Quid est Veritas? - Part 1

For those of you who have ever studied Latin, you know that the title to this post translates, "What is Truth?" This is the infamous question that Pontius Pilate posed to Jesus before condemning Him to the cross. According to John 18:33b-38a, Jesus and Pilate had a short but substantive conversation. It went something like this:

Pilate: "Are you the king of the Jews?"

Jesus: "Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me?"

Pilate: "Am I a Jew? It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

Jesus: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Pilate: "You are a king, then!"

Jesus: "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Pilate: "What is truth?"

In our modern day religious world, many people are "church shopping." Since we are a consumer-driven society, it is no wonder that many people take that same approach to religion. When I question people about what they are looking for in a church, they reply "I'm looking for a church with a dynamic preacher" or "I want to find a church with a good children's program" or "I want to find a church with a solid marriage enrichment ministry" or "I want to be a part of a church with a contemporary worship style using contemporary music."

What I rarely (if ever) hear is "I am looking for a church that teaches and models the truth." Are you shocked? I'm not ... we live in a post modern world filled with a philosophy of moral relativism, pluralism, and other "isms" that deny universal truth. Check out this video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXoNE14U_zM

Truth is risky. It is sometimes tough to handle. It means that there is a standard. It means that there is an eternal ethic that is applicable to all peoples, for all times, in all places. Scripture says that "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ~ Romans 3:23. Translation: we have all blown it, messed up, missed the mark, and failed to attain God's holy standard. It does not matter who we are, how smart we think we are, where we come from, or where we think we are headed. We have all thought, said, and done bad things that have hurt ourselves and others. And we know this to be true!

While our culture tolerates "little white lies," exalts politicians who break their campaign promises, and promulgates deception in relationships, the Bible says, "Buy the truth and do not sell it ..." ~ Proverbs 23:23. Jesus says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ~ John 8:31b-32.

Quid est Veritas? What is Truth? When Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven, He said, "... your word is truth." - John 17:17. That word of truth is God's word, and we can hear it anytime we read the Holy Bible. The Bible has stood the test of time and continues to transform lives on multiple levels. Why? It is the word of God, and it will stand forever.

The Bible articulates, illustrates, and illuminates the way to peace, contentment, fulfillment, satisfaction, and salvation. It points to the Savior, the central Person of Scripture. It points to Jesus who is the Lord, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Divine One, and the Judge of all the living and the dead.

As you read God's word, you will discover God's design, plan, and purpose for your life. You will discover that there is a standard for how to live, worship and honor the God of the universe. You will discover the kind of church that you ought to be a part of. And you will discover that GOD WANTS YOU!!!!

Be A Berean!!

One of the biggest problems in religion (both in ancient and in modern times) is that religious adherents do not take the time to examine the Holy Scriptures to discover whether or not what their leaders are preaching and teaching is Biblically correct. As a result, we have divisions, strange teachings that are foreign to the Bible, and a multiplicity of views about any one doctrinal matter.


God gave every one of us free will. We all have the ability to think, to reason, to receive, to give, and to communicate our feelings and understanding on any particular issue. We exercise those rights on a daily basis. If we are hungry, we choose to eat. If we suddenly realize that we are charged too much at a particular store, we let the cashier know immediately. If we want a specific style of mocha or coffee, we know just how we want it to taste, how to make it or where to find the place that makes it to our satisfaction. What am I saying? When we want something, we take action!



When it comes to religion, however, it seems like our brains freeze, we become passive, and we do not think about what we are seeing or hearing supposedly coming from God and put it to the test. Why? Some folks do not want to think as they worship; they just want to feel good, hear a decent sermon, leave the church building, go back next week and repeat the same actions. Caution: If that is your modus operandi, you are skating on very thin ice. Your soul is too precious to play those kinds of games.


Twenty centuries ago, the apostle Paul traveled on many foreign missionary journeys. One of the places that Paul traveled to is still talked about today because of the notable actions of the people that he encountered. The Bible says, "The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thesssalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds." - Acts 17:10-13 (New American Standard Bible).


This is a prolific passage of Scripture. Those Bereans did not take anything for granted. They demonstrated how proactive they were in their faith, and how serious they were about application of God's word to their lives. Even though Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ (i.e., an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord Jesus and a divinely inspired messenger of God's word who could perform miraculous powers), the Bereans EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES to determine whether or not Paul was correct in his message. WOW!



My friends, we must do the same today. If the apostle Paul can be examined, then your pastor, preacher, priest, rabbi, and pope ought to be examined. And if what they say does not match with God's holy word, then you must reject those messages and turn to the living God and His word for direction in your life. Jesus put it this way, "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." - Matthew 15:14 (New International Version).




If you read the immediate context of this passage in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus came down very hard on those Pharisees (teachers of the law) who held their traditions on a higher level than God's word. Tradition and opinion must never supersede or replace the word of God in our lives! Discern what you hear from altars and pulpits my friends!


Be proactive in your faith! Study and examine the Scriptures! "Test everything. Hold on to the good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (New International Version). Your soul is worth it! And remember .... GOD WANTS YOU!!!!