Jesus is the truth
Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NLT).
If we love the truth, if we want to hear the truth about ourselves and act on it, then we will change and the end result is that we receive the crown of life. (James 1:12.) If we don’t love the truth, if we don’t want to hear the truth and do it, if we resist it, then God can’t save and change us.
But what did Jesus mean when He said that He is the truth? What is the truth?
The truth about who we are and about who Jesus is
God’s Word is true, and the Word became flesh and lived among us. (John 1:14.) So the truth is the life of Jesus – which people should be able to see in us. (2 Corinthians 4:10.) When we compare Jesus’ life to our own lives and see how different it is, then we see what we are really like by nature. This truth shows us that we need to be completely changed if we want to be like Christ. (Romans 8:29.)
When Jesus shines His light into our lives, we have to admit that we are sinners and that we need forgiveness, and that our relationship with God should come in order. This causes us to repent.
Then He shows us that, even though we are forgiven, we still have sin living in our human nature, and we have to admit that we ourselves are powerless to overcome when we are tempted to give in to the sin that is so deeply rooted in us as human beings. When we humble ourselves and admit this truth about ourselves, then the Holy Spirit can show us what to do, He can lead us, and give us the strength and power that we lack in ourselves so that we can keep all that God commands us – we can give up our own will and do His will instead. In other words, we can overcome.
“And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life.” 1 John 5:20 (NLT).
Read more: How you can deceive yourself, and how to avoid it
To change – the whole purpose of the truth
“It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 3-4 (NIV).
There is no greater blessing than to walk in the truth. This means to admit and hate the sin in us that the truth shows us, and to say No to it by the power of the Spirit – and to keep resisting it until it dies. Then we are in constant development, constant progress, and we are bit by bit changed to be more like Christ.
It is possible for everyone to walk in the truth, so that it can set us free from sin – free from its power over us. (John 8:32.) God loves all of us and can help everyone who asks Him for help. The Holy Spirit — the Spirit of truth — will bit by bit show us more of the sin that lives in us. The more willing, obedient, and quick to admit the truth we are, the quicker our progress will be.
And what will the result be? The result is that we are changed from who we are by nature, and that the life of Jesus will be seen in us.
“And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT).
When we admit the truth ourselves, and by faith hate and resist the sin that the truth has shown us about ourselves, then we are changed to be like Jesus.
Read more: We can be changed completely!
The truth gives hope!
There is no reason to ever be discouraged when we see the truth about ourselves, no matter what we see. Instead we can be filled with hope, because we know that the Spirit of truth is also the Spirit of power, and by the power of the Spirit we are able to overcome all things that stand between us and our goal of becoming like Christ. And those things that the truth showed us about ourselves can be gone from our lives forever!
“And whoever has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:3.
We need to really want to hear the truth about ourselves and admit it 100%. “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth.” Psalm 86:11. We can only be changed to the same degree that we accept the truth about ourselves. So let’s accept it with open hearts, even when it hurts to see it, and admit what we are really like by nature. Because if we don’t see and admit it, we can’t become free from it.
The result will be glorious when the truth has made us free and changed us! Let’s not be afraid but gladly accept all truth from God, fully confident that He who, in His love, shows us the truth about ourselves, will also free us and save us from everything He shows us.
Let the truth be our best friend!