, the judge needs to determine the truth to announce his verdict. Opinions do not carry much weight unless they come from someone reliable with considerable experience. However, eyewitness testimony is very valuable, but it must be scrutinized. W. Mark Lanier, a trial lawyer, in his book Christianity on Trial, made the statement, “In my courtroom experience, anytime two stories are identical, there is strong likelihood of collusion. The truth is that eyewitnesses notice different things. One may see two cars racing through an intersection while another notices a green one. That does not mean one is right and another is wrong. It means that the stories need to be combined to see if they make sense.” (W. Mark Lanier. 2014. Christianity on Trial: A Lawyer Examines the Christian Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, pg. 204.) Perhaps the truth is there were two cars, one of which was green. The truth is determined by synthesizing all the eyewitness testimony together. But if the testimonies don’t fit together at all or if they are totally in agreement, some doubt may be cast on their veracity and truth.
In this regard, Heaven Is Beyond Imagination is a source of truth about what lies ahead after we die, since it is a compilation of fifty eyewitness testimonies of heaven and nineteen of hell. These testimonies are both consistent with each other and different. It passes all the tests of eyewitness veracity. So we can take what they tell us as truth about our afterlife. The Bible tells us some things about heaven and hell and these eyewitness testimonies take our knowledge deeper, which seems to be the reason God has allowed us to have these eyewitness testimonies in these current times because the end is getting so close, and He doesn’t want anyone to miss out on what He has prepared for those who love Him.
So our source of truth is what Creation tells us, what the Scriptures tell us, and what eyewitnesses of God’s kingdom tell us, all of which is about what Jesus and the Father have told us.
In another vein, I have noticed that people who deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, seem to have the most trouble seeing truth, even when it is on everyday matters especially those having to do with political issues. They seem more inclined to adopt one line of opinions and consider other lines of opinions false. So it appears to me that when someone denies the one who is “the way and the truth and the life,” they are unable then to recognize or even accept truth, even when it is just earthly matters. In many cases they are not even open to considering evidence that contradicts their opinion.
So if you want your life to be guided by truth rather than opinion, you first need humbly to confess your sin and unworthiness and accept Jesus as the Son of God, the Savior who gave his life to pay for your sins and make you free. Then you must allow the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and take control in your life. The Holy Spirit also is a part of God and can then bring truth in its perspective in all your proceedings and thoughts.