Thinking About Truth

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

John 18:37-38

With his one rhetorical question, Pilate encapsulates the lie of relativism. This lie says that there is no absolute truth, there are only perceptions of the truth. Truth is relative. It varies from culture to culture and society to society. There is no fixed, certain, unmovable, absolute truth. There’s your truth, and there’s my truth. And what is true for you, may not be true for me. But who am I tell you that you’re wrong, because that’s your truth?

If believed, this lie leaves us with a world and a God that make no sense. If there is no absolute truth, then I cannot absolutely say that God exists, or that He has called you to repent of your sins. In fact, if there is no truth, then I can’t say for sure that anything is sinful. Maybe it’s a sin for me, but not for you. Or maybe it’s considered a sin in our culture, but is praiseworthy in another. If truth doesn’t exist, then nothing is certain and Christianity is just an opinion. If truth isn’t fixed, then reality as a whole begins to break down and it becomes hard to make sense of anything.

But what does the Bible say? Are we adrift at sea in a world without truth? No! 

If you were to flip the Bible open at random and pick any verse, chances are you would find a truth claim. Because literally, every page of the Bible assumes, implies, and makes clear that truth really does exist and that it doesn’t change over time. 

But instead of flipping the Bible open at random, let me share just a few verses with you. The first is Isaiah 65:16 which says “...he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth.” God identifies Himself as the “God of truth.” Why would He do that if truth doesn’t exist?

Or consider 1 Timothy 2:4 which says that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” How can people come to a knowledge of the truth if truth doesn’t exist?

So, make no mistake, truth does exist. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that truth is relative or that my truth is different from your truth. Truth exists and God is its source. He is the God of truth! This is why we find truth primarily revealed to us in God’s Word. The Bible, is our primary source of truth. It is the standard by which we determine what is true. Don’t allow anyone or anything else to be your final standard of truth but God’s Word. Cling to it!

Jesus Silenced Them!

Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

Mark 3:11-12

Demons were proclaiming the gospel?! Why would they do that?

Many believe that these demons were trying to stir up trouble for Jesus. If they could convince the crowds that Jesus was the Messiah then the crowds might take Jesus by force and crown Him King. This would, in turn, be seen as an act of rebellion by Rome and would result in Jesus' death. It’s a rather ingenious plan! 

But if these demons were speaking the truth about who Jesus is, then why did He silence them? I think there are several reasons. First, He silenced them because it is not yet His time. It wasn't time for the crowds to fully know who He was yet, and it wasn't yet time for His crucifixion.

But here's another reason why He silenced the demons. The demons were not fit to procalim the gospel. It would have been inappropriate for the Messiah's arrival to have been heralded by demons. To allow them to do so would have sullied Jesus' reputation and it would have elevated theirs. He could not allow either of those things to happen. 

Lastly, I think Jesus silenced the demons because even though they were speaking the truth their intent was evil. They were trying to use the truth to work against God’s purposes, and Jesus would have none of it.

This gives us some insight into how we should think about and deal with false teachers. The test for a false teacher isn’t just, “Are they speaking the truth?”, but also “Are they twisting the truth for evil purposes? Is their intent to use the truth for some purpose that is their own and not the Lord’s?" If so, then they should be silenced too.

I think it is a valid application of this passage to say that we shouldn’t listen to everyone who speaks the truth! I would explain it this way. While the truth is always welcome, some mouths don’t deserve to speak it. For example, I like drinking nice cold milk as much as anyone, but I don’t want to drink it out of a dog bowl! Some containers aren’t worth drinking from no matter what is in them. Likewise some people aren't worth listenign to, even when they are speaking the truth. Don’t be tricked into listening to some false teacher just because they speak the truth sometimes. Even the truth can be used with evil intent. So test not only the message but also the person and their motives.

Thinking About Truth During a Pandemic (W.o.W. Rewind)

The following post was written in March of 2020. It felt relevant to me today as we face another wave of COVID, I hope it encourages you. 

