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eligions are false, since they<br />
all make some absolute claims.<br />
Truth is truth, whether we accept<br />
it or try to explain it away.<br />
2. Truth is bigger than a “proof<br />
text.” Many Christians teach<br />
from the Bible, yet they reach<br />
very different conclusions on<br />
important subjects. Beware of<br />
teachers who make rash claims<br />
about their interpretations and<br />
pull single verses out of the<br />
Bible here and there to “prove”<br />
a point. It is unwise to use three<br />
verses that seem to support your<br />
view on a subject, while ignoring<br />
thirty verses that disagree with<br />
you. A good interpretation of a<br />
Bible passage harmonizes with<br />
the chapter and book it is taken<br />
from, as well as with the rest of<br />
the Bible. Diligent study and<br />
reading of the Scriptures are<br />
very helpful for finding related<br />
passages that shed further light<br />
on a subject.<br />
3. Truth is sometimes hidden.<br />
We must become students of<br />
the Scriptures and understand<br />
how the Old and New Testaments<br />
fit together. At first,<br />
even the New Testament may<br />
seem to contradict itself, but<br />
everything harmonizes once we<br />
understand the true nature of<br />
the Gospel and focus on Jesus<br />
and His priorities. “It is the glory<br />
of God to conceal a matter, but<br />
the glory of kings is to search out<br />
a matter” (Proverbs 25:2). God<br />
reveals truth to those who are<br />
diligent and eager to learn, and<br />
the person who expects it all to<br />
be handed to him like a bag of<br />
fast food will miss much of what<br />
God has for him.<br />
4. Truth makes sense. God’s<br />
revelation will not seem irrational<br />
and false to an honest and<br />
humble seeker who uses his<br />
mind. Beware of teachers who<br />
refuse to face factual evidence<br />
and engage in an honest discussion.<br />
God gave us our minds to<br />
help us identify lies and nonsense,<br />
and if we don’t use them,<br />
we have no guarantee against<br />
deception.<br />
5. Truth is for living. God will<br />
judge you for the life you lived,<br />
not for some mental assent or<br />
doctrine that made no difference<br />
in your lifestyle. A profession<br />
for Christ means nothing if you<br />
are still walking in darkness<br />
(1 John 1:6). Some people falsely<br />
teach that salvation is basically<br />
a license to go to heaven, and<br />
Truth will always lead you into a life of righteousness.<br />
4 | <strong>Loaves</strong> & <strong>Fishes</strong> • Issue <strong>27</strong>
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