Focus On The Truth
But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who set up divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
We are called to stand up for what is true.
We are called to stand up for what is right.
These are easy things to say. They are rarely easy things to do.
How do we know what is true? How can we be sure what is right?
When even the nightly news is filled more with opinion than fact, how can we be sure we have the correct understanding of anything?
The easy answer—the pat answer—is to simply say “read the Bible,” or perhaps “trust the Science.”
Yet people will argue endlessly over what the Bible does say. People will argue and contradict each other over what this or that Bible verse means, and over which Bible verse is even relevant to a particular situation.
People will argue what “the Science” actually is.
People will argue their faith is somehow superior—that their ideas are somehow superior, that their understanding is somehow superior—and denounce the well-meaning Muslim, or Hindu, or even atheist. Those who are denounced will in turn do their own denouncing, certain theirs is the “correct” faith—certain theirs are the “correct” ideas—certain theirs is the “correct” understanding.
How do we reconcile so many differing opinions and perspectives with our own? How do we ascertain who has the right side of any argument?
To any who would call himself “Christian”, the Bible is Truth. For any who would call himself “Christian”, the Bible is the source for God’s Word and God’s Law. This much is simply the order of things, and will always be the order of things.
Yet we also do well to remember what the Apostle Paul taught in Romans 2:15, that even among non-Christians and non-believers, that which is true and that which is right is written on our hearts.
The Bible is the source for God’s Word and God’s Law, but it is our own faith within us which affirms the Bible is indeed God’s Word and God’s Law.
This I “know” because this I believe.
No matter what I might hear from others, no matter the opinions and beliefs pressed on me by others, the certainty about what I know comes from within me.
In matters of the spirit, the certainty of what I know comes from the spirit within me.
In matters of fact, and matters of evidence, the certainty of what I know comes from all that I remember, and from knowing that whatever I might not remember I can always research again.
No matter what I might hear from others, no matter the opinions and beliefs pressed on me by others, the certainty about what I know always comes from within me.
Whatever topic I might be discussing, my witness for Truth, whatever that Truth might be, always starts from within. If I am with friends who think as I do, who believe as I believe, the assurance that my witness is True will still come from within me, and not from within them. If I am with those who do not think as I do, and who do not believe as I believe, my assurance that my witness is True will still come from within me, and not from within them.
Do I know everything? Not at all. My ignorance far outstrips my knowledge.
Do I know everything correctly? Not at all. My errors far outpace my insights.
But learning is fundamentally a process of moving from error to error, and from mistake to mistake. By learning—by researching, and analyzing, and scrutinizing—I add to all that I know, and by so doing I correct some of my many misapprehensions, thereby improving the quality of what I know. I will still misunderstand, and I will still be possessed of some errors, but as I learn, I am always replacing error with insight, and ignorance with knowlege.
Yet it is my faith that there is Truth, and ultimately my faith in Truth, that allows me to incorporate new knowledge and new understanding into what I know. It is my faith that allows me to refine my thinking on any issue. It is my faith that allows me to realize where there is error, and it is my faith that both inspires me and gives me the confidence to correct that error.
I “know” because I believe, and I learn because I believe. Because I believe, what I knew yesterday can evolve into what I know today.
But regardless of what I knew yesterday, and regardless of what I know today, the certainty about what I know always comes from within me.
How do I reconcile so many differing opinions and perspectives with my own? I begin by focusing on what is within me, and being guided by what is within me. If I am guided to agree and be reconciled, then I agree and am reconciled. If I am guided to disagree, then I disagree, and strive to be reconciled to that disagreement.
If I am uncertain about where I am guided, then I pause, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Rather, I seek to learn more, to refine more of my thinking, trusting in my faith to guide my path of study.
In reconciling and in learning, the certainty about what I know still comes from within me, guiding me because it comes from within me.
In reconciling and in learning, it is certainty about what you know—a certainty that comes from within you—which will guide you, and lead you always to Truth.
My prayer for myself—today and every day—is that I will trust that which is within me, that I might be guided to what is true, and that I might give witness to that which is true.
My prayer for you—today, and every day—is that you also will trust that which is within you, and so be guided to what is true, that you also might give witness to that which is true.
We live in a world filled with errors, and rumors, and opinions, as well as facts. We live in a world where many voices are clamoring to be acclaimed as True.
We are called to be a witness to that world for all that is True. As we witness for all that is True, we must remember the origins of Truth always lie within us. That is where our focus must lie. That is where our reasonings must begin.
Eloquent! You always impress me with the depth of your insight, Peter.
That ‘knowing’ from within has been the guiding force and the drive in humans for millennia in their search for Truth. I believe it’s part of the Divine life force imbued within us, leading us to understanding and improvement, both individually and as a species. I believe we can trust it. I can see how it is guiding you to personal growth and wisdom, Peter; it is serving you well, and is part of the love of God.