Where Can We Find "True Truth"?
Introduction
Is there truth out there? What or who can I trust these days? Francis Schaeffer put it another way: “Is there ‘true truth’ out there?”
We live in a world where we are bombarded with information all day. Some have said that the average person hears 20,000 to 30,000 words per day. Interestingly, that number increases when we consider how many words we think to ourselves. We think roughly 1,000 to 3,000 words per minute. That’s a total of hearing and thinking an average of just under two million words per day. To give you a benchmark—that’s like reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo almost four times in one day.
The Main Point
With all these words, how do we know what’s “true truth”? In a world obsessed with labeling something as “fake news” or “verified”, how are we to know what is the truth that we can build our lives upon? This is the modern relevance of the doctrine of Christ being the True Prophet.
Who Said Christ Is The True Prophet?
In Acts 3:20, Peter begins preaching in Solomon’s portico after the people around him witnessed a miracle. Peter and John see the astonishment that those around them have. And so Peter says, “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” (Acts 3:12) Peter declares that it is only because of Christ—the same Christ that they crucified yet who rose from the dead—who has made the paralyzed man walk. He calls them to repent of their unbelief by pronouncing that this same Christ is the one from Deuteronomy 18:15 that Moses prophesied about. “The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to Him in whatever He tells you.” Peter boldly asserts that this Jesus of Nazareth is the true Prophet. Jesus is the one we ought to listen to above all else.
There are many different realms of legitimate authority. There is authority in the home, in school, in work, in the government, and even in student government. Regardless of which realm of authority it is there is ultimately one highest authority. This authority is above all realms of people, structures, and studies. It is even above our emotions, feelings, ideas, and convictions. It is the highest of all authority that governs, regulates, and judges all inferior authority. This is one aspect of what we mean by the word “Sovereignty”. We know from God’s Word and natural revelation that there is only one Sovereign and that is God Almighty (Ps. 115; Dan. 4:34-35; 7:9-14; Rom. 1:18-23; 11:33-36).
When Jesus is declared to be the Prophet from Deuteronomy 18, the Bible means that He is the true Sovereign who declares true truth. Prophets were to represent God to the people. They were to be the “mouthpiece of God”. Not a word that they declared was to be their own opinions or even their own personal convictions. It was to be God’s Word, God’s truth, God’s authority. And because of who God is—unchangeably true and only speaking truth—then His Word is infallible, inerrant, and authoritative above all.
What Does It Mean That Jesus Is The True Prophet?
Not only is Jesus God in our flesh (Jn. 1:1-5) but He is also the true Prophet and the Greater Moses. Doubly, Jesus is the One who is truth itself and He is the One who perfectly upholds and declares God’s truth. He is the Word and the Prophet.
This means that God’s Word (in this use of “Word” I mean Scripture)—both Old and New Testaments—is the Word of Christ (Lk. 24; Jn. 17:17; Rom. 10:14-17; 2 Tim. 3:16). It, above all else, is the true truth. It is what we can drop the anchor of our lives on amidst the storms. It is the basket we can put all our eggs in. It is the sword that we can fight against Satan’s lies with. It is the ultimate authority that we can trust when we hear so many other ideas. Even when we can’t yet see how things correspond and coincide we can trust that God’s Word never lies, exaggerates, or fails.
Conclusion
In a world where you are bombarded with words, you can come to God’s Word and hear genuinely good news of grace for gruesome sinners. You can hear of real promises of provision for any predicament you’re in. You can hear of sure salvation even in the face of your struggles with unbelief. Whatever situation you find yourself in, God’s Word is true truth and can be trusted even in a world full of other words.