They were scientific facts: the world is flat and the sun revolves around the earth. Those who challenged these facts were considered ignorant, misguided, and even religious heretics. Today we no longer accept those statements as scientific fact. They have been proven wrong. Facts change. The principles they support also change. Without stability how can we build our lives on such information?
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. Is that a fact? Can it be proven by some scientific experiment? Is it verifiable? Someday – Yes. Today?
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. This is Truth. Truth is not proven or verified by some experiment. Truth is believed. Faith is not by definition something that can be verified or proven. Is is a matter of trust, a matter of the heart and not the head. Truth is revealed and not discerned.
Jesus said, “the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Facts, reason, verified data, proven theories will not set us free from that which holds us in bondage. They will not set us free from sin, temptation, or death. The testimony of Jesus made it clear: only the truth will set us free.
The jailer in Philippi asked Paul, what must I do to be saved?” Paul answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31). Belief in the Truth is essential for salvation. Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) Jesus is Truth. He is not fact. He is not proven. He is not verified or verifiable. He is Truth. He is trusted. He is believed.
Facts are important to life. But they are not greater than Truth. There was a day when our society understood the priority of Truth over fact. Has science trumped religion? Has the classroom or the lab overwhelmed the sanctuary? Has the textbook replaced the Bible? Each of us must answer that question for our individual lives. That answer does not change the reality that only the Truth will set us free. While we pursue knowledge and information, let us pursue Truth with a greater zeal. The former shape life here and now. The latter leads to eternal life.
