Humbly Bend

Truth and the Bible are not, in and of themselves, synonymous. God does not reside in the Bible. God resides squarely in truth, and nowhere else. Now, this is not to say that the Bible can not show truth, but it, in and of itself, is not truth. Instead of using the Bible as our sole guide to truth, doesn’t it make sense that honesty and sincerity should be the chief instruments in arriving at truth? For the Bible, though I may find truth through it, is not the conclusion of the matter. In fact, honesty and sincerity are the only things capable of revealing truth. This can be demonstrated. If I were to read my Bible for an entire lifetime, and yet I am dishonest in my assessment, or insincere in my search for God, I would never arrive at truth. This leads to an even more grave possibility. If I never arrive at truth, I will never arrive at God, for God is truth. Of course, it will be said (and rightfully so), that honesty and sincerity are too subjective, and they cannot be free of suspicion. This is so true! And yet, is it not true that “narrow is the gate”? Also, the thought of being forced to seek out truth rather than it be handed down and laid in our laps is frightening to say the least; but was it not the apostle paul who said that “salvation(!) should be worked out with fear and trembling”. It should probably be added that within sincerity, humility must also be included. A wise man I know wrote, “the doorway to truth is very low. We must humbly bend to enter”. This is a very true statement, but I would also add that the doorway is thin, and as one of us approaches, we must faithfully let go of our bulky luggage and even our garments. As we stand cold and naked outside the door, we must forcefully knock until the warmth from inside invites us in to reside with the One who resides only in truth.