THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER -- FALL 2025

In our search for spiritual truth, some Bible verses will step on our toes, make us feel uncomfortable, or go against what we were taught to believe. When anything comes against our established beliefs, we tend to handle it in one of two ways: we can close our minds and run in the other direction looking for verses that reassure us in what we already believe; OR we can open our minds and hearts and Bibles, pray honestly, and be willing to change our minds and our actions as the Lord reveals His will to us. 

That first group, those that choose to shield themselves from truth, are called “willingly ignorant”. They don’t read their Bibles because they are afraid of what they might find. What if they read the Bible and discover things they need to change? What if Jesus really meant all that stuff he said? They are afraid to go to church. Truth can be a very frightening thing. Truth might mean change; and change is inconvenient and uncomfortable. They surround themselves with a few key scriptures (or outside philosophies) that assure them that they are okay just like they are. They are not looking for truth. They are looking only to justify themselves. 

But those of the second group have honest hearts. They are not content as they are, but rather want to be pleasing to God. They go out actively searching for truth, willing to pay the price for it. The focus of their lives is to find truth, to know what God expects of them, and to become more and more pleasing to Him. You and I are certainly part of that group!

In Barea, Paul preached truth. The people of that place listened carefully to what he had to say. Did they take his word for it because he was the great apostle Paul? No! Paul makes this statement about the people of Barea in Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” And in the same way, I don’t expect you to take my word for it, because it is not my word that I am presenting to you. I’m just telling you what God has said in His Word. But you will bless your life, if you will go home with these scriptures and pray about them–just like those Bareans–and search the scriptures daily whether these things are so. Because it is only by seeking that we find.

 

As you go forth in your own search for the truth, I want to share these basic principles with you.

 

#1–WE MUST BE HUNGRY FOR TRUTH

 

As with anything in life, if we don’t want it, we don’t look for it. If we don’t look for it, we don’t find it. But when we want something badly enough to go out searching for it, we tend to find it. It is not any different with the things of God. We have to search and desire. 

If we are not obeying the truth that we already have, how can we expect the Lord to show us more? In America, we are gospel hardened. We have heard so much preaching that we are full and have stopped searching. Most Americans have access to a Bible, and many Americans will admit that Jesus Christ brings salvation from sin. They know where to find the truth, but they live and die without it. WHY? Because they don’t really want the truth. They are not hungry. On the other hand, most people who actively go searching for the truth find it.

I think that most of you reading this paper would fall into the hungry category. You picked up this paper for a reason, and you are still reading it. That says something. You are one of the good ones. You value truth. Obviously, you are not perfect—because people are not perfect. As long as you are people, you're going to be messed up. If you ever find a perfect church, don’t go there, because you’re going to mess it up. You’re not perfect. But you opened this paper and you’re still reading it because you’re hungry for the truth. And that’s the way it should be. This is too important to get wrong. We don’t have time to be complacent and nonchalant. We don’t have time to be lukewarm. This is not a Saturday morning hobby. This is the whole reason that you’re alive. If we want truth, we have to seek it out. 

As a professor, I tell my students all the time, people always find what they are looking for. People who really want something can always find a way. And people who don’t want something can always find an excuse. There are very few exceptions. Whether you have peace in your life today and where you spend eternity, it is very much up to you.

 

Luke 11:9-10 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. [10] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

 

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

 

When truth matters to you more than what other people think; 

When truth matters to you more than what you were raised to believe;

When truth matter to you more than fitting in;

When truth is the thing that matters the most to you;

You’ll have truth.

 

#2–WE MUST BE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

 

It is human nature to believe that we are right. If you honestly believe that you have this all figured out, you are in good company. They say that 95% of the world’s population believes that they are correct in their religious beliefs. But that is not what the Bible says.

 

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

 

The Bible is clear that the majority of people will be lost. It is heartbreaking, I know. But it is true. And it is sobering. Smarter people than you have searched these same scriptures and have died lost. People far more determined than you have searched these same scriptures and have died lost. You are really not as smart as you think you are. Your logic will not get this done. You need something more than that. If you’re really going to find the truth, you need to be baptized with the Spirit of Truth. 

 

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

 

I Peter 1:22 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:” 

 

Notice that it is the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, that gives us the strength that we need—not only to know the truth but also to obey the truth. Did you know that without the Holy Ghost, you don’t even have the power to do the right thing? Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

 

And people ask, “Is the baptism of the Holy Ghost really necessary for salvation?” The answer is a resounding “YES!”; If it is the Holy Ghost that draws us leads us to salvation (Romans 8:14; John 6:44); if it is the Holy Ghost that reveals the gospel truth to us (John 14:26); if it is the Holy Ghost that gives us the power to obey the gospel (Romans 8:1-4; Galatians 5:16); if it is the Holy Ghost that will raise us up on the last day (Romans 8:11); Yes, you need the Holy Ghost. 

 

If you really had the power to do this on your own, then why did Christ die? But if there was any doubt about it before, Romans 8:9 clears it right up. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” 

And so the second principle is that if it is our honest intention to find truth, we must be baptized in the spirit, we must submit to the spirit, and we must walk in the spirit.

 

#3: THE BIBLE IS OUR SOURCE OF TRUTH

 

The Word of God is infallible. That means it cannot be mistaken and it does not contradict itself. A church teaching can be wrong, a preacher can be mistaken, and sometimes even we ourselves can be mistaken about what it means, but the Bible itself is never the cause of that. The Word of God itself is perfect, and it is essential that we commit to it. Not only must it be our foundation for truth, but it must be our only foundation for truth. If we try to live our lives in accordance with many different founding principles (our feelings, worldly trends, academia), they will contradict, and we will never find peace or stability. [If you do not believe that the Word of God is infallible, one of the main purposes of this paper is to convince you of that fact. In every issue, it will be a main topic of discussion.]

 

THE BIBLE IS UNIFIED. Although there were about 40 different inspired men at various times and in various places that actually penned the Bible, there is but one author–and that is the Holy Ghost. II Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And because it is the word of God and not of men, we can expect there to be no mistakes and no contradictions. If there seems to be a mistake or contradiction, we are misunderstanding something. 

 

The Bible commands us in the beginning, in the middle, in the end, and at various places throughout that we are not to add to the Bible, or to take away from the Bible, nor twist the message that is clearly stated in it. The following scriptures should be central to our search for truth. It wouldn’t hurt to memorize them. I will refer to them every time I have a chance.

 

Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” 

 

Proverbs 30:5-6 “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. [5] Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

 

Revelation 22:18-19 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: [19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

 

Galatians 1:6-8 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

 

God’s Infallible Word must be our source of truth. It really doesn’t matter what you or I think; it doesn’t matter what we have been taught; it doesn’t matter what we feel comfortable with; It doesn’t matter if the world approves of us; It doesn’t matter what’s always been done. Our main concern, our only concern, is–What does the Lord think? And He has expressed that clearly in the pages of his holy Word. It is our moral obligation to boldly declare what the Bible declares and to remain silent where the Bible is silent. Although there are many tools for ministry that the Lord has provided for us: like pastors, teachers, prophets, traditions, revelations, the gifts of the spirit, books, and even our church organization, all of these things must line up to the Word. If they don’t, we can be sure that they did not come from God, because God will never contradict his Word.

 

There are many principles that we must remember as we walk with the Lord. But they all hinge upon these three. We will explore them and elaborate on them as we go.