The truth which accords with Godliness

(Titus 1:1-4 – The truth which accords with godliness)

It seems these days that there are many versions of the truth. We hear it all the time where people talk about “my truth” or “their truth.”

But there is only one that is the truth which accords with godliness. The truth that comes through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Anything else is just a lie. So, let’s look at the truth which accords with godliness now.

Truth versus perception

Before we begin let us look at the scriptures under review today.

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by command of God our Savior; 4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1-4)

Paul opens his letter to Titus speaking about the truth and the need to preserve and preach the truth which accords with godliness. Truth is a critical subject and one we must understand if we are to come into the kingdom of God.

When Jesus was put on trial, He said to Pontius Pilate that He had come to bear witness to the truth. Pilate answered him asking, “What is truth?”

It’s a good question and highly relevant today where everyone seems to have their own version of the truth. As mentioned above, it is becoming more common to hear people talking about “my” truth or “their” truth rather than “THE” truth.

The truth about the truth is that there can only be one truth. There cannot be multiple truths about any given thing. There may be multiple perceptions of the truth, but there is only one truth. And in Christianity or religion of any sort, there only one truth that is the truth which accords with godliness.

Let me give a couple of examples of the difference between truth and perception.

In a crime or a road accident there may be a number of witnesses who see what happened. You would expect that they all have the same understanding and the versions of what they saw would all align. But that is rarely the case. There are often highly conflicting perceptions of what took place, even down to the most basic details.

Let’s say there was a hit and run. In the shock of the moment, some eyewitnesses will think they saw things that were not true. There will be differences in the make, model, even the colour of the vehicle as it speeds away from the crime. But all of the witnesses will swear that their version of events is the truth.

Another example is like an old Indian proverb where three blind men first encounter an elephant. The first one comes to the head and feels the tusks and a trunk that picks up food. This man claims elephants have huge teeth and flexible arms. The second man walks up and feels the legs of the elephant and claims they are like huge strong trees. The third man walks up to the elephant and feels the massive side of the elephant and says elephants are like a wall made of leather. The three men go away and argue continually about what an elephant is based on their perceptions of the elephant, and they can never come to an agreement.

That is roughly what the story is, minus a few details that I don’t quite recall. But the point is, “their” truth is based on a perception that is incomplete. They were all blind and could not see the whole picture, and so their perception of the truth is coloured heavily by their lack of knowledge.

And in the case of the motor accident, each person has “their” truth about the colour of the car, it’s make and model, but some of the people are just plain wrong. They may swear to the truth of what they saw, but it is based upon a false perception.

Finding the truth which accords with godliness

If we want to find the truth which accords with godliness in the Christian context, then we have to go beyond first impressions. When we hear something that a person claims represent “THE” truth, we need to be certain that they are not talking about “their” truth, which may not be truth at all.

When we consider where to find “THE” truth, the first place to look is at Jesus. He said;

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Jesus was not “A” truth, He is not “MY” truth or “THEIR” truth. Jesus is “THE” truth. So, if we are seeking the truth which accords with godliness, we need to go to Jesus who is “THE” truth. There is no other truth that accords with godliness than the truth that comes from Christ Himself.

When we listen to people preaching, and when we read articles written by those who claim to be speaking the truth, we need to determine if they are REALLY speaking the truth which accords with godliness, or if it is just “their” truth. If the doctrine they are preaching is in full and total alignment with the words of the scriptures, given to us by Jesus Christ and His chosen apostles and disciples, then we can be reasonably sure it is “the” truth.

But even then we must be careful because scripture can be and is often twisted to gain an advantage for the preacher. The message needs to align with the whole of the gospel and not be just a verse or two taken out of context.

Many of the false doctrines in the church today have been built on twisted scriptures or perceptions that are incorrect. Doctrines like the prosperity gospel, word of faith ministry, divine health, tithing in the Christian church, once saved always saved, progressive Christianity, and others are all false doctrines. They have been built by twisting the truth and rejecting the truth to gain an advantage.

Do not be led astray. These doctrines when they are tested by the truth all fall apart. They break down because they are not the truth which accords with godliness. They have nothing to do with godliness but are doctrines of men, if not doctrines of demons. Reject them.

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