Where is the Truth found? What is the Truth? So What?

Walking in the Truth

Today's Scripture

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned & have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, & how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, * which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed & is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting & training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  2 Timothy 3:14-17
* It is not necessary for you to have known the Holy Scriptures from infancy, so don't assume that there's no point in continuing if you became a believer later in life. Lutherans believe in the power of baptism, connected with God's Holy Word, to create faith in a baby's heart. Certainly a little baby cannot know Holy Scripture in the sense that we understand knowledge & comprehension of the Bible, given our fallible & limited human understand of how the Holy Spirit uses water & the Word to confer God's grace upon infants & create faith in their hearts. Older children, teens, & both younger & older adults frequently come to faith before they are baptized through the spoken or read Word of God.

Today's Devotional Thoughts

Just a quick reminder here. Before we can fully appreciate what it means to Walk in the Truth, we better know what we mean by the Truth. And we need to remember the ultimate Source of that Truth.

Here is is again. The Truth is that forgiveness & salvation come only through faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son. How do we know this? The source of this Truth is found in God's Word--Holy Scriptures. What makes them holy? Our Holy God Himself breathed or inspired prophets, apostles, & evangelists--over the course of thousands of years--to write God's own words down on paper [or papyrus, leather, sheepskins, whatever]. 

Remarkably, over the course of thousands of years, these Scriptures remained consistent & true to God's Message, recorded for all people of all times & places. What a blessing that we have God's own Word, His own Truth today!

It is not only used by the Holy Spirit to create faith in our hearts--faith that saves us--but it also has the power to teach, correct, & train us. Why? So that we may be equipped for every good work.

The brings us closer to understanding what it means to Walk in the Truth. Over many years of teaching theology courses to junior high & high school students, I explained the purpose of theology courses in the following way:  We are going to study the "What" & "So What" of God's Truth for us. First, "What" is the Truth?" Secondly, once the Holy Spirit has worked faith in our hearts to know God's Truth, "so what?" What results or changes become possible in our lives because of our faith in this Truth?"

Please bear with me! 

Today's Prayer Thought

Ask our Heavenly Father to bless us: 

• that we may daily grow in the knowledge of His Word; 
• that in so doing we may grow in our knowledge of the Truth; 
• that it may set us free from sin & the power of Satan; 
• that it may equip us to walk in the Truth & prepare us for every good work;
• that it would open our hearts & lips to praise & thank God for blessing us with His Truth, which is found in His Word.