Truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth. God has a people who
refuse to engage in any unright, to pretend reality is something other than
what it is. We are not willing to hold back truth to preserve people’s feelings.
We look to Jesus. He loved people very much, and we are to love people too
much, to withhold the truth from them when it is He that offers it. To not speak
truth is a price that is too high to pay for our relationship with God. We have
a deep sorrow that so many people are offended by reality, but reality is not
going to change simply because someone pretends that it is different from
how it actually is. It’s a delusion when someone feels or believes something
enough, to think it must be true. People talk about “their truth”, but that is a
contradiction in terms. Truth is Truth. If you don’t like the truth, it will not
change for you simply because you are offended by it.
For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
2 Corinthians 13:8
There is always a time, a place to put truth out there. Some hold back telling
truth, so as not to contradict anyone for fear of losing that person. That is
most selfish in the most arrogant form. If something is said, meaning it to be
the truth and another think it wrong, they should feel free to comment, with
respect to proper social etiquette - taking their turn, and giving the other
person their turn to talk – that’s called reasoning. If however, someone does
not want to discuss a certain topic, they should not bring it up. If they choose
to bring it up, they shouldn’t be offended that someone else corrects them
with facts. It’s not right to bring up a topic that you don’t want to discuss, and
then get annoyed at others for responding to it. If one chooses to walk away
as a result, then that is their choice, and if they choose to not reason for truth,
then allow them to have their delusion. At the end of the day, we are
concerned about the standard of our own life, and of following Christ.
The pressure exuded by worldly standards is enormous to compromise the
truth in order to get along, to present the truth less boldly, or to remain silent
altogether. It takes a boldness and confidence to attend the order of God’s
Word. This confidence and boldness must not be rooted in our own abilities.
If we speak boldly because we have put our trust in our own intellect or
speaking skills, then we have not proclaimed God’s Word with a holy
confidence but with self-importance. Our boldness must arise from a firm
commitment to the truth of God’s Word. Those who preach and teach
confidently in the manner that God approves of, are those who humbly admit
that they themselves are heralds of the Lord, bearing His unchanging
message that is not only for those being taught but also for the teacher.
Reason is sufficient to know truth, in fact, reason is the most reliable means
of attaining knowledge. But what about such things as beauty, morals, and
matters of the spirit? Most have inherited the belief that such things are at
best matters of opinion; they are subjective matters having to do only with
the individual’s experiences and tastes. Outward adorning is fleeting. We
observe the integrity of the upright guiding them. We know that the natural
man cannot receive the things of the spirit of God, he has no discernment.
The question is, “can we have knowledgeable confidence in the truth of the
faith”? Reason and revelation are the only truly reliable sources of
knowledge. Reason is the authority. We start with God, the supreme arbiter
of truth. Knowledge is to be objective, certain, and dispassionate - not subject
to personal feelings. We come to know that faith is fundamental, even to
doubt. For even doubt must rest upon belief. Because one doubts something
because it conflicts with something else one already believes. And if that
something else is doubted, it too, conflicts with something believed. To doubt
everything is to learn nothing. In order to learn something, we must believe
something. This is how truth of faith doesn’t rest on the fragility of human
reason, although it is through our minds that we recognize faith’s truth. It
rests on the faithfulness of God who has made Himself known to us. Our
assurance comes from the combination of reasoning, knowing, believing,
and following the One who is truth, and is evidenced by the revelation of His
working out all things. We conclude that our faith is held as truth because of
the certainty of the word, which is the correspondence of reality. Truth is the
product of the creative activity of God. If this be our faith, then we intend our
words to reflect what really is the case. And because truth is accessible, we
reason to know that spiritual beliefs based upon the word of God correspond
with reality. Conflicting truths must be rejected also, for if truth is that which
conforms to reality and reality itself cannot be contradictory, truth cannot be
either. Either it is raining outside the window or it’s not. It can’t be doing both
at the same time in the same location. Either Jesus could have saved himself
as he saved others, or he couldn’t. It was precisely because he came to save
others that he could not save himself! To descend from the cross was not
indeed a physical impossibility, but it was a moral and spiritual impossibility
for the One sent to save us. Likewise, either God Am or He ain’t. As God as
He is, He can’t be both. Our beliefs must go beyond our own perspectives to
reflections of reality itself. This is therefore a faith commitment. We have
reason to know what the truth is, especially because the One who knows
about it perfectly tells us. The construct of language will not change what is
truth. While a change of terminology might change the attitude about
something, it doesn’t change that something itself. We don’t change the
nature of something simply by changing the words we use for it. We
confidently rest on the faith we hold as describing the way things really are.
