Truth and Lies, Part 1

“. . . because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”( Romans 1:25, ESV)
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” ( Isaiah 5:20, ESV)
“Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" ( John 18:38a, ESV)
What is truth? That is the question that Pilate put to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Pilate was a corrupt politician who had probably used lies all his life to get to be a governor. He saw Jesus as just another power jockey, a religious bigot, looking for ways to advance his own position and popularity. Pilate did it. A good reading of Herodotus or other historians who lived before the time of Pilate will certainly open your eyes to the ways of politicians. Even powerful, popular, Greek military heroes who helped to fight against the king of Persia later crossed sides and helped the king! Sound familiar?
We have always lived in an age where humans have lied. Make no mistake about it, lies are warp and woof of many societies, sometimes forming the reason for creating a new society, often the reason for military exploits and usually the reason politicians and others rise and fall with such rapidity. Lies are told and the truth is eventually learned. Even if the truth is not learned at that particular time, years later the light begins to dawn on people.
The thing that is difficult to grasp is why people will lie when they know their audience, be it one person or many, often know that a lie is being told. That is the other part of a lie. Not only does a person lie, but he or she has someone who will believe the lie, for whatever reasons. I have known people who might look up at a beautiful clear blue sky and tell you that the sky was dark and cloudy. Perhaps not exactly that lie, but something that wouldn’t be any less shocking to hear would come from their lips. You have to wonder why someone would do such a thing.
Ever notice, by the way, that we have categories for lies. White lies, black lies, little lies, big lies, and even something called a “fib.” Generally speaking, white lies are not as bad as black lies, little lies are less damaging than big lies, and fibs don’t count! One religious body has two different categories for sin, mortal sins and venal sins. The idea here is that some sins could cause you the loss of your soul, but the others don’t really count. Lying is in the venal sin category with those folks.
When it comes to the things of God, the opponents of God tell lies that keep getting bigger and bigger. One of the biggest lies ever told purported to give humans true knowledge of how life came about on earth and in fact, has never been scientifically proven, despite the claims of a large number of scientists. I am speaking, of course, of Darwinian evolution. What’s even sadder than that is the number of people claiming to be scientists who continue to back the lie, as if any other possibility would be absurd. You can imagine how many tons of books and articles written by those in the scientific community would have to be trashed if the truth were actually told. Men and women have staked their reputations, their fortunes, their positions and their very lives on this one lie. If you are confused about evolutionary theories, move to the currently popular topic of global warming. Even if places such as the Andes mountains in Peru have recorded some of the coldest weather in fifty years, even though llamas cannot drink from their frozen wells, even though some places in North America suffered from record cold in the past year, still, perveyors of the theory will blame all of these on global warming, throwing in earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters as part of the deal. Currently there are literally thousands of scientists who would like to challenge the politicians who keep forcing this lie on the public. Even if there is global warming, did it come about because of the activity of humans or is it a natural occurring phenomena, perhaps caused by solar activity? Can humans really do anything about it?
But the lies don’t stop there. The truth about God will be suppressed, changed, or just simply lied about, in order for humans to feel good about themselves. As a Christian, it is important to take stock of what you believe in light of the truth about God. Here are some truths that are worth considering.
Truth #1: God is the Creator. You can’t have it both ways. Either God is a Creator as testified to in the Bible, or He isn’t. If He isn’t the Creator, He isn’t all-powerful. If you believe He isn’t the Creator, please don’t use the term, “Almighty God,” because that would be a lie. Look at this: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” ( Hebrews 11:3, ESV) I really don’t care for all of the so-called scientific arguments. They are in direct opposition to the truth about God.
Truth #2: Humans are sinful creatures, created good by God, but fallen from His grace due to disobedience to His clearly stated Word. Gen 2:16 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’" (Genesis 2:17, ESV) No matter how you slice it, humans do sin and humans do die. In fact, the entire universe is slated for destruction because of the sin that brought death. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned–. . .” (Romans 5:12, ESV) One of the more interesting euphemisms is the term, “terminally ill.” People get sick and the doctors say, “She’s terminal.” Well, I guess so. We’re all terminal, it is just a matter of when and how you die, not if. There is no option. “I think I will live rather than die.” Now there’s a good choice. Jesus says, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.” (John 5:21, ESV) “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,. . .” ( Deuteronomy 30:19, ESV) God has offered the gift of life since the creation and mankind has usually rejected the option.
Truth #3: God has called all of humankind to repentance. “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, . . .” (Acts 17:30, ESV) We have trouble with that word, “repentance.” For many people, it carries the idea of crying and being sorry for something we did wrong. However, the Greek word for repent means to “think differently, to reconsider.” What is it that needs reconsidering? We need to reconsider the idea that “you’re okay, I’m okay.” We are not okay, but rather we are enslaved to sin. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16, ESV) Two choices and if you choose the default, you are automatically a slave to sin. You are empty, you are not a child of God, you are not automatically going to heaven when you die, you are still under the curse of sin. God has given choices to men and women since He created the first pair and as children, we have chosen to be disobedient to Him. But He offered us a choice to live with Him forever.
Truth #4: Jesus died for the sins of all of the human race. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV) God didn’t just choose certain people to love. The term, “world,” in the verse above means “people.” It is true, God loves the followers of Islam, the followers of Buddhism, the followers of New Age religions and so forth. He loves them all. But, He did call every single human that has ever lived to repent, to reconsider the alternative, to think again. Jesus is not exclusive in His offer, but He stipulates that anyone who would come to the Father must come through Him. “ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, ESV) I have heard proponents of Buddhism claim that Jesus is only one way to God, but that Buddha is another way. Oh, really? Either Jesus is lying or someone has swallowed a lie, because Jesus is quite clear when speaking to His disciples just before He died on the Cross for all of mankind. Remember why he said this? They were all thinking, if we could just see God, how wonderful it would be. All of this deprivation and following Jesus around the country would have meaning. These three years would not have been spent in vain. “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.’” (John 14:8-11, ESV) The works. What were the works? Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, fed thousands of people on little or nothing, walked on the water, and the list goes on and on. Those are the works, the miracles. What was the purpose of the works? To prove that He really was the Messiah, that He really was God. Even the disciples didn’t get it, at least, not until the resurrection. Then it all came to them. They had walked the earth for three years with God Himself. Wow!
So what about billions of people in the world who follow religions other than Christianity? God calls them to repent, to think again, to reconsider the religion they have chosen. It is the wrong road, the wrong way. "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV) It’s easy to follow the crowd, to follow the world. It is difficult to follow God. The difference? How about eternal life?
Next time, I would like to explore some more of God’s truths, truths that just cannot be ignored. You see, our lives depend on it.

