Pontius Pilate asked this question of Jesus over two-thousand years ago, and then turned and walked out of the room (John 18:38). He didn’t wait for an answer. Did he even want to know the truth? The truth was standing right before him, in the person of Jesus Christ, but he didn’t recognize it. I wonder why? How could he not know that moment was so crucial in his life and the life of all humanity? Was he that blind? Are we all that blind?
What I’ve noticed in 50 years of being alive, is that same behavior still exists today. Many people don’t wait for an answer to what is truth. Instead, they gripe and grumble about current situations, and just keep going. They don’t stop and ponder the answers. Sometimes they let others supply the answers, and they believe it, hook, line and sinker because they don’t want to do the hard work of thinking for themselves. If you watch a certain news show, then they’ll give you the answer. Perhaps it’s a certain political party – they seem to know the truth. Maybe it’s your favorite famous person, or that new song with those lyrics that speak to your soul.
Most of us just keep moving in the busyness of life, doing daily routines of work, chores and commitments. Many focus on just “playing” because life can be hard, so why not have a little pleasure in a world that is so unpredictable? Things are changing every day with economic doom and gloom forecasts, poor job outlooks, and crazy weather patterns. Who has the real answers?
What is truth, anyway? Everyone finds his or her own path. Leave me alone with my truth, and I will leave you alone with yours. We need to tolerate our differences to get along and create peace. But what happens when my truth collides with yours, and there is no peace? How do we resolve those sticky issues?
A friend of mine, with the idea that tolerance means freedom from racial and ethnic prejudice, the willingness to accept the differences between ourselves and our neighbors, said to me once, “It’s all good, except for the ones who believe they are the only right ones.” I sat there, and didn’t say anything in rebuttal to that statement because, frankly, I didn’t know how to. Today, I would have said, “There is a ONE right way, and Jesus Himself said He is that way (John 14:6).” I wimped out.
How many of us “wimp” out when it comes to drawing a straight line to the truth of what we know from the Bible? I think many do, and it’s because we’re not trained well when it comes to apologetics, or the defense of the truth. I think a lot of us don’t even like that term because we picture in our minds a debate, and most don’t want to debate or argue. We want to love others into the faith, but we’re at a loss on how to answer those tough, skeptical questions.
The Jehovah Witnesses sure know how to defend their faith! Now I’m not advocating we all go out with suits and ties (or skirts and button up blouses) and knock on strangers doors. But I do think we would do well to prepare the Body of Christ better, to be able to answer the doubts people have when it comes to Jesus or the Bible.
This is what I hope to accomplish through this blog. I don’t want to debate in an argumentative style, but I want to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and share with others the hope I have in Christ (I Peter 3:15).
As quoted in the book of Isaiah 1:18. “Come now, and let us reason together…”
Let this blog be a place where we reason together, respectfully and with a heart of understanding and patience. Let this be a place were we discuss the hard issues of faith in a way that is loving, open-minded and gentle. If you cannot stay within the lines of respect, and use course or foul language or badger someone, then I will have to ban you from dialogue. Please don’t go there.
In peace, Lisa Q.
