In giving the great commission, the Lord instructed the apostles to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20A).
Paul in II Timothy 2:2 told Timothy "...the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." One can see by these scriptures, that God intended for faithful men to teach truth. Obviously, one cannot teach that which he does not know. Thus it is clear men can learn the truth. It is not possible that we understand it differently. What would your school teacher have said if, when you missed a question you said: We understand that question differently?
Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31A-32). Since our being the disciples of Jesus depends upon our abiding in his word, Jesus here teaches that we must be able to learn that word. It would be impossible to "abide in" it unless we could first learn it. Then by saying, "...the truth shall make you free," Jesus made it clear that truth is 0not merely a goal to be sought, (some say truth can never really be known) but that the truth is what makes one free from sin. The apostle Paul condemned those who are, "ever learning and are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (II Timothy 3:7).
Christians must "...grow in grace, and in knowledge of our Lord..." (II Peter 3:18). The way to grow in knowledge is to, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God..." (II Timothy 2:15).
There are many things that we can know.
1--We can know that there is one God (Ex. 20).
2--We can know that Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25).
3--We can know that men must believe in Jesus as the Son of God in order to be saved. Jesus said, "...for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).
4--We can know that men must repent of their sins. Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13: 3,5).
5--We can know that men must confess their faith in Christ in order to be saved. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven...”(Matt. 10:32-33); “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:10).
6--We can know that men must be baptized (immersed) in water in order to be saved. “Repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins...”(Acts 2:38); “... arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins” (Acts 22:16); “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved...” (Mark 16:15-16).
7--We can know that there is only one church. “There is one body...”(Eph. 4:4); ...and gave him to be head over all things to the church Which is his body...“(Eph. 1:22-23), and in order to enter that one church, one must be baptized into it. “For as many of you as have baptized into Christ have put on Christ...” (Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4), and all the saved are in that one church. “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47).
Friends, just as surely as the Bible is the word of God, then we know these things are true, and that one must be faithful "unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).
"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God" (I Peter 4:11).
Don H. Noblin
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