4 Biblical Ways to Find Truth
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- Updated Aug 04, 2023
Today I opened up our new US History curriculum to teach my kids their lessons and was struck by the profound message that the first lesson brought to us. It didn’t teach us any new facts about the founding of our country or introduce a timeline of events to us. All this lesson did was talk to us about what the concept of truth is. Truth is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality.” Truth is to align with reality.
This lesson was stressing how truth in our culture has become harder and harder to come by. When we read about history, we have to keep in mind that unless we are looking at an original document or a firsthand account, there is likely to be slants or bias added to the story. We have to evaluate the sources we get our information from. Are they trustworthy and reliable? What is the context of the information we are hearing? Truth is something we have to seek out. It’s not something that we can assume is being presented to us just because we read it on the news or saw it on social media.
What a valuable lesson we encountered! Every person needs to learn how to discriminate between reality and incomplete theories of what could have been. We need to understand that culture is based on passing fads and cares little about seeking out what is true. Most of all we need to understand that truth matters for one reason; Jesus says it does.
Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” God is close to us who live with truth. John 14:6 tells us, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” God values truth because it is who he is. He is the way, the truth, and the life! If we want to find God, we have to find the truth.
How do we seek out truth in a generation that claims all truth is personal? How do we find wisdom when the knowledge we receive is slanted? When agendas outweigh integrity? When personal happiness trumps design? Most of all, how do we teach the next generation to hold onto God’s word in a culture obsessed with deconstructing God’s Word without any intention of coming back to it and seeing what truth still remains in the Gospels?
There is no one perfect answer to this question, but the Bible does show us how to find wisdom and truth when we need it. Here are some of the ways God tells us to discover God’s truth:
1. Live a Spirit-Led Life
John 16:13 states, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
The Bible teaches us that we can know God in three forms. God exists as God the Father who rules in Heaven, Jesus the Son who sits at his right hand and intercedes on our behalf, and the Holy Spirit that is here on Earth as our helper.
It is so important that we come to know the Holy Spirit and rely on his guidance for our lives. The Bible tells us that when we know the Spirit, he guides us into all truth! A Spirit-led life seeks to follow God’s reality first and foremost.
2. Study God’s Word
John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
Jesus tells us that we find truth when we study God’s word! God graciously wrote an entire book full of history, poetry, songs, first-hand accounts, teachings, prophecies, and more to help us know who God is and what his plan is for our lives. When we are grappling with a moral dilemma or need direction for our lives, God’s alive and active word is there to speak to us. We don’t have to guess, we can open the pages and hear God speak.
3. Worship God
John 4:24 states. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The Bible teaches that when we take a posture of worship, we are able to approach God in spirit and in truth. Something about worship shifts our reality from just seeing all that clouds our view to seeing God and his glory. Worship puts our lives in proper perspective. It reminds us that we were created for a purpose, which is to know God and to make him known. Proper perspective helps us to find God’s truth in every circumstance we face in this life.
4. Ask God to Reveal His Truth
Psalm 25:5 says, “Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”
God gently leads us and is even willing to teach us his ways. We just have to ask for his guidance and he is always there to show us the next right step to take. Sometimes we have to wait for his timing to find the way he has marked out for us. Waiting can be hard and it’s easy to want to jump ahead and figure things out on our own. Yet, God’s way is the only way that leads to abundant life. Patiently waiting on him to reveal the truth is never wasted time.
As Christ-Followers we are called to be truth bringers, seekers, and tellers. The truth is a part of God’s nature and therefore should be something prized in our own lives. When your journey towards God’s truth feels like it’s taking a detour, don’t grow weary. Keep seeking his ways. He is faithful to guide you in every season.
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