Have you ever scrolled through your phone and realized that everyone seems to have their own version of the truth? We're told that's fine, that we can all just live our own truth and get along. But if you've ever tried that at a family dinner or in a hard conversation with a friend, you know it doesn't hold up once real life and real disagreement show up. This message kicks off a series called Questions and Answers, Finding Truth in God's Word. Hard questions, honest answers, gospel-centred truth. Over the next several weeks, we'll open scripture together and ask what God actually says about things like abortion, money, and medical assistance in dying, not to win arguments, but to live it out in real life. But before we get anywhere near those topics, we have to establish where truth even comes from, so today, we start at the foundation. John 1:14 tells us Jesus, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, both at the same time. Before we can talk about grace, we need a truth that's actually anchored to something solid. So I walk through the evidence for why the Bible itself holds up as that authoritative source, starting with the sheer volume of ancient manuscripts we have (over 25,000, compared to a few hundred for most other ancient texts we treat as reliable history). Then I get into how close those manuscripts are to the actual events, and how closely they match each other across thousands of years of copying, including the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery that lines up with our modern Old Testament in more than 95 percent of the text. From there, we look at why truth without grace becomes a weapon, and why grace without truth becomes wishful thinking that can't hold up under pressure. Paul tells the Ephesians to grow up by speaking the truth in love, and that's the tension this whole message lives in. In a culture full of confusion and division, we're called to hold truth and grace together, to speak boldly, love deeply, and live faithfully. Near the end, I walk through a simple prayer for anyone still wrestling with doubts, so stick around for that even if you consider yourself a skeptic. Watch the full message above, and if you're new here, hit subscribe so you don't miss the rest of this series. I'd love to hear in the comments where you tend to go to find truth when life gets confusing: a podcast, a friend, scripture, or somewhere else entirely. You can find more teaching and resources anytime at LeadBiblically.com. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 The problem with everyone having their own truth 2:30 Starting a new series, Finding Truth in God's Word 4:00 Jesus, full of grace and truth, John 1:14 7:00 Principle one, truth needs an authoritative source 12:00 Evidence one: the volume of ancient manuscripts 16:00 Evidence two: how close the manuscripts are to the original events 20:00 Evidence three: the Dead Sea Scrolls and the consistency of transcription 24:00 What this evidence means for you 27:00 Principle two, truth needs a connected grace 30:00 The salt metaphor, why grace matters in how we speak truth 33:00 Why "all you need is love" falls apart without truth 36:00 Coming back to Jesus, full of grace and truth 38:00 An invitation to pray 40:30 Discussion questions and next week's topic #IsTheBibleTrue #BiblicalEvidence #GraceAndTruth #Faith #Jesus #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy #ChristianGrowth LeadBiblically.com | Navigating the Life and Leadership God Has Called You To
