A Lie Has Many Variations, the Truth None – African proverb

I’ve never been one to believe what I hear without first asking questions. I pursue the truth relentlessly and am by nature a skeptic.

skeptic – a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions

Success in discerning the truth depends on receiving reliable information. Information is only as good as its source. Trustworthy sources are hard to find. Sources twist the truth to fit what they think the “truth” should be until eventually the “truth” becomes a lie.

ONE SOURCE OF ALL TRUTH

There is one source for all truth. That is a bold statement. Being a skeptic, I found this hard to believe.  But consider for a moment that if what I say is true, then the truth is knowable! This one source of truth would serve as the unchanging measure by which we could weigh everything we hear to determine whether it is the truth or a lie. We could live our lives by this truth.

This source exists.  It is the inspired word of God – the Bible. The Bible tells the truth about God, about me, about you. It has the answer to any question or moral dilemma we might face. Although the Bible was written over a period of 1500 years by 40 authors with very different backgrounds on three different continents, it tells one story with one central message: God’s redemption of man. It is the living word and has the power to transform lives – I know, it transformed mine.

TRUTH OR FICTION?

I haven’t always believed in this source. As a teenager, I read the Bible as a story – an instructional story that was meant to teach valuable moral lessons. I didn’t believe that Moses parted the Red Sea or that Jesus turned water to wine. The idea of God raising someone from the dead seemed ridiculous to me. A good story, yes, but likely untrue. These things were foolishness to me. You see, human wisdom and pride kept me from even considering that the Bible might be true – that its message may have saving power.

In order for me to begin to contemplate the whole Jesus, God, Bible thing, I needed the Bible to be a legitimate option as a source of truth. I needed to hear logical arguments for why the Bible is true. Now don’t get me wrong…

I’m not saying that I came to Christ through logical arguments, but hearing logical arguments gave my intellect permission to consider the Bible as a legitimate source of truth and ultimately believe its message. [pullquote]I’m not saying that I came to Christ through logical arguments, but hearing logical arguments gave my intellect permission to consider the Bible as a legitimate source of truth and ultimately believe its message. [/pullquote]

Without this permission, my brain kept my heart from responding to the Gospel and the message of Christ continued to be lost on me.

SKEPTIC TO BELIEVER

My transformation from skeptic to believer was not instantaneous. Before I could accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life, I had to believe that the Bible was true – that it accurately reflected the story of man and ultimately Jesus. For so long, the truth was hidden from me by human wisdom.  Thank God that He did not give up on me.  He actually used human wisdom to present arguments to me that made sense and that began to poke holes in the lies that were blinding me from the truth.  He brought people and resources into my life that met me where I was at.

At some point in my pursuit of  truth, I remember thinking, if the Bible really is true, my life would forever be changed. If God really created the earth by speaking, if he really raised Jesus from the dead, He is a powerful God and I want to know Him! I don’t know the exact moment I knew that the Bible was true, but the consequences of this revelation were staggering. My life was forever changed. Believing that God was big enough to part the seas, turn water to wine, and raise Jesus from the dead gave my life purpose. The desire to know God through His Word burned in me. Since that time, I have been on a continuous quest for more of God’s truth. I can’t get enough. The truth set me free. The truth sets us all free.Continue your pursuit of truth in “The Bible: Truth or Fiction” , where you will find arguments for the truth of the Bible. For the skeptic, these arguments will give their intellect permission to consider that the Bible is true.  For the believer, these arguments will arm them with a new way to approach those who will not consider the Bible as a legitimate source of truth.

PRAYER

Thank you God that your Word is true and you’ve given us a way to the Truth.  Thank you also for each person reading this blog.  Holy Spirit speak to them where they are at today and guide them to the Truth.  In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.