Knowing the Truth

Knowing the Truth

“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’” John 18:37-38.

It may sound strange that Pilate should ask something like this, but there is more to it than most people think.

The devil is a liar, and because of the Fall, people have fallen under the power of the lie, without knowing or understanding it. This ignorance is a barrier to understanding the truth.

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” John 8:31-32. They had to abide in Jesus’ word first, then they truly would be Jesus’ disciples; they would know the truth, and the truth would set them free from the power of the lie.

Our nature, which is corrupted by sin, has transported our entire existence into darkness. Our spirit, our consciousness, has firmly descended into lies, so that we think and believe something else about ourselves than is actually true. Therefore we must have the truth revealed to us because we are ignorant of it; it is a mystery to us.

“How long, O you sons of men . . . will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?” Ps. 4:2. “You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking what is right.” Ps. 52:4.

The angel (overseer) of the church in Laodicea did not know the truth. He certainly did not lack knowledge about God and salvation; he spoke about it at each meeting. So he knew that truth, but he did not know the truth about himself. He thought that he was rich and wealthy and lacked nothing, yet he did not know that he was wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

What he thought about himself was not true, which made it difficult for him to acknowledge the truth.

We possess so much of the mind of the Pharisee and so little of the mind of the tax collector! The tax collector’s prayer was heard, and he went home justified, but not the Pharisee. He represents hypocrisy and falsehood.

All lies are from the devil, and wherever falsehood rules, the devil rules—for example, in the preaching. Not so few preachers separate the Christian life from Christ’s commandments and words, thinking that you advance just as far on the way of salvation whether you keep Christ’s commandments or not.

When it is written, “He who practices sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:8—NASB), and they preach—contrary to the written word—that it is impossible to live an overcoming life, they have been deceived by the liar. As it is written, “And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive he love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie . . . .” 2 Thess. 2:10-11.

Because of this preaching, the truth in the Word is not revealed, and everyone who believes this kind of preaching is deceived and is subject to the power of the lie.

However, if we abide in His Word, we are truly His disciples, and then we will also know the truth about ourselves, and have the promise that the Spirit will lead us into all truth.