****

My family has spent the last eight days quarantined in our home awaiting test results that would tell us if our four month old little girl has COVID-19. The night before all this began our four month old threw up. Then we noticed she was running a fever and coughing. The next morning we called her pediatrician. I was certain the doctor would not want us to bring our baby in during this pandemic and would simply tell us what to watch for instead. She called us in. When the doctor came into our room she was wearing a protective gown, gloves, a mask and a face shield. Nurses spoke to the doctor and slipped testing items to her through a crack in the door instead of coming into the room. These were all necessary precautions. My anxiety increased. They decided to test my daughter. I thought we would know in three to four hours max. They said it would be three to four days. That was eight days ago.

Understandably the lab has been overloaded with tests. We just found out this morning that our daughter's test came back negative. She does not have COVID-19. Over the course of this past eight days there were many times when I was sure the test would come back negative, but there were also times when I thought about the potential danger of it being positive and of this virus killing our sweet little girl. A few times during the week as I held her in my arms and sang to comfort her an intrusive thought slipped into my mind. What if I have to hold my baby in my arms just like this and sing to try to comfort her in vain while she dies?

Now, if I had indulged that thought I could have lived in fear of it all week and the enemy could’ve gained some power over my mind. But instead, I thought on what was true. Yes, this virus is dangerous, that’s true. Yes, my daughter could have had it. And yes, I could not guarantee that she wouldn't die from it. All of these were true, but they were only half truths because I didn't even know yet if she did have it. So I chose to think on the greater truths of God. I reminded myself that God is good, that God is in control, that He has a plan, and that nothing will come to pass without His say so. I chose to fix my minds on these truths.
In God's good providence I was preaching on Philippians 4:8 this past Sunday which has to do with just this topic. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

It's hard to know what’s true in our world today. Scripture tells us that Satan is a liar. In fact, he is the father of lies and half-truths. He has deceived the whole world. He holds power over the people of this world through his misinformation. You and I cannot afford to let him into our heads. How do we keep his lies out? By thinking on what's true. Fix your thoughts on what you know to be true, that is on God and His Word, including His gospel. Think on the things that have been proven true by these.

Be careful to filter your thoughts through the Truth during this difficult season of anxiety.

A Fitting End to a Holy Life

And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

Mark 6:23-25

I have always found it difficult to read the story of John the Baptist's death in Scripture. It seemed to me that so great a man deserved a better death than this. To be murdered so contemptibly not because he had done anything wrong but because of the wounded pride of a powerful woman and because of the pretentious pride of a king who wasn't really a king at all (Herod Antipas was actually a tetrarch not a king) felt like too much to me. I wondered why. Why did God allow His faithful a servant to meet such a disgraceful end?

But this week, as I read this story again, God reminded me of a passage from Romans 8:35-37.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

This passage says that God has left all believers like sheep to be slaughtered. We need to know that. We need to accept the fact that God allowed John the Baptist to be killed this way. He allowed His Son to be publicly disgraced and killed. And He has allowed many other faithful servants to seal their testimony with their blood as well. We need to understand that God's children are often left at the mercy of this world. There is no sugar-coating that.

BUT...God turns our suffering and even our death into victory! The passage says that "in all these things we are more than conquerors!" When we suffer or even die for the truth of God's Word or the gospel of His Son, we show the world and the Enemy who rules over it that we will not be moved. There is a certain type of victory for the Christian in staying true to the end and refusing to give way to the Enemy.

So, what I learned was that while John's death was a tragedy, it was also a victory. In a way it was the most fitting end to John's powerful life on earth. He was put to death for speaking the truth of God's Word. He told Herod that it was against God's law for him to marry his brother's ex-wife (Mark 6:18-19). He died because he wouldn't back down from the truth. What could be a more fitting end for John the Baptist than that?   

The Enemy, and the world that follows him, still hate truth just as much today as they did then. What price are you willing to pay to speak the truth in the face of opposition? Will you back down, or will you stand your ground to the end? 

