A Passion for Truth!
Why
is Truth so
Important to You?
Richard
Hollerman
What
is more important than the food you eat, the sleep you
take, the water you drink, the job you have, and the relationships
you enjoy? What
is more vital than anything else to your life now and your
eternal life after death? What
is it that is light to dispel darkness, food that fills
the spiritual appetite, drink that quenches the thirst,
and the remedy that heals the soul? I
refer to the truth of
Almighty God, revealed in His inspired and authoritative
Word, and embodied in the life, work, and teachings of
Jesus Christ!
My Background
Scripture repeatedly urges us to seek the truth, believe
the truth, obey the truth, and share the truth with others! This
has been my life-long passion, ever since I opened my
Bible at age 15 and was shocked to learn aspects of truth
that I never knew before. This
was an eye-opening discovery for a sincere young man
in his mid-teens. I
hadn’t searched for God’s will before but simply assumed
that what I had believed and the way I had lived was
pleasing to God. When
I began to read and study God’s Word, I soon discovered
that God had revealed vast riches of truth and He wanted
me to respond to it with all of my heart!
Since that time in my teen years, I have taken great
interest to focus on the truth of God. Rather
than spend much time on superfluous matters during my
life, I spent thousands of hours diligently searching
and researching the written Word of God. Since
I came to see that I was lost in sin while believing
error and living in ignorance, and since I realized that
the printed page (both the Bible as well as Biblically
related literature of all kinds) was an avenue to truth,
my life-long orientation has been to read, research,
and write about what God has revealed to us in His Word
of Truth.
Over the years, probably many have wondered why I have
spent so much time and effort to learn the Scriptures,
memorize the Scriptures, and share the truths of Scripture. It
is because the Truth and only the Truth will set us free, save us, and lead us to God’s eternal kingdom. That
Word of Truth is like a divine map, taking us from this
present sinful world to a future place of peace, bliss,
and blessing!
As I reflected on my experience of spiritual and Scriptural
ignorance, I could see that others also were in the same
situation. Millions
think they know the truth,
but instead, they believe and practice error of all kinds.
The Word of God warns, “There is a way which seems right
to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs
14:12). The
majority of people just assume that their parents and
spiritual leaders have told them the truth. After
all, they and their parents before them believed a certain
way and went through certain religious activities, thus
it must be
right. This
is the reasoning of so many. But
I could see that just as I had been ignorantly mistaken
and spiritually deceived, so many others are as well. Truth
is the only remedy to this tragic situation!
After my teenage years, I learned as much as I could
through incessant Bible reading. I
went to a half dozen schools and institutions in my quest
to understand God’s word and to better apply it to my
life, as well as to help to prepare me to share it with
others. I
also sought to better understand the will of God through
carefully-chosen books, booklets, magazines, journals,
and tracts. Eventually,
I collected many thousands of volumes in this quest for
God’s truth and will. Besides
my Biblical library used in careful research, I developed
an intricate and detailed filing system of about 45 file
cabinets. I
chose a place of employment where I worked for many years,
and much of this time enabled me to read, study, and
write up to 27 hours a week on the job, at least at the
beginning of my tenure.
Sharing the Truth
In an effort to share some of the fruit of my studies,
God enabled me to produce and distribute a monthly paper
entitled True Discipleship for
some years—the same title as our website. Over
the past 32 years, God has enabled us to produce as many
as 200 pamphlets and larger books on a variety of Biblical
subjects. Only
one book was professionally published and a second one
is waiting for a publisher. Through
my life, I had a passion for God’s saving truth, and
I determined—with God’s help and with the Spirit of Truth’s
enablement—to understand it, believe it, submit to it,
and share it as widely as the Lord would allow me.
