By Pastor Doug Cox 

In John 14:6 Jesus told some religious leaders something they should have already known, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In John 8:32 Jesus declared Himself as, “…the way, the truth and the life.” He ended that statement saying, “no man comes to the Father except through Me.” Can you see it? Knowing the truth is a big part of knowing Jesus and experiencing salvation.  

Yesterday in the Simple Truths Bible study the subject came up about the importance of truth. I shared a little bit about how my desire for the truth, was what helped me come out of Mormonism. As a Mormon I believed we cornered the market on truth, after all I was raised to believe that we were the ‘only’ true church. Other churches had some truth, but Mormons had it all. We believed the Book of Mormon was the most correct book on the planet and that families could live together for eternity if you were sealed in the temple and more. 

All of that was a very comfortable fantasy. That is until the truth started slapping me in the faith. I know that sounds funny, but faith and face are connected. How could I hold my head up if what I based my faith on was built on lies. So, in 1985 I found myself under a barrage of truth. The truth that the Book of Mormon at that time had undergone 3,913 changes and not all of them grammatical. The temple ceremony was very similar to the Masonic temple ceremony. There is no archeological evidence supporting any of the Book of Mormon stories and people. Not one coin, not one city. I also was very shocked to find the diabolical difference between the Jesus of Mormonism (Lucifer’s brother) and the Jesus of the Bible (God made flesh).   

Accepting the truth that I had been lied to was not easy, but necessary, that is if I wanted to be right with God. So I accepted the truth, and the reward was great and it is impossible for me to express the joy I found once I did. Knowing I was saved by grace through faith, not of myself and not by my works removed a great burden of guilt and condemnation. Jesus did it all.  

From there Jana and I fell in love with reading the Bible. Romans 12:2 became one of our favorite verses. It says, “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” And what a transformation took place as we took this counsel to heart. We have been trying to live our lives based on what God’s Word says ever since. And though we are still a work in progress, in the midst of all that, we are still experiencing the freedom only Jesus can give. No regrets!