"I Am The
Truth"
John 14:6
When I was nineteen years old Bro. Henry
Mahan came to my hometown for a series of meetings, and I went to hear him. I
remember distinctly some of the messages he preached. How blessed of God they
were to my heart! I also remember a statement he made, which seemed to me to be
out of order and confusing. He said, to the congregation, "You don't
arrive at Christ through doctrine. You arrive at doctrine through Christ."
As a young theology student, with what I proudly assumed was a head full of
knowledge, I thought, "That is not right. A man has to know doctrinal
truth before he can know Christ."
Today, I understand the meaning of my dear
friend's words. And I see their importance. "YOU DON'T ARRIVE AT CHRIST THROUGH
DOCTRINE. YOU ARRIVE AT DOCTRINE THROUGH CHRIST." That is exactly what the
Lord Jesus said when he declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life." Christ is the Way to God. Without him there is no going. Christ is
the Truth of God. Without him there is no knowing. And Christ is the Life.
Without him there is no living. If you would go to God, you must be in THE WAY,
which is Christ. If you would have eternal life, the gift of God, you must have
THE LIFE, which is Christ. If you would know the truth of God, you must know
THE TRUTH, which is Christ.
All divine truth, all spiritual knowledge,
comes to men only by divine revelation. And God reveals his truth to faith. We
know and understand the truth of God only by believing the testimony of God (Heb.
11:3). And that begins with believing the Son of God. "He that hath
received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true" (John
True gospel knowledge, true doctrinal
knowledge is not the result of diligent study and precise reasoning. It is not
a position we come to by following a path of precise, intelligent logic. Rather
it is that which we know and understand through faith, by reading, hearing and
believing the Word of God. Believing Christ, we be-
lieve everything revealed in and by Christ, no matter how inconsistent his
revelation may be to man's per- verted reason and experience. And believing, we under- stand. Knowledge is given to those
who believe. "You don't arrive at Christ through doctrine. You arrive at
doctrine through Christ,"who declares,"I AM THE TRUTH."
Don Fortner