A.W. Tozer famously wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
I agree. Our thoughts of God color much of who we are. If we think God is demanding, we will be demanding of others. If we think God is harsh, we will be harsh with others. But if we think God is loving, we will be loving with others.
People have all kinds of thoughts about God—some good; some bad. These thoughts are important.
How do we know if our thoughts about God are accurate thoughts about God? Jesus tells us in John 14:6.
In John 14:6, Jesus says that he is “the way, the truth, and the life.” I preached on this passage recently and wanted to expand on what Jesus means by this statement. I wrote about Jesus as “the way” earlier.
So, what does it mean that Jesus is “the truth”?
In John, God is the truth (John 3:33; 7:28; 8:26; 17:3). The world is blind to the truth, choosing instead to follow the Devil, the father of lies (John 8:44). This lifestyle is epitomized by Pilate, who famously asks Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). God’s word leads people to the truth (John 8:32; 17:17). Jesus, the word made flesh, does the same thing (John 1:9; 8:45; 18:37). The Paraclete continues this work (John 14:17; 16:13). Those who believe Jesus are led into all truth, but the world cannot receive the testimony of Jesus or the Spirit (John 8:46; 14:17; 18:37).
In summary, Jesus is “the truth” in that he reveals to us God as he really is. John writes in 1 John 5:20 (ESV):
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
Bringing it back to our thoughts about God—because Jesus is the truth, our best thoughts about God come from observing Jesus. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus is the perfect revelation of the character of God.
When I think about God, the image that comes to my mind is Jesus with Zacchaeus. I love the image of the tax collector in the tree and Jesus saying to him, “Come down from there. I am coming to your house today.” I love the thought of Jesus partying with guys like Zacchaeus and making the Pharisees clutch their pearls. That’s who God is.
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