Deception’s stranglehold on society is a dark cloud portending the stormy weather that lies ahead; for, wherever truth is surrendered, freedom is the first casualty (Jn. 8:32).
When truth takes a back seat to political ambitions—when honesty is no longer the best policy—when it is no longer a big deal to be caught in a lie—when a lie spoken loud enough and long enough is accepted as truth—when the line between truth and error becomes so diffuse as to be no longer recognizable—when moral relativity produces a “my truth/your truth” mentality—we are in serious trouble.
Don’t think that religiously-minded people are immune to lies and deception. Many “false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1). Some are motivated by an over-inflated estimation of their own importance while others are motivated by material gain (1 Tim. 6:3-5). But, in the final analysis, they are doing the bidding of their father, the devil, who is “the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). All liars will have their part “in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).
When those, blinded by “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), confront the truth about Jesus, they often feel bewildered and confused. Like Pilate, they may ask, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38). Exposure to the truth is like stepping out of the darkness into the light (Col. 1:13). Christians are light-walkers who must not participate in deeds of darkness, but expose them to the light (1 Jn. 1:7; Eph. 5:11).
The church cannot effectively function as the body of Christ without a firm commitment on the part of its members to walk in truth (3 Jn. 3). “Laying aside falsehood”, we are to “speak truth” to one another, “for we are members of one another” (Eph. 4:25). Only in the faithful pursuit of truth, can we become lights in the midst of darkness (Ph. 2:15).
–Glen Elliott–