“After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so He can give glory back to You. For You have given Him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one You have given Him. And this is the way to have eternal life – to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one You sent to earth.’” (John 17:1-3 NLT)
Jesus isn’t Truth simply because the Church believes that He is or even because the Bible says He is. Jesus is Truth because that’s who He says He is, and He is incapable of telling a lie. In much the same way as whatever comes out of the mouth of Satan is a lie; everything that comes from Jesus is Truth.
Every person who has ever lived or ever will live rests or will rest their hope in something or someone. It may be a body of belief that is religious or non-religious, or something they were taught by a grandparent or parent when they were small that they’ve never forgotten, but we all have a fundamental “truth” that drives our life. But all beliefs aren’t equal and wrong beliefs have consequences.
Some people believe that all people are basically good, that given the opportunity people will do the right thing. Prisons are filled with people who didn’t choose the “right thing.” Others believe we’re simply products of our environment, that our behavior is essentially learned or “inherited.” And, to some extent, that’s true.
According to Scripture we’ve been born with an Adamic nature, a nature that resists God and seeks to forge our own way. We want what we want when we want it and are, too often, willing to do whatever it takes to get our way. As human beings, we’re naturally selfish and self-centered. We have a nature that craves attention and likes to be recognized and praised.
Like our “father,” Satan, we aren’t opposed to fabricate or exaggerate the truth to make ourselves look better or to put ourselves in a more favorable light with those we wish to impress. Indeed, our “father” has been known to disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) as a means of deceiving those who would allow him.
But as believers in Jesus we don’t rest in lies or half-truths. We don’t settle for make believe, opinions, rhetoric, or riddles, and for good reason. Gratefully, our God not only teaches Truth but amplifies it through His very being. Jesus said of Himself in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”
“Right!” you may be thinking, “and I’m the Easter Bunny!” you may say. People can say anything about themselves or anyone or anything, but the proof is in the proverbial “pudding.” Can you prove what you say about yourself as Jesus proved what He said about Himself?
Jesus revealed His identity in many ways, but in two very distinct and incomparable ways. He was born of a virgin, and He rose from the dead on the third day after His verifiable death. Those and other evidence give me full confidence that I can rest in the Truth, not only of what He said, but of who He is. But as ironclad as I believe those truths are, the irrefutable evidence to me is His ever-present life and love with me throughout my day in unmistakable and undeniable ways.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 