Seekers and Finders

A Great Promise

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 (NASU)

This verse describes a great promise of Jesus Christ that, if taken at face value as He intended, means that those who are honestly seeking out the truth will indeed find it. This should be a source of comfort for those who worry about the fairness of judgment, the question of ignorance, etc.

A Seeming Problem

However, this verse, when taken as a promise fulfilled through the Providence of God, creates some difficulty when it does not appear that many people are actually finding the truth. Some argue that if this were indeed a promise, people should be “almost breaking down the door” of the church building each time we gather together. This forgets two key elements in Jesus’ words:

The Truth Seeker

This does not describe a general seeker, but instead a truth seeker. The fact that people are searching for religious ideas and for God, at least in terms of their own preconception, is very real. Outside factors such as turmoil in the world, economic uncertainty, personal tragedy, etc. will lead people to seek out something more than them. The problem begins when either they find what pleases them as opposed to the truth, or when they find something that convinces them is better.

The Accepter

This does not assume that every finder will be an accepter. It is not a foregone conclusion that when one does find the truth and learn it, that they will accept it or obey it. In Jesus’ own ministry, much of the breaking point with His disciples came at “moments of truth”. For some, His words were too challenging (John 6:60). For others, His words required giving up too much (Luke 18:22, 23).

Our Responsibility

With these things in mind, it then falls to us as the body of Christ to deal with each of these elements. Simply knowing that there are people out there searching for the truth does not mean we should simply wait for them to come to us. Falsehoods and perversions of the truth are legion and stand between us and the honest, seeking soul.

Also, once we have shown someone the truth, we must also encourage them to understand that accepting that truth is the best decision they can ever make. We cannot make anyone accept Christ, nor should we ever try. But we can demonstrate personally what seeking after, finding, and ultimately accepting the truth is all about, and the limitless blessings that come from such a decision. Jesus’ words should never be a cause for discouragement, but instead a call to action!