One Truth in a World of Competing Beliefs
There has always been an effort to drift away from the teachings of the Bible. One of the major themes of the Old Testament is the constant disobedience of the children of Israel. Some 2,500 years after the kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians, there is still an effort by some to move away from God’s teachings. Some, like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the Bible has been distorted, and only through books like the Book of Mormon or the New World Translation (published by Jehovah’s Witnesses) can we truly find the Lord’s message. Other groups like the Roman Catholic Church teach that the Bible has authority, but the Church is the final authority. So how do we know what is true? Is there such a thing as “one truth”? Are we all expected to follow the same standard?
In Deuteronomy 6:4, the Lord states, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (ESV). He tells His people this to discourage them from following in the footsteps of the polytheistic Canaanites and informs them that He is the only God. Just as there is one God, there is one revealed Word of God. As Donnie Rader points out in his book Why?, there is such a thing as an objective standard. If we seek to follow the Lord our God, then we must be willing to follow that objective standard. That standard must be the Bible.
In 1 Peter 4:11, Peter urges the brethren to not speak their own ideas, but the “oracles,” or words of God. In 1 Corinthians 14:37, Paul tells the Corinthians that the words he writes are “a command of the Lord.” First Thessalonians 2:13 refers to the message those brethren received as “the word of God.” Furthermore, Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that the scriptures are “breathed out by God.” The phrase “breathed out” comes from the Greek word theopneustos (literally “God breathed”) which the ESV Study Bible points out does not occur in any other Greek text prior to Paul’s usage in 2 Timothy. In order to adequately describe how the Lord gave us His Word through the Holy Spirit, Paul could not rely on mankind’s vocabulary. Lastly, Ephesians 4:4-6 famously echoes the sentiment of Deuteronomy 6:4 by stating there is one Lord and one God and Father of all. But also that there is “one faith” or one doctrinal truth.
Since the rise of the charismatic and holiness movements in the 20th century, more people believe that the Lord has spoken to them personally, even at the expense of what is revealed to us in Scripture. Jesus warns us against false prophets who will appear as though they speak truth (Matthew 7:15; 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22). Likewise, Peter and Paul both cautioned brethren against false apostles and brethren (2 Corinthians 11:13, 26; Galatians 2:4; 2 Peter 2:1-3). How can we know what is righteous teaching if we do not hold to an objective standard?
Again in his book Why?, Rader points out that one can have genuine faith in a lie and still be lost. In the account of the man of God and the old prophet in 1 Kings 13, the man of God was commanded by the Lord to “neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.” However, the old prophet lied to the man of God in v. 18, and the man of God believed his lie and returned to the old prophet’s house and drank water. Although the man of God was genuine in his belief that what the old prophet told him was true, he was still killed for his disobedience (v. 24). I’m sure Uzzah was genuine in his effort to keep the ark of the covenant from falling when he reached out his hand, but it didn’t matter because he did not follow the objective standard for how the ark was to be transported (2 Samuel 6:3-8; 1 Chronicles 13:7-11). Nadab and Abihu offered up “unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them,” and as a result were consumed with fire (Leviticus 10:1-2). Their wrongdoing came from them not following God’s specific instructions on how they were to offer up their worship to the Lord. We do not get to pick and choose which of God’s commands we will or will not follow. People may be quick to discard these examples from the Old Testament because they show a type of immediate punishment from God that is not practiced anymore. However, the Lord is patient towards us (2 Peter 3:9), but our time is coming (Matthew 12:36).
There are over 8 billion unique individuals on Earth with unique thoughts, feelings, desires, and temptations. But there is only one gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:4). The idea of different truths and standards will always be appealing to people because it ultimately means less accountability and responsibility. The devil is hoping to lure us away from sound teaching, and instead lead us down the pathway of sin. Do not allow yourself to be like the ones mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:1-4 who allow themselves to “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” Instead, dedicate yourself to following Christ, and doing so in the manner He commands.
Grayson Campbell