Rising Above Deception: Why Truth Matters to God and Us

Summary

A culture of lies submerges humanity, where deception is normal and trust quickly erodes. People imitate the father of lies, shaping their beliefs and behavior around falsehoods, especially harmful lies about God. Scripture shows that truth originates in God and is revealed in Jesus, who is “the truth.” The Holy Spirit guides believers into truth, transforming their thinking and speaking. Because truth brings freedom, godliness, and spiritual life, Christians must reject falsehood and speak the truth in love.

Drowning in a Culture of Lies

Picture yourself at the bottom of the deepest ocean trench under 36,000 feet of lies. That is reality. “Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning” (Jeremiah 9:5 NIV).

Why We Lie

People pattern themselves unconsciously after the father of lies (John 8:44). Their words are weapons to get what they want. Politicians state the “truth” in ways that support their grip on or pursuit of power. With a few exceptions, after an election in the USA, we could ask one another, “For which liar did you vote?”

Self-serving “truth” is falsehood in an evening gown or a tuxedo. Like politicians, people sometimes present only the portion of the truth that achieves their ends and conveniently neglect the whole truth. We naturally suppress it (Romans 1:18).

The Cost of Falsehood

Like politicians, we inevitably demonstrate our untrustworthiness. When others discover one or one hundred of our lies, their trust in us leaks away like air through a hole in a balloon.

It is no wonder that people do not trust one another. People know they lie when it is convenient and rightly suspect others do the same.

Not all truths we were taught are consistent with facts or reality. For example, outside, I walk with my eyes on the ground about four or five feet ahead of me. Why? Snakes terrified my father. He taught me to walk like that to detect snakes in my path.

As a kid, I never discovered a single snake. Nevertheless, I still walk that way. Many of the “facts” that shape how we think and live, like my focus on the ground, are inconsistent with reality. The lies we believe about God are the most damaging of all.

Surfacing Into Truth

We trade the truth about Him for lies. We worship and serve created things instead of Him (Romans 1:25). So, how do we surface from under 36,000 feet of lies? We must reprogram our approach to life. “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:5 NIV).

Jesus: The Source and Standard of Truth

Jesus is our model. His words and life define what’s important. He claims to be the truth (John 14:6). He came into the world to testify to it (John 18:37). He is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV). His truth sets us and others free (John 8:32).

Knowing and believing in the truth saves us from eternal separation from God (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:13). It gives us spiritual life (James 1:18).

The Spirit of Truth at Work in Us

By God’s grace through faith in Jesus, the Spirit of truth lives in us (John 14:17). He guides us into all the truth (John 16:13). That truth reprograms how we think (John 17:17). It nourishes us (1 Timothy 4:6) and leads us to godliness (Titus 1:1). We become more like Jesus by obeying it (1 Peter 1:22).

Truth that Transforms Relationships

Jesus speaks the truth in love. He is the head of the body of all believers. As His body, we too must speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Those unconsciously imitating the father of lies will not, but we must put off falsehood and speak truthfully (Ephesians 4:25).

Why Truth Matters

Why is the truth important? The truth matters to God. That is why it must matter to us. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.   #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 7,541 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 17,361 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting.

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