The One Undeniable Truth

This past week my husband bought me Gary Habermas’ book entitled, The Historical Jesus. This book attempts to prove that Jesus walked the earth using sources outside of the Bible. Although I have only read about 50 pages thus far, it has been a fascinating study. Habermas is a Christian I believe as he notes in his prologue that his intent in writing this book was not to imply that the Scriptures are not a sufficient basis for Christian belief but instead the book is devoted “to developing a new area of apologetics.” Habermas goes on to say that he believes the “best approach to apologetics is one that begins with the evidence for the trustworthiness of Scripture and then proceeds on this basis.”

In thinking about my own walk with the Lord and the different times in my life that I have questioned the validity of the Christian faith and have wondered deep within if what I believe is really true, the Lord has always brought me back to the one undeniable truth – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). I know Jesus is real and his teachings are true because my life changed drastically when he became my Savior 22 years ago. A love and joy filled my heart like nothing else I have ever experienced. An awareness of sin overwhelmed my inner being as I began to seek the narrow road in an effort to know my Savior in more intimate detail. The things of God which I once shunned became the center of my attention as I devoured the Word of God to better understand this person called Jesus who died for my sins to purchase a place in heaven for me and for anyone who puts their faith and trust in Him (John 14:1-6).

In my darkest moments, when the circumstances of life are bearing down upon my shoulders, and I am sure that I cannot possibly go forward, the Lord continues to whisper in my ear, “To whom shall you go? I have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

In contemplating this wonderful truth, I have realized that by the world’s standards I had achieved much success by the time I was in my early 20's. I had the privilege of majoring in Communications at Boston University, one of the major universities for communications in the world, and as a result, was hired by an esteemed high tech PR firm. By age 25, I was happily married and earning more money than my father ever had in his entire professional life. As I reflect on these events, I am always struck by the emptiness I felt inside even though I had achieved so much both personally and professionally at a young age that the world says should render complete happiness in its wake. I believe this feeling of dissatisfaction had to do with how self-focused my life had become and the fact that I was so enamored with world success that my barometer for judging happiness and contentment became skewed and left me frustrated and wanting. It was only as I retreated back to the Scriptures and the teachings of Christ that true peace and fulfillment became a reality. It was also at this point that my life began to have true purpose.

In Matthew 7:7 the Lord promises to anyone that puts their faith and trust in Him, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Can you hear the tenderness of the Lord’s words in these verses? He is telling people everywhere that if you seek Him and His righteousness, He will be found and he will give it to you. There is a great saying that perfectly encapsulates this truth, “When the student is ready to learn, the teacher will appear.” So too with Christ. If you want to understand who Jesus is and how to attain eternal life, he will show you – personally, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

Won’t you take the time today to investigate the promises of Christ for yourself? He is standing there...knocking patiently, lovingly...waiting for you to open the door.

“How many have pulled down their souls to build up their estate.” – Thomas Watson, Puritan