John 14:6-7
Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
St. Paul teaches us, in his letter to Timothy, that as for we have continued to learn and believe firmly in Jesus, we know what we have learned over the years from our childhood to our present day...We are familiar with the sacred writings, which are able to make us wise for Salvation through faith in Jesus...All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching others about His Word, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work...
St. Paul is talking about our learning experiences and how Jesus changes many things and give us a basis, a baseline for our beliefs...What we have learned in our experiences from childhood till now give us questions out what we believe is our perceptions and our reality...And we try to better understand the Truths around us...Because, why would we believe in anything if it were not true...
The question what is Truth is very much like the question What is reality or What is Absolute reality...Those who follow the gospel have a different perspective on what is Truth and what is reality...In the sense that we live in reality, then our reality is our Truth and Truths...Some people use reality as a reference to the Truth ...Because without an Absolute Reality any thing you or I say that we believe could be a reality...So, without an Absolute Reality things said by each of us could be the reality...And we know this is not True, so thus we can see that there must be an Absolute Reality and One Absolute Truth...This is why Truth is so connected to Reality...Absolute Truth and Absolute Reality, with that being said, become exclusive...So when Jesus asks who do we think He is, and then later comes out and tells us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we can see the Exclusivity He is talking about...We can better see why He is the Only Way to God (because of He Being the Exclusive, Absolute Truth)...Jesus is our Absolute Reality, as well as our Absolute Truth...
Believing in the gospel we can believe the Palmist's writing...For the one who rejoices in God and His promises and is like the one who finds the great spoil....The believer hates and detests lies and falsehood, but I love your law...The Proverbs writer teaches that the righteous hate what is false, but love the Truth...But the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves...The righteous one guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner...With the Bible's writing so much about Truth, we can see that the Word of God believes in Reality and the Truth...Truth exists and helps us find and believe in what is real...And the Bible is ever writing about the Truth and the Way of Life...
St. Paul continues this belief and importance of and Absolute Reality and Truth in one's life and in summary says: So I tell you this, and insist on it in the LORD, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking...They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts...Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed...That, however, is not The Way of Life or the Truth of Life...that you learn from the gospel...When you read about Jesus and follow His Teachings you then live in accordance with the Truth and the Truth will set you free...Believing in the Truth we can put away our old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires of the earth; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and we should instead put on the new self, created to be like God in True Righteousness and Holiness of Life...This is the Way, the Truth, and the Life...Therefore each of us must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to our neighbors, for we are all members of one body....God has us interconnected with a fellowship in ourselves and in Jesus...We are to love God and to love neighbor...So do not let falsehoods and unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up each other according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen....This is the gospel and good news of Jesus...And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption...Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice...Live by the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and be kind, gentle, patient, faithful, and compassionate to one another, forgiving with each other, just as in Christ God forgave you...
If you believe in Reality, and the Truth, and an Absolute Reality, you can better see that there are Good Morals and Bad Morals...One can see the goodness in people, that sin exists, and that evil exists...With St. Paul teaching us that we should not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds....We see we can think and have knowledge, and be able to discern between this good and evil...Then we are able to test and approve what God’s Will is—His Good, His justice, His Truth, and His Pleasing and Perfect Will...And St. Paul knowing that God's Word is Truth - this is how we can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God...
This brings us back to the Truth of God and that God's Word is Truth, and that Truth is Absolute Reality...This is why the believer's Absolute Reality is different from the non-believer...And how Truth can be different for some who do not believe...