The Impossible Path: Living God’s Truth in a Broken World

John 18:37-38

³⁷ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

³⁸ “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. (NIV)

When Pilate sarcastically asks the question, “What is truth?” we see that his social imaginary is no different from the times we live in now. Truth has been taken hostage by the god of this age and morphed into an individual opinion based on emotions. Our world says that everyone has their truth. From a sense of a false truth, this is true. Everyone has a path they choose to navigate the ins and outs of life. Our natural tendency as human beings is to seek what appears to be in our best interest. Every false truth promises good, but only one delivers at the highest level. 

This does not mean that a person cannot live a good life outside the truth of God. They can, but the potential quality of any other truth compared to the truth of God is minuscule in comparison and promises to eventually lead to self-destruction. It will never lead to lasting peace, enduring love, or unimaginable joy. God’s truth, His prescribed way of living in this life, has the potential to be greater than we could imagine in an ever-increasing way. There is no limit to the good God wants to bring us to as we follow His way of life.

Yet, so many, including Christians, never experience the fullness of this life. In fact, many Christians will reach a point of disillusionment, feeling that God has overpromised and underdelivered. Yet, the reality of God’s truth is that it is a path we must stay on. Each time we have a thought, an idea, a word, or a behavior that does not align with the teachings of Scripture, taken as a whole, we stray from the path. When we understand this, we see just how hard it can be to stay on the path of God’s truth. 

Knowing the path, understanding how God wants us to live, doesn’t make it an easy endeavor. In fact, Scripture teaches us that we need God's power to live in His truth with deep and faithful commitment. 

The truth of God, His way of thinking and reacting, His prioritization of what is important, and His pathway to a good life run directly counter to what is natural to us. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can stay committed to the path to experience an abundant life. Jesus taught us to pray, asking the Lord for our daily bread. This is daily power to stay in His truth and delve deeper. We need the Holy Spirit. The truth of God is an impossible path to take without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, help me discipline myself each day to turn to You, to give myself to You, and to receive from You the power to live in the world as You lived. Amen.