So, there's a big, stinky elephant in the room...except this elephant is running around like it owns the place. Busting up the floorboards, tracking in mud, waking up the kids - it's chaos!! And you know what? The problem is not that people don't see it. Oh yeah, they see this elephant alright. Crazy thing is, many people don't feel the need to deal with it. Or they don't know how to deal with it. What's more, many people don't think the big stinky elephant is a problem at all!
Yep, this elephant is..."sin."
(queue creepy organ)...DUM-DUM-DUUUUUUM!!!...Now if sin is an uncomfortable subject for you...good! All the more reason to stick around and hear me out. Get out of your comfort zone a little, there's good truth to be found out here. God wants you to wrestle with stuff, He loves a good wrestling match (just ask Jacob, father of the Israelites). When we wrestle with the truth, it is the strongest evidence of our desire for the truth.
So before we board this crazy-train subject of sin, it is crucial to make Truth our starting point. We must be able to identify truth, and most importantly, it's source.
"Yeah but Shane, isn't truth subjective? Isn't it relative?" Hahaha!!! That's rich! Too funny...oh, you're serious? Mmmmk...
...awkward...
No, truth is by no means relative (meaning: dependent on circumstances; not absolute), nor is it even remotely subjective (meaning: based on personal feelings, tastes or opinions). The world would like you to believe everything is permissible, and that truth is relative depending on who or what or where or how much. In reality, truth is very concrete. Who in their right mind would condone truth as something amorphic? As some eye-of-the-beholder improvisation?
Can you imagine a million different versions of what defines truth floating around out there, jockeying for position?! At that point, there would be so many opinions on truth, there would technically be no concrete truth at all. Oh wait...sound like a certain postmodern culture to you? As John Eldredge outlines, there is a distinct difference between what is opinion and what is true (you knew an Eldredge quote would pop up at some point, eh?):
If you think about it, the terms "relative" and "subjective" are oxymorons of "truth." By definition, at its very core, truth does not sway by popular opinion, or even personal opinion. It's not up for debate, it's not open for suggestions. And that's where our society has gotten it wrong. Consequently, convictions and beliefs these days are easily swayed...and they're a dime a dozen.
"Whoa Shane, you are wrong there. Tons of differing opinions hold traces of truth." Oh sure, there are snippets of truth in a lot of varying opinions. For example, we would all agree killing is wrong, correct? "Duh, Shane, that is true." But what if someone is about to kill your wife and children? Would you kill that person?
How can we even begin to answer, "What is really true?" This is why truth is seen as "relative," or "eh, it depends." There are so many "what if's" that complicate our definition of what is true. I think we all can agree, though, that truth itself is a constant. Meaning, ideally, it is what it is, and it can never diminish. In that case, would you believe me if I told you that real truth can be clearly defined? What if I said truth is set firm in and flowing freely from only ONE source. Can you guess who?
If you believe in God at all, and that He is good, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to arrive at the conclusion that God is the author of truth; and conversely, the enemy Satan is the author of lies. Ooo, taboo - I said Satan. Yeah. In fact, Scripture tells us Satan is the Father of lies. He is the anti-truth. So how does Satan sell his lies so easily? How could we be fooled by something so supposedly obvious as a lie from the Lord of the Underworld? Well, I've heard it said that every believable lie has a hint of truth in it. "How do you know for sure about all this 'God' and 'truth' stuff, Shane? Seems pretty subjective to me!" Well, it's all about who you know...
And I know Truth personally.
Not only did Jesus claim to be "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," He gave us insight into real truth through this astounding promise in Scripture:
Simple. It's not about exclusivity; it's about the willingly blind and the God-surrendered un-blind. It all comes down to "loving" and "obeying" God, or in other words, displaying "faith," resulting in "action." (which, by the way, the word "obey" sounds archaic and starchy; but if you think about it, once you love someone, it's only natural to obey them - i.e., a son to the father). Basically Jesus is saying, "It's really up to you: love me and the Truth is revealed, or turn your back and never experience God's fullness for your life." Many in Jesus' day turned their back, and many still do today - most of the time believing their rationale is better, or believing those who represent God's truth are failing.