There is no reason in principle to assume we can’t know ultimate realities
just because of our human limitations. It is arbitrary to simply decide God
cannot reveal truth to us because of our limitations. We have been met by
the One who created the "story" of the world and is able to put the pieces
together into a coherent whole. His is the one true explanation of reality.
God’s people are not trapped behind opinions. In Christ we have direct
contact with revelation. And thus, we do not "impose" truth on others. Truth
is knowable and sharable by and with those who study to show themselves
approved of God.
God gives us each our own story of life’s situations. We respond that we
have a story that puts all the pieces together, a story which is coherent and
consistent, and which matches the nature of the purposes for service for
humanity. In response to all things, we look to Jesus, a historical Person who
has revealed to us more than our reason is capable of discovering on its
own. In response to hate we look to Jesus the Creator of all and the final
Word who has revealed to us ultimate truth. In him we find truth in its fullest
sense, as the One who is real and trustworthy and who speaks. In him, by
him, and through him, we can have confidence in our faith. This is why God
instructs His last day people to write! The truth and certainty of God’s
purposes are ratified by the word and promise of God, and ordered to be
committed to writing, as matter of perpetual record. Words given to you from
God, are for the support and comfort of the faithful. To provoke faith in our
struggle. God has given to mankind such a high degree of autonomy and
freedom, that if we choose to continue down a path of death and destruction,
He will let us go, even though it pains Him greatly, and even though He does
everything possible to warn us about where such paths lead.
A time such as never was, is the conclusion to a time of intense personal
crisis for people on earth. Especially for the people of God. Some are going
to defect from the faith. The challenges to our faith will seem
even more formidable than they did when we were unrepentant. But
the answers to those challenges will be even more convincing than they
were when we knew nothing could separate us from the love of God. When
asked for the reason of our hope, in a sense, we are supposed
to apologize for our faith. This has nothing to do with being sorry for our
beliefs. But rather, we are to contend for the faith with sound arguments for
our beliefs as well as responding to the tough questions others raise about
our faith.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:3
The truth is going to cut. Make no apologies for truth. We need the
Word of God, the wisdom of God, and the counsel of God in all places and
in all circumstances. There is no place that it is inappropriate to use or allude
to God’s Word. It is in fact wicked to deny anyone the freedom to read, speak
of, or use the Word of God in any context. The Word of God is at times meant
to cut away thoughts and concepts that oppose the will or way of God. It is
essential to allow the harsh words, the ones that seem to go straight to the
heart of conviction, to do their work. The sharp scalpel is used to cut out the
cancer or the sharp scalpel is used to correct the alignment of the eye. If one
is healthy in the word of God then it will not cut, it will correct. The Lord will
bring harsh truth that may cut us. We should be thankful that He has shown
us such grace and love. If we do this, we will see the fruit of righteousness
abounding in our souls and healing is not far away. We will learn the
difference of pain which is caused by disease and that which is produced in
the process of healing. Self-righteousness brings division within the body of
Christ. Believers should never apologize for believing, quoting, or affirming
the Word of God. No, not ever or in any situation. Why should anyone ever
apologize for acknowledging God or for using His wisdom? Rather, we
should boldly speak of, read, and reference the Word of God, and our total
dependence on His all powerful Word.
As we move deeper and deeper into hostile spiritual territory in the last day,
the spiritual needs of those around us are going to become more and more
apparent. As we become more and more capable of sharing our faith with
others, we will be more and more inclined to do so, enabling us to be used
in a greater way by God. We'll be in a better place when we pray, when we
read, and study the scriptures; when we wrestle with our self problems
allowing God to preserve us. Let’s get our priorities straight. There are only
two eternal things on this earth…God’s people and God's Word. Everything
else will ultimately be burned up.
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