John 14:17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn't see Him or know Him.
I love the statement, “Truth is not found in the world." Some people may not like it, but truth is not generated worldwide. If people don't know or see the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) which is what John is speaking about in this Passage, how can they have truth? Another version says, “The world cannot accept Him,” which means they reject the truth He represents. If you reject God’s truth, then there is no truth in you. That may seem harsh, but that is what the Scriptures teach:
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
Some would say, truth is what you want to make it … it is subjective to the person. However, one man's truth is different from another, so there is conflict about what truth means. That is the age-old question, "What is truth?” Jesus defined truth by what God spoke:
John 17:17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
When God speaks, His words become truth, and it never changes because He never changes. However, in the world we live in, there is no truth. In times past, our world trusted in our institutions of commerce, education, government, and even the Church. Those institutions had a reputation for doing the right things for people, and their acts seemed just. Today, there isn't an institution on earth that can be trusted to do what is right. Look how our government has weaponized agencies and twisted justice to mean only what those currently in power want it to mean. Institutions such as lending agencies, banks, and insurance companies have cheated those they say they exist to serve.
Our institutions are incapable of knowing truth, even when they have well-crafted mission statements outlining the kind of values you can trust. Are these things based upon truth as a company, or are they just good public relations? I know I may sound cynical about how people define truth, but I realize as I read more of God’s Word, that you cannot trust the basis for truth that comes from the world, no matter how nice it may sound. That is why John records in:
John 14:17 The world does not have truth because it does not know Him who is truth.
When we begin to believe more in what the world teaches us, we will eventually lose our grip on God’s truth. You can see this in our youth who graduate high school and go to college. The Barna Group states that roughly 70% of high school students who enter college as professing Christians will leave with little to no faith.
That is also true with prosperity. When we become self-sufficient through our income, education, or status, we will feed those things more than we do nurturing our spiritual lives. This is why I have told parents for years that culture is no friend to your kids. When Israel possessed the land from ancient tribes and people groups, God told Israel not to learn the ways of the nations around them.
Jeremiah 10:2-3 This is what the Lord says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. For the customs of the people are worthless.
Truth will never be found in what we teach in our schools in our best practices classes, (the gurus of inspiration), or the halls of government. Truth is only found in God through His Word. This kind of truth is based upon the character of God, and not on an ideology.
So, my challenge to you is:
Question the world, but trust in God’s truth.
For those of us who have a faith walk with God, still question all things, test the spirits as John writes in 1 John 4.
Don’t just accept things as true, be wise in what you allow to guide your thinking and your faith practice.
Remember, no truth comes from any culture (world) it only masquerades as truth, but it does not contain truth because they do not know the Spirit of Truth that comes from God.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler