Living in the Truth
Then many who heard him say these things believed in him. Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:30-32
We are confronted in our culture with a vast number of religions and vain philosophies that promise much but offer nothing. This is what Satan, the prince of the world, is doing. He is taking people captive in a deceptive world run by him, the father of lies. Jesus claimed that he alone is the Truth. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). From our text, Jesus declared that once we become Christ’s disciples, Satan’s deceptive power is broken. As people continue to reject Him as the Truth, there are still those that experience the light of His truth. There are those that choose being taken captive by the lies of the world. There are those that are fearful changing their ways to follow God because they dreaded getting rejected by their peers. And there are others that refuse to serve Him because to do so will mean trusting Him and leave their comfort zone. Faith in God is trust in His word. Faith goes beyond intellectual assent that leads one to have a personal relationship with God. Unless we view Jesus as mere man, we will never trust Him as our Lord and Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ was accused of blasphemy by the Pharisees and religious leaders because He claimed to be equal with God. “So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). From time to time, you might see small successes while living your life as you see fit, but complete satisfaction and joy seemed to be elusive. Once you live your life based on God’s truth about life, situations such as issues that affect finances, relationships, rejection, or loss, you will discover that God is there to provide guidance. In this way, we can make wise decisions that can be carried out with strength, courage, and with satisfied knowledge that the Lord is at work and in control. It will be difficult to build a truth-based life until we accept God’s way as the only way. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders in His time because they are searching for the truth and salvation and they will look passed beyond Christ. “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life” (John 5:39-40). Believers can experience freedom from becoming enslaved with wrong thinking and evil lies. But there are believers that cannot experience this reality in their lives because they will never apply biblical truth in their daily living. For those who placed their faith in Christ, He is the light that shines even in the difficulties of life. When we live by His truth we can claim by faith what Jesus believed that the “one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me” (John 8:29).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
YouTube channel: WestsideBCLA
