“For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” John 18:37
Why did Jesus Christ come into this world? You may say, “He came to save us from our sins.” And that is right. You may say, “He came so that we would know God.” And that, too, would be right. You may also say, “So that we would believe in Him and have everlasting life.” Right again! Those are all reasons Jesus came into this world. But, there is another reason, Jesus tells us. Listen again when Jesus was speaking to Pilate before He was crucified:
“Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this I have come into this world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” John 18:37
Jesus came to testify to the truth because He is the truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). And Jesus also says in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; Thy Word is truth.” Jesus is truth and God’s Word is truth. You cannot separate Jesus Christ from God’s Word. They are both special revelation from God. Listen to John 1:14, as John explains the deity of Christ:
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father, full of grace and truth.”
There is a war against truth in this world – an ongoing spiritual battle since the beginning of time raging against the truth of God’s Word the Bible explains to us – and we are called by God to guard the truth. We are to guard the truth of God’s Word with our very lives if needed. When we read the Bible, we should see teardrops and bloodstains on every page. Christian men and women down through the centuries have given their lives to protect and pass on God’s precious Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today, pastors and Christian teachers must especially guard the truth. We must have the courage and conviction to stand strong for the truth of Christ and His Word. In this culture of junk food that fills the pulpits of many churches, we must guard the truth. We must guard the truth again the junk food of the health and wealth gospel; junk food of the positive thinking gospel; junk food of the new age gospel; junk food of the liberal gospel; and the junk food of every other false gospel that rages against the truth. We must be faithful to the Scriptures and guard the truth! It is not an option – it is an imperative – guard the truth of God’s Word!
May God bless you with His grace, love and truth!