God’s unchanging faithfulness is described in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Aren’t you glad that God’s goodness is not fleeting? God is always good. He does not change (Malachi 3:6). Tomorrow He will be just as good and true as He is today (Hebrews 13:8).

 
James 1:18 continues this discussion by declaring of the faithful God, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” The word of truth is what saves us (James 1:21). The truth sets us free (John 8:32), it separates us from the world (John 17:17), and we must walk in it to be pleasing to God (2 John 4; 3 John 3-4).

Truth is to make us into a kind of first fruits of God’s creatures. Are we like God in the sense of being faithful and true? It is not always easy to be true and faithful, but it is worth it. A lie sometimes seems like the easy way to get out of a tight spot, but the result is a nagging conscience and a sense of shame (Ephesians 4:25). While many people today are like Ahab, wanting people to tell them what they like to hear rather than the truth (1 Kings 22; cf. Isaiah 30:10; 2 Timothy 4:3-4), deep down we must recognize that it is the person who will always tell us the truth who is really our best friend (Proverbs 27:6).

 
At critical points in our lives, when our character is tried, we must remain true. When crises come, the greatest desire is not for the most intelligent or most popular people, but for those who are faithful and true (Proverbs 20:6). A loyal person is the greatest blessing in these times. While we can’t choose our intelligence or popularity, we can always choose to be true.

 
When people pressure you with their false beliefs, do you remain true to your convictions? The majority of people follow falsehood (Matthew 7:13-23). God is not swayed to be false even if every man in the world is (Romans 3:4). Can we be like God and refuse to be swayed, or do we cave in to peer pressure? When many disciples of Jesus walked no more with Him because they could not accept the truth He preached (John 6:66), Jesus did not change His tune to bring them back. Instead He challenged those who remained with what they would do. Peter recognized they could go nowhere else if they were to follow the truth that saves for Jesus had the words of eternal life (John 6:68).

 
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). He is the One who makes true life possible. Jesus calls us to follow Him in His words of truth, stating, “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 8:31-32). Like no other, Jesus helps us to be true.

 
–Mark Day

Jesus said in John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” The first “will” in this verse conveys the concept of desire; thus, Jesus is affirming if a man truly desires or wills to do God’s will, then he will know what God’s will is.
There are many today who say that the Bible cannot be understood. They point to the great variety of conflicting concepts people have about certain Bible subjects as proof for their claim. Though many very educated people differ in their views on the scriptures, the problem is not with the Bible. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Many people were divided over the identity of Jesus while He was here on earth (John 7:43), and today there is still division over who He is, but the defect has never been in Jesus. The defect is in the hearts of men.

Jesus’ words in John 7:17 still ring true. Jesus did not claim that education or intelligence will absolutely guarantee true knowledge of God’s will. Though those factor in, the main ingredient Jesus identifies is desire. True, honest desire to please God is the number one prerequisite for understanding God’s will. If someone comes to the Bible for any other purpose than to ascertain what God wants and does it, then there is no telling what kind of “interpretations” they may put on the Scriptures. Luke 8:15 identifies those who have an honest and good heart as the people who receive the word of God and bring forth fruit. The Bible is not only for those of supreme intellect with the highest education; God’s word is for everyone. Mark 12:37 says of Jesus that, “the common people heard him gladly,” because He did not speak like the educated religious leaders who made things so complicated. While not everyone has the privilege of the highest education, everyone can choose to be honest.
You can understand the Bible. You just have to be honest with it. Paul expected those in Ephesus to whom he wrote to be able to understand, “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Ephesians 3:3-4). Jesus even expected men in the first century to understand what Daniel had written centuries before concerning the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:15). God expects us to read the Bible and understand His will. “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).

–Mark Day