“But who do you say I am?”.” Matthew 16:15 NLT
“’What is truth?’ is the preeminent question of life and eternity.”
My thoughts today ask, “Truth or opinion?”
What you believe, how you live, and ultimately who you become will be shaped by the opinions of others and what you consider to be truth. If you don’t settle where your truth comes from, it is easy to become confused by the varying opinions. There are a myriad of voices competing to influence what you should believe, and they make very persuasive arguments. You must never allow yourself to be persuaded or dissuaded by others’ opinions, without standing that alongside what you know to be truth. When you know truth, the distinction is clear.
A wise man will listen to others to become wiser, but wisdom is discriminating and discerning of the truth. The loudest voice is not necessarily the better one, nor should the insistent voice be persuasive without being weighed carefully. Wisdom is not from agreeing with someone’s opinion; wisdom comes from knowing and following truth. All truth comes from God. Read James 3:13-17 NIV. Jesus did not apologize for saying, “I am the . . Truth!” John 14:6 NKJV. “The entirety of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Psalm 119:160 NKJV.
Jesus asked His disciples revealing questions. Though remember, Jesus did not ask questions because He needed the answer, but because His disciples did! Was God lost or was Adam when God asked, “Adam, where are you?” Did Jesus need the disciples to solve the dilemma of feeding thousands, hungry and far from home, or did the disciples need to realize they needed Jesus’ help when He asked, “Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?” John 6:5.
Here are two questions equally as important today as then. Jesus was teaching His disciples to differentiate between others’ opinions and their personal understanding of truth. Read Matthew 16:13-19 NLT. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They offered the varied opinions they heard from others – John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Good opinions, just not truth. Then Jesus got to His point. “Then He asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’”
That is the preeminent question of life and eternity. Jesus was not having an identity crisis nor self doubt. In His question to them, He clearly stated He was “the Son of Man.” Who do you say Jesus is? Don’t be confused by others’ doubts and uncertainties, or even their self assured but inaccurate, though strongly held opinions. Settle that truth, and everything else is simpler and clearer. Let that be muddled, and everything else becomes unclear.
Someone has said, “The man who doesn’t stand for something will fall for anything.” I choose to stand for truth – God’s truth as supreme and singular. I stand with the Apostle’s Paul’s absolute certainty: “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” Romans 3:3-4 NKJV. See also John 16:13 TEV.
My prayer for you today is that you know certainly the truth that is found in Christ alone.