For further reading...

• Mark 6:14-29- Read the whole story.
• Romans 8:31-39- A little more context.

Thinking about the Truth during a Pandemic

My family has spent the last eight days quarantined in our home awaiting test results that would tell us if our four month old little girl has COVID-19. The night before all this began our four month old threw up. Then we noticed she was running a fever and coughing. The next morning we called her pediatrician. I was certain the doctor would not want us to bring our baby in during this pandemic and would simply tell us what to watch for instead. She called us in. When the doctor came into our room she was wearing a protective gown, gloves, a mask and a face shield. Nurses spoke to the doctor and slipped testing items to her through a crack in the door instead of coming into the room. These were all necessary precautions. My anxiety increased. They decided to test my daughter. I thought we would know in three to four hours max. They said it would be three to four days. That was eight days ago.

Understandably the lab has been overloaded with tests. We just found out this morning that daughter's test came back negative. She does not have COVID-19. Over the course of this past eight days there were many times when I was sure the test would come back negative, but there were also times when I thought about the potential danger of it being positive and of this virus killing our sweet little girl. A few times during the week as I held her in my arms and sang to comfort her an intrusive thought slipped into my mind. What if I have to hold my baby in my arms just like this and sing to try to comfort her in vain while she dies? 

Now, if I had indulged that thought I could have lived in fear of it all week and the enemy could’ve gained some power over my mind. But instead, I thought on what was true. Yes, this virus is dangerous, that’s true. Yes, my daughter could have had it. And yes, I could not guarantee that she wouldn't die from it. All of these were true, but they were only half truths because I didn't even know yet if she did have it. So I chose to think on the greater truths of God. I reminded myself that God is good, that God is in control, that He has a plan, and that nothing will come to pass without His say so. I chose to fix my minds on these truths.

In God's good providence I was preaching on Philippians 4:8 this past Sunday which has to do with just this topic. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

It's hard to know what’s true in our world today. Scripture tells us that Satan is a liar. In fact, he is the father of lies and half-truths. He has deceived the whole world. He holds power over the people of this world through his misinformation. You and I cannot afford to let him into our heads. How do we keep his lies out? By thinking on what's true. Fix your thoughts on what you know to be true, that is on God and His Word, including His gospel. Think on the things that have been proven true by these.

Be careful to filter your thoughts through the Truth during this difficult season of anxiety.

Yes and No

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Matthew 5:37 (NKJV)

I am convinced that we are too willing to compromise on the truth. Too often our word is no good. Either we deal in half truths or we make statements or even commitments that we later go back on. This is not how Jesus lived. He spoke the truth even when it hurt people, even when it made them mad, even when it got Him killed. Moreover He stood by his statements and commitments. He didn't back down. One small example of this is found in Matthew 16:1-4. Jesus had already told the Pharisees that they would not be given a sign in Matthew 12:38-40. In this passage He sticks to His statement and repeats His conviction that the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah. How refreshing! Jesus was a man of His word. 

How often do you practice subtle deception and justify it by claiming that what you said wasn't really a lie? Just because a statement is in the same general area as truth doesn't make it true enough to come out of a Christian's mouth. How often do you fail to stick to or live up to your words? How often do you make excuses to back out of commitments? Reflect Christ in this as in all ways. "Let you 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'," Christians. Anything other than this originates from the evil one.

For further reading...

• Matthew 5:33-37- In context, this passage is about taking oaths. I think that makes the point even stronger when it comes to our financial commitments as oaths would have been commonly used in reference to these.
• Matthew 12:38-40 & 16:1-4- Read how Jesus stuck to His word.
• Matthew 5-7 & Matthew 15:1-20- Some examples of Jesus speaking unpopular truths.

Top 5 Reasons to Read the Bible

Top 5 Reasons to Read the Bible

1. His Word is Powerful!- God's words are so powerful that He created everything that exists simply by speaking. Imagine what powerful change His words can bring about in your life.