"The world" struggles with Christians who have all the answers, and understandably so. I can't stand hanging around people who think they know everything, so I can see how non-Christians might find truth-sayers abrasive...especially when Christians often impulsively spew misconceptions of truth and straight-up false personal views. Those on the receiving end of mislead Christians' unfounded words may think, "Why would I want to believe in a God whose followers are so judgmental and condemning?" It's important to realize something: Christian or not, truth is not when we put words in God's mouth. It is when God puts His words in our mouth by His Spirit; we must be careful not to mix our personal opinions with God's truth - more often than not, they mix about as poorly as oil and water.
On the flip side of the coin, truth is by nature offensive. The Gospel rubs against the grain. Why? How could a proposition of "life to the full" be abrasive? Because it goes against our nature...our sin nature. Human nature. Our bent toward the tangible, the gratifying, the demands of carnality. The Spirit-life is a different path. And so many feel excommunicated from it, most without even stepping into it. Again, why? Because living the Kingdom life offends the part of us that is fundamentally cursed by sin - the part of us that wants to be in the drivers seat.
Sometimes people think, "Well, the issue I'm struggling with isn't even mentioned clearly in the Bible, so I'm not even sure it's a sin." The Bible doesn't record all the bases Jesus covered while among us. The disciple John wrote in His account of the Gospel, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." That's the exact reason Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth (if you haven't caught that yet!). Jesus says it Himself:
If you haven't experienced the truth of God up-close and personal in your life, it's time. Everyone burned by Christianity, judged by others, scrutinized to the "nth" degree, mad at religion...it's time to hear the real truth about sin. Come find out in Part 2 when we set the record straight on sin.
Yep, this elephant is..."sin."
(queue creepy organ)...DUM-DUM-DUUUUUUM!!!...Now if sin is an uncomfortable subject for you...good! All the more reason to stick around and hear me out. Get out of your comfort zone a little, there's good truth to be found out here. God wants you to wrestle with stuff, He loves a good wrestling match (just ask Jacob, father of the Israelites). When we wrestle with the truth, it is the strongest evidence of our desire for the truth.
So before we board this crazy-train subject of sin, it is crucial to make Truth our starting point. We must be able to identify truth, and most importantly, it's source.
"Yeah but Shane, isn't truth subjective? Isn't it relative?" Hahaha!!! That's rich! Too funny...oh, you're serious? Mmmmk...
...awkward...
No, truth is by no means relative (meaning: dependent on circumstances; not absolute), nor is it even remotely subjective (meaning: based on personal feelings, tastes or opinions). The world would like you to believe everything is permissible, and that truth is relative depending on who or what or where or how much. In reality, truth is very concrete. Who in their right mind would condone truth as something amorphic? As some eye-of-the-beholder improvisation?
Can you imagine a million different versions of what defines truth floating around out there, jockeying for position?! At that point, there would be so many opinions on truth, there would technically be no concrete truth at all. Oh wait...sound like a certain postmodern culture to you? As John Eldredge outlines, there is a distinct difference between what is opinion and what is true (you knew an Eldredge quote would pop up at some point, eh?):
The Spirit of our day is a soft acceptance of everything - except deep conviction in anything...But truth is not like conviction. Conviction might be a matter of personal opinion, but truth is like a great mountain, solid and immovable whether we like it or even acknowledge it. Christianity is not a set of convictions - it is a truth. The most offensive thing imaginable.
If you think about it, the terms "relative" and "subjective" are oxymorons of "truth." By definition, at its very core, truth does not sway by popular opinion, or even personal opinion. It's not up for debate, it's not open for suggestions. And that's where our society has gotten it wrong. Consequently, convictions and beliefs these days are easily swayed...and they're a dime a dozen.
"Whoa Shane, you are wrong there. Tons of differing opinions hold traces of truth." Oh sure, there are snippets of truth in a lot of varying opinions. For example, we would all agree killing is wrong, correct? "Duh, Shane, that is true." But what if someone is about to kill your wife and children? Would you kill that person?
How can we even begin to answer, "What is really true?" This is why truth is seen as "relative," or "eh, it depends." There are so many "what if's" that complicate our definition of what is true. I think we all can agree, though, that truth itself is a constant. Meaning, ideally, it is what it is, and it can never diminish. In that case, would you believe me if I told you that real truth can be clearly defined? What if I said truth is set firm in and flowing freely from only ONE source. Can you guess who?
