Monday, October 19, 2009

The Deceit in Truth

The Deceit in Truth
August 10, 2009
John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

The Bible uses the word truth for two different meanings. In general, truth (we will use a lower case "t") means the opposite of a lie; it means whatever is correct, or whatever is right as judged by God and not man. More specifically, Truth (we will use an upper case "T"), means the acknowledgement of Jesus' work on the cross and its ability to wipe away sins, allowing entrance into Heaven, and being free from the wages of sin, which are death (death, meaning eternal separation from God in Hell). The above verse can be stated with using either understanding for the meaning of truth. Both understandings, or interpretations, of that scripture are correct, as "free" will always mean free from the consequences of sin.

So far, there is no deceit. It is clear and obvious what Jesus was talking about when He was referring to truth and freedom. But what about the things that we believe to be true? Well, you can truly believe the world is flat, but you would be completely wrong. You can truly believe that your good works will have value and merit in attaining eternity in Heaven, but you would be completely wrong. Atheists believe themselves to be true, but are completely wrong. You cannot determine what is true by what you believe to be right and correct. Only God's belief of what He judges to be right and correct is true. This carries over into your own personal life, Christian. You may believe that you are right and correct regarding any and every given situation, but that truth is determined by you and not God. Godly truth is when you stand before God, being stripped away from all that cloaks your motives, heart, and incentives, knowing what God believes to be true about you and any and every given situation.

When you stand before God in anything, being stripped away of your pride, and your heart is exposed, it is alarming at the human deception of truth. I may think I am not a gossip, but if I stand before the Lord, being stripped away of my pride and motivation, He might determine that I am a gossip, therefore I don't know the truth and that belief of the situation will now condemn me. Wow, what we believe as Christians, about ourselves, can actually condemn us, if we are wrong. This is huge, Christian, for your ability to walk in blamelessness before God. It does not matter what you believe to be true, God doesn't care. What matters is God's truth and knowledge and understanding of everything, as only He is able to see through the physical actions and judge down to the bone of the matter, the heart of each and everyone of us.

Having the correct understanding of truth in your life is critical to having and walking in blamelessness before God. It is critical, then to know what God's truth is about you and every situation. This is where the Holy Spirit comes into play. Scripture says that God will give us the Spirit to "guide [us] into all truth." If you submit yourself to the Lord, laying down your pride and emotions, the Holy Spirit will be sure to lead you to what is true about everything. He wants you to have clarity and truth; He does not want you to be deceived. You can know the truth about everything and that truth is so very, very freeing.

1. How do you lie to yourself about situations?
2. How can you open those situations up so the Holy Spirit can guide you into truth?
3. How can you make sure, in everything, the Holy Spirit is guiding you?

Add. Scriptures for Study: Ps 15:2, John 16:13, Rom 3:7, 2 Tim 2:15, 2 Peter 4:13,1 John 3:20-21, Rev 14:5

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