HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUTH
In 1692, Harvard College adopted as its motto Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church.” Its crest showed three books, one face down to symbolize the limitation of human knowledge. But in recent decades that book has been turned face up to represent the unlimited capacity of the human mind. And the motto has been changed to Veritas—“Truth.”
The pursuit of knowledge is praise-worthy, yet learning can quickly lead to pride and a refusal to acknowledge any limits on our mental abilities. When that happens, Biblical truth is ignored or rejected.
What, then, is the truth about truth? A wise king wrote centuries ago, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). We must recognize the relationship between God and truth. Without the help of the Holy Spirit and the instruction of God’s Word, man will be ever “learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Tim. 3:7). When we acknowledge and obey His truth, however, we will be set free from spiritual ignorance and error (John 8:32; 17:17).
Scripture warns us against pride (see Prov. 16:18). To fight pride, we must follow Christ. “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather . . . he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5–8).
Pastor Larry
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