Do you ever find yourself asking the question of whether or not a seemingly objective statement is true? Trina and I are into our sixth month living in England and traveling to Western Europe. In both areas, we are consistently asked the question of whether or not reports from major US Media outlets should be considered accurate. Sometimes the answer is yes and at others it is clearly no. Mainstream media, not just social media, is only one example of an outlet claiming objectivity that has earned skepticism at this point in history. It is becoming increasingly acceptable and regular to manipulate facts, even the definition of what a fact entails, in order to gain support for a personal, evil agenda. To lie is a clear characteristic of the enemy of all people. Look at John 8:44 NASB95 for clarity here,
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
The good news is that there is an objective, unchanging measure that is always available. Truth is an immeasurably precious commodity, one that Christians have a duty to know and faithfully represent.
Man alone is an unreliable source
Human beings without God are notoriously bad sources for what composes right from wrong. One of the most glaring examples in modern times is the inspiration of Karl Marx. Every time his socialist philosophy has been embraced in practical form, human suffering has reached unimaginable levels. The tenets of his writings are pretty easily researched, but understanding how he got to such diabolical conclusions is the really important thing. He undermines the reliability of God and believes that the mind of man, specifically his own, is capable of producing better results. This fatal arrogance is laid bare in Jeremiah 17:5-10 NASB95:
Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. [6] “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. [7] “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. [8] “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. [9] “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? [10] “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”
The Lord is changeless
A big part of changing this trend is a clear understanding that God the Father/Jesus/Holy Spirit, is marked by a sinless, perfect character. He isn’t a super powerful deity that only occasionally messes up, He has never shown a lack of integrity. Jesus is the only example of utter faithfulness that has ever walked on the earth! Look at several scriptures:
Numbers 23:19 NASB95
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Hebrews 6:17-18 NASB95
In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, [18] so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
The God of The Bible has maintained His integrity and stayed faithful to His promises despite the unfaithfulness of both Israel and The Church at many different points in history. Consider your own story in light of the narrative of His Faithfulness. Haven’t we all walked in ways that don’t deserve Him fulfilling His promises only to see Him come through anyway? He doesn’t maintain His fidelity in relationship to us because we earn it, rather it is because He is incapable of anything else. He is THE stabilizing force against the backdrop of a world that is increasingly comfortable with redefining truth according to either delusion about our own capacity or just plain old self centered desire.
Walking in Faith rather than legalism
James 1:16-18 NASB95 helps connect God’s character to our lives on earth:
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. [17] Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. [18] In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
If we are going to be known for integrity rather than the shifting shadow that so clearly characterizes the world, we must remember how God’s Word, His Truth, is accessible to us in daily life. When the enemy can’t convince us that truth doesn’t exist, he’ll try just as hard to convince us that it is our responsibility to make it happen. Attempting to make God’s character happen with human effort is an old enemy of God’s people and there is nothing more fruitless and exhausting than trying to achieve our own holiness. Jesus, The Living Word, makes His home in us and is always open to requests, conversations and for help when we need to make His matchless truth our own. Romans 10:6-8 NASB95 gives a helpful word picture of this truth,
But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), [7] or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” [8] But what does it say? “The WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”-that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,”
Jesus is right there with us to help when we understand we can’t do it on our own. Instead of thinking about holiness, integrity or truth as things we do, think of them as something He has done that manifest through us when we turn to Him!
The small things matter
It is absolutely essential that Christians remember that the world is watching whether they know it or not (see Being Light for a bit more clarity CLICK HERE). We are the roadmap out of the downward spiral of lies and instability that increasingly permeate every aspect of the modern world. On a daily basis, we are presented with seemingly imperceptible opportunities to represent the truth. Make it a point to correct a cashier when they give you too much money back, don’t exaggerate your actions, etc.. When it is sacrificial in some way to speak and live by what is true, turn to the only one who has been there and done it right!
Hebrews 7:25 NASB95
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
