What qualities do you use to determine whether someone is the Real Deal, or not? Back in the day, and maybe even today, people used to bite a gold item to see if it left a dent, because real gold is softer than other metals. You can do a DNA test to determine whether you are related to someone else, or not. You have to take a written and vision test to get your first driver’s license. Most every professional nurse, doctor, police officer, lawyer, etc must pass an initial exam to determine if they have adequate knowledge to practice what they have trained for. There are some people in most every profession that I have encountered that I do not go back and consult or see a second time, even though on paper they are ‘qualified’ to work in their profession. What qualities do you use to determine someone’s character?
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17
One of the main things I use to determine another person’s character is whether or not they keep their word and tell the truth. If someone gives me their word that they will do something and it doesn’t come to be, or I am given a bunch of half truths and excuses, I usually drop them like a hot potato. If it is someone I still have to work with, it often calls into question everything else they say from then on. Sure, people can make mistakes and I often give multiple chances for them to make things right, but may keep them at arms length till that happens and they can rebuild a broken trust. The same can happen with a company, where we may be loyal to a certain brand, or may decide never to buy something from them again, based on a bad experience we may have had. But we may also realize that every company likely has good and bad employees, and we may not always interact with just the good ones.
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37
How do we know that God’s Word is true? When we read bible stories or hear about the exploits of Jesus and the disciples, we were not there first hand to see what happened, but we trust that those telling them speak the truth. The process that councils (and ultimately God) used to determine what made it into scripture and what did not, is fascinating. As some say, either we believe all of it, or none of it. If any part of the the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus didn’t happen, then every part of scripture is called into question. We may also accept who God and Jesus are based on what we learned from our parents and teachers, or by a statement of faith, such as the Nicene Creed. We may test these truths time and time again, and when they hold up to these tests, we can have confidence that God’s Word is true. When we come to accept the truth of God and what he has done for us in Christ, then we rejoice in those truths, because they are life changing!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Yours in Christ,
Clark
