“But when the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth].” — Jesus, John 16:13.
Quite often, preparing for Easter, I find myself turning to John’s account of the Last Supper. The words seem to carry additional gravitas at this last meal together, as Jesus carefully goes over the highlights one more time.
His words resonate in the 21st century, where we take such sweeping liberties with truth. It makes good sense, then, to check in with the one who is truth personified. We dare not separate our pursuit of, our quest for and our understanding of truth from our pursuit of, our quest for and our understanding of God.
So, if we pray when we read the scriptures, why not pray before — and also as — we read the news, or research, or fact-check, or enter into conversation or debate? Is our relationship with God an integral part of our thinking, our emotions, our intellectual curiosity?
When I hear commentators referencing this time in history as ‘the post-truth era,’ I believe this means we live in a ‘post-Jesus era’ too. So, what exactly do we need if we say that “full and complete truth” is important? Well, we need Jesus. And we need to be, as Jesus puts it, “Guided by the Spirit of Truth.”
We live in a time when the suppression of truth, the manipulation of truth and a wholesale disregard for truth are eating away at our freedom at an alarming rate. But thankfully, as Jesus pointed out, “The truth will set us free.”
We cannot leave an active, purposeful relationship with God out of the equation. It is critically important that we love God, follow Jesus and are guided by the Spirit. Then, “when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide us into all truth [full and complete truth].”
I guess, then, it would be fair to say that it is our civic duty to draw closer, and become more accountable, to God.
— DEREK