The Pursuit of Truth

The Pursuit of Truth

There are many people who are attempting to live a good Christian life or a good moral life, but does that make them acceptable before the God of Truth? Can a good life be acceptable as a life based on truth of YHVH’s word? Can one live a life full of good Christian deeds and still miss the mark?

Look at these words in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Three things Jesus stated, “I am the way” because it is through Him that we must return back to the Father, “I am the truth” because He is the bearer of the truth of: what is required by YHVH, what is the will of YHVH, who is YHVH and the living of life according to YHVH, etc.; and “I am the life” because through Christ we can obtain life eternal. We find “truth” sandwich in between the way and the life because which ever way you look the truth must be the compelling issue as to why and how you respond to following Jesus and obtaining eternal life.

There is really no other way. You can be good and do many good deeds, but will that give you eternal life with Christ? No, our good deeds and good naturedness will not get us eternal life with Christ, but rather His good deed on the cross will get us eternal life; if we repent and receive this gift of life from YHVH, our Father, which is in heaven.

The word truth in Hebrew is 'emeth, eh'-meth; contraction from Hebrew 539 ('aman); stability; figurative certainty, truth, trustworthiness :- assured (-ly), establishment, faithful, right, sure, true (-ly, -th), verity. The Bible says that YHVH is the Eloheim Emet, the God of Truth. He is trustworthy, he is truth, He is true, He is right, all His ways are sure etc.

In the Garden of Eden YHVH told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but all other trees they were permitted to eat thereof. The word tree is a metaphor and that can be substantiated by reading Ezekiel 31, Matthew 3:10, and Isaiah 61:3. As a metaphor, the reference to tree implies that there is life, it grows, bears fruit/produce offsprings – something after its own likeness. So YHVH said to Adam, if you eat of the tree of good and evil it will produce something after its own likeness. This tree had two likenesses those being good and evil.

But the tree of life held one likeness – life, thus it was the way and it is the truth. From this one likeness come only one fruit – life. But the other tree having two likenesses could only produce a fruit that is good with the propensity for evil. Adam and Eve opted for that good with the propensity for evil. Hence humanity has this duality of goodness and evil. But Jesus came to split that tree which separated us from the truth and from life.

Many believers are saved, but are they really pursuing the truth. If I have chosen Christ as my way then His truths must be my next pursuit. All my decisions must be based on truth, all my actions must be based on truth, all my good deeds must be based on truth, and all my life’s pursuits must be based on truth, but YHVH’s truth – the purity and virtue of truth. Keeping His every commandment, yielding to His will, doing His works, studying His word and pursuing a life pleasing to HIM. You see, the pursuit of the spirit of truth keeps us from error. The power of truth operates in the believer’s life to bring that life in keeping with YHVH’s righteousness.

1 John 4:1-6

[1] Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. [2] Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: [3] And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. [4] Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. [5] They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. [6] We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The failure to pursue truth is to live a defeated life at every turn. Proverbs 16:25 tells us, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” So many believers are taking the way that seems right but constantly finding themselves at death’s door. It is time for the body of Christ to pursue the right way of things. Day-by-day we find the world turning away from faith in YHVH because we are living a life contrary to truth. Many want to be politically correct and tolerant of evil and not make any waves. We compromise that righteousness imputed to us by Christ when we try to find cleaver ways to break the law and disguise a wrong thing to appear as something good.

I have seen believers do unrighteous things in the name of Jesus for what they deemed good reasons but in the end the gospel was harmed and their works were sullied. On my last trip to Africa I was invited to a conference by a pastor to minister to the widows. He arrived at the village with an entourage of widows and young pastors. When we arrived in the village this pastor had a preacher’s collar on that was hanging loose around his neck. One other pastor asked him if he needed assistance fixing it. This pastor’s response was, he did not need help as his collar was only worn when he drives his car because his car does not pass regulation and the collar gives him some merit of mercy from the officers who might stop him. I was quite appalled and spent the next hour explaining to him why this was wrong. That pastor came to preach the gospel and do good deeds but how he got there sullied the efforts.

How often do our actions sully the gospel and its ability to work for the good of the kingdom? After salvation we must pursue truth so that we can live that life pleasing unto YHVH. Do we have to break laws or go around them to do YHVH’s will? I do not believe this is true. I believe He will ALWAYS make a right path before His people. I believe that when we go against the laws of man and YHVH we have allowed our self serving pride to take control and we break the law and rules for our own glory.

In the city I currently live in there is an ordinance that the citizens are not allowed to distribute food or other care items to the homeless on the streets. But in an established approved place or your home you can do so liberally. But I have to tell you, it gets my blood to boiling because there is this other self in me that has to be restrained, telling me “go for it.” It’s a good cause, it’s worth the fight, get your agenda out there and show them who you are. Really, that is what our egotistical actions are really all about. Where is the glory for YHVH? Are there times when all of this is irrelevant? I believe history shows us that there are times when all our systems breakdown and chaos ensues and we do what the spirit compels us to do. In times passed there were many lands and nations that did not have a defined form of government in many remote and uninhabitable places and pretty much man was able to carve out a way out of no way. But today we can acknowledge that although there are laws that restrict us these are still the frame work we must operate in.

Once I had a banking issue. My bank would hold my funds anticipating what they deemed to be my more important bills yet to come in. Thus, they would cause my account to overdraft until when my housing note came due it had even eaten into it so nothing even that got paid. I went into the bank to speak to a representative and told him I did not put my money in their bank so they could micromanage my account but when my bills came in they were to pay it. The smart aleck told me I should go home and read the fine print.

Well, I went home, read the fine print, called city hall and found out what were the parameters to picket a business. I was told and I conducted myself within the letter of the law. I returned to that bank with a picket sign, a sun hat and a bottle of water and proceeded to walk the length of the side wall hailing on my sign, “If your bank is ripping you off, HONK.” The honks drew the attention of the bank’s representatives and I was invited in and the issue was resolved and today I am still with that bank and no more problems. Since then the laws have been changed in how banks manage the accounts of their clients. Yes, I wrote to my congressman and received a thank you for sharing letter and that was it. I would like to think YHVH moved on my behalf but I know that every now and again we come to our senses.

The pursuit of truth is the way you live your Christian life within the laws of man and YHVH. It is the way you share and do the works of the gospel. It is the rightness of living a life that stands out to a world lost and in need of the right path.

The pursuit of truth is a life that conforms to the laws of YHVH and reflects the revelations that comes from His word -impacting one’s life with change. The truth is YHVH said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17 Today, we are still eating of that tree of the knowledge of good and evil because we have salvation yet denying the truth of what we are saved unto. We are saved unto a life that has been restored to YHVH because Jesus shed His blood to wash clean away our sins and the Holy Spirit was ushered in after to give us the power to reframe from the evil inclinations and to reveal to us the truth hidden behind the wall of sin.

Anyone who tries to live this Christian life without the pursuit of truth will struggle and fail. Truth enlightens us as to why we do what we do how it affects our relationship to YHVH and teaches us the right way to be. It is in learning the right way to be that goes beyond philosophy, humanism, spirituality, being religious etc. Truth is a matter of walking with YHVH and there is no compromise in truth. As we learn His truth and live a discipline life in it, we find we yield less and less to sin until it becomes a distant shadow of who we were. We must pursue truth and raise the standard.