02/02/22

We are entering, and are even now experiencing, a time where truth is viewed relatively. What that means is, people today value one person’s personal truth rather than accepting that there is one objective truth. Meaning if little Jimmy is convinced that 2+2=5 we should value that truth and accept it and encourage it. When in reality this statement is clearly false and for the sake of knowledge and understanding it should be recognized as such, regardless of how little Jimmy feels. To take a deeper look at this I would like you to look at the ninth commandment in Exodus 20:16, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

This passage not only condemns the act of lying but also suggests that there is such a thing as truth, for that which is not true is a lie. 2+2=5 is a lie, intentionally meant to deceive another. And that is precisely what a lie is. In his book “The Ten Commandments” Jack Cottrell gives a wonderful definition of what a lie is, “A lie is any behavior that is deliberately intended to deceive someone else.” It is the deliberate intent to deceive. So why am I reminding you what a lie is? Because as I previously said, we are living in a time where truth is seen as subjective, meaning truth depends on the person. This is dangerous territory. When our nation begins to accept falsehood as truth for the sake of compliance and inclusiveness, we no longer have any form of foundation. 

For Christians, truth is essential; Jesus claims to be “the truth” in John 14:6, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit of truth” in John 16:13, John 17:17 tells us that God’s word is truth. So truth is something that is very important to those that believe that Jesus is the truth. So we recognize the Bible to be the one ultimate source of truth and anything that disagrees with scripture is false, and anything that aligns with it is true. This is a stumbling block for some who recognize some parts of scripture as truth but refuse to accept other parts of scripture, but if you put your faith in God then you must also have faith that the entirety of his word is true.  

The world today when asked “is anything true” will give an unanimous response, “no”. For we live in a time of relativism. Those in the world who cannot accept that there is an objective truth surely will not be able to recognize that God and his Word is truth, which brings me much fear. Who wants to live in a world where falsifying, deceitfulness, misrepresentations, and exaggerations, are both accepted and condoned?

So as Christians what can we do, to battle the prince of darkness and his influence on the world, for he is the prince of lies. To start we must make a stand for truth. And that doesn’t only mean that we ourselves should correct the lies that we see, but that we also must live as an example of truth, willing to deny ourselves for the sake of honesty, and do nothing to intentionally deceive someone at any point in time. Let’s keep in mind something else that Jack Cottrell tells us in his book, “Malicious bluntness is a sign of weakness, not strength. It shows a lack of love and consideration for the feelings of others. We must speak the truth, but in love.” Yes truth is essential and must be upheld, but it should be done so in great love.

Associate Pastor Clay