Reflections on TruthНамуна

For a long time, these words of Jesus have been among the most difficult for me. The promise of the Spirit of Truth who will guide those who follow Jesus clashes against our present reality of thousands of Christian denominations split over issues of “truth.”

And even within our local congregations, there are often painful differences of opinion and belief. Of course, we can write off those who differ from us as heretics, wilfully disobedient to God, or just plain stupid. No doubt, some of them are. But I know too many sincere, genuine, Spirit-filled Christians who disagree with me on big issues to believe that it is as simple as that.

So, I have to reckon with the fact that simply being sincere is no guarantee that I have succeeded in finding the truth of a particular matter, which means that there is the same possibility that I am wrong as there is for the other person. If we are to believe in Jesus’ promise, we need to first lay down our faith in our own ability to know the truth without the Spirit’s guidance. We need the humility to doubt our own knowledge and we need openness to the Spirit to be guided to another view. I think this also has consequences for our interactions with others.

I think of Paul’s comment in Philippians 3:15, “if you think differently about anything, this, too, God will reveal to you” (NRSVue). Paul didn’t have to win every argument; he could trust God to persuade another Christian. This is not easy, it requires faith: faith that God’s truth is bigger than anything any one of us can fully grasp in this life; faith that God’s Spirit is as capable of working in the next person as it is in you; and faith that, behind all the “truths” we are presented with, there stands God’s Truth.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,
As we read scripture, as we live our lives from day to day,
Help us to be led by your Spirit and to trust in your promise,
So that we can be guided into your truth,
For your glory, we pray, Amen.