We realize that most people simply do not understand
this passion and earnest interest in the Word of God
and the will of God. They
would label it fanaticism, or unbalanced living, or a
radical obsession, or just plain craziness! We
are not deterred with such epithets and innuendos. It
is to be expected, especially in a context of superficial
living, entertainment mentality, or traditional religion. In
fact, Jesus Himself was not understood by His contemporaries
(cf. Mark 3:20-21; John 6:60, 66; 7:5, 15; 15:18-25;
18:37-38). But
those who are of the truth know how essential it is to
have a godly pursuit of the real meaning of God’s Word
so that they may know what the will of the Lord truly
is. We must
lay aside our traditions, our religion, our preconceived
ideas, our pleasures, our friends, and even our family,
if this would impede an honest quest for the truth of
God! We must
choose truth above everything else!
True Discipleship
Our website, True
Discipleship, is another attempt to share
the truth of Scripture as widely as possible. Personally,
I prefer the printed page in my own reading and research—perhaps
since this has been so much a part of my life. Since
I initially learned the truth through Christian literature
from many sources, I’ve been oriented to that means
of outreach. For
many years, I distributed tens of thousands of tracts
through the mail and on the streets and in public
places, especially at public religious events and
conferences.
Although few responses came through this means, I was
encouraged with the thought that at least this effort
was giving many people the opportunity to learn the truth
that they may be saved. I
couldn’t control their own response—whether positive
or negative—but I was giving them at least one opportunity in their life! They
could never again say that they didn’t have the opportunity
to know God’s will and respond to it. Every
mouth in judgment would be closed—for indeed they could
have known the truth, a truth that dispels ignorance,
gives light to those in darkness, and can save from sin
(cf. Rom. 1:16; 3:19).
I realize that through the internet, thousands upon
thousands of people may be reached, almost without limit—from
New Zealand to France, from China to Ghana, from Australia
to Thailand, and from the United States to Peru! The
potential is nearly endless! As
Paul stated of proclaimers of the gospel of Christ, “Their
voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words
to the ends of the world” (Romans 10:17-18). In
this sense, it is possible to proclaim, through the internet,
to reach the ends of the earth with the saving message
of Jesus Christ and the truth of God found in Holy Scripture!
Our website started in a small and seemingly insignificant
way. It was
very slow in beginning but now is beginning to accelerate. By
God’s grace, we want to continue to add informative and
encouraging articles (as well as poems, letters, etc.),
as much as we can. If
only there were more hours in the day to work on this
enterprise! May
our loving and worthy God enable us to reach even more
people by this contemporary, marvelous means! Although
largely dominated by Satan’s agenda, secular reasoning,
humanistic perspectives, worldly entertainment, and even
religious falsehood, we rejoice that God can and does
use this media means to communicate the truth of His
Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the way of holiness!
Do you have an appreciation for the truth? Or
have you been content to merely believe what you are
told, what you have accepted from your parents or church,
or what society and educational institutions tell you
to believe? This
is extremely dangerous! Be
willing to search the Word of God yourself, with a humble
attitude of prayer and inquiry, so that God may reveal
the truth to you.
How Vital is Truth to You?
Let’s now turn to the Word of God for His own perspective
on truth. Let’s
notice some of the many things that Scripture tells us
about the truth of God or the Word of God. You
may wish to look up these verses in your own Bible and
mark them for future reference.
In His prayer to the Father, Jesus said, “Sanctify them
in the truth; Your word is truth” (John
17:17). This
says that the Truth of God will “sanctify” or set us
apart from sin and the world. But
notice what else the Bible says about Truth. Jesus
Himself is called “the truth” (John
14:6), and He was “full of
grace and truth” (John 1:14). Our
Lord also said that He was sent into the world to “to
testify to the truth” (19:37;
cf. 5:33). Further,
the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” (John
14:17; 15:26; 16:13), and “the Spirit is
the truth” (1 John 5:6). We
also know that God is the One who is true (1 John 5:20)
and is called “the only true God” (John
17:3). Indeed,
the Truth of God is utterly important!
