What is Truth?; A Smokescreen to Hide the Truth.

The last number of articles have been on how we can, and do, know the truth.  But just because the truth is knowable does not mean people automatically want to know the truth.

God's prophet Ezekiel preached the Word of God long and hard to the Jews during their 70 year captivity in ancient Babylon.  God was telling them, through Ezekiel, that they were rebellious and wicked and that is why God was judging the nation through captivity.  The Jews of the captivity loved their home land (like today) and nostalgically loved to hear Ezekiel preach, it reminded them of home; but, they were not loving the message!  How could they experience the preaching that made them feel pleasantly nostalgic and ignore the message they hated?  Ezekiel tells God (of course, God knew), "...Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?" (Ezekiel 20:49).  This is equivalent to saying either, "we can't understand what he says" or "there is some other meaning than the plain sense of his words."  By the way--the vast majority of what is called 'Christianity' today deals with God's Word this way--they manipulate it on some pretext to change the plain sense, thereby feeling they are religious and right with God but not having to deal with God in truth.  God will judge.

If you are reading this and you are wondering about the so-called-Christian denominations and stuff.  Please know that NO CHURCH IS THE SOURCE OF TRUTH.  GOD IS TRUTH AND HIS BOOK, THE BIBLE, IS THE TRUTH FROM GOD.  Many churches have rejected God's Word, the truth, then there are those few churches that are committed to holding onto the truth no matter what.  A church is only as good as its adherence to the Word of God.

[I am not promoting a 'Christian Religion' over a Muslim Religion or Bhuddist religion, etc.  I an not saying you should like this one because I like this one, this one makes me feel better.  I am saying God is Truth, God has made the truth know in His written Word, the Bible, and ALL that are different (contrary) to the Bible are wrong, regardless of how it makes you or me feel..  Truth is absolute and unchanging.]

Can I challenge you with the face-to-face meeting of the Lord Jesus Christ and a man named Pilate.  Pilate was the Roman Governor of Judea who gave Jesus up to be crucified.  As recorded, Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38).  Yes, some can ask this question in honesty; nevertheless, there comes a point in people's lives when the question is no longer sincere, but a smokescreen to hide the truth staring you in the face.

Pilate had learned that Jesus...

...  claimed to be a King of a kingdom not of this world (John 18:33-39; Mark 14:2-14).
...  was a just man, morally faultless (Luke 23:4; Matthew 27:19).

Pilate attempted to let Jesus go throughout this bogus trial.  Pilate's conscience is bothering him.  Pilate delivers Jesus to be scourged (whipped) and then presents Jesus to the Jews once again.  Pilate then discovers that not only is Jesus just, not only does Jesus claim to be a King, but Jesus claims to be the Son of God (John 19:7)--meaning, Jesus claimed to be God.

For Pilate, the new fact that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God caused him to be "more afraid" (John 19:8).  This simple statement tells us two things about what has been going on in Pilate's heart throughout his meeting with Christ Jesus.

          (1)    Pilate's conscience had been bothering him that the claims Jesus
                   made were true and that Jesus' life and behaviour were consistent
                   with Jesus' claims.  If Pilate had thought Jesus was a fraud Pilate
                   could not have believed him to be a just man and without fault.

          (2)    Pilate's internal trouble (fear) increased when he learned that Jesus
                  claimed to be the Son of God.  Put yourself in Pilate's place.
                  If you hear that a man calls himself the Son of God, then that man is
                  either a liar, a lunatic, or TRUTH!  If Pilate believed Jesus' claim
                  to be the Son of God to be a lie, then why was his fear increased?
                 The only explanation is that Pilate gave serious weight to Jesus' claim
                  to be God, so much so that Pilate's internal fear that he was doing
                  something very wrong increased.

Pilate's end is not pretty.  John 19:1-13---Pilate rejects God and the truth for personal interests.

My friend, you can know the truth.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

We are coming to a point in these blog articles where we need to be, and will be, looking at Who Jesus Christ is and What Jesus Christ has done as well as why you must have Jesus save you from your sin.  What will you do with Jesus?

We are with out excuse.