It doesn’t take much effort to see that we are engaged in a war for truth. Precious ideals, traditions, morality, and the like seem to be slipping away or are being molded into new renditions of right and wrong. The communication of current events varies dramatically depending on the source of the news. To some, the very foundations of our beloved country are being threatened. And regardless of what side of the political aisle you’re on, it’s likely that you see the other side as an enemy who is looking to rip open the underbelly of the truth you hold near and dear.
Far from this being some sort of political appeal, I am writing to the Church, to brothers and sisters in Christ, in hopes of winning some to a way forward that is constructive and compelling and so adorns the gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (see Phil. 2:14-16).
My concern is that some individuals and some churches are presenting truth more in the manner of a cornered animal than as a beacon of hope to the lost. To explain this imagery, the cornered animal is in fight or flight mode, fearing for its life. The beacon of hope is like a lighthouse that illuminates the way into the presence of God. The Church is never in cornered animal mode, because the gates of Hell do not stand against the advancing of the Kingdom. We never need to have claws extended and fangs bared in our fight for truth. Truth doesn’t need aggression.
A huge part of what it means to possess a Christian worldview is that we believe truth to be absolute, because God Himself is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The reasoning is that since God doesn’t change, His Word and His Truth don’t change either. I’m convinced that if this was functioning in our hearts and lives, we Christians would be much calmer…we’d relax when we speak truth rather than bristle and see the hair standing up on our arched backs.
And I’m convinced that lives are at stake. I’m convinced that the Church’s voice is sounding more and more like a noisy gong rather than a sweet life-changing melody. This loveless communication of truth isn’t actually communicating truth.
Wow!?! That’s a bold claim to make! Please read that last sentence again. It’s not click bait. And I don’t think it’s overstating things. It has everything to do with how we define truth. Is truth merely a set of facts or statements about reality that align with God and His Word? If I know the truth, have I done my job of communicating it simply by getting the words and concepts right? No.
Because truth isn’t truth without Jesus. For a Christian and for the Church to communicate truth, we must be communicating Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). It is not enough to make true statements about the universe if we fail to communicate the Person of our Lord.
Truth became flesh and dwelt among us. And you’d think that Truth must have come with a brick stick in one hand and a hammer in the other if you were to read some of the social media dialogues that have been taking place! Jesus must have been angry and violent, always looking to get the upper hand in a dialogue through attacks on the other’s character and intellect. Jesus must have been a huge fan of Charles Darwin and his “survival of the fittest” mantra…and flexed his muscles repeatedly to show his top dog status amongst both peers and rivals.
Brothers and sisters, we must not tolerate a truth that falls short of communicating the gentle and lowly heart of our King, Jesus Christ. It’s the compassion and mercy of God Himself that is lacking when we aggressively swing truth like a weapon just looking to topple our opponents. And when we fail to communicate the character of God, we fail to speak on His behalf.
I don’t know about you, but I recall vividly that when I came to faith, I trusted in Christ because I saw His merciful heart toward me. I saw His passionate zeal to pursue His enemy by offering His Son’s life for mine. It is the Person of God in the face of the gentle Jesus who wins rebels over to Truth. It’s not the dread warrior Christian launching truth like arrows. We aren’t battering rams, we are ambassadors of the Lamb. We speak like Him (in the nature and character He speaks truth) or we mustn’t claim to speak for Him.
If I am more concerned about defending truth than I am about communicating Jesus, who or what is most important to me? The answer is “me”. When I aggressively wield truth, I’m most interested in me, myself, and I. It’s a proud and poor substitute for the stewardship that Jesus has entrusted to us, and we must be done with it.
The Church will remain the beacon of hope for the lost and dying world full of enemies of God. We will see dead people raised to life as we communicate God’s Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We do this by taking on His tone, heart posture, and character as we bravely herald His unchanging and life-changing Truth.
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