If you believe in God at all, and that He is good, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to arrive at the conclusion that God is the author of truth; and conversely, the enemy Satan is the author of lies. Ooo, taboo - I said Satan. Yeah. In fact, Scripture tells us Satan is the Father of lies. He is the anti-truth. So how does Satan sell his lies so easily? How could we be fooled by something so supposedly obvious as a lie from the Lord of the Underworld? Well, I've heard it said that every believable lie has a hint of truth in it. "How do you know for sure about all this 'God' and 'truth' stuff, Shane? Seems pretty subjective to me!" Well, it's all about who you know...
And I know Truth personally.
Not only did Jesus claim to be "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," He gave us insight into real truth through this astounding promise in Scripture:
If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you..." (John 14:15-17, emphasis added)
A.k.a - The Holy Spirit. If you know Christ personally, the Spirit of Truth is in you! Those who don't know Jesus as Savior, or as he put it, "the world," is missing out on real truth because they are blinded from it. God literally hides the truth in Christ. And it's revealed through the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him.
Confusion, misplaced trust, deception, doubt - these are the glasses the world sees truth through. But thank God, He fits His children with the lenses of the Holy Spirit - the divine enters us personally to clarify the grey areas, and bring light to the darkness that's trying to destroy our hearts and minds. Yep, clarity...that's real truth, and isn't that what we're all after? Clarity through the Holy Spirit - a witness living inside us, alive and active, testifying to God's truth hidden in Christ:
All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (Jn. 14:25-26)
Confusion, misplaced trust, deception, doubt - these are the glasses the world sees truth through. But thank God, He fits His children with the lenses of the Holy Spirit - the divine enters us personally to clarify the grey areas, and bring light to the darkness that's trying to destroy our hearts and minds. Yep, clarity...that's real truth, and isn't that what we're all after? Clarity through the Holy Spirit - a witness living inside us, alive and active, testifying to God's truth hidden in Christ:
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. (John 15:26, emphasis added)
Sound too good to be true? (no pun intended! Oy!) To many this is foolishness, but to the un-blinded, it is legit. It takes faith, I'll give ya that. And it's faith that separates the blind from the un-blind. I can see how non-Christians might think receiving real truth is some exclusive Christian-club-member thing, reserved only for select few. The good Judas was wondering the same thing:
Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14: 22-24)
Simple. It's not about exclusivity; it's about the willingly blind and the God-surrendered un-blind. It all comes down to "loving" and "obeying" God, or in other words, displaying "faith," resulting in "action." (which, by the way, the word "obey" sounds archaic and starchy; but if you think about it, once you love someone, it's only natural to obey them - i.e., a son to the father). Basically Jesus is saying, "It's really up to you: love me and the Truth is revealed, or turn your back and never experience God's fullness for your life." Many in Jesus' day turned their back, and many still do today - most of the time believing their rationale is better, or believing those who represent God's truth are failing.
"The world" struggles with Christians who have all the answers, and understandably so. I can't stand hanging around people who think they know everything, so I can see how non-Christians might find truth-sayers abrasive...especially when Christians often impulsively spew misconceptions of truth and straight-up false personal views. Those on the receiving end of mislead Christians' unfounded words may think, "Why would I want to believe in a God whose followers are so judgmental and condemning?" It's important to realize something: Christian or not, truth is not when we put words in God's mouth. It is when God puts His words in our mouth by His Spirit; we must be careful not to mix our personal opinions with God's truth - more often than not, they mix about as poorly as oil and water.
On the flip side of the coin, truth is by nature offensive. The Gospel rubs against the grain. Why? How could a proposition of "life to the full" be abrasive? Because it goes against our nature...our sin nature. Human nature. Our bent toward the tangible, the gratifying, the demands of carnality. The Spirit-life is a different path. And so many feel excommunicated from it, most without even stepping into it. Again, why? Because living the Kingdom life offends the part of us that is fundamentally cursed by sin - the part of us that wants to be in the drivers seat.
Sometimes people think, "Well, the issue I'm struggling with isn't even mentioned clearly in the Bible, so I'm not even sure it's a sin." The Bible doesn't record all the bases Jesus covered while among us. The disciple John wrote in His account of the Gospel, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." That's the exact reason Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, to guide us into all truth (if you haven't caught that yet!). Jesus says it Himself:
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you. (John 16:12-15)
If you haven't experienced the truth of God up-close and personal in your life, it's time. Everyone burned by Christianity, judged by others, scrutinized to the "nth" degree, mad at religion...it's time to hear the real truth about sin. Come find out in Part 2 when we set the record straight on sin.
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