Why is the truth
so vital to us? Jesus declared
that “you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free” (8:32). The
Christian is to manifest the truth (2 Cor. 4:2), speak the truth (2 Cor. 12:3), and
patiently speak to people so that they may come to “the knowledge of the truth” (2
Tim.2:25). We
must see that the gospel is “the word of truth” (Col. 1:5) and “the message of truth” (Eph. 1:13)!
How should we
respond to the truth? We must “believe the truth” (2 Thess. 2:12)
or have “faith in
the truth” (2:13),
as well as obey the truth (Gal.
5:7; 1 Pet. 1:22). In
fact, we must have “the knowledge of
the truth” (1
Tim. 2:4; Heb. 10:26) in order to be saved (1 Tim.
4:3). Along
with being saved, people are born again “by the word
of truth” (James 1:18).
True believers are “the pillar and support of the truth” (1
Tim. 3:15). The
Christian is to handle “the word of truth” accurately (2
Tim. 2:15), and must speak the truth in
love (Eph. 4:15). The
way of Christ is called “the way of
the truth” (2
Peter 2:2). We
are to be “fellow-workers with the truth” (3
John 8). Further, God wants us to “worship in spirit
and truth” (John
4:23-24).
In contrast, some “oppose the truth” (2
Tim. 3:8), and “turn
away their ears from the truth” (4:4), have “gone
astray from the truth” (2
Tim. 2:18; James 5:19), or “turn
away from the truth” (Tit. 1:14). Sadly,
the great majority of people will be condemned who do
not receive “the love of
the truth” (2 Thess. 2:10)! Yes,
unless we have this love of the truth, we simply cannot
be saved! People
would rather watch the foolishness of TV, listen to the
blare of worldly music on their radio, attend a favorite
sports event, feed their addiction to the internet or
computer games, or merely sleep—rather
than devote their time, efforts, money, and abilities
to learn, believe, obey, and teach the truth of God!
We must make sure that the truth is in us (1 John 1:8;
2:4) and “abides in us” (2 John 2). We
are to walk in the truth (2 John 4; 3 John 3). Christians
are described as those who are “of the truth” (1 John 3:19) and “know the truth” (2 John 1).
Can we now see
how important the truth of God is? Are you
determined now to diligently search the Word of Truth
and to share your findings with all who will read or
listen? Will
you follow Jesus who is the Truth, obey the word of
the Spirit of Truth, and glorify the God of Truth?
Perhaps you can understand a little now, why our website
exists, why we’ve produced so much Christian literature,
and why we take the stand we do for the truth—regardless
of the cross of suffering and in spite of the consequences. With
Paul, we are determined to make known “the truth of
the gospel” as far as we can, with the help of God (Gal. 2:14). We
pray that you will be blessed with what you learn at True Discipleship and that you will let others know that we are
here! We
also hope that you will read our articles and literature
and compare it with the Scriptures, that you may know
the truthfulness of the Word of God (Acts 17:11).
Give Me the Truth!
The following short statement has always meant much
to me. It
expresses the utter importance that we learn, believe,
know, and share the truth. Read
it and be motivated to make the truth of God central
in your own life.
Give
Me the Truth!
If you are my friend, if
you are concerned about my soul, give me the truth. Do
not flatter me. Do
not praise my virtues while remaining silent about
my vices. Do
not fear the truth will offend me. Do
not treasure our friendship, our friendly relations,
above my salvation. Do
not think that by ignoring my sins, you can help me. Do
not think that being blind to my sins will prove you
charitable. However
I may react to it, whatever may be my attitude toward
you after you have done it, GIVE ME THE TRUTH!
For the truth, and only
the truth, can make me free from the shackles of sin,
strengthen me in the pathway of righteousness and lead
me to the joys of heaven. If
I am wavering, weak, lukewarm, indifferent, neglectful;
if I have been overtaken in a trespass; if I have been
drawn into the pleasures of the world; if I have left
my first love; if I have been led astray by error,
or, if I have done none of these things, but simply
need to grow in knowledge and then be edified, GIVE
ME THE TRUTH!
--Bill
Crews
