We are on a quest to answer five questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I missing? What is truth? What must I do? We need answers to these questions, and not just any answers. We need answers that are true, for without truth, we will never be free.

This is the seventh article in The Five Big Questions of Life series. Previous articles in this series are always available at http://www.webbweekly.com.

Our Creator placed within us a powerful instinct that is keenly aware of a spiritual realm existing beyond the physical and observable world. He also endowed us with the ability to respond to that spiritual instinct by believing in what cannot be seen or touched. To guard us against acting on beliefs that are less than true (we cannot always believe our eyes), he endowed us with an ability to question and challenge what we believe. Finally, to free us from the bondage of endless questioning, doubt, and fear, God endowed us with the ability to know truth and gain wisdom.

Knowing is different than believing. Belief requires a bridge to span the gap between what we know and what we do not yet know. Knowing needs no bridge. Let’s dive in a bit deeper.

There was a time, very long ago, when you and I didn’t know that fire was hot. We believed it was hot because our parents warned us about it, “Don’t touch that candle! It’s hot! You’ll get burned!”

For some time, the bridge of belief built by our parents was all we needed. But as we grew older, we began to question that belief. The questioning led to experimentation as we cautiously extended our tiny fingers closer to the flame.

Unfortunately, we didn’t know that heat rises. As it does, a flame pulls cool air toward itself. Approaching the flame from the side, we could feel warmth, but it didn’t seem so warm that we couldn’t touch it – so we did. Yeeeee hawww!

In an instant, believing fire is hot was transformed into knowing fire is hot. We no longer needed the bridge built by our parents. Personal experience firmly established for us a new rock of knowledge.

At first, knowledge made us fear the power of fire – and we wanted nothing to do with it. Mark Twain recognized the connection between knowledge and fear:

If a cat sits on a hot stove, that cat won’t sit on a hot stove again. That cat won’t sit on a cold stove either. That cat just don’t like stoves.

But God gave us something cats don’t have – the ability to use knowledge to gain wisdom. Knowing fire is hot is a truth that establishes a new foundation. That solid foundation allows us to build new bridges of belief. Those new beliefs must be challenged by questioning and experimentation. Doing so leads to new foundations of knowledge. This ongoing process of believing, questioning, and knowing leads us toward wisdom and freedom. This is why the writer of Proverbs declared:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10

The point is this: you can know the answers to the five big questions of life. That knowledge will inspire the believing and questioning that will lead you toward greater knowledge and wisdom. This is the lifelong quest that leads to increased freedom and life to the full.

If you do not have definitive answers to the five big questions, then you are in bondage to ignorance, and that ignorance results in meaninglessness. For you, life is nothing more than a Groundhog Day treadmill of the same old same old. There is no meaning, no purpose, and no passion for life. God has so much more for you. In fact, Jesus declared:

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

In next week’s article, we will embark on the quest to answer the first big question of life: Who am I? Do you know who you are? Can you answer that question succinctly and confidently right now? If you can’t, then your lack of identity is causing you to wander aimlessly through life. How can you grab life by the horns if you don’t know who you are?

Remember, for a quest to be successful, you must be willing to follow the truth where it leads. Are you willing to take that risk? If you are, then the truth you’ve been looking for is within reach. In fact, it is closer than you think. It is calling out to you right now.

By the way, I still fear the power of fire, but because I have gained knowledge and wisdom, I use it to heat my house, cook my food, and power my truck. That’s what knowledge and wisdom do – they turn fear into freedom. My friend, the quest for knowledge and wisdom is worth the effort and risk. I pray you will join me in the quest.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Timothy 1:12