I posted a while back an article titled, “When is it Time for True Christians to go to the Mat?” The purpose of that article was simply to open the door to a line of articles I intended to write about specific truths within Christianity that are worth fighting for, that cause division, and ultimately, are the cause of so many branches of Christianity. At the core, these truths are the foundation for right-thinking about Christianity. And while they may cause division, they are worthy of our attention and commitment because if understood rightly, these truths lead us to God Himself. I intend now to begin a series of articles that will take some time to explore. For the most part, they will be short. However, they will take some time because as you can see, I am short on time right now to write. Nonetheless, I see it as a worthy endeavor. For those who read these articles, I sincerely hope these truths spark a passion for God within you as it has me. For those who either disagree with my beliefs expressed here, or for all intents and purposes think I am a bit of a fruitcake, I can only ask your civility in any interaction you may choose to enact.

The Truth

Any discussion of the truth must always begin with Jesus. Jesus proclaimed himself to be “the truth” in John 14:6. The manner in which Jesus described himself as the truth is truly profound. This statement is found in the context of a conversation between Jesus and Thomas. Jesus had just finished saying that he was going to prepare a place for the disciples. Jesus said, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas responded, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” It is an interesting statement. In terms of what Jesus is saying, the question by Thomas proves poignant, especially in light of the reply by Jesus. Jesus states in response, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” This is so simple, and yet so profound that I can write for ages and not understand the depths of such a truth. Jesus is linking Himself into the Father in such a way that cannot be denied. Consider the next part of the conversation:

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me…”

And so it is, the foundation for any conversation about truth must begin and end with Jesus. We must rightly understand Jesus to rightly understand truth. It is only when we find ourselves seeing Jesus rightly that the truth becomes clearer. Since Jesus Himself is the truth, and since Jesus Himself is God, we cannot have truth without Jesus. We may have shades of it. We may glean bits and pieces of truth, but we do not have the truth.

In religion, we tend to value experience over substance. We tend to distance ourselves from hard truths and instead gravitate toward emotionalism. Jesus would not relegate Himself to such man-centered garbage. No, He drew a line in the sand and said it begins and ends with Him. Either you are to believe and trust in Him or you are to perish. Notice the phrase, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is undeniable that Jesus was not teaching an experience and he was not allowing for a man-centered religion. He was teaching that you must come to the one true God for salvation. Thus, the first truth that we Christians must go to the mat for is Jesus Himself. We must stand for the true Jesus no matter the cost. We cannot relegate Him to some vague concept, express Him merely as a good teacher or prophet, and we mustn’t convey Him as merely the founder of our religion. No, Jesus is God incarnate, the Word that became flesh (John 1:14). We must bow to Jesus as the God of our lives and we must proclaim Him as the true God to those who are lost. We must go to the mat for Him.

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