Accepting the Truth

“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32, ESV)
“ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”(Romans 1:18, ESV)
One of the dilemmas facing every individual who walks this earth is the dilemma of confronting the truth. Truth has become repugnant to many who find it offensive in the demands it makes. What demands? Truth demands that a decision be made. Take Pilate, for instance. When faced with the truth that Jesus had done nothing deserving of death, he mocked the idea of truth. In order to appear to have not made a decision, he publicly washed his hands before the people. He was in a position of authority and power and yet wanted to appear as much a victim as his defendant was. Politicians have subscribed to this kind of behavior since time immemorial.
More frightening than this is the truth we find about ourselves. Romans 3:23 says all (all people since the beginning) have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That means I am a sinner. Unless I become a child of God, I am inherently doomed to be a liar. This is the charge that Jesus made against his accusers in John chapter 8. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44, ESV) When I look in the mirror do I see a child of God or do I see a child of the devil? Am I truthful, especially with myself? I don’t want to believe I am a child of the devil but unless I have been born into Christ Jesus, I remain in my sin.
Much of the rejection of Jesus as the Son of God is a heart problem, not a mind problem. It is more comfortable to remain in the present situation rather than change. If this isn’t so, why do authorities have such a time getting people to evacuate disaster areas? Whether it be floods, hurricanes, fires or volcanos, the problem is universal. Many times lives could have been saved if people had heeded the warning and fled to safety. The truth is, they are more comfortable with their surroundings, even if that means putting their lives in danger.
When it comes to our spiritual lives, everyone outside of Christ is in imminent danger of eternal disaster. "I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come." (John 8:21, ESV) This is the situation of the world right now. More and more we hear reports of people seeking spirituality. They are really seeking Jesus because He is the author of all life, physical and spiritual. Yet many will die in their sin because they do not seek Him but rather seek that which is eternal and spiritual apart from Jesus. When Jesus said that where He was going, the Jews could not come, he meant that those who seek the eternal but reject Jesus are doomed. They cannot go where He is, because the eternal is in Him. Outside of Jesus, there is no eternal. The word “verdict” comes from Latin and was used in Middle English to mean to speak the truth. In our day it has come to mean a conclusion, a judgment. Either way, to speak truthfully we must decide if Jesus is truly God and truly the way to eternal life or reject Him. More information will not change the ultimate need to make a decision. If I am to live life as a truthful, truth-seeking Christian, I must be truthful with myself and of course, with my God. There is no handwashing exercise that will let me off the hook.