ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2007.
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In John 17:17, Jesus says, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Why is real truth not about “my truth” or “your truth”? Why does doctrine matter when it comes to knowing what God is actually telling us in the Bible?
We need to focus on the truth that God has actually communicated to us in his Word.
According to Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity, being committed to actual truth keeps us resting in Christ’s finished work on the cross to redeem us and his resurrection from the dead:
“When I have doubts about my faith, or deep nagging questions that keep me up at night, I don’t have the luxury of finding “my truth” because I am committed to the truth. I want to know what is real….God either exists, or he doesn’t. The Bible is his Word, or it’s not. Jesus was raised from the dead, or he wasn’t. Christianity is true, or it isn’t. There is no ‘my truth’ when it comes to God.” (p. 10)
When we approach the Bible, we need to focus on the truth that God has actually communicated to us instead of reading our own personal situations into the text. This is why statements of key biblical teachings—the doctrines of the Christian faith—help us to stay on track in our interpretation of Scripture.
We need the truth about what’s going to happen to us when we die.
God’s word explains to us the problem—humanity’s guilty and sinful state—and it also explains God’s solution—his sending of his only begotten Son to live the perfectly obedient life on our behalf and be the perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sin.
The Protestant reformers of the sixteenth century diligently studied their Bibles and rediscovered that sinners are justified not by works but instead through faith in Christ—which is God’s gift—in which God counts to them the completed work of Christ and counts to Christ their sins. They also discovered that growth in holiness, sanctification, is a benefit of justification by which believers are conformed to the image of Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches that all who trust in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone shall be saved (Rom. 3:23; 5:12–21; Eph. 2:8–9). If we don’t read all the “to-do”s in the Bible in context, we might mistakenly think we are right with God by our own obedience and kind deeds, but it’s not about being a “good person” or “trying hard.” Only Jesus was a truly good human being and only Jesus kept God’s law perfectly. We cannot stand in the presence of a holy God apart from the perfect righteousness of Christ Jesus being counted to us. Outside of Christ no one will enter the kingdom of God.
All faithful teaching ultimately must be grounded in Scripture, which is the final authority.
We don't need to start from scratch when interpreting the Bible. The church has well-defined, well-defended, and well-established creeds and confessions of faith that have been established over the many centuries since Christ's resurrection and ascension. There are also many excellent Internet resources available to Christians today at the click of a finger, but not all teaching is equal in quality. God has given the world many able teachers to help us understand the Bible, but don’t be fooled into thinking that a great public speaker or a moving, heartfelt lecture equals sound biblical doctrine. All faithful teaching ultimately must be grounded in Scripture, which is the final authority. Compare what is taught to what Scripture writes in order to help make sure God’s truth is being taught.
We need to understand biblical truth to experience lasting joy, peace, and confidence in Christ. Even when the truth God reveals in his Word is despised by the world, it is still “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). May we never be ashamed to share this truth, come what may, for only Christ Jesus, and no other, is the way, the truth, and the life (John. 14:6).
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