“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

When I was in high school, my dream job was to be a journalist, on the order of Walter Cronkite. He was the long-time anchor of CBS news, and you could rely on whatever he said to be the truth. According to Wikipedia, “During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll.”

I am not trying to start something, but can you think of one person in the news media today (print or digital) that you could say the same about? Back then, journalism was an honorable profession. Today I must say that I am so thankful I did not follow that path.

We know that no one is perfect, and that we should always evaluate what we read and hear, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern what is the actual truth about what’s going on in government, education, medicine, etc. Even our religious leaders can sometimes be found to be less than credible in their personal lives and in their teaching.

Even as I look back to the “good old days of the sixties and seventies, I am reminded that even in biblical times there was much deceit. From Satan’s deception in the Garden of Eden, to God’s commandment to “…have no other gods before me” (meaning there must have been false gods, or he would not have needed this commandment) there was false teaching. In the Old Testament, do not think that Elijah and Elisha and Isaiah were the only voices preaching about their “god.” There were many “prophets” competing for the same audience.

• Isaiah wrote “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning” (Isaiah 8:19-20).
• Jeremiah wrote: “Then the LORD said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds’” (Jeremiah 14:14).
• In the New Testament, Jesus taught about false prophets in His Sermon on the Mount: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
• And the epistles are full of warnings about false teachers. For example: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2 Peter 2:1).

We have been warned, but how can we discern truth from untruth? Here are some guidelines:

1. Read and study God’s Word in the Bible. Thankfully, the Bible outlines foolproof tests for recognizing false teaching. First and foremost, the way to identify an untruth is to know the source of truth. The Holy Scriptures, which contain the Word of God, are our source of truth. Not only is the Word the source of Truth, it IS the Truth. That is why Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, can say “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the Life.” By diligently studying the Bible, you will be able to spot an untruth when you hear it because you will know whether it aligns with God’s Word. In other words, true teachings will:

…be consistent with Scripture.

…will encourage right and moral living.

…will acknowledge Jesus Christ as divine.

• Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit. “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 12-15).

In this corrupt world, we live among deceit, dishonesty, rationalizations and justifications, white lies, fabrications. We are told that we can make things what we want them to be. That is, it is okay if it seems right to you in your own eyes, no matter how it might impact someone else. What a comfort to know that there is a standard. Not only does Jesus tell the truth, but He IS the Truth.

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him” (Proverbs 30:5).

In Christ,

Judy