Now the earth was formless and empty... And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3)

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.(Psalm 33:6)

2. God's Word is True- We are surrounded by lying voices. All day long they tickle our eyes trying to sell us their product. Are you tired of being lied to? Do you want to know the truth about the world, yourself, and God? Got to the Bible! It speaks only the truth.

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

3. The Bible Brings Salvation- Talk about the power to change a life! Every person who ever went from being a sinner to being a saint did so because of God's Word. Apart from the Word we could know almost nothing about God. It's through the Bible that we learn about His plan of salvation and are called upon to believe. 

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:18)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

 

4. Scripture Grows Us and Guides Us- We all want to improve ourselves. We all wish we had a little more self-discipline or a little more understanding of who God is or even a plan for our lives. If you want to grow yourself up in the Lord, if you want to become the best version of you that you can become, if you want to feel like your life has some guidance, then the Bible is exactly what you need.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... (1 Peter 2:2)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

5. God's Word Defeats the Enemy- Have you ever noticed how Jesus chose to combat temptation when the Devil came to meet Him in the desert? He fought the Devil with the Word of God. The Bible is a powerful weapon against temptation and the lies and confusion of the enemy. In fact, Revelation tells us that in the end all the enemies of God will be defeated by His words.

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:13-15)

For further reading...

• Read anything in the Bible! But if you don't know where to start or if you haven't read the Bible much before here are some good books of the Bible you can begin with: Mark, Luke, or Genesis.

Little Sins: Lying Lips

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Proverbs 12:22

We have a bad tendency of thinking that some sins are small. "They don't really hurt anyone, so they don't matter as much. These are just minor character flaws," we tell ourselves. We even justify our actions by arguing, "We can't be perfect on this side of heaven anyway." The problem is that Scripture often makes a big deal out of our "small" sins. What is more, Scripture tells us to pursue the perfection of our Father in our everyday lives (Matthew 5:48). Over the next few weeks we will be looking at some of these so called "small" sins. We will see what God has to say about them, and we will see some Bible characters that incurred some pretty major consequences for these sins. Today we talk about lying. 

The truth is that God hates lies (even the little white kind). They may seem harmless to us, but the reason God hates them really ought to be obvious. They are contrary to His very nature. John 17:17 says that the words that God speaks are truth. In fact, the Holy Spirit is even called the "Spirit of truth." (John 15:26). God speaks truth. He reveals truth. He enlightens the mind so that it can understand and receive truth. Lies conceal the truth. This is not the work of the Father but of the enemy. The Devil is the "father of lies" (John 8:44). Lies are his native tongue, so when we lie we are reflecting Satan's character, not the Father's.

Even more telling is how this basic character difference works itself out in our Father's and the enemy's strategies for capturing the hearts of this world. II Corinthians 4:4 tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they would be unable to see the truth of the gospel. Revelation 12:9 says that Satan "leads the whole world astray." But God "reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light" (Job 12:22). In fact, "God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5). So the image we get from these verses is that Satan is attacking our world with darkness and deception, hiding the truth of the gospel behind a thick veil of half-truths and outright lies. Our God responds to this strategy not with the sword or a legion of angels, but by beating back the darkness with the light of the truth of the gospel of glory in Jesus Christ. This is God's work. This was Jesus' work. He is "the light of the world" who sets people free from the darkness forever (John 8:12). And we know that the darkness "has not overcome" Jesus' light (John 1:5). So you can imagine His frustration when His children, whom He has set free from the darkness of deception, willingly choose to return to it for their own benefit. When we do this we are willingly reflecting the nature of the Devil and have joined with him to spread confusion and deception. We literally find ourselves opposite of God in the great cosmic battle for the hearts of mankind, and our God does not take it lightly. 

For further reading...

• Acts 5:1-11- Read the story of a couple who decided to try to lie to God.
• Genesis 12- Read about how Abram's weak new faith in God and his half-truth nearly caused a catastrophe.