What You Need to Know
The Rev. Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
There is an old saying concerning knowledge. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, perhaps you’ve said it yourself to loved ones, especially our children. The saying is: knowledge is power. I want to suggest an even more important principle. Knowledge is survival. To survive you need to know the truth! Knowing the truth is essential for everyday life. Truth is reality. We don’t live our lives wandering about in some fictional or AI world. At least not for long! Eventually, all of us will be confronted with reality. If not in this life, then in the next.
Paul exhorted believers to look upon others as more than flesh and blood (2 Corinthians 5:16). Every human being has an immortal soul. Everyone will spend eternity in either heaven or hell. “Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32). Jesus also said that He is the truth (John 14:6). As He prayed on the night of His passion, Jesus said that God’s word is truth (John 17:17).
So then, if you want to be free and have eternal life, it is imperative that you know the truth, who is the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. Those who will live in heaven for eternity have received Jesus, as He is offered in the Bible, in this life.
Every time I open my Bible I read the truth. The Psalmist wrote, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160). The Bible is inerrant and infallible. God never lies and He is always reliable.
Ultimate truth can be known because God revealed it. Creation testifies to the truth, and God condescended to reveal Himself in His word written and supremely in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The terms “general revelation” and “special revelation” refer to this knowledge. General revelation is God’s revelation of Himself in creation (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). Special revelation is the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 3:16). Finally, the full revelation of God is His only begotten Son, Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2). Apart from God’s special revelation leading to Jesus as He is offered in the Bible, no one can know God in an intimate and saving relationship (John 17:3), and thereby know the truth.
God radically changes a sinner’s life and gives him eyes to see the truth. There is no other way to live that is free. God speaks truth. God is truth. No matter what men try to tell you, know that God’s word always tells the truth.
All who know Jesus, as He is offered in the Bible, affirm the above. When Jesus asked His disciples if they were considering deserting Him, Peter responded by saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).
There is no reason to sugarcoat the truth. The fact is, unless a man comes to acknowledge the truth, there is only eternal judgment in store for him.
I’ve read that old-time gospel that preachers used to say, “God said it; I believe it; that settles it.” Here’s a more accurate statement, “God said it; that settles it.” There is something very imposing about the truth. It is what it is. No one can change it. In fact, on one hand, it doesn’t matter if the truth is received or rejected. On the other hand, it matters for eternity. Man’s only reasonable response to the truth is to submit to it. Seeking to mitigate or spin the truth dishonors God and harms the hearers.
Luke recorded Peter and John’s appearance before the ruling council in Jerusalem because of what they were teaching concerning Jesus Christ. Peter stood before that council of powerful men, and he spoke without any mitigation or spin. Peter said, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
With the courage of his convictions and the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke the timeless truth that must be known. Here’s the unveiled truth in the words of Jesus, “Repent and believe in the gospel“ (Mark 1:15). Knowing this truth is a gift from God. Knowing this truth leads to acting upon it. Knowing this truth is eternal life.
