Who Determines Truth?

by Pam Bender

 
 Truth, Why Is It Important?  
Picture this scene. You are called to be a witness during a court trial. As you approach the bench, you are instructed by the judge to place your left hand on a Bible, raise your right hand and repeat the following: “I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God”. Apparently, telling the truth in court is of the utmost importance. After all, if you were a witness and someone’s future was determined by your account of what happened wouldn’t you want to give the most accurate (and truthful) account of the events? 
  
Our ministry’s name, “Truth of Genesis,” is a reflection regarding our commitment to being witnesses to the Truth… to the very Word of God. As Christians, we have an awesome and sober responsibility. Our witness could help determine someone’s future by our account of the truth regarding the Lord’s Word, His character, and His desire to have a relationship with the people He loves so dearly.  
 
How do we determine the meaning of truth? Webster’s dictionary defines truth this way:  
1. The body of real things, events, and facts  
2. The state of being the case  
3. A transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality  
4. Fidelity to an original or to a standard  
 
The Bible defines truth this way:  
1. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” Exodus 20:16  
2. “For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth” 2 Corinthians 13:8  
3. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth” John 17:17 (emphasis mine)  
4. “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.” Proverbs 14:25  
 
Regarding origins (the beginning of the universe), evolutionists have convinced many that their dating methods are sound and that the universe is billions of years old. But is this the truth? If we read Genesis Chapter 1, the Lord Himself has given us His own personal testimony (witness) of how long He took to create the universe. He’s also given us an ancestral timeline from Adam to Jesus, giving us a fairly accurate age for Creation.  
 
So, who’s telling the truth about the origins of the universe? Our perspectives could be, and often are, self-serving.  This is called relative truth and isn’t really truth but instead opinion.  There are people who willingly deceive others about the origins of the universe because they feel justified in not having to acknowledge the Lord. There is only one witness to how the universe formed (the Lord), which then leads to two choices. We either believe what the Lord says and embrace His Word as truth or reject what He says and thus reject the Lord Himself. 
  
Where do you stand? Do you acknowledge that the Lord created the universe in six days?  Do you believe in the fall of man into sin and separation from the Lord?  How about the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus?  Perhaps you choose to embrace evolutionist theories creating a humanistic stronghold in your life.  The bible is clear on all these issues: creation, sin, salvation as well as eternity.  Remember, our witness could help determine someone’s future by our account of the truth in the court of public opinion regarding God’s Word.  We pray that the Lord has opened or will open your eyes to see His truth, and that the truth would set you free. John 8:32 ​