As Jesus taught the multitudes, some would come to believe in him and others would reject him. To those who believed in him, he said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8.31ff). We have here the emphatic statement that one can know truth. This ought to resolve the question for every honest soul. For every idea, logical consequences come with that idea, and these consequences are sometimes positive and sometimes negative. The consequences resulting from the idea that we cannot know the truth are that we cannot be free as Jesus promised. Furthermore, to abide in his word would be impossible since we cannot know the truth, and if we cannot know the truth, then we cannot know if we are abiding in truth (i.e., his word). Since words convey truths or lies, they compel the honest soul to read and understand, thus allowing the soul to become a disciple and further abiding in his word.
Paul, writing to the brethren in Ephesus, observed that it was only by the revelation of God through Paul that the mystery of Christ was attainable. He says, “You can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ.” Paul further points out that this mystery was not known to other generations but it has been revealed through the apostles and prophets by means of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual truth cannot be known without the revelation of God. What was this mystery that other generations were not told about? “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3.1-6). It behooves the reader to ask, “If truth is unattainable, how did the Gentiles ever discover they are fellow heirs in Christ?” Clearly, God intended for them to understand the mystery since God revealed it through the pen of Paul.
Jesus once prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth” (John 17.17). Why would God give us the truth, pray that that very truth sanctifies us (set us apart), yet know good and well we could never understand it? Can God, the creator of all things communicate with his creature? Those who seek their own will want us to understand them when they tell us that we cannot understand the bible, but they think God is incapable of the ability to communicate his thoughts to us. Paul calls this foolishness, “Therefore, do not be foolish but understand what the will of The Lord is” (Eph. 5.17). According to the apostle Paul, the idea of truth being unattainable is foolish.
Any passage that implies learning implies that there is truth and that it can be understood since it can be taught. Paul wrote, “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3.16-17). For this very reason, Paul gives a charge that we preach the word! That we do so in readiness both in season and out of season. Indeed, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:15).