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Discipleship Matters Part 1: The Dark Lover
In John 18.37, Jesus said to Pilate, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” In John 18.38, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Could Pilate understand truth? Jesus had stated earlier in his ministry, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7.17).
Two questions for consideration:
- Can we know truth (apart from error) today? If so,
- Can we agree on what constitutes truth?
If anyone could have made truth clear, would it not have been Jesus? In his teaching, could any human have been more convincing? Now, consider, in regard to Jesus and his teaching: Did the Lord convince/convert everyone he taught? Of course not! But was it because Jesus was a poor teacher? Was the fault in his ability? Again, would you agree that it wasn’t because of the inability of Jesus to make truth clear? To what then do we attribute the failure of people to understand/accept his teachings? His statement in John 7.17 above has the answer. Notice also a related statement from the apostle Paul about the need for a love for truth: “…And with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish,, because they did not receive the truth so as to be saved…” (2 Thessalonians 2.10).
The Lord explained early in his ministry why some have no love for truth: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3.19-21).
Jesus here stated a major characteristic of truth whereby it may be recognized. It will expose any sin in our lives and calls upon us to cease from it immediately (i.e., repent). In doing so, it reveals our hearts. If we don’t want our sin exposed, we will reject the message (and the messenger) in like manner as people did of Jesus. Was this revelation of our sin by truth understandable?
People were divided over Jesus as to whether or not he was the Christ. Why? Because of his teachings! Those who acknowledged their sin and desired forgiveness would repent and live differently. Those who hated that their sin was brought to light attacked him and his teachings. Ultimately, he was put to death for exposing the sin in people’s lives.
To his apostles, Jesus described this characteristic of truth in this way: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would don’t have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in the Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause’” (John 15.22-25).
If any preaching does not define and condemn sin based upon what Jesus and his apostles taught, calling upon every sinner to cease from that life, the preaching is not truth, but tickling the ears for the preacher’s own gain (2 Timothy 4.2-4; Jude 1.16).
Are we lovers of the light or of the darkness?a
