A Pastor’s Thoughts: Absolute Truth

[By Pastor Wayne Sibrava, Living Water Baptist Church]

In the Bible, the word TRUTH is found 237 times in 224 verses. It has a very clear and distinct meaning. The word TRUTH means firmness, trustworthiness, and faithfulness. It also couples with the word DURATION. Putting it all together, we see that truth is not only fixed, but it is also enduring. 

Truth is not on a moving scale. Truth is not fluid, changing, or bending. Truth does not depend on what we think in our own minds.  

One of the first occurrences of the word TRUTH is found early in the Bible:  Deuteronomy 32:4 (NKJV) 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways  are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. God is a God of truth and without injustice. He alone is righteous. He is right in all His ways. One of the last occurrences of the word TRUTH is found in 1 John 4:6 (NLT) 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.  

I realize that these are days of division, argument and even worse. Yet, if it is correct that TRUTH is not fluid or changing, but constant, then the problem must be in not following and believing in absolute truth.  

God created the heavens and the earth and established order in the creation. We must go back to the Architect of it all. It is God. Neither politicians nor the Supreme Court define truth. It is not the schools or even the church that define truth. No, it is not up to mankind to define truth, for God has already defined truth. Only God, through His Word, can define truth.  

Jesus declared that the Word of God is truth: John 17:17 (NLT) 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Jesus declared that He is the  truth: John 14:6 (NLT) 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. The Bible declares that the Holy Spirit is truth: John 16:13 (NLT) 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. We are to walk in the truth: 3 John 4 (ESV) 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.  

The single greatest truth is the reality that we can know for sure that when we die we will go to heaven. Furthermore, the single greatest and simplest verse defining how we can go to heaven is this: John 3:16 (ESV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Knowing for sure that when we die we will go to heaven is not based on any work that we do or words we speak. It is totally and only in trusting Jesus as one’s Lord.  

My prayer for Owego and the surrounding communities is that we would all admit that we are sinners, confess our sin, and accept Jesus as our Lord. God, give us the grace to accept Your truth.